Tag Archives: chick

Hi,

My cockatiel pair laid five eggs, one out of five hatched, and is still here today. His name is Cup-Cake, often called Cuppy, or Cuppy-Cake. We think he is a male because he is already getting a yellow bump of crest feathers on his head. He is ten days old, eyes open, getting his crest feathers, and is a happy, big, sweet, little baby!

But I do have some questions, and what the questions are about are concerning me so much! And yes, I know I am a worry-wart, but this is kind of scaring me.

(1) How come his parents don’t care about him as much?

He is ten days old, but both of his parents (Diablo/Grey Grey) leave for ten minutes at a time, or longer, without returning to him, even though he tweets. And sometimes they leave him hungry. His crop kind of sags, and then that is when they feed him. But they still feed him and care for him, though. Is it normal that they leave for long periods of time together? Is it normal when they wait for the crop to empty for feeding again?
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(2) Why is he getting his feathers so soon?

As I stated before, he is ten days old. But he is already getting his pin feathers! He is mainly getting them on his wings, but you can clearly tell they are pin feathers. Is it normal that they are growing this early? When will he have all of his feathers?
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(3) He is already flapping his wings, and walking?

I went to go check on him, and probably handle him like I always do, and he was wondering around his nest box (his parents were out) and walking, falling every once in a while, and flapping his wings! He doesn’t even have all of his pin feathers yet! Why is he flapping his wings so early of age, and walking? Should I be careful?
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(4) How to keep him warm?

I am handling Cup-Cake instead of hand-feeding, way to many dangers. When I pull him out and handle him, he starts shaking. I usually sit him on a towel like most people do, but he continues to shake. How can I keep him comfy, and warm? Mind you, he has claws, and they get trapped easily!
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Thanks for any answers, they are well appreciated, and very helpful! And also, stupid bonus questions:

When do I need to buy a cage for him? He is currently in the nest box.

When will he start vocalizing? All he does is a raspy hiss, tweets, and squeaks. And even though I don’t expect him to vocalize any time soon, I still go “Tweet”, “Cup-Cake”, and “Baby Bird” to him, and he responds with a tweet.

Should I let him walk around? He tries to walk, and he stumbles (which is so cute!) but I don’t know exactly how safe it is. What surfaces can he walk on that can be warmed, but he can’t get his nails stuck in?

Thanks for all your help!

Most informative, nice, and understandable answer gets ten points Best Answer.