# And we have liftoff!



## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

Heard the first egg vocalize today!! Incredibly excited to see the baby come out! Next egg is also getting ready, with a tilted air cell and a big ol baby. Im so pumped right now I just can't wait! Expecting the first baby to come out tomorrow, and one baby every day after until I get 5 

Hopefully the egg with the sideways air cell is gonna come out alright. I really don't want to have to do an assisted hatch :/

Anyway, I just want to make a post because I'm so excited


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## TamaMoo (Jan 12, 2014)

So exciting! Can't wait to see pics of the babies!


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

yay yay! exciting times


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

Egg #1 has hatched! Looks like it's a WF cinnamon or grey 

I'll post some pictures later when I take the eggs out for candling


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

oooh wf cinnamon or grey! they're both so stunning


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

I'm pretty sure the baby is a whiteface cinnamon  It's got plum eyes!



Unfortunately one of the babies (the upper right one) looks like it's made some erratic pips (I tried to take a good picture to show the cracks). The egg's air cell looks much too large. The other egg with the sideways air cell looks like it's doing fine though, which is a tremendous relief. I'm gonna keep a careful watch over the eggs. By 6 p.m. tomorrow if the baby hasn't come out yet, I'm going to have to assist hatch, which is a scary prospect. 

I put a wet paper towel over the edge of the nestbox and closed the lid over it. Hopefully that'll increase the humidity but I'm afraid that that's gonna be too little too late


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

aw it's gorgeous!
oh i hope you don't have to assist hatch. but i'm sure you'll be fine since you're very experienced


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

Great news!! When I checked on the clutch this morning the baby that was having trouble had managed to get out on its own. The little guy is definitely a fighter  

The poor baby was a little dehydrated and had pooped in his shell, so I warmed up some coconut water and gave him some. Honestly one of the dearest things, seeing the tiny guy drinking a minuscule amount of water from an eyedropper  

Now just got worry about the egg with the weird air cell. The worry never ends but seeing the babies makes all of it worth it 



Here are the little guys! Looks like I have a WF cinnamon and a cinnamon so far


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

The babies are doing well right now. I had a scare with one of the babies, well I'm still afraid it won't make it but Fred and Iris are phenomenal parents.

So far there's a WF cinnamon, a cinnamon, a lutino, and a normal grey. There won't be any problems telling the difference between them  One more egg to go! When I checked it there was an external pip so it should be coming out by tomorrow morning!


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## flippityjib (Dec 13, 2012)

They are just so precious! Seems like only yesterday mine looked like that and now they are flying around like champs! Mine are 2 wf and 2 wf lutino. I AM having a hard time telling them apart. I put a dot of nail polish on the top of their heads but its so small it's not helping me much :/ I am just going to have them all mixed up all the time I guess. Your babies are so cute!!! Makes me want to do this all again. Not...


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

they're way too adorable!


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

Progress report here 

Oldest baby is sitting at 4 days and each baby after is a day younger than the one before it 





For some reason they always poop when I take them out hahaha I thought this picture was hilarious







And last but not least, we have this little fella who's sitting at 0 days old. I was expecting him to hatch today but he's taking his time. Hopefully he comes out by tomorrow, otherwise I'll have to start worrying :/



I almost forgot! Here's big brother Chicken


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

Great news!!! The last baby has hatched! This clutch consists of a WF cinnamon, a cinnamon, a normal grey, and 2 lutinos!

I'm so excited!


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Congrats!! :clap:


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## Tisena (Sep 28, 2013)

Yay babies!


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

Another update! If Iris and her son were preening each other, should I be worried? Is that behavior strictly between bonded pairs? Chicken has a giant crush on his mom and Fred has been acting like a jerk lately :/ This is the equivalent of a birdie drama. They're in separate cages at the moment but they all come out together. Should I stop that? 

Anywho, here's the clutch 







Here's the youngest and the oldest baby. The little guy took his time coming out so he was a little dehydrated. Gave him a little bit of coconut water in the morning to spruce him up but I think he needs a little more



Is it just me or do the eyes of this baby look too dark to be just a lutino and too light to be just a cinnamon? I was thinking that it would be a cinnamon lutino instead of just a lutino.


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

New update!

I have no idea how to use a DSLR so the pictures are pretty bad haha

But here's the clutch! 


Today the oldest baby is a week old which means it was naming day. I decided to ask my dad what he wanted to name the baby and drumroll please...his/her name is Saigon! Haha my dad decided that it would be a good change to use a non-English name since all of our pets have English names. 

So here's baby Saigon! Unfortunately Iris has started to pluck him so I'm gonna have to up her sodium intake. I swear she's got plenty of it but I guess not :/


I might have jumped the fence and asked my mom to name this second baby. She had the same idea as my dad haha. Here's baby Gia Dinh (pronounced Ya Din) 


Here's my little fighter baby. She's the loudest and most active of the bunch. She has yet to be named as I'm still waiting until she reaches a week old.


