baby macaw eating behaviour

[arando]

Good day everyone

Riley (blue and gold macaw) is 8 weeks old today and for the last couple days not eating so well, he does not make the motion when they are eating and it looks like he is spitting out the food, because of this his crop is not always full and i have to feed him more often - i make sure the food is yoghurt consistency and 35 - 40 degrees celsius. Other than that he looks healthy and is playing and talking to me in his own way - just wonder is it like naughty children at this age or is there a problem? At what age do they start nibbling food on their own?

 

[lene1949]

I think you have to ask the breeder these questions... My opinion is that this bird is way too young to be with someone, who doesn't know, how to look after a baby bird...

The breeder should have taught you how to hand feed the bird and what to feed him....

Please communicate with the breeder!

 

[Pedro]

I would have him checked out for a yeast infection in the crop especially if he is spitting up formula. Or try to get hold of some Nylstat & probotics to add to the formula.

 

[arando]

I just phoned the breeder and he said i should start giving aviplus macaw mix softened with warm water and some apple pieces. Here is some photo's i took today

 

[willist]

There may or may not be a problem, I really can't tell from just what you have written. However, I hand raised my Greenwing Macaw from 5 weeks old, (I was already experienced with hand feeding). My GW was always a real problem. He almost never bobbed his head up and down asking to be feed, he let lots of formula pour back out of his mouth it was just a real hassle to feed him. I added sunbutter and coconut oil to his formula (I did that right from day one) and when I realized what a bad eater he was I would also dribble the juice from fresh grapes into his beak to make sure he was getting enough liquid. He is now 6 1/2 years old and a very healthy and happy boy. I hope this will be helpful. Good luck.

 

[arando]

ok i suppose on 8 weeks they dont need to eat every 4 hours, i increased the time between feeds and he is eating the formula no problems , but he does not want to finnish all the formula only half, but with some patience he eats most of his food - he does play with some apple pieces but does not eat them yet

 

[Pedro]

ok i suppose on 8 weeks they dont need to eat every 4 hours, i increased the time between feeds and he is eating the formula no problems , but he does not want to finnish all the formula only half, but with some patience he eats most of his food - he does play with some apple pieces but does not eat them yet

Very cute pics of your baby. He certainly isn't ready to fledge yet. However at 8 weeks he should be on 3 feeds a day. I can't tell you for sure what volume you should be feeding but my Red Tail Black Too would easily have 100mls 3 X a day.

What happens when we offer to many feeds per day the poor birds digestive system works overtime trying to digest all this food so the bird just shuts down & won't eat. They get tired of digesting food especially as the birds growth slows down. At his age now 8 hours between each feed is better for him. You can also increase the volume fed as well. By the time the 8 hours is up he should be hungry enough to eat all his formula.

 

[arando]

thanx pedro

i did increase the hours - he eats very well about 4 -5 teaspoons of formula then he stops and wont open his mouth (his crop makes a little dent), then i have to make a game of feeding just to get food into him

 

[Pedro]

thanx pedro

i did increase the hours - he eats very well about 4 -5 teaspoons of formula then he stops and wont open his mouth (his crop makes a little dent), then i have to make a game of feeding just to get food into him

You could also try adding some baby fruit to the formula. If i have a stubborn baby i use the baby apples, or any of the baby food fruit combinations, I think they also get sick of the same taste of the formula, by adding something different it will encourage them to eat.

Sometimes they do go through these stages, I have learnt not to panic & only give them what they want. I can always keep a good eye on their weight & if they start to loose to much it's the crop feeding tube.

I am not sure on the weaning age of a B&G but would think they are around the same as a RTB Too. & they can take up to 9 months to wean.

 

[arando]

thanx Pedro for the advice - just want to know by baby fruit do you mean fresh fruit or like PURITY (fruit moose) for human babies. Tonight i grated some fresh apple into the formula and he actually ate all his food - Is it ok or should i not do it?

 

[WingedVictory]

A little help:

You should be weighing your bird every day in the AM before feeding. Chart the weight, this is the only way you can accurately track weight loss if the bird gets sick. A blue&gold at weeks should weigh around 1100 grams and should be eating 70-100cc of formula 3-4 times per day. Always make sure your birds crop completely empties once a day. If you bird get a slow crop you can add a Tsp of organic no-sugar added applesauce to his formula. If it we mine I would add a couple of drops of Bragg brand organic apple cider vinegar to his formula to help control yeast. Your birds breath should never smell sour or real sweet. If a yeast infection is suspected you can look in the open beak of your bird for white or tan plaque on the sides of the throat area or roof on his mouth. Do not give your bird baby food it has to much sugar which can lead to a yeast infection.

If your bird refuses to eat or you are in doubt about your birds heath have it seen by an avian vet.

Keep us posted

Gary

 

[arando]

Thank you everyone i did take him to onderstepoort vet just incase there is a problem , he is in perfect health but i have to feed him only 3 times a day and now we have no problem he eats 100 cc of food at a time and i do give him some grated apple and some macaw food i have to cook this, i put in a plate for him to play with during the day and some fresh water the vet said he will play with the food untill he is old enough to realise he has to eat it and dont rush him to wean so i will give him formula for as long as he wants to eat it - i allso did get kaytee macaw formula for him at the vet and changed over

 

[StRiNgROCk]

First of all I'd like to say thank you everyone for sharing all those beautiful and infor amtive anime. and than I would have him checked out for a yeast infection in the crop especially if he is spitting up formula. Or try to get hold of some Nylstat & probotics to add to the formula.