-URGENT- New parrots

[jmdc]

Hello everone! My name is Josh and I’m new to the forums. This is an urgent post actually. So earlier today some people who work on my family’s farm came
across a pair of parrot chicks right smack in the middle of the road. Long story short, they brought the chicks to me. The problem is I don’t know what species they are and what food they eat, etc. I do have my suspicions as to their species though. I think they might be Blue Crowned Racket tails since that species is common in our area of the Philippines. Here’s a photo of them. I’m hoping you guys can help.

 

[LordTriggs]

those look like indian ringnecks.

First step is to get a plastic tub they fit in with a bit of room to spare and place some towels in so they can snuggle up and keep warm.

Then I would call the nearest zoo and explain you found some baby parrot nestlings who appear to have been abandon and ask if they are able to take on and care for them or if they know somewhere able to care for them. Do not try to undertake their care yourself, if they were abandoned by their parents they will never be as tame as domestic bred birds, if they were abandoned by people they are probably poached or illegally obtained birds. also no offense but the odds of having them live long enough to be on solid food under inexperienced care are very low.

Hopefully some of our breeders will be on soon and they can give you suggestions for an impromptu formula recipe. For now focus on keeping them warm

 

[Inger]

I’m only guessing, and more knowledgeable people will come along.

Since they aren’t fully feathered, they may not be weaned. Do you have any pet stores in your area that sell bird baby formula? And are there any parrot breeders who might be able to help you with this process? Because it’s not easy. Here’s a link that may help.

So you bought an unweaned baby...
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...orums.com/showthread.php?t=74363&share_type=t


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[EllenD]

These babies are not weaned, they don't have all of their feathers, and you must hand-feed them formula until they do wean. They are far too young to be eating any kind of seed or solid food, so don't try to feed them that, nor will they drink water. Their mother would still be feeding them from her crop, so essentially you've got 2 unweaned parrot babies that probably fell from their nest and they need to either be hand-fed baby bird formula by you, which is not easy, as stated above, or you need to find a parrot breeder to take them. They also need to be kept at a warmer temperature than the air, as they are not fully-feathered yet.

Can you buy baby bird hand-feeding formula?

 

[bug_n_flock]

Agree with the above. Am just commenting to add that they are freaking adorable, and thanks for helping them.

 

[Kiwibird]

I'm guessing there probably isn't, but if there is a wildlife rehabilitation center anywhere near you that is probably who should be taking over care of these babies since they are wild birds.

If not, is there any pet stores locally that sell hand reared baby birds? What about a zoo? Or a bird breeder? Someone with hand feeding experience is really the ideal caretaker for chicks this young, but if no other option exists, you need to get hand feeding formula for baby parrots, syringes and a makeshift brooder setup. You will likely find this thread of great help:

http://www.parrotforums.com/breeding-raising-parrots/74363-so-you-bought-unweaned-baby.html

 

[Scott]

Welcome Josh, thanks for taking responsibility for these beautiful babies.

As others have suggested, they need advanced care for a while. The trick is to find assistance or learn to manage them yourself. Time is really critical! Besides local breeders or zoos, might there be nearby bird clubs? Members might have specialized equipment and knowledge.

Please keep us updated if you are able!

 

[jmdc]

No, there's nothing like that nearby, but I'll be sure to be on the look out for other breeders. Actually the reason why they were brought to me is because I'm a bird keeper myself, although I'm still quiet the amateur. I've successfully reared smaller bird species before like Eyering lovebirds, budgies, and cockatiels. The biggest bird I've ever handled was a Barn Owl but she was about 6 months old when I got her so Parrot chicks are a whole new territory for me.

 

[jmdc]

I've actually gone ahead and set up a brooder and I've already given them formula. As I suspected they were hungry. Their crops didn't seem to have anything inside when I first got them. Their temp is around the high 20's or low 30's Celcius; is that too high? They seem fine with it. I'm glad they stopped screaming though I was worried when one of them wouldn't stop screaming, but I guess the food has settled and they're feeling much warmer now.

 

[EllenD]

What are you using as "formula" to feed them with? Did you use a cooking/candy thermometer to check the temperature of the formula before you fed it too them? This is extremely important, as if the formula is too hot it will burn their crops, and if it is too low, which is more common for people to mistakenly do, their crops will not empty correctly and they can develop slow-crop, crop-stasis, and more commonly they will grow yeast inside their crops as the cold formula just sits there, and this will make the babies extremely sick.

The formula that you feed them must be between 40 and 43.3 degrees C (between 104-110 degrees F), any hotter will burn their crops, any cooler will cause a host of issues with the crops emptying and becoming infected with yeast. So you must get a proper thermometer and keep a very close watch on the temperature of the formula while you're feeding it to them.

The brooder temperature should be between 31 degrees C and 34 degrees C, as they have not yet developed all of their down feathers.

If you've set-up a box of some sort instead of a proper brooder, this is fine, but the way you should do it is by hanging an ambient thermometer inside the back half of the box, and have the back half of the box be the warm half that is between 31-34 degrees C, while the front half is cooler so they have an area to come out to if they want to cool down. You do this by putting the back half of the box on top of an electric heating pad, and then covering that back half of the box with a towel or blanket, and hanging the thermometer in that back half area. The front half of the box will not be on top of the heating pad, and will not be covered. This way they have the option.

As far as the formula you are feeding them, if it's a proper commercially sold baby bird hand-feeding formula that's great, it just must be heated and maintained at the proper temperatures listed above, not optional. If you are using something else, such as baby formula, like Cerelac, then you need to add some crucial things to the formula, as human baby formulas are not adequate for baby birds.

 

[jmdc]

I was actually able to get Kaytee Exact so that's what I'm using. Is that fine? The chicks--whom I've named Waffle and Pancake--both seem to be doing fine. They're eating alright and I play with them for a few minutes whenever I can. I think Waffle's right foot is clubbed since his toes are always curled up even when he walks but his other foot is normal.

 

[Kentuckienne]

Thanks for taking these babies under your care. The "unweaned baby" link in a prior post is excellent. Lots of details that I won't repeat here. The scariest thing I read in the posts was about temperature ... if the formula is too cool, it can set up in the crop and lead to crop stasis and infection, if it's too hot it can actually burn a hole in the crop, heating can create hot spots so must stir it well with the thermometer after heating, especially when using a microwave.

They are cute little things. I hope Waffle's foot straightens out.

 

[Inger]

Those are excellent names. My Chihuahua is named PopTart [emoji16] I love unique names for our babies [emoji178]


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