Baby Eclectus Parrot

[Vishnu :)]

Hey guys,
I recently bought a baby, unweaned male Eclectus parrot from a breeder when he was 6 weeks old (Casper). Everything's been going well for the past couple of weeks, but around Monday this week he started refusing formula...I tried everything from feeding him peas and corn (which he ate) and changing the temperature and consistency of the food, but he's not eating a satisfactory amount and aggresively refuses formula if we try force feeding. But, like I said before, he loves chewing on new and more solid foods (we've tried different veggies), but his crop doesn't seem to fill up that way either...this is our first time hand-rearing a large parrot (we have previous experience rearing lovebird and rainbow lorikeet pairs) so we're welcome to any suggestions!

P.S: Casper has gone down in weight over these weeks by around 20 grams (his current weight is 340 g), which I heard was normal for weaning birds but I don't know if it is a concerning amount

 

[Vishnu :)]

here are some photos of Casper:

 

[Thechoplady]

Im not a breeder so I dont have enough education to properly advise you but i would be alarmed. Ekkies take a very long time to wean and I would be extremely worried with the weight loss. I would call your Avian vet ASAP. Or call the breeder if you cant get a hold of your Avian vet. Hopefully someone with more experience than me will chime in soon.

 

[Vishnu :)]

Im not a breeder so I dont have enough education to properly advise you but i would be alarmed. Ekkies take a very long time to wean and I would be extremely worried with the weight loss. I would call your Avian vet ASAP. Or call the breeder if you cant get a hold of your Avian vet. Hopefully someone with more experience than me will chime in soon.

Hey @Thechoplady !
Thank you for your advice, but I am unfortunately wrong (yet again!). i rechecked Casper's weight right now, and it showed 371 grams on the dot...I guess I didn't wait for him to sit still when checking earlier today...sorry for the misinformation!

But still, I am a bit concerned as to his reduced appetite, and I am considerig whether to visit my vet for a physical exam (it is very pricey)...

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Your baby is adorable! Baby parrots are so cute and so much fun!

I've hand raised several budgies from hatching to maturity. Ive never raised a larger parrot but the process is the same. Please don't try to force fed a baby bird! He can aspirate the formula and it will kill him.
You really should bring Casper to an avian vet to rule out ìllness and to advise you on weaning. Is Caspers otherwise acting normally?

I don't know when Eclectus parrots normally wean. Assuming Casper is at the correct age to start weaning, and his behavior otherwise is normal, everything is fine. Losing weight is normal during weaning. What he's losing is mostly the enlarged crop and the weight of the large amount of food that filled his crop several times a day. His crop is supposed to shrink during weaning because birds couldn't fly well with big, heavy bulging crops full of food. They need to be streamlined for flight. Rejecting handfeedings is a very normal part of the weaning process but it's highly individual. Some babies love handfeeding and seem to take forever to wean and some reject it sooner. I had a baby budgie that didn't wean until he was over 3 months old! Budgies normally wean around 6 to 8 weeks so I was worried he was never going to wean but he did. My next baby weaned at 8 weeks.

Eating much less is also very normal during weaning. A baby bird's very rapid growth requires a lot of food, but once he reaches close to adult size his food intake drops significantly.

Still, you really should bring him to a vet trained to treat birds to make sure everything is okay.

 

[Vishnu :)]

Your baby is adorable! Baby parrots are so cute and so much fun!

I've hand raised several budgies from hatching to maturity. Ive never raised a larger parrot but the process is the same. Please don't try to force fed a baby bird! He can aspirate the formula and it will kill him.
You really should bring Casper to an avian vet to rule out ìllness and to advise you on weaning. Is Caspers otherwise acting normally?

I don't know when Eclectus parrots normally wean. Assuming Casper is at the correct age to start weaning, and his behavior otherwise is normal, everything is fine. Losing weight is normal during weaning. What he's losing is mostly the enlarged crop and the weight of the large amount of food that filled his crop several times a day. His crop is supposed to shrink during weaning because birds couldn't fly well with big, heavy bulging crops full of food. They need to be streamlined for flight. Rejecting handfeedings is a very normal part of the weaning process but it's highly individual. Some babies love handfeeding and seem to take forever to wean and some reject it sooner. I had a baby budgie that didn't wean until he was over 3 months old! Budgies normally wean around 6 to 8 weeks so I was worried he was never going to wean but he did. My next baby weaned at 8 weeks.

Eating much less is also very normal during weaning. A baby bird's very rapid growth requires a lot of food, but once he reaches close to adult size his food intake drops significantly.

Still, you really should bring him to a vet trained to treat birds to make sure everything is okay.

@DonnaBudgie Thank you so much for your advice! I realised that the 20 or so grams he was losing everyday was the crop emptying out...so I'm wrong again! But eveything else seems fine, his behaviour is normal and he's very active...and the breeder that we bought it from said quote for quote that we should "have resilience" and keep "trying to feed him even if he refuses," but my mum and I never tried that for the exact same reason you mentioned...I might take him to a vet for a general checkup, but I have to consult with my mum first...Again, thank you so much!!!