Two Peach-Faced Lovebird Questions

[sless13]

Mango and her male mate Peppy are in the process of diligently working around the clock providing for three recently hatched chicks (their first ones). The first chick was hatched about 10 ten days ago and the last one approximately 5-6 days ago.
There is one egg that has not hatched and it is still in their next box. From what I have read, since so much time has elapsed since the third chick hatched, the final egg will not be hatching. Should I remove that unhatched egg or let nature take its course and see if Mango will remove it from the box herself?

Once the chicks start to feed independently at 7-8 weeks, I plan to immediately remove them from their parents and place them in a their own large new cage. Obviously, I will not know what sexes they are. If they are placed in the same cage at approximately the same time at such an early age (maybe days apart) in the long run will they get along (at least not harm one another) regardless of what sexes they are? In other words, is it safe for me to put all three together and, if so, what should I be looking for in terms of behavior to ward off any potential problems? Also, I plan to keep all of the lovebirds and have no future breeding plans.

Les

[vmorrison]

Leave all eggs where they are. Unhatched eggs actually serve a purpose. They provide a surface for the chicks to lean on and they prevent mom from putting too much downward pressure on the babies when she sits on them to keep them warm. They eggs will also help keep the babies warm if mom needs to leave the nest for a minute or so.

Babies leave the nest at age 6 weeks and it takes dad about 2 weeks so teach them to eat on their own. Even after that, the parents will sneak snacks to the little ones if they ask. I'm never in a great rush to remove the babies, as long as everyone gets along. You can remove all 3 babies, but remember that two is company and three is a crowd. They may get along in the beginning but eventually two will pair off and the third one will become odd bird out.

Valerie

[sless13]

Thanks Valerie,

Everything that you said about leaving the egg alone makes so much sense and is also congruent to what I have been visually observing both when Mango is in the nest box and out of the box. So, the unhatched egg shall be left alone.

At some point, I will be removing the 3 babies if/when I think it is no longer safe for them to be with their parents. Then I will play it by eye and ear until a matching occurs. I will get an extra cage and have it on hand to make a transfer of one of them. As to the location of all the cages (as I also have a half-moon conure, 2 pairs of male parakeets, and a male Northern Cardinal) I will have to figure out where to put them both for daytime and night time. Oh well, but I am sure it will be worth it. But then no mas (or so I tell myself now).

Les

[hollyhawkz]

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Introduce Yourself... - BirdBoard.Com - Parrot Message Board & Pet Bird Owner Forums

[sless13]

It has been a fantastic first-time experience for myself and Maria as the babies, Yaya, Mappy, and Pema begin to take lovebird shape/form and as the parents truly dedicate themselves to the care and feeding, feeding, and more regurgitated feeding of their three chicks. They certainly keep me busy as I need to change/replenish their fresh food (as the father Peppy, is eating more and more greens-he loves broccoli florettes and chard greens/stems and apples), seeds (Peppy and Mango are really craving avena/oats, other grains, and brown rice on a regular basis.

The oldest chick is now a little more than two weeks old and the youngest is about 6 days younger and it is startling to see the size differential between to two oldest and the youngest. The mother, Mango, in the last day or two has been spending a little more time out of the nest box drinking and feeding and Peppy is spending somewhat more time with her in the nesting box. The unhatched egg remains in the nest.

When not eating or in the nest box, Peppy spends most of the daylight hours calling out to Payno the Half-Moon Conure, the 4 parakeets, and the Cardinal who are in the courtyard as the lovebirds remain in the house.

It is so interesting to observe the changes in behavior of the adults as normally without the responsibility of raising their brood, they are pretty much non-stop playing and hopping around their living unit with each other..

[sless13]

Regarding the unhatched egg, nature did take its own course as this morning when I checked in on Mango, Peppy and their brood, the egg was visible outside of the next box.Seems it was no longer required as the babies have grown "fur", are getting larger by the day, and jostle one another to get warmth and comfort. They seem to be intermittently most active between 2-5AM when they create quite a ruccus.

Also, as I had read that this might happen, Peppy the male is now directly regurgitating/feeding the babies while Mango is out of the box. Although Mango is still spending most of her time in the nest box, she is spending more time outside of the box feeding herself and hanging out with her mate as the oldest chick is now over three weeks old. They are back to some of their old routines like calling out to Payno the Half-Moon Conure who is in the courtyard (and he certainly reciprocates).

The youngest chick based on her coloration at this point of development and her pink eyes may be albino-like (I understand that there is no true Peach-Faced albinos). The older chicks are now identically fully covered with grey "fur."