Whenever possible we leave the chicks with their parents for the first two weeks, this gives the babies an excellent start. As their eyes are just starting to open at this age the first thing their eyes will be focusing on is people. This means they imprint on people and helps them become the best pets possible. (Miss Scarlet a CAG feeding her chicks)

Babies are kept in temperature and humidity controlled brooders until they can regulate their own body temperature, this is usually by the time their eyes are completely open and they have started feathering.

As they can tolerate room temperatures during the day, they are moved to a cage with toys and can begin to learn to walk about and play with each other and their toys. They also start to get some small pellets and fruits and vegetables to mouth and taste, at this stage they are eager to try new things. These foods are changed frequently because the young ones see all the bright colors as something to play with and do a lot of walking around in what they have yet to recognize as food.

Once they walk well and have eye to beak coordination they are allowed out on top of their cages with more toys and perches so they can begin at an early age to learn to stay on their cage and play. Once they become start flying and have taken a few flights around the room their wing feathers are given a ‘light clipping’. This is necessary to help them learn to stay on their cages or play areas and help keeps them safe, up off the floors and out of trouble. It also means that when they go home to their new homes they will already be trained to stay up.

Once weaned, they are ready to go home. We recommend fresh fruit and vegetables in the morning, with free choice of their dry food mixture (pellets, seeds, dried fruit) all day. Hopefully they can even share a small portion of the healthy part of your dinner in the evening. But whatever your routine, they adapt quickly. Social time out of the cage is so important, they look forward to being taken out of the cage and it is critical to their mental well being.

Because our babies are raised in our home when they arrive at their new home they understand the household routine; they have heard and seen, a vacuum cleaner, a dog, etc. Babies that come from the largest aviaries have never even seen the inside of a house, so everything is scary. We don't mean that those babies won't make wonderful pets, our babies just have a good head start.

One concern I hear a lot, is the fear that the babies are going to be bonded with me and not want to bond with their new owner. Baby parrots bond with me because I'm their caregiver. What they have learned from me is how to interact with humans. Put simply, they love and trust me, and they will love and trust you.

Another concern is parrot behavior. There is one rule of thumb we always use that keeps us on track when trying to understand parrot behavior. Think of them as children. If you treat them well, they will be loving with well-rounded personalities. Stimulate them with new toys, people and they will grow to be a functional part of the family.

Babies Available Now