Eclectus hand rearing?!

[LovebirdLover]

Oh and the owners right now are feeing the eclectus seeds and banana and apple. They get 1-2 clutches a year. I think that im giving more of a variety for the birds to choose what they want to eat. Can you also give me a handfeeding schedule? Ive been looking everywhere but cant find one. All i know is a feeding every hour from day 1 till the first week then feeding every 2 hours. :/ Would be appreciated if someone can help me with the feeding schedule

 

[NiRD]

Member's have already given you a good schedule, a good list of food, etc. I'm starting to think you're just a troll looking to rile people up.

 

[Mekaisto]

Unfortunately, some mistakes can not be 'cured' by visiting the breeder.

You should absolutely find as many websites and books you can about hand-rearing, if you are serious about this.

You should know where to buy hand-rearing formula, how runny it should be, and how hot it should be. Too hot, and you will burn a hole through the baby's crop. Too cold, and the bird will get sourcrop.

You should also know that waking up every hour to feed a bird isn't as easy as it sounds. When I was raising my eckies, I would wake up, make up the formula, microwave it, feed one bird, microwave it again and feed the next bird.

Eckies are difficult to feed. I crop feed with a syringe, and I would not recommend this to anyone who has not done it before or been taught by an expert.
I would then take the liner out of their brooder, clean and disinfect it, and change it with a 'fresh' liner. This whole process took around about 30 minutes. I would then have a 20 minute nap, then wake up and start all over again.
Not to mention you will also have to slot in time for mealtimes, toilet breaks, caring for the parents, and any other things you might have to do.

By the time they are a few weeks old, they will not care about food, they'll want to explore! So you'll have to struggle with them to get enough food down their throats.

This process is a little easier if the parents are able to raise their chicks, but you should provide for the off chance that something goes wrong, and the parents are unable to care for their young.

 

[LovebirdLover]

Im not trolling anyone. I want everyone opinions etc. I will try to leave the baby with the mom as long as i can. Should i have to separate the male like the current owner does whenever she is done laying? If i dont have time i can just give it to my friend to handfeed for me. Thats her job. Shes a breeder and has a small shop selling birds.

 

[LovebirdLover]

Also at Nird I havent gotten a schedule for feeding Ekkies

 

[JerseyWendy]

Also at Nird I havent gotten a schedule for feeding Ekkies

You have a LOT to learn, and I surely hope it won't be at the expense of your birds.

You may or may not find a "schedule". But guess what? Baby birds aren't machines where everything always goes according to plan/schedules.

As for making your own incubator, make sure and share those plans, as I'm certain many folks would love to see that one .

 

[labell]

Yep I have seen some of those You tube video's on hand feeding and some are down right scary. You attempt to power feed an eclectus baby and you will kill it! Watching and doing are two very different things.

No offense to any earlier posters but this is not the type of person I would even talk about tube feeding, god forbid she thinks she can try that with no experience. I can just see the tube and food going straight into the lungs..shudder! Also microwaving food can result in disaster, it can create hot spots, you think it's the right temp but a section where you didn't test is blazing hot and burns a hole in the crop.

As for building your own brooder, I've seen DIY plans for those as well I have also heard horror stories of said brooders cooking the babies or malfunctioning in some other way that harms them.

There are MORE than 7 ingredients in just what mine get for their morning mash and it changes daily! Then the late afternoon organic fruits plus everything else they get too that we have already covered in different posts. Just because the previous owner fed them bananas and apples and they have had a few chicks does not mean it is a healthy LONG TERM diet. Greens, more greens, Quinoa and sprouted or cooked beans are in my opinion a must, but all that has been covered as well. You have picked and chosen what you want to hear from each post and continued to ask for advise.

Hand-feeding schedules...I'm not certain you understand temps of formula, consistency (which changes as they age) which side to feed them from, how to hold them and the feeding implement of choice, how to check if they are full, the need to let the crop empty (put new food on old food in the crop and you're in trouble!) sanitation. My concern's are endless frankly.

You have also asked repeatedly about if you should remove the male. I already said there is a good chance they had problems with the male trampling the eggs which is more than likely why they removed him but if you take away the male you put WAY more stress on the female as normally it's the males job to feed the female while she is sitting. That's a big job for the male as well since in the wild there are sometimes as many as 7 males feeding one female. In captivity it's one male. Remove him and you will over the long haul stress out and burn out your girl.

At the end of the day the truth is this whole conversation feels like beating my head against a wall so I am done with it. A certain Forrest Gump line comes to mind.

 

[LovebirdLover]

I live where the weather is warm around 70-80 degrees and inside is a bit warmer. So heating pad wouldnt really be needed otherwise it would bake the babies... And also @ labell you were the only one who answered my questions about the removing female. I was trying to get other people opinions.

 

[Mekaisto]

I don't really understand what you mean by 'a heating pad wouldn't be necessary'. You still plan on using a heating lamp, correct?
Honestly I have never used anything other than a brooder box, where the heat is regulated, kept consistent, and circulated, so I can't give any info on this.

I'm also not sure what you mean by a 'feeding schedule'. If they are in with their mother, she will feed them. It is only if you notice they are not being fed enough, and you have to help feed or take over feeding, that you will be required.

I don't mean to sound rude, but it sounds like you have hardly researched this. Asking on this forum for advice is a start, but you really need to read up, get advice from an avian vet in your area (not a regular, small animal vet, these guys are great but often are under-trained on how to deal with birds) and also get advice from the breeders.

