Hand rearing love birds

Question
Hi there,

We hav two baby lovebids and their parents flew away. I have no idea how old they are but i think there is about 3-5 days difference. They are in a nest box at the moment with a light (not bright for their eyes), i feed them every four to five hours. The oldest does peck at the bottom of the nest box, and the young one is trying. The young lovebirds eyes have started opening about 5 days ago.

1. When do i start weaning them off fformula onto soft food and seeds?
2. When do they leave the nest box and get out from under the light?

Eagerly waitng for your advice.


Answer
Hi, Carmen.  Thanks for posting your questions!

If these babies just opened their eyes about 5 days ago, they are about 2-3 weeks of age.  These babies should be in a brooder or a make-shift brooder because they need to have a constant temperature of about 98 degrees F 24/7, and have darkness so they can sleep many hours of the day.  A light inside/near the nesting box isn't going to work for very long.  Since you don't have a brooder, you can make one using a small fish aquarium (5 or 10 gallon) or something similar that can hold warmth and can be easily disinfected.  Also, something that has clear sides (or at least 1 clear side so you can see in and they can see out) would be OK.  Also need a top in order to keep stuff from falling in on the babies is desired as well as for air circulation.  You can use a heating pad underneath to maintain a constant temperature.  You'll need some type of thermometer to monitor the temperature inside.  Babies can't metabolize their food without this heat, and they have to be kept warm until they have enough feathers to keep themselves warm.  If their food can't process through their crops, crop stasis will occur, and the babies will become ill and possibly die.  It's important they have this constant heat.

You need information from my website:

http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html

You'll find information on feeding, weaning, etc., on my website.  

DO NOT wean these babies to seed.  Weaning should begin, if the babies are ready, at about 4 weeks of age.  You should wean to warm foods first, since the babies are used to eating warm foods, then gradually get them used to cooler foods as weaning progresses.

Come back with any questions after you review the information you need on my website.

Chrys