macaw baby.. urgent? maybe?

[Chew]

going through the works of owning a baby macaw is very nerve-wrecking.. yet i'm starting to see some visible concerns.

we just took him in on friday, he's a blue and gold, possibly a Bolivian? although he's very small. he's nearing 5 months.

so onto my concerns..? hes dropping weight like crazy. he lost half a pound in a day, and the store we got him from sold him to us unweaned, but he was almost done, and was starting to refuse the formula. i don't understand the weight issue, but he is not exploring the cage at ALL. he sits on one perch, and if we take it out, he climbs to where the perch initially was. he will cling to that side of the cage 30 minutes straight and then i have to remove him. he has no interest in toys, not even the ones he had when he was in the store. we even had to move his food up to the perch just so he would eat.

he's extremely quiet.. he coos quietly around 3-5 times a day. no screaming at all, not even grunting or talking. he bobs his head still.. sometimes he can't turn around on perches or objects without falling back and i have to push his rump up. his poop used to be brownish with a little white, now its green with a LOT of white. he doesn't eat.. i literally have to offer his water to him too. he stays in one spot.. that's all he does and it's really killing me. he doesn't play or wrestle, he just likes to be pet and preened. had to give him white rice so he could fatten up a bit too.

i really don't know if this is normal. we had a vet visit, we're waiting for results, but the weight issue and weaning issue troubled them. i'll try to think of more concerns the more i think about it, but i'm getting really nervous and i'm trying not to show it in front of the bird.

any help? am i just over-reacting or is there some sort of reason? or should i try to get a different bird..is he sick? i already put 3k into this, i don't know what to do.

 

[itzjbean]

Sorry to hear you are having troubles with your new baby. The inactivity, not even moving much is concerning to me, as most healthy baby birds are all over the place with chewing on toys, interacting and climbing all over. Sounds like this baby may be sick, or has never learned how to be a bird!

Some weight loss is to be expected when weaning a baby onto fresh fruits and veggies as they should be trying at this stage but losing half a pound in one day...that's a real concern. Is there any way you could call the store you got him from and ask for advice? How does he do with the formula? Can you try continuing to feed him that, at least until the test results from vet come back and so he can gain some weight on him?

Please keep us updated with his progress, hoping the test results come back normal.

 

[Dopey]

You need to get some baby formula and mix it up and give it to him. BUT you need to make sure that it is a temp between 105 and 106 degrees F. Should be the consistency of pancake batter - as a guideline. You can feed him with a spoon or a syringe. Please watch some videos on the internet.

The person you bought the bird from should have given you some lessons in feeding the bird...at the least. If you can, please take it back to the store and ask them to finishing weaning the baby.

Where are you located?

 

[Chew]

thank you for a reply :')

the store i got him from is letting us take him back to finish the feeding, but i don't think that would work if he keeps refusing it now. he'd usually take it right up but now he's letting it spill out of his mouth. i'm gonna keep trying with the formula, but i don't wanna choke him either if he doesn't want it and pushes his head away.

yeah the inactivity really scares me as well, he's seen lots of other birds his kind in the store. but he was always the "sit and stare" kind. he's even falling asleep early ( earlier than 5 pm ) now, the other birds are awake and playing by themselves and screaming at 8 pm! as for his toys, i got him a huge shredder, a big bridge that hangs across the cage with blocks to chew, one of his old toys thats for him to chew on and work his beak, and two other perches. i have 3 other toys here i wanna rotate but he isn't even bothering.

 

[Chew]

and i'm definitely doing the formula right, testing it on my wrist and making sure it's not too hot to double check, consistency is fine.. i've compared it with a different store's formula. i had it pretty spot on.

i'm in nj.

 

[psychocircus91]

In my opinion, it is not ethical to sell birds that are unweaned (not giving you a hard time, I don't think the store should have done it.) However even when I had Kalani as a weaned baby, he was much more quiet than he is now, was still most of the time, bobbed his head and begged at times. It's just what babies do. He started to become much more adventurous around 9-10 months and just kept increasing from there.

 

[Chew]

i'm hoping that is the same case for my bird! i'm glad Kalani is fine and active. thank you for an opinion as well!

 

[Dopey]

I hope they are able to get things back on track for you. It is scary the first few days. I'm glad they are willing to help you.

 

[MonicaMc]

Please use a thermometer to check the temperature of the formula - not your wrist.



I have come across a story of someone who caused crop burn in a weaning chick because they couldn't physically feel the heat and didn't realize the formula was too hot.

 

[LordTriggs]

good to hear the store is taking him back to finish weaning. So glad I live in a country where that is illegal, it's ridiculously irresponsible to give someone an animal knowing they still need to be hand fed. Not your fault, their fault entirely.

The lack of movement could very well be a combination of hunger and fear of a new place. After going back to somewhere they recognize they should be back on track. When they say that your bird is ready make sure that they have been refusing the feedings for a full week before you take them home and observe them eating solids too. try going to the store whilst they're feeding so you can say hi and get them used to you in a place they feel safe, should help with when they come home

 

[itzjbean]

Please use a thermometer to check the temperature of the formula - not your wrist.



I have come across a story of someone who caused crop burn in a weaning chick because they couldn't physically feel the heat and didn't realize the formula was too hot.

I will also second this.... testing it on your wrist is not going to cut the mustard. Get a thermometer (they're cheap and sold at local grocery stores) and will be able to determine if the temperature is truly okay. Under 100 degrees F is too cold, and over 110 F will give crop burn.

 

[Chew]

sorry didn't make myself clear! i was using a thermometer, i just double check on my wrist! haha sorry.
i'll be filling in on updates, we're taking him back to finish up the feedings and still waiting on vet results. thank you all for easing a lot of my worries, this seems to be just a weaning issue that can be resolved. if i got any more questions i'll be posting again in this thread!

 

[plumsmum2005]

Is your AV testing for candida btw?

https://www.beautyofbirds.com/candida.html

 

[Chew]

sorry about late responses!

we tested for everything. vet told us all the results are clear, but to provide Harrison's so he can get a little more weight on him. it's been so long! ( happy new year!! ), but to sum it up we took him back to the store so they can finish the feeding. in fact, after they finished, they kept him for about 1 week just so they can watch him adjust.

i can already tell a difference, he's biting harder, haha, but his feet are much more thicker and his grip is tight, his feathers look more full, and he's got some muscle to his chest. they even put him in an actual barred cage just so he can learn to climb.

the ONLY thing i worry about now is how he's adjusting to his new cage. any suggestions on how to get him to explore it later on? i'm gonna leave him alone for about 2-3 days to settle in again, but i just picked him up an hour ago, and the drive is very very long( 2 hours ), and i haven't seen him drink any water. it's 8:30 pm right now so im not sure if its because it's night, but he has water near the middle of his cage and food as well, but he's clinging to the side of the cage at the top. i didn't put a perch up there since he'll just sit there. i even put him on the perch near the water so he can see it but he ignored it and went right to the top. he's just clinging there watching me.

other than that, my nerves are at ease, i feel a lot more confident than before with him, and it couldn't have been without all of you to help me out and provide suggestions!

 

[LordTriggs]

he's just scared and a bit rattled right now, feeling safe up in the corner. It'll just take time getting used to the new home and figuring out he isn't about to be lunch.

I pretty much went through the same feeling he had when I moved out of my parent's house last year. A lot of evenings spent just sat in the corner of the place getting scared by every noise I could hear. Bit of time and he should be okay