My baby wont eat...

[lostjerry]

He's 4 months and a week and a wonderful bird, he is amazingly sweet, but we're having a hard time trying to get him to eat his seed and fruit pellet mix, he wont even try... We went to the store and got him a huge bowl of fruit and stuck it in font of him, HE'LL ONLY EAT GRAPES!!!
And then I was making breakfast for my husband and found out he absolutely love's scrambled eggs (but later I found out that they can only eat hardboiled eggs, so I'll try that with him tomorrow), anyway what im trying to get at is, is it possible that he's not fully weaned, I know hes hungry and he makes the little squeaks and chirp noises that a young bird makes when they're hungry, he doesnt try to pump on my hand either, but he has been getting a little aggressive due to lack of food... The guy that I got him from swears up and down that he's weaned, and I even saw him eating something when we were there but cant place what seed or pellet mixture it was from the quick glance that I got, (I was more focased on my beautiful baby and what the guy was telling me he "supposedly eats") Im not saying he's lieing, but I think maybe he got something mixed up... Im going to be taking him to the vet soon, because I just found out I have strep throat, (god I feel like crap about not knowing about it being that serious and giving him all those huggs and kisses cause he's such a cuddle bunny...) I heard that there's a 10 day dormancy period for strep throat in birds so ill prolly end up having to wait till then before I can take him in and get a throat culture done, I'm calling the vet tomorrow about the whole strep throat thing and then im going to the doctors myself. Can someone give me some insite on what to do about the whole picky eating thing please?

 

[sophee24]

Im certainly not an expert but how about trying some nice warm mushy food, perhaps the hand feeding formula on a spoon?

 

[birdcrazy]

if he's not eating try some hand feeding forumula on a spoon. It is completely normal fgor them to pick out one type of fruit, pellet, seed, etc from a group. I've always heard scrambled eggs were just fine for them I've never heard they can the hard boiled only. As long as you aren't using alot of salt and butter I would be giving him these since he likes them. Not eating in birds is very serious. He should see a vet ASAP

 

[TexDot33]

Wow, lots of situations going on here:

Firstly, what type of baby do you have? Weaning ages do vary by species, a 16/17 week old Macaw may not be weaned where a 16 week old conure should be.

Converting those picky eaters the one that that you should understand, PERSISTENCE IS THE KEY - constantly offering similar types of food is important. Hamlet and Mac are notorious for not trying a new food until like the third or fourth time I present it to them ... persistence!

Secondly, scrambled eggs, with the shell crushed and mixed in (no salt or butter) severed cooled down is an amazing food for most parrots. Not too often though, just like all things, moderation is the key. Once, maybe twice a week (tops) with eggs.

Picky eaters are completely NORMAL the most important thing here is you have a young baby parrot now, and you are forming relationships with food that are going to last a life time ... variety, introduce him to many, many different foods over the next 8 months (before he turns a year old) fruits are good, veggies are better. Leafy greens (with the exception of Spinach which can keep calcium from being absorbed into their little bodies): Kale, mustard greens, collard greens are all high in calcium and other vitamins that will make plumage colors *pop* ... sweet potato served baked and mushed up is a wonderful option ... nuts: almonds, pecans are great treats that are sources of healthy fats and protein (not too many though Ham and Mac get like 2 or 3 whole almonds each, a day and I have noticed that Ham might be getting a little, er, chubby ~sorry baby ) ... any healthy veggie for you is healthy for your birdie (with the exceptions of the birdie NO-NOs: Avocado, raw onion, mushrooms)

If you have any questions about diet, please feel free to ask, we will be very happy to share with you, also your Certified Avian Vet is a great source for dietary advice.

As for your strep throat - I know that there are many yuckies that we (as humans) can contract that make us ill ... I know that your birdie can not catch the cold virus that give us the sniffles and the sneezes (direct info from the Avian Vet website) I don't know about Strep though ... I would take a look at the Avian vet website (www.aav.org) and see if you can't find information about that.

As always, we are always happy to help and the only thing that we ask in return for our advice:

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Strep throat (Streptococcus pyogenes) cannot be passed to birds. Hopefully your vet can second that and let you bring in your lil buddy right away.

