4 weeks old IRN is sneezing and not acting well please help.

[EllenD]

Well I'm so glad you found a vet, you're doing the right thing taking him right now, even though it's a long drive. Please update us when you know what's going on with him...

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE OF THE ADVICE GIVEN ABOUT THE TEMPERATURES OF BOTH THE FORMULA YOU FEED HIM AND ALSO OF THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE OF HIS BROODER/BOX YOU'RE KEEPING HIM IN...

It's quite likely that the reason he developed an infection in the first place is due to the formula you have been feeding him being so very cold, I'm actually quite surprised that he was willing to eat it...YOU DIDN'T FORCE THE COLD FORMULA INTO HIS CROP, DID YOU? I'm only asking you this because it's unusual in my experience for a baby bird to even accept formula that is colder than 104 degrees F, let alone that is as cold as you have been feeding him. Typically as soon as the temperature of the formula drops below 104 degrees F, the baby will stop it's feeding-response and spit out the formula...SO IF YOU FORCED ANY FORMULA INTO YOUR BIRD BECAUSE HE WASN'T ACCEPTING IT, YOU NEED TO TELL THE AVIAN VET THIS IMMEDIATELY, AS IT'S LIKELY THAT YOU ASPIRATED SOME OF THE FORMULA INTO HIS LUNGS...This would certainly cause multiple infections, as did the cold formula you were feeding him.

If the formula you feed him is too cold, it ends up sitting inside the bird's crop for too long, it won't empty, and this causes bacteria and yeast to grow inside the crop, and then throughout the entire gastrointestinal tract. This is most likely what made him sick in the first place, combined with the far too cold an ambient temperature he is being kept in.

Even though your country is warm, it is not a warm enough ambient temperature for a baby bird with no feathers. You can successfully make a Brooder out of a cardboard box as you have been doing, BUT YOU MUST DO THREE THINGS IN ORDER FOR THIS TO WORK:

#1) You must get/buy a heating pad that you can place underneath the back half of the cardboard box, and then turn it on low or medium, whichever accomplishes the proper ambient temperature.

#2) You must place a towel or blanket over the back half of the cardboard box, the portion on top of the electric heating pad, in order to trap the heat in that portion of the box.

#3) You must buy an ambient thermometer, like the kind you use to tell the temperature outside, and hang it or attach it to the inside of the cardboard box, the back half that is on top of the electric heating pad and that is covered. Start with the heating pad on medium, let it on for at least 30 minutes to and hour, and then look at the thermometer. If it's too hot then turn it to low, if it's correct then great, leave everything as is. AS STATED, THE BACK PORTION OF THE CARDBOARD BOX NEEDS TO BE RIGHT AROUND 36.5 DEGREES C!!!

***If you follow these instructions, the cardboard box should end up having two temperature zones, the back half is the warm part that must absolutely be right around 36.5 degrees C, and then the front half of the box that is uncovered and not on the heating pad will be cooler, so that the baby has a choice to get cooler if he wants, then go back to the warm area when he wants. Don't force him in either area, he knows where he wants to be and when.

AS FAR AS FEEDING YOUR BABY FROM NOW ON, AGAIN, YOU NEED TO DO A FEW THINGS IMMEDIATELY IN ORDER TO SAVE HIM AND HAVE HIM GROW AND DEVELOP PROPERLY;

#1) You must go and buy a cooking thermometer, we call it a "candy" thermometer, one that you can put directly into the formula and keep in the formula the entire time you are feeding the baby. You can't use an ambient or outdoor thermometer for this, they are two different types of thermometers. I'm sure your country has kitchen or cooking thermometers somewhere. At the very least, I've seen people in a pinch actually use a human body thermometer, the kind you put under your tongue when you're sick to test for fever. As long as it goes up to at least 44 degrees C and down below 40 degrees C it will work...

