Hi everyone! I'm a real newbie.....and a new Mom!

[mumblesmom]

Just wanted to say hello to all, my name is Janice and I've actually never joined a message forum anywhere! So, I'm just trying to figure out how to post as I go along!  I live in south Florida and I am Mumbles Mom! Mumbles is my too awesome sunny!  My daughter and I found him through an ad online and we met up with the seller halfway. (we were about 100 miles apart) Mumbles was about 5 weeks old we were told and we were also told he was just weaned. When this person opened the box I was immediately terrified. He was barely able to stay upright and was rocking back and forth, his feathers were mostly down and all fluffed up. I gently tried to scoop him up and he weighed almost nothing.  I was almost crying and my daughter didn't even want to take a chance by saying anything to them, for fear of these people leaving with him.  She paid them for him and we left very quickly.  We raced 30 miles north to a friend who owns a small pet shop and has much experience with birds.......my beautiful little Mumbles was dehydrated, malnourished and had his little feet so clenched that he kept falling over.  She fed him immediately and as weak as he was, he was able to swallow the formula, we were all crying.  She said if I got him through the next 24 hours he might have a chance. He rode home after that, clutched on my chest under my shirt.  I fed him each time his crop emptied, around the clock.  By the next day he had unclenched his feet, by that evening his eyes began to brighten! For the next 3 weeks, Mumbles came to work with me in his own little tote, he sat next to me on my desk and got his formula on schedule.  At night, he would snuggle with me and fall asleep on my chest, sometimes he'd scare me, he would sleep so relaxed with his little head laying on its side that I thought I'd lost him and I 'd have to wake him up (he would scold me for that!) When I got sleepy, then he slept nestled in his tote, right on my bed where I could check on him and get up to feed him.  I know I overdid it with the duration and frequency of feeding but it was all worthwhile! He is just the apple of my eye! He calls me every morning to uncover him and have his playtime, he is such a little comedian!  And spoiled rotten! everytime he hears me in the kitchen, unscrewing some type of lid on a food container, or stirring a cup of coffee, he screeches thinking I'm fixing formula!  And even though he is weaned now, he knows I'm a pushover, and I do make him a bit of warm formula! Oh so spoiled! But I just love him!

[CJ]

Hi Janice and welcome to the forum!

Your introduction truly touched my heart this morning and made me smile. Nothing better than a happy ending.

[Flyer]

welcome Janice.....please when you figure things out post some pictures please...

[YICKelly]

Welcome Janice! I am so glad you knew someone that could help you.  You have done a wonderful job of raising him.  We do need pictures. 
I do wish that people like the ones you got Mumbles from could be put out of business!!

[Maxwells Mommy]

Hi, Janice! It sounds like you've made him a very happy and healthy bird! Thank goodness Mumbles is in good hands now!

[ReMommed]

Hi,
My name is Tracy and I do not know where to post this so I'm gonna try here. I bought 2 lovebirds about 2 months ago. The guy told me they had made babies before. I was looking for pets and did not know breeders didn't make good pets. Anyway, now they have made babies again. Well eggs so far, bu I assume they will be babies n a few weeks. Sir and Maam, as I said are not really friendly. They aren't mean, but they don't let me hold them or play. I realize now while they are nesting I can't even try, but once the babies are born I want to try to make the babies tame and friendly. I know everyone says to hand feed, but I am such a novice I will not even attempt this. What I need to know is can I handle the babies and not have to hand feed them? If so when can I start this? What if Maam won't let me even get to them? She has nested in a hanging teepee like thing that has a hole about 2" from the bottom. Should I move them eggs to a box before they hatch? I have so many questions and I am full of fears.
Any advise will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Tracy

[CJ]

Hi Tracy and welcome to the forum.

Moving the eggs would probably cause the parents to abandon them. I'm not a lovebird expect and I hope the information I give isn't too far out in left field.  Is this teepee thingie going to be secure enough so babies won't fall out of it? I think what I might do is wait until the youngest baby is at least a week old and then move the whole family to a nest box on the bottom of the cage.  Just remove the teepee and set the whole thing in the nest box. If the parents will allow it.  I would start just handling the babies when the youngest one is 2 weeks old. Just hold each one for a few minutes talking to them with clean hands.  I have raised very tame cockatiel babies w/o hand feeding but cockatiels are very mellow too.

[ReMommed]

The babies hould not fall out of the teepee thing. The opening is about 2 inches from bottom. I too thought about moving the entire thing when they are a week or so. I guess I have to play it by ear and pray my ears are good enough, lol. Thanks for the advice and any more will be greatly appreciated.

[YICKelly]

 I, like CJ, have only raised Tiels.  Once you move them into a nest box and the mother starts to come out of it once in a while, block her way back into it.  THen take a baby out - she can't attack you if she can't get into the box.  That is what I did because my parents were not tame either.  But I got a beautiful little girl who was the best Tiel in the world!! LOL well I thought so!