moni.k
New member
- Sep 2, 2012
- 275
- 0
- Parrots
- ~SI female eclectus: Nalani~
~pineapple.turquoise GCC: Layla~
I've been searching for a new flock member since the beginning of the year. Originally, I had put a deposit on an RB2, but unfortunately the breeder informed me that the eggs were infertile and the people before me on the waiting list took the last babies of the season. So, after all the disappointment and the hassle of returning the cage, toys, etc. I discussed with my family on a different bird. My little brother had been wanting a GCC for a while and I felt that it was more reasonable if we chose a bird that the whole family agreed upon. Thus, it lead to a new search. I fell in love with the coloration of the pineapple turquoise GCC, and found only one breeder in Southern California that had a baby available. After a few phone calls, I was ecstatic to find out she would attend the bird expo this last Sunday. We met the bird in person and we decided to bring her home. Whew, so that's the intro to the story 
So Layla (not fully sure if she is a female), is about 6 weeks old. I have experience hand feeding birds and was confident enough to bring her home and finish weaning her. She is currently on 3 feedings a day and it's been a bit of a slow progression, after all she is a bit shocked with the change of environment and the different handling/feeding technique from her previous "mommy". I'm sure she can go on 2 feedings a day, but she hasn't made too much progress with eating on her own yet. I was lucky to find a small weaning cage for $10 at the expo which she is in currently. She's offered soaked monkey chow, fresh fruits/veggies, sprouts and a small cup of organic Harrison's pellets. She's been chowing down 8ml of formula per feeding and her weight has been stable so far. Currently she's quarantined in my room until her avian disease test results are done. I have an eclectus whose health I don't want to compromise. I was very lucky to have a 2 week health warranty contract with the breeder. I know that usually with unweaned babies, the warranty is void. However, after discussing with the breeder, we agreed that if there were any diseases, birth defects or health issues found in the next 2 weeks a full refund would be given. Although, complication of hand feeding done by me or any health problems due to neglect won't be covered in the warranty (which is reasonable). So, Layla has a busy week ahead of her with a full vet check, micro chipping, gram stain, disease testing, dna sexing... basically the whole works.
So now here comes the questions:
1. I've read that 10-15ml or 12% of the body weight should be fed per feeding. She's only been taking 8 cc of formula per feeding. Is this the normal amount for a 6 week old GCC? The breeder informed me that she was taking about 10ml per feeding (to her recollection) she didn't have any paper records with her.
2. Her droppings should contain a fair amount of liquid because of the formula diet, but she seems to have fairly solid poop (almost identical to an adult's fecal sample, with very little urate). I'm concerned with dehydration as she hasn't shown any interest in water. The formula is pudding like consistency and I don't want to make it any more watery (since I am still getting used to hand feeding her and reading her body language, I don't want to risk aspiration).
Pictures to come soon!! Thanks for checking out the thread, haha I know it's a bit long
So Layla (not fully sure if she is a female), is about 6 weeks old. I have experience hand feeding birds and was confident enough to bring her home and finish weaning her. She is currently on 3 feedings a day and it's been a bit of a slow progression, after all she is a bit shocked with the change of environment and the different handling/feeding technique from her previous "mommy". I'm sure she can go on 2 feedings a day, but she hasn't made too much progress with eating on her own yet. I was lucky to find a small weaning cage for $10 at the expo which she is in currently. She's offered soaked monkey chow, fresh fruits/veggies, sprouts and a small cup of organic Harrison's pellets. She's been chowing down 8ml of formula per feeding and her weight has been stable so far. Currently she's quarantined in my room until her avian disease test results are done. I have an eclectus whose health I don't want to compromise
. I was very lucky to have a 2 week health warranty contract with the breeder. I know that usually with unweaned babies, the warranty is void. However, after discussing with the breeder, we agreed that if there were any diseases, birth defects or health issues found in the next 2 weeks a full refund would be given. Although, complication of hand feeding done by me or any health problems due to neglect won't be covered in the warranty (which is reasonable). So, Layla has a busy week ahead of her with a full vet check, micro chipping, gram stain, disease testing, dna sexing... basically the whole works. So now here comes the questions:
1. I've read that 10-15ml or 12% of the body weight should be fed per feeding. She's only been taking 8 cc of formula per feeding. Is this the normal amount for a 6 week old GCC? The breeder informed me that she was taking about 10ml per feeding (to her recollection) she didn't have any paper records with her.
2. Her droppings should contain a fair amount of liquid because of the formula diet, but she seems to have fairly solid poop (almost identical to an adult's fecal sample, with very little urate). I'm concerned with dehydration as she hasn't shown any interest in water. The formula is pudding like consistency and I don't want to make it any more watery (since I am still getting used to hand feeding her and reading her body language, I don't want to risk aspiration).
Pictures to come soon!! Thanks for checking out the thread, haha I know it's a bit long
