# Baby Budgies with dad



## JaydenMont422854

Hi am writting because my budgies had babies and five of them ade it. I noticed like around mid week2 that the dad budgie wanted to mate again. So i removed mom and left the babies with dad. I wanted to know if i should take out the nesting box and leave the babies in a warm container in the cage with dad?
Thanks


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## FaeryBee

*Please respond to the questions below:

Why did you allow your budgies to breed?
Do you have previous experience in breeding budgies?
How old are the two adult budgies?
What do you plan to do with the 5 offspring?
Do you have an Avian Vet?
Does the nest box have a concave bottom?
Are you checking the babies regularly for splayed legs?
What diet are you giving the Dad at this time? 

Leave the nest box attached to the cage. The chicks will want to continue to use it.*
*The mother should be in a separate cage in a separate room from the other budgies at this point in time.*
*The Dad will feed and care for the babies until they are fully fledged and weaned.*

*I'd like to see pictures of your current cage set up with the nest box. 
Pictures of the adult birds and the babies would be great as well.*

*The purpose of this forum is to promote the BEST PRACTICES in the care of budgies for their optimal Health and Well-Being*
*Locating an Avian Veterinarian*

*A Healthy Diet for your Budgie*
*Quality Seed Mix*
*CuttleBones, Mineral Blocks and Manu Clay Roses*
*Safe Foods for Budgies*
*The Truth about GRIT*

*Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and all of the Stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.
Truly, the very BEST advice anyone can offer you is to take the time to read ALL of the stickies throughout the various Talk Budgie forums as well as the Budgie Articles we have posted.
(Stickies are threads “stuck” at the top of each forum sub-section)
These are great resources for Talk Budgie members and have a wealth of reliable information which will assist you to learn the best practices in caring for your budgies for their optimal health and well-being.*

*SITE GUIDELINES*
*Posting on the Forums*
*Let's Talk Budgies!*
*FAQ*
*Articles*
*Be Prepared for Veterinary Care Expense*
*Avian First Aid*
*Quarantine IS Necessary!*
*A Heartfelt Plea to All Members*
*Tips For Discouraging Breeding*
*Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies*
*Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads*
*Cage sizes.*
*Essentials to a Great Cage*
*Dangers to Pet Birds*
*Resource Directory*


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## JaydenMont422854

*Why did you allow your budgies to breed? I allowed them to breed because i wanted to have more budgies.
Do you have previous experience in breeding budgies?This is my first time with breeding them but i think im doing a good job. 
How old are the two adult budgies? Both adult budgies are more than a year old.
What do you plan to do with the 5 offspring? Actually i checked them today and there is 6 offspring. Smallest being a little more than 11-13 days old.
Do you have an Avian Vet?No i don't have one.
Does the nest box have a concave bottom?The nest does have a concave bottom. 
Are you checking the babies regularly for splayed legs?I took the babies out of the nest today and but them on a warm concave surface and they don't have splayed legs. They walk just fine and look clean and healthy.
What diet are you giving the Dad at this time? I am giving dad seed, millet, and greens. The babies are healthy and growing fast.

I wanted to know if its normal that the bigger budgies want to peek out of the nest and then fall down. Today this morning i checked them and they were fine. I went to go eat breakfast and i noticed that one budgie who was trying to peek out fell out of the nest. I picked him up and put him back in. Then i went to a doctor's appointment and my mom told me that while i was gone another budgie fell out and she put her back in. She doesn't know if it was the same one or not. I think this happened because he tried to peek and his other brothers accidentally pushed him out.
Please let me know what you think.*


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## FaeryBee

*You indicate both adults are more than a year old -- are they also less than 4 years old?
How much research did you do before allowing these two budgies to breed and what did you use as reference materials?
How high in the cage is the nest box?
If the babies are falling out then you need to put layers of white paper towels or a soft towel on the bottom of the cage for them to land on.
How old are the oldest chicks?
How large is the cage you have the Father and the babies in? Length, Width, and Height
Are you parents involved in caring for the budgies?

If you are planning to keep all 6 offspring in addition to the Dad and the Mother, then it would be best to separate the budgies by gender once the babies are fully fledged and weaned.*


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## JaydenMont422854

Both adults are 1 year and 3 months old.
I researched a lot before i let ym birds breed. I used denny the budgie youtube channel. I also used different credible sources like this forum.
The nest is not too high from the ground so when the babies fall they don't recieve a hard drop.
The oldest chick is 20 days old. The smallest one is 12-13 days old.
The cage is not too big but not too small. It fits about 3-5 budgies.
My parents are helping me with taking care of the babies and the mom and dad.
I wanted to know that when the oldest budgie is fleged and weaned can i put him in the same cage as the mother or no?
Also can i handle the babies or will the dad get mad?
Thanks


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## FaeryBee

*Yes, you should be handling the budgies. 

