2.5 months old eclectus. I need a help

[Amer]

Hello everyone
I have bought eclectus 2.5 months old few days ago
She seems not hand fed before she was mom rising
My issues that she doesn't like to eat from my hand by spoon or syringe
The breeder use a small tube on the syringe to feed her should I keep use it ?
When I put her in her nest where she sleep , she start bites me if I try to take her out
Can any one help me with her behavior and what should I do with feeding issue

 

[LaManuka]

Welcome to the forums to you and your baby Eclectus!

I'm very sorry to say, but in all honesty it would seem that you have a bird who really is quite a bit too young to have been sold. The breeder or seller should not have sold this bird until it had been eating solid adult food independently for a minimum of two weeks. In the case of eclectus parrots they can start to wean at around10 to 12 weeks but some can take up to 6 months before they learn to eat independently. Even then, some may can regress and go back to begging for handfeeding.

This is a very precarious time in a baby bird's life so I would strongly urge you to contact the breeder for support, or even contemplate taking the bird back there to complete the weaning process, particularly as you are having difficulty getting her to eat. Some breeders will tell you things like “finishing off hand-feeding is easy”, (it’s not), or “hand-feeding will help you bond better with your bird" (it won’t) and it is irresponsible indeed for a breeder to sell a this bird at this immature age. The following links may provide you with some insight as to how to feed in the meantime...

weaning

So you bought an unweaned baby...

Today I spent several hours trying to help someone save a baby bird they had purchased unweaned. The baby died; they are usually almost dead by the time the new owner realizes something is wrong, not because the owner doesn't care but because they are not educated about what to look for or...

www.parrotforums.com

I don't know which part of the world you live in but this link may help you find a veterinarian who can assist...

https://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803

If there are no avian specialists available an exotics vet is better than nothing, or if the breeder/seller is unwilling to help, you could try a zoo or bird sanctuary if you have one near you.

Thank you for reaching out for help and i wish you all the very best!

 

[Emeral]

Hello everyone
I have bought eclectus 2.5 months old few days ago
She seems not hand fed before she was mom rising
My issues that she doesn't like to eat from my hand by spoon or syringe
The breeder use a small tube on the syringe to feed her should I keep use it ?
When I put her in her nest where she sleep , she start bites me if I try to take her out
Can any one help me with her behavior and what should I do with feeding issue

Welcome and........... big wing hugs to the two of you.

Hope you are close to your breader as I hope she won't get too much stress from traveling. She is a fragile little one.

Naturally,she is afraid of everything new. She doesn't know that she is safe and loved so much yet. So let's give her time to adjust, keep every introduction of new things at her pace.

You might find this useful. It's a table that approximate birds age and weaning.

Bird Weaning

Bird Weaning

www.kaytee.com

However each bird is different and there is no harm in taking it slower than normal. This is not a race.

So in sum, you have.....
...an unweaned baby, (don't eat solid food)
....fed by mother bird
....afraid of hands
....bite

I can only imagine your dilemma. You probably would be equally worried about returning this baby or raising her. So before you decide what to do. Let's talk about how to keep her nourished.

The feeding tube attach to the syringe, is used by some because.......
it would put the food straight down to her stomach. It's convenient for the breader. However, if the food is too hot, the baby crop will burn and so will be dangerous/need to be cared for by the Vet. Another thing is, the baby would still know little about swallowing if she was fed this way. I don't agree with using the tube. What is so hurry.

In your case, the baby was fed by the mother. So she already knows how to swallow food. She is also very small, so she will be hungry frequently. Possibly as frequent as every 3hours. That is 3 to 4 feeding times a day. With a stop to empty her crop 8to10hours at night.

Now to use the syringe, the baby will learn to swallow food with the rhythm of the feeder. Slow hand control of the syringe give her small amount to swallow at a time. The feeding must always be from the side to prevent aspiration. Food down her respiratory track could be fatal. Margin for error HERE is very thin.

Hand-Feeding Baby Birds | VCA Animal Hospitals

Curious about hand-feeding baby birds? There are several considerations to make when hand feeding. Visit vcahospitals.com for expert advice.

vcahospitals.com

"How do I know if something is wrong?"​

If you suspect something is wrong with your bird, you should immediately contact your veterinarian. Signs to watch for include:

• Chirping or crying all the time
• Fussing a lot and not sleeping
• Listless, droopy wings or head
• Not accepting food
• Lack of feeding response
• Slow or lack of crop emptying
• Poor weight gain
• Slow growth
• Abnormal posturing or abnormal wing and/or leg positions
• Abnormal or lack of droppings
• Wetness or food on skin over the crop (indicating a possible burn)

I can only imagine your dilemma. You probably would be equally worried about returning this baby or raising her or rushing her to an Avian Vet.

