I had three baby zebra finches being cared for by both parents. Yesterday while I was out my mom texted me that two were lying belly up at the bottom of the cage. The two (the ones we were fairly sure were girls) had no signs of injury or anything peculiar at all except that they were no longer breathing or moving at all. The one we think is the boy is still fine. They were three weeks old. Now the third baby is hopping around the cage after his father, chirping quite loudly. He's obviously upset.
Now, I did handle the baby birds the other day. I've very worried that this may have been the problem, and that they killed them on purpose, but that wouldn't make sense because the babies were not injured and looked like they just fell over and died. I'm thinking that they are starving, but I'm afraid that's not the case. The last baby now shrieks when his mother comes near him. That could mean she's hurting him .... but it could mean he's starving and she's not feeding him. He seems to follow the father around more but still screams angrily. Is he just upset about his siblings being gone? Because to him they just disappeared. My mom thinks I should remove the mother from the cage and hope that the father will feed him, but what if he doesn't? And what if that's not the problem at all? I really need some advice here, I'm very afraid to remove him because then if I have to put him back they may do something to him too, but every time he makes a noise I come running incase they're hurting him and I have to go to school tomorrow! Plus, that screaming is going to keep me up all night.
I would try feeding it yourself. If the mom or dad isn'tt feeding the bird, or at least not that you've seen it is probably hungry. Baby birds need to eat alot like twice an hour, more if it is weak. Seeds might be hard for him to eat, I would try a recipe I found on ehow. Canned dog food works well for protein. You need to cut the pieces small enough for the baby bird to handle. You can also soak dog or cat food in hot water. You should use sugar water for the first few days. Mix this with a hard-boiled egg yolk and baby cereal if you have any available. Other meats you can use are raw kidney or liver. Keep the food that you ' re going to use soon at room temperature.
no no no!! no meats for birds that are not predatory!
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i have raised baby birds myself.
1st, the solo baby is not upset about his siblings. In the wild, it is survival of the fittest, and there are no feelings for dead siblings. They may be upset at first, usually not longer that an hour though.
2nd, cheerios soaked in WATER until they are completely soft. Cut into quarters and feed with tweezers, not eyebrow plucking ones because those are sharp. Try to find a dull pair. Of course they cant live solely on those, go to the pet store , and get small African Cichlid food pellets. They are red, and pretty small. Soak them in water as well and feed with tweezers. The baby will have red poop, but don't be worried, its because of the food.
3rd, if you are certain that the mother or father is harming the baby, take them all to the vet. It will probably cost about 80 bucks and they'll observe them for a while and they will give you information on everything. Just keep asking questions and write down everything you see. This will help. Trust me.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Good luck:)
