Baby macaw 7 weeks not sprouting feathers

[rnurse]

Hi,

I have a baby Green Wing macaw. I got it about 2 weeks ago, and now at about 7 weeks of age it doesn't have much more feathers than when I first got him. I can see a bit, but not much (will take pictures later).

I feed 4 times daily with up to 60 ml of food at 2 servings
1st meal- blended papaya
2nd meal- soaked, cooked and cooled, blended oatmeal
3rd meal- blended banana
4th meal- blended banana

Any obvious issue here?

 

[itzjbean]

Where are you located in the world? In the US there is hand-feeding formula readily available so this is most often used for baby birds here.

The temperature of the formula is also super important that i's between 100-110 degrees F. If food is not served warm enough it can cause crop issues and stunt growth and make it hard for baby to grow property. Is the food you're serving warm enough? Also if it has no feathers it needs a place to keep warm, like a brooder that is temperature and humidity controlled. Do you have one of these, or where do you keep the baby? Without kept in warmer temperatures it can also stunt chick growth. And I don't mean being placed in a box with a towel over it, they need something like 85-95 degrees F around the clock until feathers come in. Are you keeping your baby properly warm?

 

[Laurasea]

The diet you describe does not meet the nutritional needs of s baby parrot. The feathers are not growing due to nutritional deficiency!!!

You need to find a baby parrot formula ASAP!!!
This diet is lacking protein, the essential vitamins and minerals, fats. ECT.....!
Contact the breeder, hopefully they actually have knowledge of a baby parrots needs, if not contact and avain veterinarian.

 

[charmedbyekkie]

Please check both of these threads - they have all the info you need to support your unweaned baby.

http://www.parrotforums.com/breeding-raising-parrots/74363-so-you-bought-unweaned-baby.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/breeding-raising-parrots/19049-hazards-buying-unweaned-baby.html

 

[rnurse]

Well I am locate din Trinidad and Tobago, in the Caribbean. The paarot is locates in the coolest place in the house, near a large burglar proofed window. During the day the temperature in the house is very warm, so this is the best place for him. In the night, it gets a little cool there so I cover his cage with a blanket, leaving a little opening for airflow. He trembles very easily if a fan is placed on him though.

The temperature of the food is always room temperature. I feel it with the back of my finger to make sure it is not hot or cold, but room temperature, and I give him that.

Regarding nutritional deficiency, I put some various beans to soak yesterday to create a home made formula for him. I include:
- Pinto Beans
- Split peas
- rice
-wheat flour

I will feed him this at more servings. What do you think of this?

 

[Laurasea]

Your bird needs to be warmer, your good needs to be warmer.
Your bird could die, or survive but be stunted and have neurological issues. You need to do whatever it takes to get true baby parrot formula, in the states it's sold at pet stores. I'm sure breeders in your area have a source, get on it.

As an emergency stop gap, you can add a tablespoon of peanut butter , and done blended parrot safe greens to the diet. But you need to do whatever it takes to get true parrot formula, get on the phone call breeders and vets, get online see if you can get it shipped to you.
Who did you get this bird from? How can they not be providing you with formula, ?
You had a thread about getting an egg, we all talked you out if that an insisted you get a weaned baby, why have you gotten an unweaned baby? I want to help you as much as I can, but you have to help yourself and this baby. Please do not try and make up your own diet! None of us can do a good job at that. Parrot baby formula is widely available, if there are baby parrots there some place has formula

 

[Laurasea]

Also this great info originally posted by EllenD


Since you've hand-fed other baby parrots before you probably have a better understanding/eduction than most people who come here asking these types of questions, but just to make sure and to save you from any serious issues, heartache, or tragedy that often happens when people take-on hand-feeding such a young baby parrot, I'm going to quickly run-down the most important and NON-OPTIONAL bullet-points that you must follow to a tee or your baby will become sick and suffer potentially fatal health problems:

#1.) The hand-feeding formula that you feed your baby Senegal must ALWAYS be between 104 degrees F and 110 degrees F, and must stay in that temperature range throughout the feeding. One degree colder and your baby can suffer fungal/yeast infections in their Crop and throughout their GI Tract, and this can cause Slow-Crop and Crop-Stasis. Even 1 degree hotter and it will cause burns on your bird's crop that usually cause severe infection and require surgery to remove the burnt portion of the Crop...So you must use a digital cooking/candy thermometer that has a metal probe you can place in the formula and keep in the formula throughout each hand-feeding. If the formula needs to be re-heated because it drops below 104 degrees F, do not microwave the already mixed formula because it will develop "hot pockets" that will burn your bird's Crop no matter how well you mix it; instead just microwave water or unflavored Pedialyte, whichever you're using to mix the formula, and then add it slowly to the already mixed formula...