You have mentioned she doesn't like to eat from .....hand, spoon, syringe.....is she afraid of new equipment....? Or is she sick?
Some baby can get sick from traveling.

How much did she eat? The Vet will weight her and calculate the amount of food she would normally eat. For instance, a baby weight of 150g should eat at least 15cc. Per meal. If she eat less, she may not be able to eat because she's sick. And then her dropping should be consistent with her eating, anything less, she may have a sour crop. Every thing treatable but easier to treat if taken to the Vet ASAP.

Is she eating many syringes in each meal,
how is her dropping?
Amount of her eating on the first day compare to 2nd and 3rd day?

Do keep up post...

 

[Amer]

Thank you guys for replying,
I can see she so independent, she not crying at all until I play some videos for eclectus only so she hear the sound then response to it , even when her crop are empty she's not crying,
I always check the temperature of the food to avoid burning, today I boiled small amounts of vegetables and cooled it off ,(sweet potatoes, carrots, Broccoli) and she was eating slowly and I noticed she loved sweet potatoes, I was happy seeing she want to eat and trying by her own , even by me giving it to her she was taking it from my hand and start chewing on it.
I live in Thailand and I don't speak Thai, i bought her from the market and it's hard to take her back ,
I'm using Kaytee formula and the tube on the syringe. Why.. because if I give her without it she put the formula in her mouth then spit it away
She not sick I can say that , active most of the time when she's not sleeping, standing on the bar even in on leg
I talk to her hold her put her on my chest while I'm watching TV ,Pet her to make her feel safe ,
I had her last Tuesday. It's been 6 days
I'm just worried about the tube thing.. I would love if she can eat without it and also not her crying while she's hungry , because she never made a sound when her crop is empty

 

[LaManuka]

Oh I'm so glad she seems to be doing a little better for you! I'm very sorry I can't offer you any more practical advice about hand-feeding or weaning as I have never done it myself - I hope some of our members who have will spot your thread and can offer some practical assistance. This thread from a member who has also successfully weaned a baby eclectus may be of some assistance to you in the meantime...

Weaning Pickles (Eclectus)

I see there's not a lot of info on weaning eclectus. I've had such great input on my other posts and have been looking for a way to also contribute, so I'm thinking I will add this thread as a reference with my experiences on this journey. Baby is 5 weeks old. She is too young to actually go...

www.parrotforums.com

Wishing you the very best of luck with your baby!

 

[Emeral]

I am happy that she is eating and adapting well. Glad to know she is in good hands. Talking and singing certainly helps in bonding. I guess that her biting is no longer an issue.

Since she likes sweet potatoes, boiled pumpkin may be liked too? Riped Mango or papaya....is soft and sweet too. Introduction of as much variation as possible at a young age goes a long way.
Ripe papaya, in particular, speed digestion and hence aids indigestion. If I ever suspect slow digestion, I give it to Emerald. Her excretion turned red with in 2-3hours after. My avian tought me this first aid.

Hope you locate avian vet in your area for her just to be safe. My search of " exotic veterinarian bangkok" yield many exotic and avian vets. You might find this useful link as it has information in English.

รายชื่อโรงพยาบาลสัตว์ ที่เปิดตลอด 24 ชั่วโมง

www.pet-variety.com

 

[Marly1956]

Hello everyone
I have bought eclectus 2.5 months old few days ago
She seems not hand fed before she was mom rising
My issues that she doesn't like to eat from my hand by spoon or syringe
The breeder use a small tube on the syringe to feed her should I keep use it ?
When I put her in her nest where she sleep , she start bites me if I try to take her out
Can any one help me with her behavior and what should I do with feeding issue

She may not want to be fed by hand. Try putting feed in the feeder and just see if she goes for it. You may have to show it to her and make sure she has water. Give her the preen food. She may be cold and of course uused to being in her bed. Put a towel or blanket on the cage where her bed is. Now after trying her feeding on her own, if that doesn't work call where you bought her from. Hope this works!

 

[Amer]

I put for food stick and she loves as u see it's almost empty, but she didn't eat all just test it but at least she trying , I stop using the syringe tube and feed her slowly she start accepting it , I'm just happy seeing her trying things by her self ... thank you all