Gouldian babies are much darker skinned than any of the small parakeets. |
This morning both parents were out of the nest together. That was a first, so I snatched the largest baby from the nest to see if I could band him. No pinfeathers yet, however. After getting all four toes into the tiny aluminum closed band, it quickly became apparent that it wasn't going to slide over the joint (ankle) above is foot. I'd waited too long and he was too big.
Disappointed, I put him back and didn't attempt to retrieve any of the others. I suppose that letting the parents raise their first clutch without banding their babies means disturbing them less, so maybe it's a good thing.
Perhaps I'll do better on their second clutch. I won't wait until they are 8 days old. Optimal for Bourkes is 7 to 9 days, but not for Lady Gouldians apparently. Maybe 4 to 5 days. We shall see.
He almost looks like a little frog here. Smile |
Peace & Blessings.
1 comment:
what size band do you have? I use size D NFSS band for gouldians which are 2.73 mm. I can probably band my gouldians from 7-10 days sometimes even a bit older depending on the size of the baby/leg. If the band you have are too small even at this size, it may ultimately be too small for the gouldians when they mature...
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