Eclectus parrot not eating

[ghmh21]

I have a four month old female eclectus parrot named Emu and today she hasn't been eating as much as she usually does. We have had her for just over a week and she had been eating fruits, seeds and veggies. Today she started eating as usual and then stopped. Since this morning she has been very sleepy and has refused to eat. I have made sure to put lots of different food in her cage and even tried hand feeding but still she hasn't ate much at all. I looked at her poop and I think she's malnourished. I'm very worried as we don't have any avian vets nearby. Please help.:red:

 

[SailBoat]

It is very possible that your baby had regressed and that you will need to hand feed her formula until she is ready to flow over to solid food again. It is one of the dangers of bring home a young chick that has not full transitioned to solid food.

 

[LaManuka]

Welcome to the forums, ghmh21, although I am sorry it is under these worrying circumstances.

Emu sounds as though she is in that transition phase between baby and adult food and to eat independently, which can be a quite precarious time in a baby parrot's life. Veterinary advice would be invaluable to help and support Emu through this phase, so perhaps if you could give an indication as to where you are located, we may be able to help you find an avian specialist. Otherwise, you may try using the link below to locate one close to you......

https://www.aav.org/

I wish you and Emu all the very best, and please do update us as to how she progresses!

 

[ghmh21]

When we brought her back from where we had got her she was on pellets, seeds and fruits and vegies, her favorites are passionfruit and pomegranate. This morning I chopped up some apple and other fruits and she didn't eat them and fell asleep. I'm very worried because if she's sick then time is running out and the avian vets aren't open today.

 

[saxguy64]

Excellent advice above. At 4 months, regression is not really that uncommon. Definitely worth trying baby formula, if for no other reason, to get some nutrition into her. Even adults will benefit from it if they're sick and need extra nutritional support. Otherwise, have you tried anything like brown rice or oatmeal? Usually well liked, and lots of calories, which she likely needs right now.

Now, assuming she gets back on track, you should really look into the specifics of ekkie diet. It's important to get it right, and it's not negotiable. Grains are really important, veggies, and a small amount of fruit. Pellets are commonly fortified, and ekkies do not generally do well with the added vitamins. Seeds, not considered good for them, though a very small amount shouldn't be a problem. My guy gets maybe a teaspoon or so full per day. Some foods are debatable. While it's frowned upon by many, some ekkies do okay with some corn in their diet. Mine does not, and will start toe tapping within hours of eating a pretty small amount. Same with blueberries and purple grapes, though my first ekkie was fine with them, and loved them. Okay, he just loved to eat.

There's much more to the diet than what I've mentioned, so like I said, please research. Here's a great place to start. http://eclectusparrots.net/fruitandveg.html

Best of luck to you, and prayers for your baby girl. I do hope you can get her to an avian vet ASAP as they can best diagnose what's going on.

 

[LaManuka]

If there is an avian vet in your vicinity but they’re closed it’s worth calling them. They may have recorded info about an after hours service that might be available. It’s worth a try!

 

[ghmh21]

Taking her to the vet tomorrow. Yes its hard because she only loves seeds and will not eat anything else other than apple and passion fruit.

 

[justinlm24]

I just went through a very similar experience with my female ekkie. She was pretty much the same age as yours. When we got her home the first few days were great. She would eat anything, then just stopped eating anything. She then began a screaming behavior which was obviously due to hunger. I began hand feeding her formula every morning and again before bed. In between I offered her fresh fruits and veggies throughout the day. After a week I stopped the morning formula feeding but continued the bed time feeding. It took about two weeks but she finally started refusing the formula altogether. She is now very adjusted and eats well. Being in a new environment can cause her to regress as mentioned above or she may have been force weaned by the breeder. She just needs some comfort and time to adjust.

 

[chris-md]

Throwing another vote here behind offering feeding. 4month old refusing food after the first week? Near 100% regressed weaning, needing hand feeding once or twice a day.

 

[ghmh21]

We took emu to the avian vet today and they gave her some fluids, food and medication as she was still very sick. They advised we left her for 24hrs so we agreed and left her while they took care. A few hours later they called to let us know that she passed away..
I know these birds can be vulnerable in their first months and first week or so settling in as A similar thing happened to my old ekkie Juni the same time little emu died. Turns out their deaths weren't the same and were coincidental.

here's what happened to my angel emu: At her old owners house apparently she breathed in some mold spores and they had been on her lungs. A day or two ago these spores released and started to affect her whole body. Her liver was swollen, her heart was bleeding and she was having trouble breathing. As birds can disguise themselves very well. As this was happening she started not eating, drinking and constantly sleeping. Sadly this mold cannot be cured and that is why my birdie had to fly to heaven early.

I will always remember the love and support that the people here have given me an my girl and the advice

 

[LaManuka]

Thank you for updating, ghmh21. My deepest condolences to you on the loss of baby Emu, it's so hard to have lost her when you thought you had a long and happy future ahead with her. I'm so very sorry for your loss. :smile016:

Godspeed to the Rainbow Bridge, little Emu, until we all meet again.

 

[Scott]

My deepest condolences for the passing of Emu. So sad when environmental issues beyond your apparent control cause dire illness and loss.