#2) IT IS NOT OPTIONAL TO FEED THE BABY FORMULA THAT IS TOO HOT OR TOO COLD, IT MUST BE WITHIN THE CORRECT TEMPERATURE RANGE!
So you must microwave or boil on the stove the water you are using to mix the formula, and then ADD THE HOT WATER TO THE FORMULA. DO NOT HEAT THE ALREADY MIXED FORMULA UP IN THE MICROWAVE OR ON THE STOVE!!! What happens if you do this is that you'll get "hot pockets" within the formula that will badly burn the baby. So heat the water first, then add it to the formula, and then mix the formula up extremely well. Then put the cooking/candy thermometer into the formula, and wait for at least 2-3 minutes for the temperature of the formula to stop going up. THE FORMULA MUST BE BETWEEN 104 DEGREES F AND 110 DEGREES F, OR BETWEEN 40 DEGREES C AND 43.3 DEGREES C! This is not optional, as you can already see, as the very cold formula you have been feeding him most likely caused a fungal and/or bacterial infection inside his crop. If the formula is even 1 degree too hot it will cause severe burns inside his mouth and crop, and this almost always ends in the baby dying from the injury and infection resulting from the burn, without major surgery on the crop being done to fix the hole that usually results from the crop burn...1 degree too cold and the formula will just sit inside the bird's crop and grow fungus, bacteria, etc., as has already happened to your baby.

#3) If you find that the formula is dropping below 40 degrees C (104 degrees F) while you are feeding the baby, as it most likely will, then you need to heat up more water, hotter than the water you are mixing with the formula, and put it in a separate bowl. Then put the bowl of already mixed formula in the bowl of hotter water, and allow it to float in it while you're feeding the baby, with the cooking thermometer staying inside the formula. This will work like a hot water bath, keeping the formula temperature from dropping.

#4) When you feed the baby, you need to do it in one particular way that will prevent you from getting formula into the baby's lungs, causing infection and death. You must put the baby down on a clean towel in front of you, with the baby facing you. Then you take the tip of the syringe and put it inside HIS LEFT SIDE OF THE BEAK, OR IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE BABY, IT WILL BE ON YOUR RIGHT SIDE FACING HIM. Then you must put the tip of the syringe OVER TOP OF THE TONGUE, NOT UNDERNEATH! You want to angle the syringe towards the OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE BACK OF THE THROAT, OVER AND ACROSS HIS TONGUE.

You are doing this because the hole that leads to the bird's crop is on the back of the bird's throat on THE BIRD'S RIGHT SIDE, OR, IF YOU ARE FACING THE BIRD, IT WILL BE ON YOUR LEFT.

So to summarize, with the baby in front of you and you facing him, you will insert the syringe into his beak on your right (his left), aim the tip of the syringe over top of his tongue and across his tongue at an angle towards your left (his right), aiming for the back of his throat on your left (his right). And then you wait for his feeding response, which by now you have certainly experienced. It's like a head-bobbing. You never push more formula than he is taking in, THE RHYTHM OF HIS FEEDING-RESPONSE OR HEAD BOBBING IS THE RHYTHM/SPEED THAT YOU MUST FOLLOW AS YOU ARE PUSHING IN FORMULA. WHEN HE STOPS, YOU STOP.

#5) You want to feed him until he has a nice, large, round crop that when you gently touch it feels firm, like a balloon, but still has a bit of give to it. The crop should look quite large and round compared to the baby's overall size, but do not depend on the baby stopping when he should. When you get to the point that his crop is getting very round and large, you need to be constantly feeling his crop gently with your finger to see how firm it is, and whether it still has a lot of give to it, or very little give to it. When it gets to the point that the crop is very round, large, and still has a bit of give to it but not much, you're done with that feeding. Immediately put him back into the warm side of the Brooder/box after he's just finished a feeding so he can properly digest his food and empty his crop.

#6) His crop should be ALMOST empty each time you go to feed him again. At 4 weeks old you need to be feeding him once every 4-5 hours, and when you get him out to feed him his crop should be almost empty, but may still have a tiny amount of formula in it, that's okay. However, when you go to give him his first feeding each day in the morning, his crop should be completely emptying overnight. If it's not, it's most likely due to the formula being too cold and/or his Brooder/box being too cold. If this happens and you notice his crop is not emptying completely overnight (IT MUST COMPLETELY EMPTY ONCE EVERY 24 HOURS), then you must add a teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar to his formula.

