Baby Parakeet Not Eating

Question
I have 2 baby parakeets (budgie) about 5-6 weeks old.  I took them away from Mom and Dad.  Mom was on top of it and it looked like she was fighting with it.  This is the older of the 2 parakeets.  So I separated both of them and have placed them in a flight cage next to Mom and Dad.   They both fly and will perch but noticed they did not eat anything.  I have offered them:  Seed, mashed hardboiled egg, mixed vegetables, thistle, collards and water.  It has not been 24 hours hours but I am concerned that they are not eating.  Should I hand fed them?  If yes - how do I do that?  Thank you!

Answer
Hi there, if they haven't eaten already you will have to handfeed them because birds have a very high metabolism and can not go very long with out food. You could liquidise a mixture of foods and feed it to them using a spoon or syringe. You have to be very careful as if you syringe in too much food then it could go into their lungs. Try to get them onto weaning pellets for small parrots as seed cannot provide them with all the nutrients that they require for growth and usually ends up in them becoming deficient. Hope this helps, let me know how you get on and I am here if you have any more questions.