Possible New Baby

[linda040899]

I've said it repeatedly, I do not need another parrot, I do not need another parrot, I do NOT need another parrot!!! However, I lost my male Plum Headed Parakeet to a heart defect probably 4 yrs ago and finding any Plum Head is almost mission impossible! Well, there is a breeder who lives about 40 miles North of me and she has 2 unweaned babies for sale. Price is reasonable and I can pick up rather than have a youngster shipped. I'm going to see what she has tomorrow and see if I like what this breeder has. I will not sell unweaned but I'm extremely good at hand feeding so I may be getting one of her babies. At least I know that any baby I might buy will have a good, forever home, which is much better than many young animals get right now. I will update this thread sometime tomorrow and let you all know what I've done. I know this breeder has healthy birds.

[Z28Taxman]

The question is not will Linda get another parrot but rather, "will Linda get only one new parrot? :rofl::rofl::rofl:

[linda040899]

Linda will only get one Plum Head. The meeting did not take place yesterday, as the breeder's daughter was sick. I've got a few red flags so it's possible that I won't get any baby. Will update later.

[linda040899]

Came back with just 1 baby, one that just came out of the brooder. Apparently, this breeder pulls all her babies on day 1 so the parents never get to feed any of what they work so hard to hatch. That just breaks my heart, as most pairs make good parents if allowed to have their offspring. However, as this breeder told me, she has so many babies that she doesn't have time to socialize, just feed one and go to the next. :( Definitely not my style.

[linda040899]

Baby is doing just fine. It had to learn to eat a normal way with a syringe, which is slower than power feeding or crop feeding. I've got the crop emptying very nicely and I'm making good progress at changing from a corn based formula to a rice based one. I've been at 50-50 combination and I will be making up 25-75 mixture this afternoon. The baby is definitely growing and I'm pleased, considering where we were when I first brought it home. It likes being held and snuggling up to the plush bear I'm using as a companion for it. Droppings look pretty normal to me. Haven't heard anymore from the breeder so it's my guess that she got her money and it's one less baby for her to be concerned with. So sad but I've said this before. There is no money to be made in breeding, at least not with my mindset.

[Z28Taxman]

that's one lucky baby.....

[linda040899]

Perhaps....... The little baby is really growing! He was mostly pin feathers when I brought him home and now I'm seeing a lot of green feathers. He eats better if the food is between 107F and 108F. Otherwise he can be pretty stubborn and he will squirm to let me know "Hey, mom! This is not to my liking!" In another week or so, I'm going to see what he thinks of millet. :)

[linda040899]

Baby doing very well! Gotta take a new pic and share it here. So much new feathering that he/she is beginning to look like a baby parrot instead of a feathered pin cushion! I'm maxing out at 10 cc of formula at each feeding so I don't over stretch the crop. I'm even beginning to see some personality. I'm waiting for the wing flapping to start so it can take its first flight. I'm used to baby lovebirds so this is a new experience for me!

[Z28Taxman]

OH boy, Baby Pics!!!!!

[AlovebirdMom]

Linda congrats on your new baby. She's lucky to be adopted by you.

Long life to her!!

Ellen

[linda040899]

Thanks, Ellen!
I lost both of the Plum Heads I had to necropsy diagnosed heart problems and I've been looking for another one for a very long time! I happened to find an ad on Craig's List from a FL breeder and I picked her youngest one that felt like a male to me. He's pretty much completely feathered now and he's beginning to exercise his wings. One of these mornings, the stretching will turn to flapping and he will just take off on his first short flight. :happy:

[linda040899]

Fist flight happened last night. He's been stretching his wings and flapping throughout the day and last night, just before his 6:00 feeding he took off and flew from the kitchen to the dining room. I've subsequently closed doors to rooms where I don't want him to go. For now, I want him to fly in the dining room and living room until he learns the lay of the land. I won't clip any flight feathers until he can fly expertly and land where he wants to without crashing. His tail is only half length so it affects his "steering" ability!

