My pet parrot nicco is not eating...

[vaishal]

I recently brought home a baby Indian Ringneck parrot — around 4 to 5 weeks old. His name is Nicco. He was eating formula (Nutribird A19) through hand-feeding, but since arriving, he’s been reluctant to eat. I noticed that he regurgitated most of the food during today's feedings. I believe it might’ve been due to stress, since he was newly moved, and otherwise he seems active, alert, and playful, just a little scared of hands. I hand-feed him 3 times a day, around 9:00 AM, 4:00 PM, and 10:00 PM. His crop empties completely between feeds, and his poop looks normal. I’m using 1 tbsp A19 with 3 tbsp water, and the temperature is lukewarm — I always check to make sure it’s not too hot. He doesn’t open his beak willingly during feeding, even if hungry, and I tap his beak or gently encourage, but he still resists. I’ve also tried small natural flavor enhancers (like banana water) to see if taste was an issue. He still seems hesitant. He does not even open his mouth. He interacts with us and sometimes steps on our hand by himself, so I don’t think he’s unwell behaviorally. I just want to rule out anything physical like infection, yeast, crop issue, or vitamin deficiency, and also ask for advice on getting him to eat better and bond more easily.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

You need to bring him to an avian vet for evaluation. I have a feeling you do not have access to an avian vet, and thats a problem because we are not qualified to diagnose and treat sick birds. Where I live in the US, breeders rarely sell unweaned baby birds. It's considered unethical. So many babies die because people are not trained to handfeed safely. I've hand raised baby birds from eggs laid by my budgies, but I've never had problems like you are describing. I can only tell you what I did differently but I don't know if Nicco's problems are from improper hand feeding.

Baby birds should be hand fed formula close to their body temperature of about 40 degrees Celsius- lukewarm formula is too cold. Babies may reject it and can cause crop issues. Perhaps he's rejecting his feedings because the formula is too cold. Use a thermometer and feed him formula at the proper temperature. Mix it thoroughly to avoid hot spots. At this age his formula should be pretty thick, like the consistency of applesauce. You should use a spoon to hand feed because using a syringe is too dangerous unless you're an expert. It's too easy to put too much formula in his mouth at once causing him to choke or inhale the formula which would kill him within a day or two. Perhaps he's rejecting his formula because it's too cold.

From my experience, regurgitating formula is NOT normal and indicates that he may have a serious medical problem that needs to be addressed immediately or he may die. Birds don't last long when they get sick enough to show signs of illness.

Baby birds are usually very sweet and easy to bond with because they are dependent on the person feeding them. I spend a lot of time holding, cuddling, and playing with my babies and they grow up very comfortable with humans, but I hand fed them from hatching. I don't know how old Nicco was when his breeder began hand feeding him and whether Nicco was handled much by the breeder. It sounds like he wasn't handled much or he would be showing little fear of people. The best way to bond with Nicco is by handling him a lot between feedings.
I hope you can get Nicco to an avian vet.