Page 692 - Hand rearing birds second

North American Swallows 693

Figure­44.2­ Cliff Swallow nestlings in a dome nest.

Figure­44.3­ Nestling swallows with proper nest set up in a reptarium. The cave towel and nest opening
supports natural defecation behavior so nestlings can easily defecate over the edge of the nest. Multiple
layers of paper towels under nest facilitate easy clean-up throughout the day.

be placed on the substrate in front of the nest to catch the droppings and facilitate easy clean up
(Figure 44.3).
By 18 days of age, swallows begin perching on the edge or entrance of their nests and exercising
their wings. In preparation for “Fledge Day,” the nest and/or towel cave should be moved to a
larger reptarium, such as a 175‐gal (4 × 3 × 3 ft./1.2 × 0.9 × 0.9 m) mesh reptarium or similar hous-
ing, so the birds have room to fledge from the nest naturally and enjoy a space to use their wings.