[Z28Taxman]

Now it's fun time. :happy::happy:

[linda040899]

Now it's fun time. :happy::happy:
You got that right!!!!! Flying is more fun than anything else and he's not happy being restrained from doing what he wants to do!!! He's vocal when he lands so it's not too hard to find him......yet. Name that comes to mind is Maverick.

[linda040899]

We discovered last night that he's capable of eating more than just formula. He's hard to hand feed so we tried the old standby.......Cheerios. He loves them, once he realized that you have to bite down to get the cheerio to break apart. I also have very small pellets that are ideal for Asian species and he can break those up as well. He's not crazy about millet but Nutriberries are the bees knees! I'm getting a cage ready for him and we will see what happens.

[Z28Taxman]

We discovered last night that he's capable of eating more than just formula. He's hard to hand feed so we tried the old standby.......Cheerios. He loves them, once he realized that you have to bite down to get the cheerio to break apart. I also have very small pellets that are ideal for Asian species and he can break those up as well. He's not crazy about millet but Nutriberries are the bees knees! I'm getting a cage ready for him and we will see what happens.

Ditto loved cheerios.....

[linda040899]

Ditto loved cheerios.....
Cheerios and just about anything else I put on the bottom of his container! He's not much on seed or millet but pellets for conure, fruit/veggie mix, cheerios, Nutriberries are all attacked and gobbled down. He will take formula but he's cut back a lot. I'm maxing out at 12 cc so his crop will shrink to adult capacity and he won't be hungry. It appears he's heading in the right direction.

[linda040899]

Maverick is spending his first day in an actual cage and he seems to be really enjoying it. He's moving around, climbing, flapping and learning to navigate. My biggest problem is keeping Alex (BFA) off the cage and away from Maverick. I've had to zip tie and/or clip all cage doors closed since Alex only wants to get into the cage. Before today, she had no interest in the cage whatsoever....... Go figure!

[linda040899]

Maverick is getting to be quite the expert at flying. He takes off with no problems at all and navigates very well in the area where we allow him to fly. He picks his landing spot and doesn't miss anymore. I limit where he can go by closing doors where I don't want him to be. His cage is in the Florida room but it's dangerous to allow him free flight in there because of the big parrot cages. The object of the exercise is letting him fly while keeping him safe. I've got him down to 2 feeding/day and he's doing well with it. :):):)

[linda040899]

Ken and I had a discussion last night as to why I put Maverick back in the carrier I've kept him in until I thought he was big enough to be introduced to a cage. While Maverick likes the idea of the cage, he's still a baby and doesn't feel secure in a cage that is so big so he squawks to come out and go to where it's smaller and more secure feeling. Just as it starts to get dark, I've been moving him to his carrier and he settles down and goes to bed. He will get to the point where he's comfortable in the cage but he's not there quite yet.

[linda040899]

Maverick has his own cage and loves it! His aerial skills have improved to the point where he flies and lands with absolute precision. Favorite landing pad is my head! I always use the "up" command and he's doing well with it. He's been doing very well with food in his dish, although I gave him a smaller dish so there's less to pick through and throw on the floor while he's looking for what he wants. I have a millet holder so I put 2 pieces in it and hung it from the top of his cage. Next time I checked on him, he was sitting on a perch, millet in foot, happily munching away. Haven't done the feather DNA test yet but my gut feeling is still male.

[Maxie]

How did I miss this thread!?!?

[linda040899]

How did I miss this thread!?!?
Not sure but I've missed my Plum Head Parakeets since the pair I had both died from heart problems (vet diagnosed by necropsy). Plum Heads are hard to find and waiting lists are long. I just happened to find an ad on Craig's List (of all places) for a very young, unsexed baby and I figured why not. Maverick is just about fully feathered out and his feathering is gorgeous! There is a Plum Head breeders group on FB and a breeder posted pictures of their handfed babies and all I saw were stress marks all over the feathering. That's what happens when babies are fed on a strict schedule rather than when they are hungry. When I got Maverick, he had been on a 3 feedings/day schedule and he ate 4-5 times/day with me. He had to learn to eat from a syringe that was not put down his throat into his crop because I don't believe in crop feeding. It's been an interesting 2 months with him and I don't regret my decision. :):):):)