#2.) At 3 weeks old your baby Senegal should have most of it's down feathers but very little to no outer feathers...I don't know if you have a real, proper Brooder that you are keeping your baby in, but if not then you need to at a minimum make a "homemade' Brooder that will keep the amibient temperature your baby is kept in within the correct temperature ranges...If the ambient temperature your baby bird is kept in is too cool they will develop the same fungal/yeast infections and problems as they do when the formula is too cold....If your baby bird does not yet have ALL of their down-feathers yet and still has bare skin exposed, then they MUST be kept in an ambient temperature between 90-95 degrees F at all times except for when you take them out for a hand-feeding or a short handling. Once all of their down feathers are in and there is no more bare skin exposed, but they still don't have all of their outer feathers grown in fully, their ambient temperature must always be between 75-80 degrees F. For a baby Senegal Parrot, who normally wean between the ages of 10 weeks old and 13 weeks old, they should be able to be transferred from their Brooder and into their first "Weaning" or "Starter" Cage around the age of 6-7 weeks old.

To Make a Handmade Brooder: All you need is a cardboard box that is large enough to have a front half and a back half with two different temperature zones, but not too large a box. You need an electric heating-pad that has an adjustible temperature, which will sit underneath the back-half of the box at all times. You'll also need an ambient thermometer that you can place/hang/stick in the back-half of the box, and this is what you will look at to make sure that the back-half of the box is always within the correct temperature range. Then you cover the back-half of the box with a towel or blanket to lock-in the heat in the back-half of the box, leaving the front half of the box uncovered and off of the heating-pad. Once you get this all set-up, turn on the heating-pad to low or medium and cover the back-half of the box, and wait for about 30 minutes for the temperature to reach it's max, and if it's not withint the correct temperature range then you turn it up a setting and wait another 30 minutes. Make sure you have a good, accurate ambient thermometer, the best and cheapest ones being the Accurite digital thermometers that you can just sit in the back of the box and that you can buy at any Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, etc. for around $10-$15 (same for the digital cooking/candy thermometer with the metal probe, Walmart sells them for around $15 in the cooking gadget section)...Leave the front half of the box uncovered and off of the heating-pad so that your baby bird can go to the front of the box if they get too warm...Once your baby is around 6 weeks old or so, or when he/she has all of their outer feathers grow-in and no down-feathers are exposed, then you can move your bird into their Weaning/Starter Cage.

#3.) As far as the hand-feedings go, at only 3 weeks old your baby Senegal MUST be fed every 2-3 hours INCLUDING OVERNIGHT! They cannot go 6-8 hours overnight without being fed every 2-3 hours until they are between 4-5 weeks old. So you unfortuantely have to set an alarm for every 2 hours and get up every 2 hours, check his/her crop, and if it's just about empty at 2 hours then that's the interval that you'll feed them at for the next week. If his/her crop is not almost empty at 2 hours, then check it again at 3 hours and it should be almost empty, and that will be your feeding interval...

During the daytime and during the night until he/she is at least 4 weeks old (before they can go a full 6-8 hours overnight without being fed), their Crop should be almost empty when you give them their next hand=feeding, but won't be completely empty. The only time their Crop will be completely empty between feedings will be at their first morning feeding at 4 weeks, when they can go a full 6-8 hours without being fed...At only 3 weeks old they cannot go any longer than 3 hours maximum without being fed 24 hours a day, and that's why their Crop will never be completely empty at any time of a hand-feeding...Again, at 4 weeks old he/she will be able to go overnight for 6 hours or so without a hand-feeding, and their Crop will be completely empty first thing in the morning when you give them their first hand-feeding of the day; otherwise, during the rest of the day their Crop will be almost empty between hand-feedings, but not quite.