The only normal grey Fred and Iris have given me so far 


And last but not least here's the youngest baby!



Here's a size comparison between the oldest baby and the youngest


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

Lovely pictures! Please keep posting.


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

Thank you!

I forgot to tell you guys about one of the most adorable things I've ever seen in my life. Oh man I wish I had gotten a picture of it. Anyway, last week I shined a flashlight into the nestbox (through the door) to make sure all the babies and eggs were together. I saw Iris in there, sitting on her babies, sleeping, and one of the babies was just tucked right under her wing with its head sticking out. They were sleeping with their heads together and it was the most adorable thing I think I have ever had the privilege of witnessing!


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

Sorry guys I've been away on vacation but I'll post up pictures on Friday! My brother says the little guys are doing great though, little pinnies covering all the babies. The oldest is actually feathering out now!


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

I just pulled 3 of the babies  Here they are at 21 days (wf cinnamon), 20 days (cinnamon), and 19 days (lutino)



I'm waiting another day or 2 before I pull the last 2 babies because I want them to be a bit older before I start handfeeding.


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## Tisena (Sep 28, 2013)

Cuuuuuuute


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

aww they are so cute and growing up so fast


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

So fun to see them. They are lovely.


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## foxylady29 (Apr 28, 2014)

*babies*

Congratulations on your new family! I have no idea about the pip and air cell, but I'm never going to breed. You sound very experienced. Glad you're here to pick you brain.


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## foxylady29 (Apr 28, 2014)

*new babies*

They are so very cute.


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

Haha foxylady29 I'm definitely a beginner at these sorts of things  

Here's a new update on the little rockstars. They're really taking to the formula, especially the youngest one. It's unbelievable how enthusiastic it is for food! It's like I'm feeding a drain :lol:

Fresh after a feeding 



Playtime!



I have decided that I'm just terrible at getting food off the sides of their faces. I swear I'm getting all of it off, but then they dry up and there's still more! It's better than the last time I handfed though. I just made messes everywhere...poor guys


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

Did the parents miss them when you pulled them?
Do they still spend time with the parents?


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Omg! They're sooo cute! Those pictures are making me clucky  can't wait to hear more about them and see them grow!


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

Haha it's my pleasure. I love posting pictures of my lil babies 

dianne, I think that the parents do miss the babies to some extent. Initially they are very confused and are stressed out because they don't understand what's happened. Fred screamed for a whole day, which I'm attributing to the loss of his babies. Seeing the parents in distress is really the worst part about pulling babies. But thankfully, after a day, they go back to their normal selves and continue their old routine. 

When I bring the babies to them, or when I bring them to the brooder, they don't care at all. They generally just ignore the babies or they move away to avoid them.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

Thank you for your answer. I don't know if I will ever have the chance to breed cockatiels, but it's all so interesting.


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## SoCalTiels (Oct 8, 2013)

Woah, small world!~ I have a bad habit of cruising Craigslist for fun, and saw your rehoming ad earlier this morning before reading through this thread. Seems like we're in the same area. Your babies are absolutely adorable, and I wish you the absolute best in finding them homes!


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

No problem dianne! 

Haha, it's nice to know I have fellow cockatiel lovers in the area!

Here's a new update on the little ones! The oldest (WF cinnamon) has taken a few flights already and is getting it down pretty quickly. In fact, he has already landed on my head. And so, the head perching has begun. 

Haha, but you can see their poor little bald, plucked heads. Hoepfully, they'll grow a new head of luscious head feathers soon!

The grey baby is a little biter  The first thing he did when I pulled him was nibble on my finger. In fact he's nibbling on my finger right now. Which reminds me, the genders from wing spot testing are:

1. Saigon- wf cinnamon (male)
2. Gia Dinh-cinnamon (male)
3. Liberty-lutino (male) tentative, I can't quite tell
4. Captain Falcon Peter Jafar-grey (male)
5. Noodle-lutino (female) 












This picture was from a few days ago, but they seem to like being in funny positions :lol:


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

aww they are so beautiful, I really like the pic with them all at the stuffed toy  the oldest one sounds like a smarty pants  Bears first flight I don't think she knew what the wall was and smacked into it. It's kind of funny watching them learn to fly, except when they hurt themselves


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## Nimra (Aug 4, 2014)

These babies are so cute.


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

Thank you for your comments 

The little ones are growing fast 

Here's Mom and Dad trying to find a new place to nest :lol: They've been kicked out of their cage unfortunately, since the babies were not having the weaning cage I had originally set them up in. Good thing parents are used to the other cage (they actually prefer sleeping in it).




Big brother Chicken wondering who these birds are that kicked him out of his home.



This guy seriously HATES been caged. He prefers to be on my shoulder or up somewhere nice and high. He's a real momma's boy he is. 



