I'm Possibly Going To Need Help...

[Ratzy]

Hi!
Been a while since I lasted posted my own thread.
Right, straight to the point.
A friend of mine is moving and she has 6 budgies.
She asked me to take them. Which is fine, so I agreed.
Now, she has a pair on eggs at the moment. So she's going to give me 4 on Thursday, excluding the breeding pair.
The eggs are a bit more than a week off hatching, so she's agreed to wait about three weeks before moving them.
However...
I don't have a spare cage apart from my main quarantine cage that is big enough to house a breeding pair. Just a few travel cages that wouldn't fit a nest box through the door.
And they'd probably abandon the babies anyway.
So looks like I'm hand rearing
I can do it... just.
I have school so I've worked out a timetable that fits around that.

Feed1# 6:30pm
Feed2# 9:30pm
Feed3# 12:30am
Feed4# 3:30am
Feed5# 6:30am

As you can see, I'm not going to get much sleep
BUT it's only a couple of hours less sleep than I'd normally get.

I have the brooder set up - bedding, heat lamp, soft toy, water dish ( humidity ), thermometer etc. I've got feeding implements. Just need to restock up on hand rearing formula.
I'm going to need lots of advice

Short story - HELP!

( Bare in mind this is IF the eggs hatch )

If I can pull this off, my brother can finally have that tame pet bird he's always wanted and I can have a few more tame birds in the aviary.

Wish me luck!

 

[suebee]

good luck and i wish my son had your devotion an passion!!! keep us up dated

 

[Ratzy]

Will do

 

[Mayden]

Ohhh good luck! It's an experience I'd love to have, even if it is exhausting. I'm sure you'll have a blast really

 

[Ratzy]

Yeah, I've been planning on hand rearing for a while now, but during school holidays. I need an alarm clock

 

[Atwee921]

WOW I cant believe your 13!!!! Good luck!!!

 

[MikeyTN]

Is your friend giving you their cage that they are breeding in? If so, use it. They may not abandon them. Mainly the male does the rearing! Once they hatch, the males are very motivated in feeding the youngsters. Try it on the weekend to bring the babies over and see what they do.

 

[Ratzy]

Nope, they were colony breeding in an aviary
And in another turn of events... another friend has tried hatching eggs in an incubator
Which is pretty stupid because she doesn't have any idea of how to hand rear and they are about to hatch. So looks like I'll be hand rearing anyway. From day one... and I am so scared
I'll ring that wildlife lady and see if she'll give me lessons.

 

[Aussie Ben]

Good luck Ratzy! I'm sure you'll have no problems and hey, if you do, you'll be able to handle them. They have never stopped you in the past .