A side note, if you have not begun antibiotics yet yourself talk to your doctor about whether it would be safe/appropriate to wait couple days. It takes ~72 hours for your immune system to build up a full response to the bacteria. Your immune system "remembers" this so you have a much lower chance of ever getting strep again. Either way the eventual treatment with antibiotics can be important in preventing other complications. I say TALK TO YOUR DR about this idea first as depending on your current health and other factors this building up on an immunity is NOT a good idea for everyone.

Anywhoo, I hope your lil buddy gets better.... from a fellow owner of a grape lover. If Auggie had his way thats all he'd ever eat. And THAT brings up a relevant point: How much does he eat? Is he NOT eating, or is he just filling up on grapes then turning his nose up to everything else? If so a lil tough love can go a long way - no dessert before dinner.

 

[Luvmyparrots]

I had trouble with my African Grey a little while after bringing him home, he was still on 3 hand feedings a day when I brought him home. I visited with a man in a small town not far from where we lived that raised parrots, from grey's to hyacinths. He told me to go get some baby food from the grocery store...squash, sweet potatoes and green beans to start. He did say that some people will advise against it, but that human babies survive on it and so can the parrot babies. I did what he suggested and he absolutely loved it, esp. the sweet potatoes and squash. It wasn't long before he picked up right where he left off and started eating as he should.
Little did I know, that my going back to work part time is what caused my baby to "pout" and not eat.

Just a suggestion.

 

[TexDot33]

Little did I know, that my going back to work part time is what caused my baby to "pout" and not eat.

Greys are a breed all their own when it comes to "environmental changes" and how they react. This girl I know has a grey and he is a plucker, she got everything back under control and he had let all his feathers grow back in (beautiful red tail and all) and she cut her hair a different way and he plucked himself clean again ... talk about frustrating ... so don't blame yourself when it comes to greys, they are just neurotic - but we love 'em anyway.

 

[Lori]

Is there an update? Hows the baby eating? I dont care what the breeder says he may have been weaned but it is not uncommon for a weaned baby to go back a step with a new home and want that hand feeding again.

 

[Robyn]

Hi,

I have a baby eclectus , just on 15 weeks and he is still being weaned , 1 dinner at night , but is MADDDDDD keen on grapes. I was a little worried about giving him too many grapes, so I have tried other foods which he doesnt seem too interested in just yet. But I have tried some cooked up sweet potato today with some mushy beans in it, he didnt want it. He LOVES millet seeds and grapes, seems all he is interested in at the moment other than his 1 hand fed meal at night. I got him from a breeder knowing he was on 1 feed at night, but this breeder had him on baby food mixed with a tiny bit of apple sauce and powder , not quite sure what the powder is. But these 3 mixed together to a runny substance has him going bananas. He now recognises his spoon and bowl. At the time of writing this , he was in his covered cage , in bed for the night and my hubby was making himself a coffee , stirring his cup. Just a few minutes ago he let out this almighty squawk and we just realised he heard a spoon in a cup, thinking of his dinner. Im having trouble introducing him to new mushy foods, he seems to want millet seeds , grapes and his 1 dinner at night.
I hope I can get him liking other foods, can be a little nerve wracking wondering if you are doing anything right, especially when they are your first baby.

Robyn

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Grapes are fairly healthy - he does need other nutrients not found in grapes and they should not be a majority of his diet by any means, but they are good for a regular snack. Auggie is also a grape-nut - they are his favorite human food and there are only a few other human foods he has much interest in.

Millet is okay as an occasional treat, but that's like birdie McDonald's - there are very few good nutrients. Getting them switched onto a good pelleted food takes a combination of patience and tough love: if he can fill up on candy he'll never eat his veggies. The key is to gradually reduce the amount of what he is eating now while introducing the new food(s). Let him see you eating foods then offer him some. Perhaps also since he associates the spoon sound with food bring a cup of new food (perhaps slightly moistened pellets) with a spoon, stir it like you would his favorite food then offer him a bit. He may be disappointed to see it's not his favorite food, but he should at least be thinking 'food' as he checks it out.