Obviously it's hard to judge people when I've never met them, but these breeders honestly don't sound too reputable...
Seed and a couple of veg? I don't think I know any breeders who would feed such a poor diet, or even consider selling a breeding pair to someone inexperienced with parrots.

 

[LovebirdLover]

Well they still produced babies? They mustve done something right.And yeah i would be using a heating lamp to keep them warm and avoid random drafts. I also know a guy who would handfeed but he charges quite a bit. $400 for 1 bird $500 2 birds but im sure i can deal with him. He specialized in big parrots. He handfeeds macaws cockatoos etc. Id probaly let him do it for me.

 

[Sterling1113]

A hen laying eggs while she's unhealthy will just make a stressed bird, unhealthy chicks and greater chances of complications while egg laying,(I.E egg binding, eggs breaking before they're laid, etc) which can be fatal to the mother if not treated immediately. It's definitely not a gamble that's worth making for someone who seriously wants to breed happy, healthy birds.

 

[SpotsandSally]

Well they still produced babies? They mustve done something right.And yeah i would be using a heating lamp to keep them warm and avoid random drafts. I also know a guy who would handfeed but he charges quite a bit. $400 for 1 bird $500 2 birds but im sure i can deal with him. He specialized in big parrots. He handfeeds macaws cockatoos etc. Id probaly let him do it for me.

Animals still produce babies in stressed conditions.

Got that?

Just because they don't have the best life or best diet, doesn't mean they won't reproduce. They may not be healthy, they may not be the best, healthiest babies, but they'll still lay eggs & still hatch them. Heck, see hoarders? See how their animals also over populate? Yeah.

They are meant to handle stress, to handle malnutrition and such. In the wild the conditions aren't always the best, but they will still handle it and breed. Just like in captivity. But since they're in captivity, we should give them the BEST conditions, and make them in their BEST condition and health.

 

[Mekaisto]

So you want to pay someone to hand raise? What's the point then - do you want a companion bird, or a breeding pair?

If you just want a companion bird, the myth that 'babies raised by you are tamer' is incorrect, a bird raise by its parents and handled after weaning is just as tame and friendly.

 

[LovebirdLover]

I want both honestly, a breeder pair and just one as a pet. If i give it to the guy i dont have to handfeed but i still get one back as a pet and even out with all the food money i spent. I will be trying to give the bird a good diet dont get me wrong. Way better then the one the current owners are having them eat now. Also why is the female in the nesting box now? Is she about to lay soon or is she just bored?

 

[JerseyWendy]

What happened to your lovebirds that you had so many questions about not that long ago, and that you were wanting to breed?

Do you still have your Citron cockatoo?

http://www.parrotforums.com/lovebirds/29789-no-eggs.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/lovebirds/29220-how-long-before-eggs-come.html

 

[labell]

What are breeding seasons? They are kept in the garrage.
They have a nesting box and there is poop everywhere in it...

Oh for crying out loud these were the questions you were asking last year at this time about love birds???? Now your going to attempt breeding Eclectus!!
This is one of the reasons I have avoided forums, I find it very difficult to play nice when someone shows this level of inconsideration for the lives in their care!

 

[Sadie13]

What are breeding seasons? They are kept in the garrage.
They have a nesting box and there is poop everywhere in it...

Oh for crying out loud these were the questions you were asking last year at this time about love birds???? Now your going to attempt breeding Eclectus!!
This is one of the reasons I have avoided forums, I find it very difficult to play nice when someone shows this level of inconsideration for the lives in their care!

labell, your my hero. Standing applause to that!

 

[Sterling1113]

I'm sorry if this comes off as rude but I have a hard time watching everyone here who genuinely loves and cares for not only our own birds, but for others' as well, give such awesome and whole-hearted advice only to be disregarded and ignored until someone says something you want to hear. If it were me, and I had anybody telling me that they didn't feel like I was ready to breed/take on any type of bird, then I would take that to heart and do my best to better myself rather than going on with my plans anyway, and then being surprised when something goes awfully wrong. I can only hope that you take our advice and wait before buying any type of large parrot for the purpose of breeding (Or even in general if you don't even know what they need to eat on a daily basis.) That's my 2 cents on the topic. I will give advice in any way that I can, but I'd be really upset to see it go to waste or misuse. Parrots are such beautiful compassionate birds who really deserve only the best.

Edit: I also applaud labell. I went through and read the other threads posted by LovebirdLover and I'm very concerned for the birds you've had before, and the ones you're trying to obtain.

 

[LovebirdLover]

I still have my citron cockatoo and he is now super tame talks and loving. Screams a bit though. My lovebird is housed in the garrage and house a pretty big breeding cage fed fresh fruits and veggies. So far had a clutch of 5 babies but one of the babies jumped out of the cage and died ):. I have a 8x4x7 outside aviary that houses canaries parakeets and finches. Al living fine and breeds a little to mucn IMO. Cage is crowded now. Also I'm building a 20+ ft length aviary by 10+ ft width and 8-10ft tall aviary for the eclectus. Should be finished sometime this weekend. Pictures at your request. I'll do my best to give this bird a good diet. I'm just asking again because of the fact that this is a completely diffrent species of birds compared to lovebirds. They are bigger and harder to take care of. I was wondering if eclectus can use vitamin e artificial by that one bird company. Forgot name ATM. Says for all birds and mammals. I use that for the parakeet finches and canaries outside and lovebird. Sprinkle a little on their food. I'm just trying to learn right now

 

[LovebirdLover]

Can keep you updated on any of my birds that you want. They are all living healthy and good lives.