Handfeed questions

[adz1984]

I'm thinking of handfeeding my 5 month old Alexandrine 1 time a day, as I feel she's not eating enough, I have not handfed her since owning her for 2.5 months, although I have tried to but she wont keep her beak and head straight/still enough for me to do it, stabilizing with my hand would lead to a bite or her moving more. Don't know if she's just refusing the handfeed or if it's the temperature.. my thermometer doe's not seem very accurate, thats why im asking.
How important is formula temperature at her age, I ask because I know of people that feed cold or frozen vegetables etc to weaned birds or mash pellets at room temp (that is similar to formula) just not sure if formula works the same way

 

[SilverSage]

She is too old to need hand feeding. If she is losing weight then she needs to go to an avian vet right away. Force feeding will lead to aspiration (food getting into her lungs and killing her). To answer the question specifically though, temperature is the MOST IMPORTANT thing about hand feeding when it is done. But you shouldn't be doing it to a 5 month old Alexandrine.


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[adz1984]

Ok thank you I won't hand feed.. I don't think she is losing weight but I haven't had this scale for long, nor have I payed much attention.. Will check her empty weight every morning from now. I also have another thread explaining her weight/eating habits more. Maybe she is eating enough and i'm just paranoid I don't know!
How do you feel about vegetable's straight from the freezer.. would that be harmful? I ask because she show's more interest in frozen ones.

 

[SilverSage]

No, at her age it isn't harmful to feed frozen food if she prefers it that way. Some birds do. Just be sure she also has food that is not frozen so she has a choice and is not forced to eat it so cold if she doesn't want to.


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[adz1984]

I am still kinda confused why a weaned bird can eat cold food but not cooler formula but your right she shoudn't be needing formula at this age and if I figure out she's indeed not eating enough and or losing weight I will take her to the vet. thanks again

 

[SilverSage]

At her age cool formula wouldn't be an issue heakthwise, but formula that is too hot would be. But at her age she shouldn't still be hand feeding and if she was that would be a sign of
A problem. Some birds do take that long to wean, some species longer, but it sounds like your bird is fully weaned so going back to hand feeding wouldn't be healthy.


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[EllenD]

Please, take her to the avian vet if you're that concerned. I read your other post and it seemed to me like she's eating just fine, but if you are still worried you need to take her now, sooner than later.

FYI, if you're trying to force feed her please don't, you'll end up aspirating food into her lungs and killing her. Larger birds that need hand fed formula are typically fed the formula off of a spoon, not from a syringe or pipette, and if an older bird is so weak or thin that they are unable to eat from a spoon they end up in the hospital on a feeding tube. So if you insist on trying to give her formula (you shouldn't need to but if you decide to anyway) either just give her a bowl of it to eat on her own and if she doesn't eat it you must remove it within 20-30 minutes to prevent bacteria from growing on it, then always dispose of it and make new, or you can see if she'll take it from a spoon on her own. But never, ever try to force her to eat anything! Never try to force a syringe or pipette into her mouth or to forcibly put food in her mouth, you'll hurt her or worse. Certainly do not "hold her head" and try to force formula!!!

And yes, formula must be at a proper temperature, too hot and you'll burn his crop and mouth, too cold and you can cause slow crop, crop stasis, or yeast infections. Always around 105 -110 degrees, no hotter or colder. And if your thermometer doesn't work correctly then do not make him formula at all until you get one that works!

But once again you shouldn't have to give him formula, so he needs an avian vet immediately if you're that concerned.

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[adz1984]

Please, take her to the avian vet if you're that concerned. I read your other post and it seemed to me like she's eating just fine, but if you are still worried you need to take her now, sooner than later.

FYI, if you're trying to force feed her please don't, you'll end up aspirating food into her lungs and killing her. Larger birds that need hand fed formula are typically fed the formula off of a spoon, not from a syringe or pipette, and if an older bird is so weak or thin that they are unable to eat from a spoon they end up in the hospital on a feeding tube. So if you insist on trying to give her formula (you shouldn't need to but if you decide to anyway) either just give her a bowl of it to eat on her own and if she doesn't eat it you must remove it within 20-30 minutes to prevent bacteria from growing on it, then always dispose of it and make new, or you can see if she'll take it from a spoon on her own. But never, ever try to force her to eat anything! Never try to force a syringe or pipette into her mouth or to forcibly put food in her mouth, you'll hurt her or worse. Certainly do not "hold her head" and try to force formula!!!

And yes, formula must be at a proper temperature, too hot and you'll burn his crop and mouth, too cold and you can cause slow crop, crop stasis, or yeast infections. Always around 105 -110 degrees, no hotter or colder. And if your thermometer doesn't work correctly then do not make him formula at all until you get one that works!

But once again you shouldn't have to give him formula, so he needs an avian vet immediately if you're that concerned.

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Thanks, I will say though I've never force fed her.. In the couple of times I've offered it to her I never actually got any down as she resisted like I described above so I just stopped and threw it away.

I don't think she's not eating much from sickness rather just a poorly seed weaned baby and picky like your senegal. I feel this way because I know for a fact she will eat seeds all day long if that was available. I don't feel she "needs" formula just thought it could be an option untill I find something she love's other than seeds like you found with your baby senegal.

You say I could leave some formula in a bowl for 20minutes then you say formula must be at a proper temperature which one is it

 

[EllenD]

You need to get the formula up to proper temp or he most likely won't eat it. For adult or older juveniles it's not as important to have it not get cold as quickly, in young babies it can cause all kinds of problems. What I meant was if you want to give him a little bowl of formula to see if he eats it, heat it up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, no hotter, and then put the bowl in his cage. He'll most likely either go to it immediately and eat some or he won't touch it at all. But don't let it lay out longer than 20-30 minutes because bacteria loves that stuff, and if it sits out any longer and he eats it, it can make him sick. Likely he'll either eat some right away or he won't eat any at all.

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