Baby Eclectus Newbie Advice Help!

[Kitsch]

hi guys,

First of all hello, first time posting here.
We picked up our baby Eclectus on Monday, still being hand fed at present, he is 14 weeks old.
He ate on Monday and Tuesday with no problems, however today he was difficult to feed in the morning and being difficult again now. He's on 3 feeds a day and got a selection of different foods in bowls and water, but doesn't seem interested in any of it yet. He has picked up some bedding and chewed that etc but not any of the solid foods. He has also today regurgitated a fair amount but I know this can be common.

He seems very tired (I don't really know how much they sleep during the day) but he doesn't seem very active, just sleeps most of the time with his head back on his wings. When he's standing on my hand he seems to be bright eyed but not very inquisitive. He is also just making very short croaky squarks.

I might just be worrying for no reason, but as we have never kept Eclectus before I just want to see if that's normal behaviour?

His weight was 350g yesterday and 355 today. He is also eating around 40ml of food each feed.

I hope that's enough info but can someone let me know if that all sounds normal?

Thanks in advance, Dec.

 

[Doublete]

Someone with more experience will chime in.
But did the breeder require you take him to an avian vet? Might be a good idea.

 

[labell]

Have you ever hand fed before? What temp are you feeding? I have never had an eclectus regurgitate formula and I have fed a lot of them. This is concerning to me. What kind of bedding is he picking at, you want to be careful with that. Eclectus are one of the most difficult species to hand feed and wean I am always concerned when someone without experience takes on this daunting task. I am also always a little peeved at breeders who allow this!

 

[Kitsch]

I've handfed before but not parrots. I'm feeding him at 100f, I've removed the bedding and just put newspaper down now so he can't get at it. I'm going to try and feed him again now so I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[June2012]

I've handfed before but not parrots. I'm feeding him at 100f, I've removed the bedding and just put newspaper down now so he can't get at it. I'm going to try and feed him again now so I'll let you know how it goes.

Did you take him to the vet? I know some breeders have a 3 day guarantee. Even if you don't have the guarantee, it is still what I think a good idea to take him...

 

[Kitsch]

This is what he is doing When I try to feed him.

[ame="http://youtu.be/Z3IhRHVMRKo"]Eclectus - YouTube[/ame]

 

[JerseyWendy]

Welcome to the forums.

I don't mean to alarm you, but PLEASE have your baby checked out by an avian vet. The sooner the better. Better today than tomorrow.

Something is off. I can't put my fingers on it, but something isn't quite right. He looks very sleepy and sort of weak. I'm not too fond of the noises he's making either. A hungry ekki baby will let you know quite loudly that he/she wants to be fed.

 

[Kitsch]

Ok yes I am going to take him tomorrow hopefully. The earliest they had was Friday but they said if he gets worse they can try and fit me in song will call first thing tomorrow. It's too late to take him in today :/ hopefully he Is ok, he is making louder noises too, but not like the loud screeches on the first night we got him.

 

[labell]

His labored breathing and honk sounds like he was aspirated you need to get him to a vet ASAP. 100 is WAY to cool for an eclectus that is also why he was spitting it up. Eclectus need the formula heated to at least 108 and it needs to be tested with a digital thermometer. Why did the breeder you got him from let you take him if you have never fed a parrot? I am VERY concerned!

 

[Kitsch]

Ok, I'm doubtful there will be any avian vets that will see him this evening as its nearly 9pm, do you think he will be ok till the morning? Please don't blame this on me

 

[JerseyWendy]

I entirely blame the breeder. And I hate sounding so harsh, but NO baby parrots should ever be allowed to go home with someone who does not have the necessary experience to hand-feed properly, effectively and efficiently. Accidents can even happen with experienced hand-feeders.

If your baby has indeed aspirated formula, there is no guarantee he'll be alive in the morning. For that matter, an avian vet may be too late right this moment (IF he's been aspirated too much).

 

[Kitsch]

Yeah i get that, he assured me it wasn't difficult as I was very nervous about taking him at this stage. I have lots of experience with other animals and birds, just not parrots... It seems like a whole different ball game! I'm really hoping he's going to be ok, he's just gone back to sleep. He's only had one feed today, but I'm guessing it's going to be better to leave him and just take him to the vets in the morning without a feed first? I don't want to make things any worse, I feel guilty enough already

 

[Kitsch]

Ok so he had a little sleep, and has woken up and is acting fairly normal again. Sounding a lot louder and stretching a lot, and cleaning himself.

[ame="http://youtu.be/LL1Qq3eVQVU"]YouTube[/ame] (ignore the wrong title, autocorrect).

So should I try and feed him again? He's obviously not had much food today so worried he might get hungry and dehydrated.

 

[labell]

Yes I would feed him, don't force it, also heat to the higher temp 108F, please make sure you stir it and check it very well before feeding. Please keep us updated I am very concerned for this baby.

 

[Kitsch]

Ok one more question, how thick should the formula be... The breeder said like "pancake batter" but on the packet (zupreem) it says for birds older than 14 days to make it like thick apple sauce...

 

[Kitsch]

Ok so he fed perfectly just now, and I think it must have been down to temperature. He took about 33ml with no mess, I just went slow and at his pace. He had his better feeding response back and was very loud! I hope this is a good sign and hope there's nothing seriously wrong with him.

I'll keep you posted on how he is in the morning and how he feeds first thing tomorrow.

Thanks again for all the help, and if any of you guys need help with mammals or reptiles let me know

 

[labell]

Unless you see him actively drinking water or eating lots of wet foods (fruits and veggies) just keep it to pancake batter consistency. I am glad he ate better, I would still encourage you to get him checked by a avian vet as soon as you can. Please do keep us posted.

 

[June2012]

Ok, I'm doubtful there will be any avian vets that will see him this evening as its nearly 9pm, do you think he will be ok till the morning? Please don't blame this on me

No one's blaming you, sweetie. We're just very concerned as we're just trying to help. Can you see an emergency avian vet? And if he'll hold out until tomo, then I'd go to any emergency avian vet. The drive would be worth it, IMO. Just getting him to the vet is the BEST option for him.

 

[Doublete]

Regardless of how he is or seems you should take him to an avian vet immediately.
Your breeder should have encouraged this. Especially since you don't know how to properly care for him.
That's a very expensive bird to take a chance on IMO. And it's a life.

It's really really crappy that the breeder encouraged you to take him home when you've never done this before. It's something you should learn while having a very experienced person overseeing you. Not throwing you in the deep end of the pool and hoping you can swim.

 

[Kitsch]

Just taken him to the vets, he said he looked ok and couldn't hear any wheezing etc. just to keep an eye on him and if he shows signs like he did before (I showed him the video) to take him back for antibiotics. So just on the way him now and going to give him a feed and hopefully he'll take it as good as he did last night.