As far as how much formula you should give them during each hand-feeding, I never really go by a "set amount" based on their age as some breeders do...I always go by the size and feeling of their Crop, which you need to always be looking at and feeling lightily with the pad of your finger. At the end of all hand-feedings, their Crop should look very large and round, and when you feel it very gently with your finger (don't ever push on the Crop, just lightly run your finger over it), it should feel like a very full balloon that still has a little bit of 'give" to it. It should not feel tight, if it does then you are feeding them too much formula. And you cannot expect them to stop their feeding-response at the correct time; usually they do actually stop eating and stop their feeding-response and start rejecting the syringe close to the correct time, but not necessarily...YOU CAN NEVER, EVER TRY TO FORCE MORE FORMULA INTO THEM, WHEN THEY'RE DONE THEY'RE DONE, BUT YOU CAN STOP GIVING THEM ANY MORE FORMULA BEFORE THEIR FEEDING-RESPONSE STOPS AND BEFORE THEY THINK THEY ARE DONE, BASED ON THE SIZE AND FEEL OF THEIR CROP.

It's extremely important that you fully "Abundance-Wean" your Senegal, which means that you allow HIM/HER to make the decision when a hand-feeding is removed, and when the amount of formula in each hand-feeding is reduced. If YOU make the decision to remove a hand-feeding each day, or to reduce the amount of formula in each hand-feeding, this is called "Force-Weaning" your baby bird, and it usually results in severe, life-long Neurological and Behavioral issues, as well as serious and sometimes life-threatening physical medical problems...So allow your bird to tell you when a feeding will be rejected or the amount of formula per feeding will be reduced.

Typically the amount of formula they eat per hand-feeding and the number of hand-feedings per day will stay the same until a Senegal Parrot is between 5-6 weeks old, at which time he'll start eating more and more solid food, thus eating less formula. I would typically start putting millet-sprays inside of the Brooder at the age of 4 weeks-old, so that they start learning what solid-food is and will start picking at it and eventually eating it. At 5 weeks old I place a bowl of either pellets of seeds, whichever you are planning on weaning him onto as his daily "staple" food, inside of the Brooder, and once they start eating a good amount of the pellets or seed-mix (or both if you like), then they'll start to Abundance-Wean themselves. At the point where you move them into their Weaning/Starter Cage (when their outer feathers grow-in and no down-feathers are exposed, around 6 weeks old or so), then you're going to also start giving them a bowl of fresh Veggies, dark leaafy Greens, and a very small portion of Fruit every day as well, so that they'll learn what they are and to eat them.

Eventually you'll get to the point that they'll be eating a hand-feeding first thing in the morning and just before bed, and they'll be eating their pellets/seed-mix and fresh Veggies and Greens throughout the day...Then around the time they fully-Fledge, they'll eliminate the morning hand-feeding, and will basically be fully Abundance-Weaned, for a Senegal this will happen between 11-13 weeks old. They will typically continue to beg for a hand-feeding at night just before bed even after they are fully Abundance-Weaned, and this is called a "Comfort-Feeding", and it can continue for a week or two after they actually fully-wean. This is normal, it's not that they're hungry, it's just a comfort thing...
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Last edited by Laurasea; 01-04-2020 at 10:12 PM.
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[Laurasea]

The sbovevws written for someone else, but most of it all applies to you as well, except your baby takes longer to mature and wean as it is a macaw

 

[rnurse]

I got it from a provider here in the Caribbean. He doesn't use the formula and raises them fine. Will take pictures in a few hours and post them.

I'll go look for some baby macaw formula and let you know if it's available.

So I shouldn't have the cage near to a window at night then? Keep it in a warmer area?

 

[rnurse]

The macaw is 7 weeks old. I don't have access to a heating pad at the moment. But I will move the cage to a warmer area at night to keep him warm. I will buy a thermometer to check his food.

 

[rnurse]

Ok I got some baby parrot formula. Formula 3 from Roundy Bush. I will take pictures of the macaw in a while for you

 

[rnurse]

@Laurasea I have a 7 week old Green Wing Macaw

 

[Laurasea]

So glad you got formula!!! Yippie!! You also need a digital scale , a kitchen scale works and weigh your baby in grams, you need to be seeing weights going up.
I'm trying to help, but I'm limited in knowledge, sorry. I hope other members with expy will post in your thread.
Looking forward to picture.

