If your psychologist tells you to just give your birds away then he really sucks at his job. He's there to help you straighten out your own feelings and make decisions that will be good for you (and your birds) in the long run. Not to encourage you to do something hasty when you're upset that will make you feel relieved for maybe five minutes and then feel regretful about for the rest of your life.

Like Stephanie said, take the time to think things over carefully. I would add to that: if you actually do decide that it's best to get rid of some or all of your birds, don't actually do anything for at least two weeks (or better still a month) after that decision is made to make sure that's really what you want to do. We can all tell that you love your birds a lot, and they have a good life with you. They live in a gorgeous outdoor aviary and are well fed and well taken care of, and if they go to a different home they might not have it that good in the new place.

Could you pay the handfeeder to finish raising the babies and then give them back to you? That could be an excellent solution, assuming that the babies will eat well in their temporary location.

If not, then just remember that your responsibility for handfeeding the babies will only last for about a month and then you'll be able to enjoy the birds for years without this extra duty. It might be stressful but it's temporary, and they'll get less demanding as time goes by because their ability to feed themselves will gradually improve throughout the weaning process.

Try offering them warm handfeeding formula on a spoon instead of a syringe. I don't mean one of those special handfeeding bent spoons, just an ordinary spoon that you're holding level so they can eat the formula on their own initiative instead of you trying to put it in them. My babies HATE being restrained for syringe feeding after they've fledged, and they're a lot happier eating off a spoon. You'll have to sort of shove the spoon into their beak the first time or two, so some formula gets in their mouth and they realize that it's food.

Hi Susan, welcome to the group. If you tell me what your old user name was, I can give you a new password so you can get into that account, and then you can change the password, email address, etc to anything you like.

Thank you Carolyn!

I decided that I am keeping them.

I actually don't mind feeding the babies now. I guess it was just a phase of loosing a close friend.

Five minutes? I wish! I would probably be bawling my eyes out the whole ride lol

Thank you

That really made me feel good.

I did try it. The baby liked it. I bet Rio (#3) would love it! He hates being strained.

One question: I let the babies in the aviary for 30 minutes and Marshmallow started plucking their head feathers. They are bald as is. When will she stop?

I hope she won't act like Shodu. I want my birds to have pretty head feathers.

Marshmallow will probably lose interest in plucking when the babies are weaned and/or grow in their head feathers. It's the process of acting like a baby (meaning begging for food) and/or the sight of a bunch of pinfeathers on the head that seems to set Shodu off, and she doesn't bother the chicks after these traits disappear. Make sure the divine Miss M is getting enough sodium in her diet, just in case that's a reason she's plucking.

I feel for my future husband.

I just hope my future husband likes birds. Otherwise, we will be incompatible. LOL!!!

Mine better like running an exotic zoo.