All our Parakeets and Cockatiels are hand-raised/fed. Hand-raised/fed babies typically are easier to handle than parent-raised babies. They tend to be more comfortable with humans and hands, and are not as scared about being handled or taken out of their cage. Please keep in mind that babies do show fear when introduced to new humans, once they get to know them, that fear quickly fades. Also, even though we raise all the babies the exact same way, there are some babies that are just born more cautious and may take longer to warm up to you.
.
Most Parakeets wean and are ready to go home within 6-8 weeks of age and Cockatiels wean and are ready to go home within 8-12 weeks of age. Some babies wean sooner than to be expected and some take a bit longer.
Once a baby is old enough (around 2-3 weeks of age) to be removed from their parents and to begin the hand-raising/feeding process, the baby will make their first appearance on the website with that following Sunday's website update.
Please note that our website is updated every Sunday evening, unless otherwise indicated.
Typical updates occur on the:
Nursery page and include changes to the breeding status and/or number of babies we are currently hand-raising/feeding.
Parakeet Baby Pics page and include weekly pictures of babies we are currently hand-raising/feeding, change to colors (if previously unknown), availability status, and/or ready status.
Cockatiel Baby Pics page and include weekly pictures of babies we are currently hand-raising/feeding, change to colors (if previously unknown), availability status, and/or ready status.
We do typically maintain a waiting list on our babies. However, if no waiting list is being maintained at the time of your inquiry, babies will be placed on hold on a first come, first serve basis. Just to be on the safe side, we prefer not to place any baby on hold until it has made its appearance on the website.
On the Parakeet Baby Pics and Cockatiel Baby Pics pages, there will be a blue box above each baby's pictures that will indicate:
Baby #: (Ex: 21-XXXX)
Status: (Ex: Available, On Hold, or Hold Pending - Refer to Nursery page for the meanings of each availability status label)
Colors: (Once we are able to determine)
Mother: (Ex: Yellow / Green / Black)
Father: (Ex: White-Faced Mutation - Pied)
Ready: (Ex: Ready January XXXX, NOW (after XX/XX/XXX)
If a baby is showing as available and you are interested in that baby, email us stating that you are interested in placing Baby# 21-XXX on hold, along with all your contact information. An email confirming your interest will be sent back along with details on how to send a deposit, if one is required.
If there is a waiting list on the type of baby you are looking for, email us stating that you are interested in being placed on the waiting list for a parakeet or cockatiel, along with all your contact information. An email confirming your interest to be placed on the website will be sent back.
Once we have a baby available and we have reached your name on the waiting list, we will email you letting you know that we have tentatively placed Baby# 21-XXX on hold for you. You will have 48-72 hours to respond to our email with your interest. If you have found a baby elsewhere, the timing just isn't right, you don't like the color, whatever it might be, we will understand and just ask that you communicate with us. If we do not hear from you within the time frame indicated in the email, we will assume you are no longer interested and will remove you from the waiting list, releasing the baby to next family on the list. If you respond that you are interested in the baby, an email confirming your interest will be sent back with details on the next steps.
• • •
At this point, the website will be updated the following Sunday to show that the baby you are interested in is “On Hold". There is nothing but time between you and your baby so this a great opportunity for you to start getting things together like a cage, toys, food, etc. Here are some websites we recommend for these items:
CAGES
Bird Cages 4 Less: http://www.birdcages4less.com/
Windy City Parrot: https://www.windycityparrot.com/cage-c-232/
That Pet Place: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/cat/info/22319/category.web
TOYS (Atleast 3 toys plus a swing should be in the cage.)
Windy City Parrot: https://www.windycityparrot.com/toy-c-630/
Petco: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/bird/toys-for-birds
That Pet Place: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/cat/info/22385/category.web
RECOMMENDED ITEMS
Travel Cage - When picking up your baby, there is no need to bring a travel cage as a box will be provided to ensure your little one has a safe ride home.
Play Stand
Cuttlebone
Sand Perch
Cleaner
First Aid Kit
FOOD
A bag of the food (pellet/seed mix) that your baby has been eating will be provided.
The food they have been eating is a 50/50 mix of Roudybush Daily Maintenance Crumble Size and ABBA Parakeet/Lovebird Seed. You will have to purchase these two items separately and mix them together yourself.
We highly recommend having spray millet available for your baby as s/he will be nervous and may not eat as s/he should for a couple of days. I have yet to find a bird that won't eat spray millet so if s/he will atleast eat that, s/he will be okay until s/he gets adjusted.
All these items can be ordered from foryourbird.com (aka Beaver Creek Aviary).
AVIAN VETERINARIAN
Due to busy veterinarian practices, it would be recommended to schedule an appointment with your avian vet as soon as you are notified that your baby is ready. A list of avian veterinarians will be provided to you when you pick up your baby but if you wanted to locate one ahead of time, please visit: www.lafeber.com/FindALocal/Vet/default.aspx.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT LIVING WITH A PARROT
We highly recommend you read Things You Should Know About Living With A Parrot. This document is a wealth of information pertaining to pet birds.
• • •
Decisions on when a baby is ready to go home are done on Sundays and when that decision has been made, your baby's status on the website will change from "Ready August XXXX" to "NOW (after XX/XX/XX)". You will receive the "Ready to Go Home" email either the same day or the next day to make arrangements for you to come get your baby the following weekend. We will not let your baby go before that weekend as we like to have that week to make sure your baby is indeed ready to fly the coop. With that said, if we feel your baby is actually not ready to leave, we reserve the right to hold off on letting your baby leave, making the necessary changes with our (yours and ours) schedules, while communicating all of this as soon as we possibly can.
APPOINTMENT AVAILABILITY
We do work outside of the home/aviary Monday thru Friday and below is our typical appointment availability, subject to change:
Sunday: 10AM until 8PM (Preferred Day / Could possibly arrange an earlier appointment if necessary)
Monday: 4PM until 8PM
Tuesday: 4PM until 8PM
Wednesday: 4PM until 8PM
Thursday: No availability
Friday: 4PM until 8PM
Saturday: 9AM until 8PM (Preferred Day / Could possibly arrange an earlier appointment if necessary)
PAYMENT
Payment in full is expected when you pick up your baby. Tax is included in the price of your baby so the total amount owed is the amount of the baby.
For your convenience, below is a list of ways payment can be made before or during your visit:
• Cash
• Visa / Mastercard / Discover / American Express
• PayPal - https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/christinebradley1292
• Venmo - http://www.venmo.com/TheFeatheredCoop
• Zelle - Access via your mobile banking app or with the Zelle app, use cbradley@thefeatheredcoop.com
• We do not accept personal checks.
WING CLIPPING / NAIL CLIPPING
Your baby will have its wings clipped before it leaves The Feathered Coop unless you have requested otherwise. This is something that needs to be done every 6 months and is offered free of charge by The Feathered Coop as long as you bring the bird back to us.
Please note that although the birds wings may be clipped, they will still be able to fly a little, typically across and down. When your bird is able to fly across and up, it is time for a clipping. A diagram on clipping the wings and nails will be provided when you pick up your baby.
If you request not to have the wings clipped, we reserve the right to clip them if we feel that your baby's life may be in jeopardy when and/or if your baby were to take flight. Your baby's wings will grow back at their first molt, normally at six months of age, so if you desire to have a full flighted bird, you will be able to at that time.
TERMS and CONDITIONS
If you have any questions/concerns, please feel free to reach out to us via email or phone.
