New canary breeder with babies has question

[Dev]

Hi: This is my first breeding. My canaries hatched two babies that are not 2 1/2 weeks old and so cute. I have not bothered them too much - only to clean cage and to feed and water. The cage is a hanging cage. Can I take it down and clean it good. I also want to clean nest, but don't know if I should bother the babies. As I said, I am new to this. Please let me know if you have any advice. Thank you. Dev

[macawlover]

I would wait until the babies have fledged (come out of the nest) before you do any serious cleaning. You could probably take a cloth to the bars and wipe them down, but if you're talking about taking the birds out to let the cage soak, I would wait.

Also, you should probably leave the nest alone until the babies have left the nest and are not going in it anymore, probably at about one month of age.
Good luck!

[P Egan]

Hi Dev,
Having babies for the first time is so exciting! I have always taken my babies out of the nest to check feet and make sure they aren't developing splayed legs. I have a crocheted wool lining in my nests and have always changed these by about the second week. The parents don't seem to mind...they aren't out very long. It helps to give the parents something else to do during that time...eat a treat, etc. I do clean up the floor around the cages, etc. but not the cage itself. Hope this helps...granted we're talking about MY birds...yours could react differently.
Pam

[Dev]

Thanks for the information that was given to me. My two babies are now on their own. The mother had six more eggs, but they did not hatch even though she sat tight. After that I took the opportunity to put them in a different cage. The male is happy and singing away. I put a nest on the cage - if she lays more eggs that is fine, if not that is okay too. I am interested to find out if the crocheted nest liners were hand made or if they can be purchased.
Thanks again for the info. I am sure I will have more questions in the future. I don't know anyone who raises canaries and have many questions.



Dev