New babies

[Melanie Gagnon]

I have 2 zebra babies but not sure if one of them is alive. One I definitely know is alive but the first one that was born yesterday I haven't seen move. Is there any way to find out if the baby is alive without making mom and dad abandon it? They are great parents because they are constantly in the nest and if one leaves the nest the other one will stay in the nest until it comes back. I'm happy about that. So hopefully somebody can answer my question. I have no doubt that someone can.

[Melanie Gagnon]

I got my answer because I found the baby on the bottom of the cage. No eggs hatched today though. Is it normal for hatching to skip a day? I still have one baby that seems to be doing fine. Also should I not check the nest in the morning to see if any other eggs hatched?

[finchmix22]

I would leave the nest alone and just give the parents lots of eggfood and seed, millet spray etc. They may toss babies when disturbed or if they feel threatened. So, the less interaction the better. The baby might have died and then they tossed it, but if they are feeding the other one, just keep the food coming.
Sorry you lost one.

[Corkysgirl]

Yes, they can skip a day. It depends on what day it was fertilized and how warm it was...how tight they sat on it. Sorry about your little tossed chick. I've had that happen many times. I've had them leave it in the nest for a while, then bury it under some of the nesting, or toss it...or let it dry up. Mostly they toss it if it dies. Just check it if they get out. You really can't do anything for them except give them plenty of protein, eggs...,etc as finchmix22 said. I would check often in case they toss a live chick. They do that sometimes. You can try putting it back if they do before it gets too cold. Not sure if you have wire grating on the bottom of your cage. If so, put paper towels or something under to cushion the fall...and to keep it from going through the grating and so you can see the chick easier. Really...check often because if they get cold, they'll die.

[Melanie Gagnon]

I do have wire on the bottom of the cage and I will keep the paper towel idea in mind. Thank you guys for your advice and I'm glad to know that the rest of the eggs still have a chance to hatch but I'll definitely keep the food coming. I know they'll need the energy for the little ones. I was gonna post a picture but haven't figured that part out.