At around 20 days old, the chicks will start to move out of the nest. 
At this point, provide them with extra food to encourage weaning and a shallow bowl at the bottom of the cage for foraging. 
With so many small additions to the cage, it is best to add another water source. 
Now that the chicks are out and about, handle them as a regularly as they can, and teach them to perch on shoulders and fingers!

When the babies start getting feathered, you need to clean the nest box regularly. 
Remove the babies into a large bowl lined with a towel and scoop out the soiled bedding. 
Scrape the wood insert as needed and replace with fresh bedding. 
You may need to block the entrance to the nest box while you do this to prevent the Dad from coming into the box.

Check the babies every day for fixable developmental problems.
Check under the top mandible (beak) for a build up of food, which can cause an undershot beak. 
If you notice food stuck under the top mandible, remove gently and carefully with a toothpick.

Make sure the chicks are not developing splayed legs. 
If this is happening, try adding extra pine shavings. I
If a young baby develops splayed legs, the problem can be corrected because their bones are still forming.
If that occurs, let me know and I’ll direct you to the proper link.

When the chicks start coming out of the nest, provide a shallow dish of food on the bottom of the cage to facilitate weaning.
You can remove a 6 week old weaned chick from its father in the breeding cage. It should be put in a large cage reserved for young birds.
Do not put the chicks in with the Mother.

Provide lots of food, available in different places, especially in a dish on the bottom of the cage. 
Keep a close eye on newly removed chicks to make sure they are eating. Check their crops to make sure they are full before covering their cage at night.

Please read the links listed:
Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies*
*Planned Co-Parenting in Raising Tame Chicks*

*Please give me the Length, Width, and Height of the cage.*


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## JaydenMont422854

I have three older baby budgies. One is 21 days old. Two are around 18-20 days old. Can i start putting food around them to encourage weaning? The other three babies have feathers but they are around 13-16 days old. So should they stay in the nest?


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## FaeryBee

*Put the food in the cage near the nest box where the he chicks can get to it when they venture out of the box. Don’t try to force any of the chicks to come out nor force them to stay in the box. Let them develop and come out as they are ready. *


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## JaydenMont422854

How long does it take for a baby budgie to get used to the hand when handling?
It is normal for them to waddle their tale a little?
How long can i handle them before returning them to the cage?
Will dad get mad if he sees me handling his babies?
Thanks


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## FaeryBee

*Please read the information in the two links I put in Post #5 on this thread. 

The second link explains about handling the chicks. 

No, the Dad will not get mad that you are handling the chicks.

Please give me the Length, Width, and Height of the cage. This is the third time I’ve asked you to do so. *


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## JaydenMont422854

oh im sorry the lengths are 36 inches long 24 inches high and 24 inches wide


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## FaeryBee

*Thank you. 
What are the dimensions of the cage you moved the mother budgie into?*


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## JaydenMont422854

the cage is the same size

I also wanted to ask if its ok if i regulary handle the budgie so they can get used to the hand and become tame? Or should i not handle them evryday


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## FaeryBee

*You can start handling the chicks for short periods of time once they are around 2-2.5 weeks old.
Make sure you wash your hands, and that your hands are not cold. 
You can hold each one for about 15 minutes at a time, and as they grow and feather up, you can extend this time little by little.
Do this every day.
*


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## JaydenMont422854

ok thank yoi


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## JaydenMont422854

Hi i am writting this because i just got 6 new baby budgies from my pair of adult budgies. The oldest chick is 32 days today. And the smallest is 18 days. I wanted to know if it is normal that he is trying to fly but crashes into the walls a little and crash lands? His first flight was yesterday. And i also wanted to know if i can reunite him with his mother. I had to separate the mother when the oldest baby was 18 days old because dad wanted to breed again. 
Thanks


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## FaeryBee

*When the chicks start coming out of the nest, provide a shallow dish of food on the bottom of the cage to facilitate weaning.
You can remove a 6 week old weaned chick from its father in the breeding cage. 
It should be put in a large cage reserved for the young birds.

Do NOT put the chicks in with the Mother.*
*I told you this in a previous post already.

Are you talking about the 32 day old chick flying? You need to be careful that it does not injure itself when it "crashes".
If possible, hang sheets out about 2-3 inches away from the walls until the budgies get used to the room dimensions.
Put towels on the floor so if the budgie comes into the floor for a hard landing the landing is cushioned.*

*You need THREE cages at this point.
One that the Dad is in with the nest box and babies.
One that the Mom is in (in a DIFFERENT room)
One for the babies to be put in when they are fully weaned.*


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## JaydenMont422854

What if i can't buy another cage at the moment? Can i leave the weaned babies in the cage with dad. I mean the cage is meant to hold 10-12 budgies


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## FaeryBee

*This is why you should never allow birds to breed when you have not fully researched and prepared. 

