# Parents won't feed a Lutino?



## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

About a month ago I got a pair of 'tiels from a lady who told me that when this pair had a Lutino baby they won't feed it!?! Has anybody heard of this kind of thing? They were bred in an aviary with 40 birds and 1 box. The box had no top. I'm wondering if because they could see how different the baby looked it put them off. They have not been bred this year but I am getting them healthy before I try. I intend to use a standard 12 X 12 box with a lid of course. Do you suppose that will keep them from starving a Lutino?


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Did only one baby hatch? I never heard of parents feeding all the babies except for one. Mabey they are just not meant to be parents. Iam not sure about breeding but having only one nest box in an avairy full of tiels does not sound that good. You would think that the parents would have a harder time protecting their nest box, ect. If you get them I would make sure you are prepared to hand feed the babies if you decide to breed them.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

In a full clutch of an average of five. They chose not to feed a Lutino. She says they don't get Lutinos very often but when they do they don't feed them. I wondered if some other pair had put an egg in the box. There were 40 birds and one box. Could they recognize it wasn't theirs?


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## Plukie (Aug 26, 2007)

racist tiels!!!!


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

I've never heard of that! My Bailee had a few lutino siblings and they were just as well fed as he was!


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

These were is a box with no top. I was wondering now that I have them and plan to give them a proper box. Will it help? The fact that they won't be able to see them so clearly I'm hopeing will prevent them from treating them differently. What do you think? Is that logical?


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

That is strange  I don't think they would be able to tell if it was their egg or not. I have heard of other birds laying in another birds nest and the other birds taking care of the babies. I would keep a close eye on the lutino and make sure she is getting feed enough.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

I don't have any eggs from this pair yet. Have only had them a short time and don't want to breed them while they are not in top shape. The lady who had them said they hadn't bred this year but I don't want to take any chances. Next spring is plenty soon enough. I was just trying to get oppinions and ideas re: this weird behavior. I visited one other site where a lady had a pair that did the same thing. Refused to feed Lutino's. I never heard of a 'tiel refusing to feed a specific mutation. Weird!!!


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Oh yes I forgot :blush: That is quite weird.


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## allen (Aug 25, 2007)

ok my breeder does foster other eggs from different tiels and when they do hatch they do feed them as well


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

I'va had 'tiels in the past. I never had any problem with them feeding any baby. Theirs or not. I think it was the enviroment they were in. When I set them up it will be in a decent size cage with a proper nestbox. No other birds in the same room to distract them. If they thought the Lutino wasn't theirs May be this will remove any doubt. I don't know if they could possibly have that kind of awareness but if they do that should help...I hope


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## Will (Jul 28, 2008)

My budgies had lutino babies and they fed them. i've never heard of anything like this. Those tiels are simply racist


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

one nest box to 40 birds ????? that isn't even right. nor is it healthy 

the only thing i can come up with was more then one female used this nest box at the same time, and the "lutino" was NOT this pairs baby, Not all birds will willing take on another birds baby (just like not all cats and dogs will foster other cats/dogs babies) 

do you know how old these birds are? They may have already been bred enough for their lifetime, 

I didn't know it until I asked on here Tiels aren't supposed to breed past age 11 I think it was, and one of my tiels was 22 (wasn't supposed to live that long either), I didn't set them up at first to breed he picked his female and they went to town with NO nest box ( i have this problem with my tiels and budgies, NO nest box for them Nothing in their cage to resemble "nesting" yet they do their business any where and ever where they do not even care who see's them

my breeding birds are together in the same room but each in their own cage! I do have single budgies out and about all day, who can fit into the tiels cage - but my tiels don't care about them they ignore them or beg them for head scratches 

but my tiels and budgies like eachother, they get along they prefer to be together If I remove one (say for instance a budgie) the tiels will call for until the budgie is brought back and Vise versa


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

*They are 5*







This pair is 5 years. That's them hanging on the door. They are banded. I agree the enviroment was niether right nor healthy. When I came to pick them up she was out of food and had given them a whole tube of crackers. If I could have taken more of them home I would have. They are looking real good NOW. I put them in the aviary just last Tuesday so it has been one week. I had improved their diet even before they went in there but now they will eat the veggie cabobs I put in and I'm so glad. At first they wouldn't even eat seed. Then while I had them in Quarentine they never ate pellets or veggies. Of course the millet was readily accepted. Now they are getting good stuff. By next spring I'l give them a try at a private room and a proper box.


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

Glad to hear they're trying good stuff  

I just got in a pair of cockatoos the lady gave them Dog treats, as treats - She said when ever her dog got a treat they "begged" for one too - The one doesn't talk the other only says hello - and says it over and over and over lol


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