Need help

[Monica_brodie]

I have just got a baby Alexandrine when we got it it was still on formula, it is time to come off the formula but I don't think it's eating seed there is nothing in its crop I'm just wondering if anyone can help and also another question they told me to use egg and bisect so I got it but I'm pretty sure he told me to put some water with it but not much is this right I'm not sore about it, he has also got really noisy and annoying is this just a baby thing will he grow out of it?

 

[Mekaisto]

Ok.

Firstly - how old is he (or she)?
Have you been the one feeding him formula? How much does he get each day?

He should be the one that lets you know when he's ready to come off formula. His feed response will decline, and he won't be as interested in being fed. At this point, you should offer a small bowl of cut up fruits and vegetables, pellets as well - not egg and biscuit, and not seed.
You need to keep him interested in the food, offer him different colours and textures of food, even offer it to him in different bowls each day. He should still be given formula during this period, in the afternoon (once a day, depending on how old he is). You should also be weighing him once a day at this point, to make sure he isn't losing too much weight.

Egg and biscuit isn't bad, but it doesn't teach the bird how to eat solid food, and it certainly isn't fed to adult alexandrines.

What do you mean by noisy and annoying? He may be calling because he's hungry - can you describe what a typical day with him is like?

 

[Monica_brodie]

Im not sore if it's a he or she yet I need to get it dna sexed .
I am the only one that feeds him and he gets about 20ml a day now
I'm not exactly sour how old the man I got him off said he will be ready to wean last weekend gorne so I stopped feeding it the formula in the morning and only feed it at night
The man said always have corn in his cage so I do but it doesn't tough it at all and I gave him some apple yesterday and it loved it
What pellets should I feed and fruit and veg

 

[Mekaisto]

So he gets one 20ml feed at night - does that amount fill his crop? If he's the same size as the alexandrines I've raised, 20ml will not be enough, but he may be a small bird.

If he's accepting solid food- that's a good sign!

Depending on where you live pellet availability may be different - if you have access to the Vetafarm range, try "Nutriblend" pellets (medium or large).

If you have access to Harrison's, try "High potency" (Course or fine).

You can try introducing pellets to him in a small bowl, or if he doesn't seem to want to touch them, soaking them in a little warm apple juice is usually a success!

Chopped up fruit and vegetables such as chillies, apple, orange, pear, passionfruit, spinach, carrot, peas, beans or nuts are great - just make sure not to give him any avocado or onions.

If he likes apple, give him apple! At this stage, the most important thing is to make sure he's eating enough, and getting a wide variety of food so he's not too picky when he's older

The crying he's probably doing right now is due to hunger - it will stop once he gets some food in his belly.

 

[Monica_brodie]

He is bratty big he has all his feathers and everything 20ml is what the breeder said so I just went with that how much should I be feeding him ?
He only eats sunflower seeds but not many only like 3 and that's it
And thank you so much for all your help I have never hand reared a bird before and when I spent $400 on him I don't want him to get sick or die

 

[Mekaisto]

What happens when you give him his 20mls? Does he bob his head up and down, or does he try to get away and play when you go to feed him?
If you SOFTLY feel his crop (the bulge of skin on his neck) after feeding, does it feel full, or a little slack?

If the breeder said to give him 20mls, leave it at that amount.
If he absolutely refuses to eat pellets, vegetables or fruit, I'd give him two feeds a day of formula until he's ready to wean.
Before you do this however, try to encourage him to eat his solids - cut them up in small pieces, play with them, stick them in his toys, cover them with juice - just try to get him to sample some of it!

Does he get much excercise? Is he beginning to fly/climb/perch/etc? An active bird is more likely to eat his veggies than a bird that sits in a cage all day long, but of course it depends on his age as well.

That's ok, I'm happy to help if I can

 

[Davidcsky]

i got my alex when he was only 4 weeks old and he had barely any feathers on, the trick for me was to always feed as much as the bird wants (in terms of formula), and always leave a bowl of fresh water and pellets in his cage when i was away from home. you have to make the bird make an effort to stop having his formula by giving him/her different foods. the different tastes and smells will make the bird a little bit curious, in time, he/she will try them and will learn that other food tastes better than the normal formula.

Now, its been a month since ive swithced pallets to Roudybush and it seems like they enjoy it even more then Versele-laga (the brand of pallets i used to use beforehand)