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Question:

February 21, 2023

The mother cockatiel isnt feeding the baby cockatiel.


A while ago my two cockatiels mated. And recently one of the eggs hatched. I don’t know exactly when it hatched, but when I got home from work it was dry and clean. But I have been noticing that the mother cockatiel ignored the baby and the eggs, and the father was in the nest. Should I feed the baby cockatiel or wait a little bit longer?


Answer:

Hi,

It is best to let the parents have a chance to feed the chicks. It’s nearly impossible to hand feed cockatiel chicks from day 1. They usually seem to be fine and then die after a few days. They are best off with the parents for the first 2-3 weeks. It can be hard to see them die if the parents do not feed them, but the parents have to learn. If you take the chicks and they die anyway, the parents have not learned anything. The male and female both care for the chicks, so it isn’t unusual for him to be with them. And they do not feed them right away because the newly hatched chick is still absorbing the yolk sac. Hopefully instinct will kick in and the parents will care for the chicks.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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