 

[rnurse]

Ok here is my Green Wing Macaw, 7 weeks old. I just fed him some formula, mixed 2 parts water, 1 part formula. He's making a loot of strange noises, not sure if he is happy or sick. The temperature was 105.

So what do you think, should he have more feathers?

 

[rnurse]

I have a digital thermometer. I haven't gotten a scale yet.

 

[Laurasea]

This baby with out feathers can't keep it's own body temperature warm. You have to keep the environment warm. If the baby isn't warm enough it won't be able to digest food!
You can fill disposable latex it non latex gloves with hot water and wrap them in a towel and place around baby, be careful not to burn the baby. You have to keep replaci them with fresh warm ones, as the cool they will actually leach heat back from the baby. So you can only do this if you are there and can keep rotating them out.
More source of info for you
https://hari.ca/hari/research-facil...cine-pediatrics-housing-feeding-baby-parrots/

 

[Laurasea]

Macaws
As hatchlings, “macaws are quiet, not fussy, and sleep a lot – often on their backs,” Soucek said. “Macaws are inquisitive but a little shy at early ages. They get bolder as they reach weaning age, and then they can get really boisterous and mischievous. They love to romp and wrestle on the floor like a puppy.”

In terms of physical development, macaws are slower to develop feathers than many of the other birds, and they stay naked for a relatively long time. Also, the average, healthy macaw loses between 18 and 19 percent of its peak weight at fledging, according to Csaky. “The percentage is much greater with macaws than with other parrots,” she said.
She has also bred African grey parrots in the past. “With greys, they get up to their peak weight, and then they lose a little weight, but it is very minor.” Csaky speculates that the reason macaws lose so much more weight at fledging is because they’re bigger birds, and it’s more difficult for them to get lift.

Baby macaws will regurgitate food for their clutchmates and try to feed them, or will even throw up food to try to feed to their hand-feeder or new owner. This behavior catches new breeders and owners off guard and is right about the time baby macaws start weaning (and this can last several months after weaning). This is just a typical childhood behavior, according to Csaky.

One other unique baby behavior seen in hyacinths is what Csaky refers to as “stimulation overload.” What happens is the baby will suddenly see someone – typically a stranger but it could even be the hand-feeder – and then will flip over on its back and start kicking. “That is the minor version of it,” Csaky said. “The major version of it is the baby jumps up into the air, flips over on its back, and starts kicking like it’s moving the pedals on a bicycle – and while it’s doing this it’ll scream. Then suddenly it’ll go stiff and just lie there.” This behavior can occur in hyacinths as young as 8 days old – when their ears start opening – but usually it starts happening at about 3 weeks of age, when the bird’s eyes open. It can be a common behavior in hyacinths up to adult size.

 

[Scott]

Ok here is my Green Wing Macaw, 7 weeks old. I just fed him some formula, mixed 2 parts water, 1 part formula. He's making a loot of strange noises, not sure if he is happy or sick. The temperature was 105.

So what do you think, should he have more feathers?

View attachment 23880

View attachment 23881

View attachment 23882

Beautiful macaw, so glad you are able to find food and supplies. With work and determination you'll have a wonderful Green Wing, my favorite macaw!! Thank you for posting pics!!

 

[Laurasea]

Handfeeding the Baby

Preparing the Handfeeding Formula
How to Get Formula into the Baby - Handfeeding Techniques
Handfeeding Schedule - First Day In a New Home
Handfeeding Schedule - After the First Day in a New Home
The 6 Factors
Age and Weight Guidelines for Formula Amounts
Some Babies are Especially Needy
Activity Level and Stage of Weaning - How Hungry Can They Get
5 Week Old Babies Start Eating Adult Food
Poopology: The BIRD POOP Index
Other Babies and Adult Role Models Move Things Along Faster
Baby Parrots Throw Up Too
Cleaning Up After Feeding
Syringe Maintenance
Record Keeping

 

[Laurasea]

Preparing the Handfeeding Formula
With a little patience, anyone who can feed a baby human can feed a baby parrot.

Handfeeding formula bag; Mixing instructions are found on the back of bags of baby bird handfeeding formula.Once a formula has been chosen read the manufacturer's instructions a few times. Reading a few times is necessary because mixing and feeding the formula is very easy to do correctly, but our apprehensions may create questions in our minds that are better solved before the first feeding.

