Just at a pet store usually..it may be in the hamster section though! lol...also online if not at the pet store.

bumpooo

bump lol

bump..i wish i didn't have to bump this soooo much...but it helps some people!

bump again. grrowwwl

nevermind more than half of this post is bumps. 80 percent. lol. I forgot but whoever asked what bump means it means to bump your topic to the top. Not to be harsh but your topic is not always going to be number one.

I know it's not gonna be #1...but it may help some people make the right decisions about breeding, and can steer them in the right direction, even save a keets life...so, i can't help if it's all bumps, it's a helpful topic. and some people like it.

I am sorry. I understand.

I think it is great imfo, I will know what is ahead if I ever decide to breed.

before you start taking lives into YOUR hands make sure you can answer YES to ALL of these questions:
-Do you have a home for the keets in advance? What are you going to do with all those lil ones!?
-Are you responsible enough to care for so many keets lives?
-Are you or someone in your house home 24/7??? If not, you need someone there ALL the time. You have to watch over the mother and babies all of the time, and watch for emergencies or complications.
-Do you have a cage large enough for up to around 9 or so babies??
-Do you have money put aside for any emergencies? Make sure u have a emergency vets # in reach incase of any complications.

You will be risking the parents lives, and the babies lives by starting this process. (the mother could kill the babies, or the father, the mother could get egg bound, and MANY other complications that can occur!)
******************

Keets are sexually mature around 8 mos. or so....

How to breed ur keets:

~What u'll need:~
-2 keets of opposite sex, at least 8 mos. old.
-a breeding box w/ a lil indent on the inside floor of it
-a LARGE cage, enough to hold at max 9 keets (could have around 7 babies, u never know), complete with enough food and water for that many.
-a quiet room to put the cage in
-a POWDER calcium supplement to mix into thur food (only powder! liquid to mix into water will grow in the dish, and could harm ur keets)
-a bedding of some sort (i have always used wood shavings and timmothy--a sort of a soft green hay type thing.)
NOTE: I personally wouldn't use those beddings that are 'specially made' for breeding, and pre-made nesting material...i prefer the good ol'natural stuff...it's up to you.


You can mount the nesting box either on the outside of the cage, or on the inside, but whichever place u put it, place it high up as possible, keets feel more secure high up, and like it better.


~Getting started:~

To start the breeding process, place the nesting box into/on cage w/ nesting materials inside. When the female starts to explore the inside and move things around and spend a LOT of time in there(this is called nesting), then you can add the calcium powder supplement to their food when nesting starts.

The female will start to get more aggressive now. Now watcj for breeding (i don't think i need to explain that lol)--(You most likely will NOT see them mate, but u may!) After they breed, she'll lay the first egg in around 1 or 2 days...she'll continue to lay eggs up to around 7 or 8 (max-around), but the average clutch is aound 4 or 5 eggs. At this time, don't bother the mother so much, and only peek into the box when she's not in it. When each egg is laid, mark #s on them w/ PENCIL...and make a chart showing statistics of the eggs (date laid, what # egg it is, fertile or not, etc. )

When the eggs are 7 days, you can candle them...

~To candle:~
Hold egg up to a VERY bright light source (like a flashlight) and look at egg:

*If the egg has clearly visible veins, and a little dark spot, then it IS fertile.

*If it's just clear, and possibly a air bubble towards the top, then it's NOT fertile. Candle like every week or so to check on the growing keet babies.

***The eggs will take around 4 wks or so to hatch (around 28 days)***

after they're hatched, you can start handling the new babies...but be careful!!!!! with the utmost care. only hold 1 baby at a time, and low to the ground, and only when mom is off the nest...but before you start holding em...take the mommy out of the cage to a diff. area (like a play tree or something) only hold the babies only for a few mins at a time, they have to stay warm by mom!

If the mom or babies have ANY troubles (egg binding, abandoning, not feeding, etc.) CALL YOUR NEAREST VET RIGHT AWAY, I am not a vet and won't be responsible for your keets lives.


The babies will come out of the nest at around 5 wks. or so...after all the keets are out of the nesting box, then you can remove it. (it's normal for them to peek out of the box or hang out of it for a few days, they're just looking out and adjusting to the light. After all the babies are out, make sure you have enough food and water for all of the keets. It's normal for the babies to stay on the bottom of the cage for a few days or so...when they are all eating on their OWN, and are fully capable of everything (at around 8 wks. old or so)...then they can go to new homes.


Thank you for being responsible enough to educate yourself on breeding keets, and taking ur time to read this long post. But, educate yourself even further, such as on complications and what to do while driving to the vet or MANY other things...use books or the internet...or the best. Vet!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Mellow: well, thanks for understanding


Stephtrex1: thanks, this is why I keep it bumped up.