Conure baby doesn't like to eat much

[Edgar]

Please bear with my long story. I have a month and 2 weeks (approx.) old Green Cheek Conure baby. Before getting her, I didn't know that the breeder used to directly crop-feed her which technically left her no experience of handfeeding and actually tasting the food. Moreover, I didn't know the formula he gave me(and he feeds it to his birds) is home-made. As a result, I struggled at first with handfeeding. She absolutely hated the formula and specially the Syringe. However, within 2 days I bought NutriBird A21 for her and she started liking it but still hated the syringe. So I got a handfeeding spoon and now she doesn't need to be forced and likes to eat from the spoon. However, the breeder had instructed me to at least feed 10ml three times a day, which I was following with the syringe. But now with the spoon, she barely eats 5ml each session and doesn't want to eat any further after 2-3 whole spoons. What should I do? Should I just feed her in more occasions throughout the day and let her decide how much she wants to eat?
P.S: She is healthy and very playful. She recently learned to fly as well. Whenever we call her she flies and sits on top of our heads instead of our hands

 

[zERo]

Please bear with my long story. I have a month and 2 weeks (approx.) old Green Cheek Conure baby. Before getting her, I didn't know that the breeder used to directly crop-feed her which technically left her no experience of handfeeding and actually tasting the food. Moreover, I didn't know the formula he gave me(and he feeds it to his birds) is home-made. As a result, I struggled at first with handfeeding. She absolutely hated the formula and specially the Syringe. However, within 2 days I bought NutriBird A21 for her and she started liking it but still hated the syringe. So I got a handfeeding spoon and now she doesn't need to be forced and likes to eat from the spoon. However, the breeder had instructed me to at least feed 10ml three times a day, which I was following with the syringe. But now with the spoon, she barely eats 5ml each session and doesn't want to eat any further after 2-3 whole spoons. What should I do? Should I just feed her in more occasions throughout the day and let her decide how much she wants to eat?
P.S: She is healthy and very playful. She recently learned to fly as well. Whenever we call her she flies and sits on top of our heads instead of our hands

Are you weighing her daily? That’s very important with all birds and especially unweaned birds.
You can use a kitchen scale, they may also be labeled as gram or flour scales.

 

[saxguy64]

We have a thread here that also might be of some help. Otherwise, you may want to consult with an avian vet or a different, ethical breeder to give you some help and information.

So you bought an unweaned baby...

Today I spent several hours trying to help someone save a baby bird they had purchased unweaned. The baby died; they are usually almost dead by the time the new owner realizes something is wrong, not because the owner doesn't care but because they are not educated about what to look for or...

www.parrotforums.com

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Please bear with my long story. I have a month and 2 weeks (approx.) old Green Cheek Conure baby. Before getting her, I didn't know that the breeder used to directly crop-feed her which technically left her no experience of handfeeding and actually tasting the food. Moreover, I didn't know the formula he gave me(and he feeds it to his birds) is home-made. As a result, I struggled at first with handfeeding. She absolutely hated the formula and specially the Syringe. However, within 2 days I bought NutriBird A21 for her and she started liking it but still hated the syringe. So I got a handfeeding spoon and now she doesn't need to be forced and likes to eat from the spoon. However, the breeder had instructed me to at least feed 10ml three times a day, which I was following with the syringe. But now with the spoon, she barely eats 5ml each session and doesn't want to eat any further after 2-3 whole spoons. What should I do? Should I just feed her in more occasions throughout the day and let her decide how much she wants to eat?
P.S: She is healthy and very playful. She recently learned to fly as well. Whenever we call her she flies and sits on top of our heads instead of our hands

Thank you for using a spoon to feed her! Crop feeding should I let be done by a serious expert and it's too easy to force too much formula at one when using a syringe.
Also thank you for using real baby bird formula and not home made. Real baby bird formula is much better for them. Since the baby is weaning and flying, her growth has slowed down and she won't eat as much. Encourage her to eat on her own. Always have high quality seed and very small pellets in her cage for her to forage on.
You're going great! Keep it up.

 

[Edgar]

Are you weighing her daily? That’s very important with all birds and especially unweaned birds.
You can use a kitchen scale, they may also be labeled as gram or flour scales.

No, I have been missing out on that part since I don't have a weight for smaller things. But I will look into it now.

 

[Edgar]

Thank you for using a spoon to feed her! Crop feeding should I let be done by a serious expert and it's too easy to force too much formula at one when using a syringe.
Also thank you for using real baby bird formula and not home made. Real baby bird formula is much better for them. Since the baby is weaning and flying, her growth has slowed down and she won't eat as much. Encourage her to eat on her own. Always have high quality seed and very small pellets in her cage for her to forage on.
You're going great! Keep it up.

Thanks a lot! Is there any way to know she is hungry though? She doesn't give any "feeding time" calls. She's her usual playful self most of the time.

 

[Owlet]

So your bird is around 5-6 weeks? At those point they should be beginning to wean off of formula. Are you offering solids for the baby to pick at in-between formula feeds?

 

[clark_conure]

Who was the breeder that would sell an unweened bird is all I can ask......he have a drug addiction and needed the money to get a fix? I'd never buy from them again. Sorry for my instant knee jerk response. I hope everything works out!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Who was the breeder that would sell an unweened bird is all I can ask......he have a drug addiction and needed the money to get a fix? I'd never buy from them again. Sorry for my instant knee jerk response. I hope everything works out!

I hate when people sell UNWEANED babies to people who aren't equipped to hand feed them and then, to make it worse, refuse to help them! The baby usually dies.

 

[Edgar]

So your bird is around 5-6 weeks? At those point they should be beginning to wean off of formula. Are you offering solids for the baby to pick at in-between formula feeds?

I tried mashing some sunflower seeds and she does eat it, very very little though. I will try to get her started on the weaning process with proper veggies and fruits as well. Thanks!

 

[Edgar]

Who was the breeder that would sell an unweened bird is all I can ask......he have a drug addiction and needed the money to get a fix? I'd never buy from them again. Sorry for my instant knee jerk response. I hope everything works out!

It's actually quite common in where I live (Southeast Asia). Moreover, there aren't any aviary vets here either. I still had her checked up by the general vets. I did handfeed baby pigeons before, I just didn't know what crop-feeding was and the fact that the breeder crop-feeds his baby birds.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

It's actually quite common in where I live (Southeast Asia). Moreover, there aren't any aviary vets here either. I still had her checked up by the general vets. I did handfeed baby pigeons before, I just didn't know what crop-feeding was and the fact that the breeder crop-feeds his baby birds.

I have noticed from talking to several people on this forum recently that it is, indeed, pretty common in areas of Southeast Asia for breeders to sell unweaned baby parrots to the public. I talked to a young person from Malaysia several times a day for a week last month who had purchased a three or four week old baby cockatiel. They had a lot of questions about handfeeding and since I had recently successfully hand fed my budgie Rocky from hatching (her Mama couldn't raise her) I tried to help. They told me that it was common there and much less expensive to buy unweaned chicks. Unfortunately the baby aspirated when they pushed the plunger on the syringe full of formula too fast and it died a few days later. I exclusively spoon fed my baby budgie. I tried to get them to use a spoon, too, but they didn't follow my advice. I talked to another person from SE Asia a couple days ago who also bought an unweaned baby. I hate that breeders do this at all because many of these poor chicks die!