 

[EllenD]

Also, I know that using Cerelac to feed baby birds is a common thing in a lot of countries where they don't have easy access to commercially available baby bird hand-feeding formula. However, Cerelac presents 2 major problems:

#1) IT CONTAINS EXTRA IRON THAT HUMAN BABIES NEED, BUT BABY BIRDS CAN AND ARE ACTUALLY POISONED BY TOO MUCH IRON!!! I cannot tell you how many baby birds, usually Indian Ringnecks and Alexandrines because they are popular in these countries without baby bird hand-feeding formula being commercially sold, die from an "unknown" cause, usually presenting with sudden vomiting, lethargy, and then a quick death. This is usually due to Iron poisoning from the Cerelac. I have heard of some people being able to find Cerelac without Iron, if you can find that then please buy it instead. Otherwise, you are risking his life by continuing to feed him Cerelac containing high Iron for human babies.

#2) In addition to Cerelac containing a high Iron content that can easily poison baby birds, it also lacks the specific nutrition that baby birds need to properly grow and develop, including developing their immune systems. Babies raised on Cerelac, if they survive, which is rare anyway, tend to end-up being quite stunted in size and having life-long physical disabilities and malformations of their bodies. As such, you need to do one of 2 things:

-Find a pet shop or bird shop/breeder who sells a commercial baby bird hand-feeding formula or order it in bulk online, OR

-Start making your own baby bird hand-feeding formula out of certain available pulses in your country. IN ORDER TO DO THIS, HOWEVER, YOU MUST ALSO, IN ADDITION TO GRINDING UP THE NECESSARY PULSES TO MAKE THE FORMULA, MUST ALSO HAVE ACCESS TO AN AVIAN MULTI-VITAMIN AND A PROBIOTIC/DIGESTIVE ENZYME SUPPLEMENT, EITHER AVIAN OR HUMAN, DOESN'T MATTER.

***That's the other thing lacking from Cerelac that commercially sold baby bird hand-feeding formulas all contain, and that's multiple strains of Prebiotic and Probiotic Bacteria (this is what protects against a fungal infection throughout the GI tract), as well as multiple naturally occurring Digestive Enzymes that also aide in helping the crop empty regularly and help the food to be properly digested. Your baby has not gotten any of these things...

*****If this is truly an Avian specialist you are going to see, they should have baby bird hand-feeding formula on-hand to buy. PLEASE, ASK THEM ABOUT BUYING SOME BABY BIRD HAND-FEEDING FORMULA, AND IF THEY DON'T HAVE ANY, ASK THEM ABOUT LOCATING/BUYING AN AVIAN MULTIVITAMIN SUPPLEMENT AND A PROBIOTIC/DIGESTIVE ENZYME SUPPLEMENT TO ADD TO THE CERELAC OR YOUR OWN, HANDMADE FORMULA. I CAN HELP YOU WITH THE RECIPE FOR YOUR OWN FORMULA, BUT IT'S USELESS WITHOUT AN AVIAN MULTIVITAMIN AND A PROBIOTIC/DIGESTIVE ENZYME SUPPLEMENT.

 

[hassamnasir]

Also, I know that using Cerelac to feed baby birds is a common thing in a lot of countries where they don't have easy access to commercially available baby bird hand-feeding formula. However, Cerelac presents 2 major problems:

#1) IT CONTAINS EXTRA IRON THAT HUMAN BABIES NEED, BUT BABY BIRDS CAN AND ARE ACTUALLY POISONED BY TOO MUCH IRON!!! I cannot tell you how many baby birds, usually Indian Ringnecks and Alexandrines because they are popular in these countries without baby bird hand-feeding formula being commercially sold, die from an "unknown" cause, usually presenting with sudden vomiting, lethargy, and then a quick death. This is usually due to Iron poisoning from the Cerelac. I have heard of some people being able to find Cerelac without Iron, if you can find that then please buy it instead. Otherwise, you are risking his life by continuing to feed him Cerelac containing high Iron for human babies.

#2) In addition to Cerelac containing a high Iron content that can easily poison baby birds, it also lacks the specific nutrition that baby birds need to properly grow and develop, including developing their immune systems. Babies raised on Cerelac, if they survive, which is rare anyway, tend to end-up being quite stunted in size and having life-long physical disabilities and malformations of their bodies. As such, you need to do one of 2 things:

-Find a pet shop or bird shop/breeder who sells a commercial baby bird hand-feeding formula or order it in bulk online, OR

-Start making your own baby bird hand-feeding formula out of certain available pulses in your country. IN ORDER TO DO THIS, HOWEVER, YOU MUST ALSO, IN ADDITION TO GRINDING UP THE NECESSARY PULSES TO MAKE THE FORMULA, MUST ALSO HAVE ACCESS TO AN AVIAN MULTI-VITAMIN AND A PROBIOTIC/DIGESTIVE ENZYME SUPPLEMENT, EITHER AVIAN OR HUMAN, DOESN'T MATTER.