Preparing the food in the same area each time will make it easier to keep the process consistent and clean. The counter or area you are using and the sink should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before the first feeding, and cleaned and disinfected as necessary before each feeding; your sink can be a source of contaminating bacteria and fungus. Something as simple as turning on the disposal can atomize bacteria-laden particles that can be spread throughout the kitchen and make their way into the formula. Disposals can be cleaned reasonably well by pouring a large pot of almost boiling water in once a month. This can be followed by an ice cube tray of ice that will help to scrub the inside as it swirls around.

Cleaning faucet with tooth brush; Old tooth brushes are perfect for the hard to get places that need to be cleaned around sink faucets.The faucet handle, drain area and inside the spigot are the worst areas. Turn your faucet on and wipe/scrub the exposed part of the faucet stem that is not visible when the faucet is off. (An old tooth brush works well). This is an area that is seldom cleaned and usually very dirty. When using a kitchen faucet that has not been used in the last hour, allow the water to flow a few seconds, flushing out any bacteria growing inside the spigot. Once started, avoid touching anything that is not clean including the faucet, refrigerator door and drawer handles. The washcloth being used should be rinsed thoroughly after each use and allowed to dry. It may be better to use paper towels for part of the process, because washcloths can build up bacteria and bacteria and should be changed each day. The Hartman Aviary nursery is only used for babies so there is little possibility of the bacterial contamination that can occur in a home kitchen. If your feeding area is used only for feeding the baby there will be less need to continually disinfect and change washcloths.

Pay Attention! Contamination is in many places you may not be paying attention to. If you have not cleaned the refrigerator door handle and area where the bag of formula is setting in the refrigerator, you may contaminate your hand and the counter where you place the bag.

IMPORTANT! Caution: Your Formula May Be Too Hot.
Fill a cup with the hottest water you can get from your faucet. Measure the temperature with your thermometer and your finger. It should be somewhere around 130 to 150 degrees F. Watch the temperature drop, and with your finger, get a feel for how hot it is with each 5 degree drop until it gets below 100 degrees. After you know the hottest temperature you can get out of your faucet, how long it takes to cool down, and how hot it is by touch, you should never have a problem with the formula being served too hot. It is good to develop a feel for 110 degrees so you can mix the formula at about the correct temperature from the start. Just in case, always check the temperature with a thermometer before feeding.

Formula can be kept warm between mixing and feeding, and while feeding, by placing the bowl of mixed formula or the syringe full of formula into a container of water slightly warmer than feeding temperature. This allows the formula in the dish or inside the syringe to stay within the correct temperature range while you are waiting for the baby to swallow. This is the same process many mothers use to warm up a baby's bottle.

Formula being reheated in warm in water; Place dish or syringe filled with formula into a warm water bath to safely and quickly reheatDon't forget that while the formula inside a syringe will stay warm for a while, the tip of the syringe that touches the baby's beak and tongue will become cold in just a few seconds. While waiting for the baby to swallow, place the tip of the syringe in the warm water or under the flowing faucet. For best results the total preparation and feeding time should be limited to about 5 minutes. An experienced handfeeder will usually take less than 20 seconds per baby. At Hartman Aviary, we leave the water slowly running at about 110 degrees during the entire feeding process so we always have the correct temperature water for reheating the formula and wiping the babies' beaks.

Most formulas do not need to be cooked; avoid any that require this time consuming step. Measure the amount of dry formula you think is needed into your small mixing bowl. After a few feedings, you will know how much you need and will avoid waste. Add the amount of warm water recommended by the manufacturer. A large cooking thermometer makes a great mixing utensil; stir the formula until thoroughly mixed.

Follow the manufacturer's mixing instructions carefully. If the mixture is too thick to suck through a straw, it is probably too thick to easily travel into the baby's esophagus. Formula too thick to pass through the crop may draw fluid from the baby to help with digestion and mobility, and may cause dehydration. Formula mixed too thin will be easy to feed, but will not contain enough nutrition and the baby may be undernourished while processing all the extra water in the formula. Some formulas, when mixed properly, are thin, others are thick, and some get thinner or thicker as they sit on the counter. This is not a problem as long as you are following the manufacturer's directions. It is a good idea to do a couple of trial mixtures before you actually feed. As an experiment, let the mixed formula set for 10 minutes and then check its consistency and temperature.