Splay legs in baby lovebirds?

[wutsnxt]

My new question is how do lovebird babies develop? At what point should their legs be underneath them and not out to the side?
I have parakeets that breed regularly and I know about splay leg with them, but am not sure if lovebirds develop at the same rate. They are about 2 weeks old now. They have bedding in the box, but maybe it is just too soft for them to get a good grip. I just took them out for the first time and they seem to sit with their bodies on your hand rather than standing (like my baby budgies would at this point), is it just that they are heavier and don't start standing yet? I am very concerned now. With the parakeets you need to have corrected the problem by now. Does anyone know?

Amanda

[TooDusty]

At two weeks, my babies are still mostly on their bellies. They are chunkier than budgies and it can take a while for them to actually sit up on their own. You can try putting their legs under them and seeing if they are comfortable like that. When their legs have splayed, the joints are deformed and they wouldn't be able to have their legs under them without discomfort. Also, from what I have heard (although never had to deal with) splay legs can be corrected if caught at a young enough age.
The pics were taken on the same day, so you can see that sometimes their legs are out and sometimes they tuck them in. These guys were about 2 1/2 weeks old.

[wutsnxt]

Thank you so much for replying.
That is how mine look too. I guess they are ok then. I was thinking that maybe because they are so much heavier than the budgies that's why they don't stand up yet, they just kind of sit on their bellies like you said.
Do you hand-feed?
Here are pictures I took today of the oldest, which is 18 days.

[Jasmine]

It would be best to correct the splay legs when they are younger. I read something about it. You should get one of those triangular makeup sponges, make it all even so that the slant is straight, make two holes in it to put the bird's legs through so that the stance can be corrected, then leave the bird like that for about two weeks or more if necessary. If not corrected, it can be unhealthy for the bird.

[Jasmine]

Another thing I should add is that babies get splay legs because the mothers sit on them too heavily or for too long. I had a baby lovebird and it's legs were right under the belly, not on the side, so type of bird does not matter.

[TooDusty]

Your baby is fine...budgies mature more quickly than lovebirds anyway, so the dates wouldn't coordinate. He's a cutie...very dark colour! I handfeed my chicks, they start off at 4 feeds/day.

[wutsnxt]

Thanks for the replies.
I really want to hand-feed, I have watched all the videos on youtube, but haven't found anyone local to show me in person. I really want my babies to be tame. I had already purchased the supplies and was just going to return them because of never having done it and people warning of aspiration. The parents that I have are not tame at all which is why I really want the babies to be, what should I do?
Amanda

[TooDusty]

If you have an avian vet in your area, you can contact them, or put up an ad on your local kijiji/craigslist offering a bit of cash to a local breeder who can help you learn. The hardest part is the first couple of days when they don't recognize the syringe yet and you have to pry their beaks open! After that its pretty easy. If you're in a bird/parrot club you might find someone to help there. Good luck!

[wutsnxt]

Thanks for the advice, I am going to call an avian vet now.