Pine shavings

[scotty]

Just wondering, Luv has been pulling on a string toy in the cage,Does any body think I should put some pine shavings in the corner of the cage so she has something to work with? she has the shavings in the nest box but doesn't know, cause she hasn't gone in yet.:confused:

[jimleasure]

don't worry about putting shavings in the cage. the shavings in the box are enough. bourke's often use 'preening' toys. and if she isn't working the nest box she may not be ready yet. just have patience. have luv and lee mated yet? are they interacting at all? has lee investigated the nest box?
oh and when luv does start to work the nest box you will have all the shavings you want in the cage.:rotflmao: with my kim i would put shavings in the box and she would empty them into the cage, or at least most of them.

[scotty]

Luv keeps peeking in the box but hasn't gone in as far as i know,as far as mating the only thing i saw was Lee chasing in a friendly way ,luv.It seems that luv is the boss.You know, the pet shop sold me something to mix in there food for birds that are going to nest,it's called petomine or something like that,but i think they are not eating there food much since i put it in ,so i put it in a different dish by it's self and they checked it out but neither bird ate it.It's like a yellow fine powder and it looks like it has black seeds in like my canary eats:confused: any ideas about that? and should i be adding pre nesting food in there food? The girl in the store said to do it so by the time the baby's hatch the Bourkes will be use to it, and feed the babys it?? The girl that waited on me was new, so i don't know if she know's what she's talking about.I do remember putting nesting food in my keets dish but that was along time ago.So i can't remember what it was.:wub:

[jimleasure]

petamine is one of many nesting foods sold. my bourke's didn't start eating it until the hen was solidly sitting on the eggs. it's a good food for them because it's easy for them to consume and has all the nutrients that the hatchlings will need. i would start with just very little in a cup and once they start to eat it increase the amount gradually until the eggs hatch. then i would give them as much as the wanted and would eat in a day.
my female is the boss. she's the one that chases the male around and then does her little squat and twitters. my male was the first to check out the nest box. he would stick his head in and make chirps, which eventually got the attention of the female. and then she checked it out before they started to mate. so i can't stress it enough, be patient. it sounds like they may be starting and it can be a slow process sometimes.

p.s. i also add a little 'nutrition plus' (made by phoenix unlimited) on the food before, during and after the eggs are in the box. just follow the instructions because it is very concentrated.

[scotty]

Thank you Jim,you relaxed me alot :agree:

[Shirley]

We used to feed Petamine... but sort of got lazy with it since they eat so many veggies and such now... We usually give the babies petamine nestling food when they are weaning... it's easy to eat... and millet is a favorite for weaning babies to nibble on.

Bourke's typically won't build a nest. We just put hte shavings in the box and they usually don't mess with them.

They do a lot of peeking before going in.

Then they do a lot of going in and out before they "get serious".

[texastailfeathers]

Luv keeps peeking in the box but hasn't gone in as far as i know,as far as mating the only thing i saw was Lee chasing in a friendly way ,luv.It seems that luv is the boss.You know, the pet shop sold me something to mix in there food for birds that are going to nest,it's called petomine or something like that,but i think they are not eating there food much since i put it in ,so i put it in a different dish by it's self and they checked it out but neither bird ate it.It's like a yellow fine powder and it looks like it has black seeds in like my canary eats:confused: any ideas about that? and should i be adding pre nesting food in there food?

Petamine is good. I always have some kind of dry eggfood in my breeder cages. Quiko, ABBA Nestling, Tropimix, CeDe, and Featherglow are a few other brands. Eggfood has lots of protein, fat, and carbs for nesting hens and growing babies (and busy dads). The skinny black seeds are nyjer seeds, commonly known as thistle. They contain lots of healthy oils. It's nice to have eggfood around, but don't stress if they don't eat it. Bourkes can be funny about new foods, especially if they are about to go to nest. Just continue with the regular diet. It helps to keep spray millet and an extra dish of seed in the cage 24/7. This reassures the birds that food is abundant and that now is a good time to raise young.

Be patient. Some bourkes will go straight to nest as soon as they get a nest box, but others take weeks or even months to go to nest. Mine completely ignore the box until about 3 weeks before nesting. Then the week before the hen lays eggs she and her mate spend all day going in and out of the box. Occasionally I get to see my bourkes mate, but it is rare since most of that goes on after the lights are off.

Don't spend too much time studying them and don't pay too much attention to their breeding preparations. You know the phrase about "the watched pot"? Well, the same applies to grass parakeets, especially first-time parents. ;)

OH...perhaps the most important information...it is rare for bourkes to raise babies on the first clutch. Many (most) hens lay an infertile clutch the first time. Some hens lay fertile eggs that end up dead in shell. Occasionally you will get a live baby from that first clutch, and that is really something to celebrate. :wub:

[scotty]

Thank you Jennifer, I guess I'm just to anxious :emot-danc :emot-danc