Ugh more questions.

[rypie]

So you guys are probably tired of seeing all my post but my Demi girl already means so much to me and I want to do everything right! So first off I got her to take 80 mls of formula tongiht! Yay me! Lol. But anyway here are some general questions I have

1.) Can i start to give her showers with a water bottle even though she is only 3 months old?

2.) The cage I got her makes her a bit higher up than me. Not by much I can still get her down and pet her and such. But there is no way to keep her off the top lol.

3.) What do you guys use to clean your cages with? Is dawn dish soap ok? White vinegar?

4.) She has been a bit under weight so my friend said to out apple cider vinegar in her water. :/ is this correct/safe?

Again sorry for all the questions lol.

 

[Pinkbirdy]

Ok ,id hold off on the showers for a month or two. I let mine climb on top of their cages and attach toys for them to play with. Its instinctive for them to want to be high.Nows the time to train them to come to you to get off the cage when you want [when their young ] three months sounds young though. No regular soap of any kind . Be safe use vinegar or a pressure washer.No I would absolutely not put anything in her water. Glad your asking questions . How often are you handfeeding her? Sometimes babies regress when they get to their new homes [ive had some that did]. If your birds hungry [please hand feed it]. The schedule you were given might change as I said . Keep offering foods to wean. They will refuse handfeeding when ready. Average wean time for Macaws is 6 months.

 

[rypie]

2 times a day. Morning and evening

 

[Pinkbirdy]

I would handfeed more than that [If you feel shes thin ]. Is she eating other foods? Two feedings is at the end when their eating other foods . Is she baby begging ? As I said a properly weaned Macaw is about 6 months. Their weight is very important for their health.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Why would your friend recommend ACV for an underweight bird? And how 'underweight' is she? Have you weighed her?

I use hot soapy water to clean my cages every day, but I make sure and rinse and dry thoroughly.

If you don't want her on top of the cage, I'd suggest getting/making a play stand for her, and placing that away from the cage. I do not allow my big macs to play on top of their cages as they would undoubtedly destroy surrounding woodwork/crown molding, etc.

 

[rypie]

I guess when I say then I am saying it a bit wrong. Her breast bone was sticking out some because she wasn't being fed correctly and they had pulled her from the parents too soon that day. She picks at food that I give her. Apples bananas ect. But won't eat them on her own out of the bowl. I was having issues getting her to take the proper amount of formula. But last night she took about 80 mls during one feeding at about 6 or 7 at night. Then this morning at about 7:30 or so I hand fed her again. But she only took about 30 mls. So I will try to give her more this afternoon at about 12:00 or 12:30. Then again at 6 or 7 this evening. My question is how many MLs should I be giving her a day? And should I split it up into 2 hand feedings or maybe 3?

 

[JerseyWendy]

....My question is how many MLs should I be giving her a day? And should I split it up into 2 hand feedings or maybe 3?

Ball park figure is 10% of body weight at each feeding. That's why it's important to have a scale on hand. So if she weighed 900g, you'd feed 90cc/ml.

You 'could' try 3 feedings, but please don't feed if the crop is still full from previous meal.

 

[rypie]

Well I will stick with two then maybe I should give her a bit more time to empty out all the way. Do one feeding at noon and then one at 6 or 7 pm? Or do u think that is too long to wait?

 

[JerseyWendy]

If you want to stick to 2 feedings I'd feed her first thing in the morning, and then again in the PM.

 

[rypie]

That is what I'm doing now. But she doesn't seem too hungry in the morning

 

[JerseyWendy]

Then just give her however much she'll take from you in the morning, followed by a warm mash mix or chop mix.

We have some awesome recipes, just have a look through the Food section. Here are some links, but there are so many more:
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/39634-made-my-first-birdy-mash.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/30148-made-mash-picture-heavy.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/47361-chop-cornbread-recipes.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/39705-i-made-chop.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/34185-slop-chop-mix-ala-wendy-s-kitchen.html

Depending on how 'little' she ate, I'd offer to handfeed her again around 1PM or so, and then give her the evening feed as usual.

If she's reluctant to try anything out of her bowls, there is nothing wrong with you handing her the food. Make a big fuss over how yummy it is. (Monkey see...monkey do)

 

[rypie]

She has about 30 mls this morning.

 

[getwozzy]

So, do you have a scale? You need to find out how much she weighs to determine how much she needs to be eating.

 

[rypie]

I have a food scale. But I don't know how to keep her on it

 

[getwozzy]

Find something that she will fit in that you can also set on top of the scale (like a giant bowl or colander, or box of some sort), place a towel in it, and set it on the scale, tare it out (set it to zero), and place her in the bowl

 

[JerseyWendy]

Good Bird Inc Parrot Training Talk: Life Saving Training: Scale Training Parrots

I don't mean to sound harsh, but rypie, if you don't even know how much your baby weighs, then how do you know how much she 'should' be eating?

There are LOTS of reasons why it's so important to know your bird's weight. Losing weight could be the very first indication that something is wrong. Feeding the appropriate amount of handfeeding formula is essential for your bird to grow and develop properly.

 

[rypie]

Well I was told to give her 80 mls per feeding g twice a day by the bird man who comes to the bird store in town once a month to do trimmings and medications. But Demi is not wanting to take that amount of food at a time.

 

[getwozzy]

Have you consulted with your avain vet??? If she's not wanting to eat very much, there might be something else going on.... I would suggest you take her to see an avian vet at this point.

 

[rypie]

The bird man is a vet lol. But I've only had her 3 days. Today being the third day and she has had a lot of changes. New cage lastnight new animals and people all around. I think she needs time to settle in. She is eating more now though

 

[getwozzy]

Ok, have you tried weighing her yet how I suggested to you in my earlier post?