***That's the other thing lacking from Cerelac that commercially sold baby bird hand-feeding formulas all contain, and that's multiple strains of Prebiotic and Probiotic Bacteria (this is what protects against a fungal infection throughout the GI tract), as well as multiple naturally occurring Digestive Enzymes that also aide in helping the crop empty regularly and help the food to be properly digested. Your baby has not gotten any of these things...

*****If this is truly an Avian specialist you are going to see, they should have baby bird hand-feeding formula on-hand to buy. PLEASE, ASK THEM ABOUT BUYING SOME BABY BIRD HAND-FEEDING FORMULA, AND IF THEY DON'T HAVE ANY, ASK THEM ABOUT LOCATING/BUYING AN AVIAN MULTIVITAMIN SUPPLEMENT AND A PROBIOTIC/DIGESTIVE ENZYME SUPPLEMENT TO ADD TO THE CERELAC OR YOUR OWN, HANDMADE FORMULA. I CAN HELP YOU WITH THE RECIPE FOR YOUR OWN FORMULA, BUT IT'S USELESS WITHOUT AN AVIAN MULTIVITAMIN AND A PROBIOTIC/DIGESTIVE ENZYME SUPPLEMENT.

I cannot thank you enough in words, All of the information you mentioned is priceless. Once I get to the vet and the baby gets healthy again I will follow each and every step you mentioned, and Yes i ordered the hand feed online already It is "Kaytee exact Hand Feeding High Fat Baby Bird Food" please search this up and let me know if I ordered the right feed, I'm currently driving and on the way to the vet, the baby is still breathing and moving here and there I just need luck. Also, the feed would've arrived when I'll reach home.

 

[Owlet]

I wish you the best of luck and I doubt anyone here blames you for the chick getting sick. It is very common for some breeders to scam new parrot owners into buying an unweened baby under the illusion it will increase the bonding with the parront. I hope your baby pulls through and has a long and good life with you.

 

[EllenD]

The Kaytee formula is very good, it will be fine for your baby as long as you follow the temperature and feeding instructions given by us all above...

No one blames you, we blame the shady breeders who sell people 2 week old baby parrots. This isn't your fault at all...

Please update us on how your baby is doing, and about what the vet did/said.

 

[hassamnasir]

UPDATE: After reaching the vet, the vet did some tests thoroughly, and found out that the baby got infected because of that diet that I was giving him, and the sneezing was a viral issue that is going in my city right now. He gave him some medicines and asked me to stay at the clinic for 4,5 hours. After the meds I could feel that my baby was active again and he was making those sweet and cute noises again that he used to make when he was healthy! It felt so amazing to see him happy and healthy again. The vet told me not to give any food until the crops gets fully empty and he also gave him some water type medicine which helped in cleaning the previous bad diet from his crop. Now in 3,4 hours he'll be ready to eat the Kaytee diet that I ordered until now the baby is showing healthy signs. He's out of the danger now and I will surely follow all of the temperature instructions strictly now. I also bought the temperature measuring devices. We are good to go. Thank you, everyone, for saving the life my adorable baby Flip, his name is Flip! I'll update again upon feeding him the new diet.

I cannot thank you all enough for the great quick response and amazing tips and suggestions without all of you my baby couldn't have survived! Thank you so much everyone!

 

[Sunnyclover]

This is wonderful news but be careful because he is not by any means "healthy" again.
You have the Kaytee formula already?

 

[SilverSage]

So glad to hear this! We get these types of questions often but usually we don’t get to hear happy endings.


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[EllenD]

I'm very happy for you and Flip, but as stated above by Sunny, Flip is not yet "healthy", he still is sick, and you must be very, very careful that you feed him only formula at the correct temperature and that you do it very slowly, at HIS pace, and you ensure that his crop is close to empty before you feed him again...

Did you get any medicine to give him at home? Or did they give him an injection? I'm assuming they flushed all of the yeast from his crop and then gave him an anti-fungal medication, but what is the follow-up care?