My zebra finch chicks are 14 days old and the parents are not sleeping with them tonight . They are in another basket next to their babies .? Will the babies be ok ? Or do they need their parents sleeping with them still ?
Hi Carol,
They should be leaving the nest any day now anyway. As long as they have some feathers, they are OK. However, remove the other nest. Otherwise the parents will start another clutch and let the chicks die. They need to focus on weaning their chicks, and they should not be allowed to start another clutch right away anyway. As soon as the chicks leave that nest, remove it also. Don’t give the parents anything to use as a nest or sleep in. They don’t need anything to sleep in – they do not sleep in nests in the wild. They only need a nest when breeding, and they should be rested 4-6 months between each clutch, without a nest. As soon as these chicks are weaned, they need to be separated from the parents or they parents will either get aggressive with them, or try to mate with them in a few months. Once you can tell the sex of the chicks, separate them by sex and keep them separate or find homes. But don’t let anyone have a male and female. Related birds should never be allowed to breed, and in captivity they do not know any better.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
