Ash and Ember are trying for their first clutch!

[itzjbean]

Hello all!

I've been on and off active for the past year but am back now with some updates and news.

I'm down to only 2 birds now -- our younger pair of cockatiels, Ash and Ember.

Rue, our rescued older female cockatiel, passed away a few months ago, leaving her mate, Boo, a widow. It was ultimately decided that he would be better suited with a female companion, and so since I was not wanting another bird, the decision was made to rehome him to an amazing family who had a female cockatiel to be his friend. He is super happy now and I continue to get updates from his new family on how happy he is.

Ash and Ember now have the entire double flight cage to themselves, and we decided it was time to let them try having babies! It was always my intention to breed them, but never had the best opportunity to with another male around. But now they have a quiet room to themselves and a huge cage to be in, and now the nestbox has been installed and we are ready for babies!!

It's important to note that I have raised baby cockatiels before, these birds are both mature (2 and 3 1/2 years old) and they have clean bills of health from the vet. I hope this thread will serve as informational and fun for everyone to watch and especially if you're interested in potentially breeding your birds someday but don't know what goes into it.

I have a camera set up to watch them, and they are beginning to explore the nestbox today on day 1. They are, how shall I say it, quite active physically every day, so hopefully should have no problem laying eggs soon, haha!

 

[Scott]

My deepest condolences for your loss of Rue. Rehoming Boo to a welcoming female a most kind outcome.

Welcome back, awaiting good news from Ash and Ember!!

 

[itzjbean]

There are now 5 eggs in their nestbox. So cute! I am also updating on tiktok as well.

5 eggs!

 

[itzjbean]

Ash and Ember's first baby was born today! We named it Blaze, and it is the cutest thing ever!

 

[LaManuka]

Oh my, what a gorgeous tiny precious baby! Welcome to the world, little one!

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Ash and Ember's first baby was born today! We named it Blaze, and it is the cutest thing ever!

Blaze sure is the cutest thing ever! What a proud mommy I hope more healthy chicks hatch!

 

[itzjbean]

Back with more updates! There are now two babies and boy are they cute!!

I take them out every day / every other day to keep count, make sure they are being fed and are not being injured by the parents, as they are first timer parents you never know what to expect! But they are both so loving, gentle and nurturing. Even my handfed Ember, has become a most doting father. I wait until Ash (mom) is on the eggs / babies to reach in and grab, she will just let me grab them and take them out, she never bites. Ember is, however, quite aggressive at the moment, though I don't blame him one bit!

We've named baby dark eyes Cinder, and baby light eyes Blaze, after their parents fiery names. There are still 3 other eggs in the nest, but if none hatch by November 19th, I will throw them out. 2 babies for their first time is great!!

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Back with more updates! There are now two babies and boy are they cute!!

I take them out every day / every other day to keep count, make sure they are being fed and are not being injured by the parents, as they are first timer parents you never know what to expect! But they are both so loving, gentle and nurturing. Even my handfed Ember, has become a most doting father. I wait until Ash (mom) is on the eggs / babies to reach in and grab, she will just let me grab them and take them out, she never bites. Ember is, however, quite aggressive at the moment, though I don't blame him one bit!

We've named baby dark eyes Cinder, and baby light eyes Blaze, after their parents fiery names. There are still 3 other eggs in the nest, but if none hatch by November 19th, I will throw them out. 2 babies for their first time is great!!

Great names, and the babies look like they are doing amazing! I hope the other eggs hatch soon, but if they don't, at least you have been blessed with two fuzzy little cuties!

 

[itzjbean]

They are getting so big! Still 2 babies, and I think we'll only have 2 but I still have 2 eggs that could hatch that I will likely get tossed by end of next week. They are 9-10 days old in this picture, and are growing so fast now! Pin feathers coming in, not able to fit under mom or dad in the nestbox anymore but sit next to them.

Blaze has light eyes, Cinde dark eyes. If I had to guess, I would guess that Blaze is a boy and Cinder is a girl based on their size. Eyes are opening and they are getting more mobile. Mom and dad continue to feed them well and are not showing any signs of plucking or anything, so that is great.

 

[LaManuka]

 

[foxgloveparrot]

They are getting so big! Still 2 babies, and I think we'll only have 2 but I still have 2 eggs that could hatch that I will likely get tossed by end of next week. They are 9-10 days old in this picture, and are growing so fast now! Pin feathers coming in, not able to fit under mom or dad in the nestbox anymore but sit next to them.

Blaze has light eyes, Cinde dark eyes. If I had to guess, I would guess that Blaze is a boy and Cinder is a girl based on their size. Eyes are opening and they are getting more mobile. Mom and dad continue to feed them well and are not showing any signs of plucking or anything, so that is great.

They're less small, but not any less cute! Two healthy-looking chicks, great job! What do mommy and daddy think of their babies?

 

[kristina7799]

They are getting so big! Still 2 babies, and I think we'll only have 2 but I still have 2 eggs that could hatch that I will likely get tossed by end of next week. They are 9-10 days old in this picture, and are growing so fast now! Pin feathers coming in, not able to fit under mom or dad in the nestbox anymore but sit next to them.

Blaze has light eyes, Cinde dark eyes. If I had to guess, I would guess that Blaze is a boy and Cinder is a girl based on their size. Eyes are opening and they are getting more mobile. Mom and dad continue to feed them well and are not showing any signs of plucking or anything, so that is great.

They are adorable!!!

 

[itzjbean]

Babies are doing great! Since I am not handfeeding them I try to take them out every single day to play / get used to people. They are at that really cute pinfeather stage!! I love getting them out to hold, they are really sweet and aren't super mobile yet so they just kinda sit there, lol. But within 2 weeks they'll be feathering, learning to fly and beginning to eat on their own! They grow SO fast.

 

[itzjbean]

Updates!!

Cinder and Blaze are growing so fast! They are now 5 weeks but a bit younger in these pictures. They now have all their feathers, are beginning to wean and eat on their own and are becoming quite tame. Since I took them out a lot as babies they will let me handle them when I go in the cage.

Parents are starting to kick them out of the nestbox, as this happens, and they laid another egg, which II discarded. I'm only interested in letting them have one clutch, and they will stop feeding the babies if they continue to lay eggs, so I disposed of it giving them dummy eggs would still make them not feed their current babies) so they are content to be placed back into thte nestbox to sleep during hte night, for now.

I'll be taking some feathers tonight for their DNA test, so I will update you all on what gender they are!! Not sure if I am keeping them, but we will see what spring brings.