Worried... he's not eating

[brolie]

Or at least I can't tell if he's eating and he definitely won't eat when I try to hand feed him.

Oatey is my 2 month old quaker and he just came home with us. The seller said he was a bit of a "baby" and doesn't like to feed himself so to make sure he's eating. but I've tried warm soaked pellets, cheerios (seller said he likes them), and one time I tried to give him seed since he wasn't taking anything else, but I have yet to see him actually consume anything

is there a way to know that he's eating even if I don't see him do it? maybe he's just a shy eater or whatever :\ I've seen him drink water...

his poop has black and white in it but i read somewhere that if it doesn't have a greenness to it, it's only bile, not food....

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hi, do you know what the breeder was feeding Oatey? Will he take anything mushy off a spoon from you?

You should get some more jumping on, so sit tight for now.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Can you contact the breeder right away????

 

[GraciesMom]

I would definitely contact them & a avian vet trip is in order. It's not abnormal for birds to take a few days to settle in but he is awfully young & doesn't sound weaned yet (although maybe quakers wean younger). Are you weighing him using a gram scale? That will help you track his weight.

To monitor what he's eating/disposing of or if he's touching the food at all - you could put white papers in the bottom of the cage will help with that & monitoring the droppings. If no fecal matter is coming out chances are nothing is going in.

For me - peace of mind & expert advice from my avian vet would be in order. It's possible he needs to continue being feed formula & that he's being forced to wean before he's ready. I don't have experience with this but being too shy to eat doesn't sound right to me.

Hopefully others with more knowledge & advice can help out.

 

[brolie]

As gross as this sounds, I did some in depth investigation on his cage paper I have in there at the moment and there's one that looks.. fecal like... whew... at least I know he's eaten something

it was only one out of the number poos since he's been here so I'm still gonna try to figure out what's best.

He won't eat mango or sugar snap peas (snap peas are my cocktoos favorite) so I'm going to try getting some different fruits and veggies at the store tonight.. the breeder said the whole lot of them seemed to enjoy cooked squash, so I may try that

 

[brolie]

I just read on a site that the "quaking" they do means that they are begging for food!??? he quakes a lot but won't take any food! I'm so confused...

 

[GaleriaGila]

I strongly recommend an emergency call to the breeder...
Hopefully they'll be caring enough to guide you to a quick solution, even if it means a housecall! Or a trip back to them to figure out what's up...

 

[anotherbrother]

If he is really on two months old, he probably isn't weaned. That's pretty early for a Quaker. I have two young Quaker, both I didn't bring home until 12 + weeks and both regressed and needed to be hand fed for some time after they came home. This isn't the time to worry if they are eating seed or not, just if they are getting enough food to maintain their weight.

If he won't take hand feeding formula, which you can feed from a spoon. Your next best bet is any of the cooked bird foods that can easily be fed warm, like Higgins worldly cuisine. The pieces are tiny and it seems to be what they are looking for food wise when they are just weaning or not yet weaned.

This is my specific experience with Quakers.... I love them dearly, but my have both been difficult to wean. My older one is now a great eater and will attack anything you give her. The other one is only about four months and I still monitor is weight and food daily.

Good Luck!!!

 

[gracebowen]

When I was worried about my parakeet I was advised to hang a spray of millet.
Note millet should not be all he eats but the theory at the time I believe was any food is better than no food.

It did get my keet to start eating and he did eventually start eating his veggies. Initially I put a few seeds in with broccoli tops. I gradually added more foods.

 

[brolie]

He's eating!!!

I put a couple millet seeds in with his pellets and he's finally eating out of his bowl unaccompanied and everything... so proud of the little chunky butt ^_^

 

[GaleriaGila]

Halleluyah!

 

[brolie]

now he won't STOP eating!!!! O_O can they over eat?????

 

[GaleriaGila]

Some species are prone to it, I have heard...not sure about your guy... you could always get a scale and monitor. Or just keep an eye on his waistline!

 

[Scott]

I think you go with some protein and vitamins.

A balanced and varied diet is most important for overall health. Vitamins should only be given with the recommendation of a veterinarian. Excess nutrients are a burden to the liver and kidneys and may prove harmful.

May I ask on what basis you feel comfortable offering advice? We would love to learn more of your experiences with birds!