# Mama bird flew away, has 2 babies in nest box; question on feeding



## SEB (Sep 7, 2017)

My 5-year-old parakeet Coconut flew away this morning (We normally keep her wings clipped, but haven't been able to since breeding season). Her babies are 30 and 34 days old. We had to remove the male bird Kona early on because Coconut would attack Kona. Needless to say he has had hardly any interaction with the babies. He looks like he is trying to feed them himself, but he certainly isn't as attentive as Coconut was. My questions are should I also be hand feeding them? If so how much and for how long? When are they ready to fledge? I don't know for sure, but both chicks appear to be males. Can they stay with their dad? Thanks


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

Hopefully you have Dad in a cage with the babies and their nest box at this point in time.
No other budgies should be in that cage.

The Dad should be feeding the babies and they should be learning to eat on their own as well.
You need to be providing spray millet, a high quality seed mix, vegetables and egg food to ensure the male is getting the nutrition he needs to adequately care for the offspring. 
If it appears the babies are not getting enough food, then you need to step in with supplemental feedings as well.

Budgie Hand Feeding and Weaning Guide

Planned Co-Parenting in Raising Tame Chicks

Before breeding any species, it is important to learn as much about the animals, their personalities and the best practices to follow for responsible and ethical breeding prior to making the commitment to take on the responsibility. This requires extensive research and an openness to continual learning.

Was this a planned breeding?
How many budgies do you have and where are they kept?
How much experience with budgies do you have and how much research did you do prior to allowing the birds to breed?

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## SEB (Sep 7, 2017)

The dad is in the cage with the babies and he has all the food you mentioned above available to him. He is feeding them, but I just wasn't sure if his instincts to take care of them were as keen as the female's - especially since he hasn't interacted with them much before today. 
Before breeding we just had the two budgies (our female who flew away and the male) and we keep them in our family room. I have had them for 5 years and they never attempted to mate before until this summer. I consulted with my vet and the bird store that I purchased them from when they were mating to make sure I had everything they needed. Thanks


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*One problem with allowing budgies to mate when you are inexperienced is that you don't have all the information necessary to ensure the health and well being of both the adults as well as any potential offspring.

Once budgies reach 4 years of age, they should not be allowed to breed. 

I hope between the Dad and you the two little chicks will be just fine.

Please be sure to keep us updated on how things are going.

Best wishes!*


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

You've been given great advice for your situation. Despite the fact that more research should have been done, its good to hear that so far the dad and chicks are doing well. I hope they continue to do so, please keep us posted! 

Also, I hope you're doing all you can to look for Coconut. Domesticated budgies aren't equipped to survive in the wild, regardless of where you live, and she's probably missing her mate and home. 

Meanwhile, you've come to the best place to learn even more about budgies! Be sure to read through the links provided above, which include the forum's many Budgie Articles and "stickies" (threads "stuck" to the top of each subform for easy reference) to ensure you're up to date on all the best practices for budgie care. :thumbup:

If you have any questions after reading through everything, be sure to ask!  

Cheers :wave:


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