For now, leave the chicks with the Dad. *


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## wmcburke

JaydenMont422854 said:


> What if i can't buy another cage at the moment? Can i leave the weaned babies in the cage with dad. I mean the cage is meant to hold 10-12 budgies


Which cage is meant to hold 10-12 budgies? Certainly not the one you describe as being 36x24x24. No more than two budgies should be maintained in a cage that size.


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## JaydenMont422854

Another question that i had was the third oldest chick is agressive towards me when i try to handle him or another chick near me. If i put my hand in the cage he gets like very mad and starts to open his beak like ready to attack. He doesnt squack or anything but he gets mad and runs towards my hand to bite it. The other budgies are chill with me handling them but that one chick is like agressive. Anyone know why this occurs?


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## FaeryBee

*Do you understand now why you should never have allowed your budgies to breed? You had neither the basic knowledge of budgies nor the experience to do so and your “research” was inadequate

What are you planning to do with all the offspring when they have fully fledged and weaned? 

Every budgie is a unique individual. It takes some longer to learn to trust than it does others. 

How do you react when the third oldest acts “aggressive” (your word) toward you? 

Please post pictures of the current cage with the Dad and 6 chicks. 
I want to see how they are growing and developing. *


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## JaydenMont422854

I cant post pictures bc i dont know how too. I will keep all of the offspring when they are fleged and weaned. When the third oldest tries to bite i just move my hand gently and just move him away gently.


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## FaeryBee

*Here is the link to the instructions which are in the FAQ (which was linked in my first post in this thread)*

*How to upload images to posts*

*You are going to need very large flight cages if you plan to keep 8 budgies.
By Very large, I mean the size of a Prevue Hendryx F050. 
37-Inch long, 23-inch wide and 60-inch with 1/2-inch wire spacing*


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## karenblodgett3261

wmcburke said:


> Which cage is meant to hold 10-12 budgies? Certainly not the one you describe as being 36x24x24. No more than two budgies should be maintained in a cage that size.


That's the thought that immediately came to my mind. Doing the math: that equals *4 *cages that size. And if one or more are very territorial, you may need more cages. And you really, really need to find an avian vet. Honestly, the parents should have seen a vet and given a clean bill of health before they were allowed to breed. Be prepared for a big bill. And if meds are prescribed or tests done it will be bigger. Just a few things to think about if your planning to keep all of them.


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## FaeryBee

*The best thing to do if you actually plan to keep all the budgies is to separate them by gender into two very large flight cages (Prevue Hendryx F050 size)
AFTER they are fully weaned. The chicks need to be eating on their own for a full two weeks and have attained 8 weeks of age to be considered fully weaned (and to help prevent regression).

You will need to keep the cage you have currently to use as a quarantine/hospital/travel cage if one of the birds becomes ill or injured or is overly aggressive toward the other budgies.

As Karen mentioned, having multiple birds means you MUST be prepared to handle all necessary veterinarian expenses.
These little creatures are totally dependent on us for their optimal care and being prepared financially to ensure their health and well-being is critical.
If you "cannot get another cage at the moment" then you have not prepared properly for breeding your birds.

I'm sorry if some of what I tell you comes across as somewhat harsh, but you must recognize the facts.
Breeding responsibly and ethically is something that should only be undertaken after a great deal of research and with a full and extensive knowledge of how to care for budgies for their optimal health and well-being. 

The majority of birds should never be bred and the majority of members should never attempt to breed their birds.
Budgies are much healthier and happier never being bred.

All that said, we need to move on with the situation as it stands currently.
As the budgies mature, you will need to post pictures of their ceres so we can determine their genders.
If you truly plan to keep all 6 of the offspring, start planning now to get the larger cages.
Ensure you have an emergency veterinarian fund set up in case of illness or injury in any of the budgies.
Do NOT allow the two adults to breed again.
Do NOT put the chicks in with the mother.
If there is any sign of aggression in the father toward the chicks then the father will need to be removed from the cage immediately.*

*Be Prepared for Veterinary Care Expense*


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## JaydenMont422854

Sorry for responding late i wanted to ask another question. Is it ok if i move the dad out of the cage ad leave the chicks be themselves? The oldest is 38 days and the youngest is around 18 days old. I see that the two oldest chicks feed their little siblings when dad is busy cleaning himself. The three oldest chicks are eating on their own.


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## FaeryBee

*Why do you want to move him out at this time?*


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## JaydenMont422854

I dont want too i just mean like just in case the dad turns agressive towards chicks like you said


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## FaeryBee

*Hopefully that will not happen. 
IF it does, THEN we move him out at that time, BUT if the chicks are not fully weaned then they have to receive supplemental feedings.*


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