Worried Bird Mom

[stacydaisy]

Hello, I am a new bird mom to a baby cockatiel and have 2 other wonderful adult birds as well. I decided to hamdfeed my new baby which is not something I have a ton of experience in but did plenty of research and was pretty confident at first. I was told the baby was 2 weeks old and I've had him for 1 1/2 weeks but feel he might be younger than told. He is very active and appears healthy so hopefully I'm worrying over nothing but does he look healthy? He has gained 14 grams during the time I've had him but lost 2 grams today. Pics are included, the first 2 from the day I brought him home (2/23/2020) and last are of him today. Is it normal for them to constantly appear to be crying? How full is too full when it come to feeding and his crop? Sorry for so many questions, I just love this baby even though he was younger than I expected, just feeling overwhelmed.

 

[charmedbyekkie]

Please check both of these threads - they have all the info you need to support your unweaned baby.

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

http://www.parrotforums.com/breeding-raising-parrots/19049-hazards-buying-unweaned-baby.html

 

[LaManuka]

For the life of me I cannot fathom how or why it is that unweaned baby birds continue to be sold. It is illegal in many countries and needs to be stamped out altogether.

Stacy as you’re discovering, baby birds have very complex needs, so much so that even experienced bird people can sometimes get it wrong, and fatally so. Please seek help from a certified avian vet NOW. Even the seller or the breeder should be able to help you, or even consider taking your bird back there until it has been properly “abundance” weaned and has been eating adult food for at least two weeks. Yes it is that important!!

Once your bird has made it safely through this very crucial part of it’s young life, please tell it’s breeder from me what an irresponsible, unethical and unscrupulous SOB he is!!

 

[GaleriaGila]

In case you decide to get veterinary help...



Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
If none are near you...
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet.
International contacts, too.
Or... sometimes I find a place to start just by Googling "avian veterinarian near ((your location))"

 

[nanachi]

Terrible...
around christmas I was sold an unweaned baby who passed away shortly after..
Well, you already have the baby.. instead of venting about this breeder I will try to give some advice.

So, to answer your question about the crop we will use a water balloon analogy from user Antoinette. The crop should feel like a soft water ballon, having some “give” to it, but not be taught or hard.

About your baby’s weight- I am SO glad you have a gram scale! A tool like this is absolutely essential for having a healthy baby. Ideally weight loss is not desired, but of course there will be some fluctuations.. when do you normally weigh him? I would try and weigh your baby in the morning when they have not been fed and their crop is empty.