missylynn
New member
- Feb 23, 2011
- 58
- 0
- Parrots
- 2 GCCs - Jinx & Bonsai
Couple of quick questions on hand-feeding formula to a baby sun conure:
First of all, I've read in several places that baby birds should be hand-fed an amount that is between 8%-12% of their body weight (though I don't know if this refers to weight before or after eating). My conure weighs about 110 grams before eating and about 125 grams after eating, but the breeder I purchased him from told me to feed him between 15 and 20cc 3 times a day for as long as possible. However, that is far more than 12% of his body weight, and he is getting to the weaning stage (at the time I received him last week, he had never had solids, but has nibbled pellets, a few fruits, veggies, rice, Cheerios, and bread since home with me). I've had the little guy for just over a week now, and when I purchased him, the breeder told me she believed he was about 8 weeks old (she had hundreds of parrots to keep track of and didn't know/remember his exact hatch date). So my question is, should I be feeding him less than the 15-20cc I was instructed to feed in order to stick to the 8-12% guidelines, or is what the breeder told me to feed actually more correct?
Second, she was feeding him with a syringe that has a rubber tube on the end of it that he swallows to deposit the formula directly to the crop. (I believe this is called gavage feeding?) I've read that this method should be reserved only for feeding sick birds or for highly experienced hand-feeders as it can be dangerous. So far we've been doing alright, but with this method, I cannot tell if he wants to stop at any point because he is full. I am wondering if it is best for me to continue with this method that he already knows (he chases the tube when he sees it!), or if it would be advisable to try feeding him without the tube on the end.
Lastly, I am wondering about his age as I am not sure he is as old as the breeder thinks he is (again, she had a lot of birds to keep track of and said she didn't remember his actual hatch date). He's flapping his wings a whole lot in preparation of flight, but has not actually flown, yet all of my reading has told me they should fledge at 7 to 8 weeks (according to her estimate, he's 9 weeks now). Plus, photos I have seen online of suns at 8/9 weeks makes me wonder if this little guy is actually younger than she has told me because he's still got some pin feathers on his upper back and not all of his flight feathers have finished growing in. Below is a photo of him 2 days after he came home last week . . . what do you think?
Thanks everyone!
First of all, I've read in several places that baby birds should be hand-fed an amount that is between 8%-12% of their body weight (though I don't know if this refers to weight before or after eating). My conure weighs about 110 grams before eating and about 125 grams after eating, but the breeder I purchased him from told me to feed him between 15 and 20cc 3 times a day for as long as possible. However, that is far more than 12% of his body weight, and he is getting to the weaning stage (at the time I received him last week, he had never had solids, but has nibbled pellets, a few fruits, veggies, rice, Cheerios, and bread since home with me). I've had the little guy for just over a week now, and when I purchased him, the breeder told me she believed he was about 8 weeks old (she had hundreds of parrots to keep track of and didn't know/remember his exact hatch date). So my question is, should I be feeding him less than the 15-20cc I was instructed to feed in order to stick to the 8-12% guidelines, or is what the breeder told me to feed actually more correct?
Second, she was feeding him with a syringe that has a rubber tube on the end of it that he swallows to deposit the formula directly to the crop. (I believe this is called gavage feeding?) I've read that this method should be reserved only for feeding sick birds or for highly experienced hand-feeders as it can be dangerous. So far we've been doing alright, but with this method, I cannot tell if he wants to stop at any point because he is full. I am wondering if it is best for me to continue with this method that he already knows (he chases the tube when he sees it!), or if it would be advisable to try feeding him without the tube on the end.
Lastly, I am wondering about his age as I am not sure he is as old as the breeder thinks he is (again, she had a lot of birds to keep track of and said she didn't remember his actual hatch date). He's flapping his wings a whole lot in preparation of flight, but has not actually flown, yet all of my reading has told me they should fledge at 7 to 8 weeks (according to her estimate, he's 9 weeks now). Plus, photos I have seen online of suns at 8/9 weeks makes me wonder if this little guy is actually younger than she has told me because he's still got some pin feathers on his upper back and not all of his flight feathers have finished growing in. Below is a photo of him 2 days after he came home last week . . . what do you think?
Thanks everyone!
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