Page 541 - Hand rearing birds second

540 Hand-Rearing Birds

Figure 35.1 Adult Blue-naped Mousebird.

hand-reared birds make the best human companions. A hand-raised mousebird can rival any spe-
cies of hand-raised parrot in terms of suitability as a pet bird in a human home.
Despite making excellent pet birds, mousebirds continue to be quite rare in aviculture, mostly
because of the lack of interest in consistently breeding them. All the mousebird species have a hard
time garnering and keeping breeders. However, without breeders, there are no pet birds.
The pet market cannot be ignored as pet birds increase the interest in a species, but with so few
actual individual birds available, a mousebird taken out of the breeding equation to become a pet
bird can be devastating to the future of the birds in aviculture. With each hatched chick, mousebird
breeders should weigh carefully whether or not their breeding program can survive taking that
bird out to make a pet. This is a tough choice, especially since breeder birds do not sell as well and
sell for less than a pet-quality bird. There is a great need to encourage people to get into the joy of
breeding birds.
If all mousebirds raised go into the pet trade, then the species heads toward extinction in avicul-
ture rather quickly. Breeding mousebirds can be difficult because of their messy habits and short
lifespans. A mousebird is at peak breeding condition between 2 and 5 years of age. Generally,
breeding success diminishes after 6 years. The average life span in captivity is between 7 and
10 years, with a maximum age recorded as 15 years.
Hand-raising mousebirds for the pet trade is not difficult, and mousebirds are probably the easi-
est of the softbill chicks with which to work. Mousebird chicks that are to be hand-raised for pet
quality are best removed from the nest at 6–9 days of age. Aviculturists often use the term pulled
for this. At this time, the chick is mostly feathered, although flightless, and very alert. It can grip
well with its extra-large feet, and can hang and climb within days.
In their native African environment and in some avicultural settings, young and adult mouse-
birds sometime need rescuing, especially in stormy weather when the birds may become drenched.
Rehabilitation, including hand-feeding, is sometimes needed.