Little cutie pies



I just thought this one was really funny :lol:



And of course, my 2 little lutinos  I marked the younger one with brown marker on her back if anyone was wondering what that was


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## vinay (Oct 11, 2012)

Your babies are wonderful  .

btw , How did you sex them at such a young age ?


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

aww I would so sneak one of them home with me  those baby faces are hard to resist


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

WARNING: Many many pictures to come  I've been just going crazy with the camera. 

I'm trying not to play favorites here but this cinnamon guy is really really photogenic. It's like he's already to get his photo taken. He reminds me so much of Chicken when he was a babe. The fattest and the fluffiest 




Here's Captain before and after sprouted seed gorge :lol:




And Saigon




Look at that full little crop 


This guy, I swear, he's always getting under one of his siblings


Enjoying some baby kale. The good thing about these babies' eating habits: they looooooove veggies


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## SoCalTiels (Oct 8, 2013)

Gahhhh I love the picture updates of these guys. They're all so beautiful and have such quirky personalities expressed in the photos  really a great clutch.


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## Nimra (Aug 4, 2014)

Yes they are total sweeties. Its a good thing they eat veggies in such a small age. They will be very healthy and sort of fat when the grow up.


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

Thanks guys!

Vinay, I used wing spot testing for them, but it's not always right.


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## yokobirdie (Jul 9, 2014)

They are adorable! I've been looking at all the pics (since hatch day), but never had the time to post until now.  They are lovely!


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

New update! 

Looks like everyone's trying to learn how to take bath 


I didn't catch him the act but I have the aftermath :lol: Look at him, his wet little underside taking in the rays  If I could keep him I would. I hate to say it but he's my favorite. He's got that personality, I don't know, it's just special. He makes the weirdest noise when he begs for food too! It's like a high-pitched and much louder version of the normal begging noise. 





I guess he thought that you get the water on your belly first and then flap around outside the water. I mean, isn't that how all birds take baths? :lol: 


Okay, I'm gonna be honest, they're really not doing much other than sitting in the dish, but I'm counting it as a bath! 



And they do the occasional water test, to make sure it's of worthy quality  They touch their beaks to the water a little and then shake all the water everywhere but themselves. But you gotta start somewhere right?



He's a little behind the curve but he is the youngest baby! One day he'll be brave enough to sit in the water dish.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

". . . they're really not doing much other than sitting in the dish . . ."

My Emma does the same. I use the same glass loaf pan for them.

The little one is still adorable.


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## Nimra (Aug 4, 2014)

they are so cute!


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

Thank you Nimra 

Isn't it hilarious dianne? I mean they just sit there. In the water. Doing nothing. I also like seeing their skinny little bird legs through the dish.


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## Nimra (Aug 4, 2014)

I think if you want them to have a proper bath try spraying them with warm water. They will soon get used to it and like having water on them. Do use warm water in the dish?


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## Nimra (Aug 4, 2014)

Oh and I wanted to tell you that putting water on their head and feet is more likely how youngsters take a bath. It is more likely the adult female who likes to wash her wings as well.


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## yokobirdie (Jul 9, 2014)

Awww! They're adorable!


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## estypest (Jul 31, 2014)

Ahhh such cute babies! Really enjoyed looking through the pics!


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

Yay more pictures! Many many more pictures! 

These guys have been getting themselves into some dusty spots as you can tell by the flight and tail feathers :lol:





I made a little foraging box for the babies. They seem to really enjoy chewing on the hay.






This is now Chicken's hay





"What's this?"





"I figured out what it was mama!" 





Posing for the camera after a bath. How scandalous 




Mmmmm....Loofah




What a handsome boy!





Who also loves his veggies!




Let's play hide and seek! There are 5 little babies in there 





Captain enjoying some sprouted seeds. The little guy eats just about everything







I love it when they have full little crops


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Oh my! They've grown so big! Beautiful pictures


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

They look so beautiful and healthy!


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

*Saying Goodbye*

So here's my last update. Four of my babies have gone on to new homes and the last will go soon. I'm confident that they will be well cared for and treated like family members. But even with that it's so hard to let them go. It's like every time one of them leaves a piece of my heart goes with them and it just sucks. It really really sucks. And to know that they're scared, in a new environment, without their brothers, makes me want to bawl. The only consolation I have is that they'll be in a much better home than mine. At least their new families will give them the attention they deserve. Ahhh man, I don't think I have the heart to do this again. 

Anyway, here are the pictures I took before they left.


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

They are all so beautiful and my tiels love chewing on hay to 

It's sad when it's time for them to find homes, do you think you will ever keep a baby if they had anymore clutches?


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

Yes, I would keep all or at least most of my babies...but once I get my own house and a career going to support a venture like that


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

Thank you for that last update. I know it came right from the heart. It's something for all of us to consider if we are inclined to breed our tiels.


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Awww... farewell, sweet babies!


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