History: I'm a new owner and I have 2 zebra finches who began mating right away and had 5 eggs. 4 hatched on the first time. The 4 babies are now a month old. Watching them develop and grow has been amazing. 3 babies look almost full grown, but one has remained tiny. He still has dark nails and a dark beak. I had to remove mama a couple days ago because she was fed up with the demanding babies and was aggressive with them. Papa took over, but he only chases and pecks at the runt. Poor little runt would cry to everyone for food.
Today a great pet store owner advised me to hand feed him with a syringe and a mixture to make into a paste. The feeding was pretty messy, but I'm happy to see his full crop. Papa was still pecking and chasing him until a few minutes ago. Papa spent some peaceful time preening the runt (probably because he has some paste on his body), and because baby was no longer crying for food. That bonding moment made me feel like my bird family could be happy. It warmed my heart! I can't wait to see 'Tiny' develop now that he'll have a full belly. All of the effort is worth it.
