help with handfeeding

[LizandShadow]

I brought home last sunday a 13 week Vasa, Ive read they often wean from 10-12 weeks. He was still going from two to one feeding.

It does not seem like the breeder often lets unweaned babys go, but the breeder was far away and he was eating pellets well and so close to weaning. So I was shown how and offered to try it.

Its been three days and I have a few concerns.
He is eating more and more each feeding.
Sunday night 16cc
Monday noon 20cc
Monday night 20cc
Tues noon 30cc(still seemed hungry)
Tues night 35cc
Weds noon missed (physics exam, sorry Darwin)
Weds night 50cc

Tonight for the first time his crop was quite distended (its usually a bit noticable but tonight it was like a little bag)

His poop seems thin and he it not eating his pellets, nuts or dried papaya-- what he was used to. Dispite that he came at 362grams and I weighed him(only 30 minutes after his big feeding) at 387 grams. I will weigh him in the morning. as I'm sure part of that was all that baby food.
Im really worried please help-- He has an appointment with a specialty avain health clinic, but its not till saturday.


Much less pressing matter, while I've mannaged to reduce much of the mess, he still gets a line of food down his chest when he pulls back to breathe. Is there a safe way to clean it off? It goes right down his crop so I don't want to put any pressure on it.

 

[heirofslytherin123]

I sure hope someone with more experience hand feeding can pipe in. I wiped Peepers face with a damp paper towel. if it was during the day i would spray her with water so she had time to dry before bed.

 

[CheekyBeaks]

I would call your vet a demand a vet see him sooner, when things go wrong with baby birds they go down hill very quickly.

It sounds that due to the stress of being relocalted at an already difficult time in their development he has regressed and it sounds quiet possible you have overstretched the crop by overfeeding, when baby birds are weaning their crops decrease in size. If the crop is overstretched at any time in development and hangs too far over the keel bone the crop cannot empty correctly and food sits in the bottom of the crop and sours, if this happens you are in trouble and will need meds to clear up any bactierial or fungal issues that may have developed.
Another cause of excessive hunger and poor emptying is a fungal infection, they often become ravenous and their crops will slow or even stop all together, if this is the case treatment is needed asap.

It really does frustrate me to no end that breeders continue to gamble with the lives of the babies they breed, if they cannot commit to the full raising of a baby untill physically and psycologically weaned they shouldnt be breeding.

Most baby birds will dribble a little, especially when they are weaning and start refusing food, i have tissues on hand and wipe as soon as it hits their skin/feathers if wiped up quickly it's often enough but if not i dampen a tissue with warm water and wipe until clean. Also keep a close eye on the cleanliness of the crease either side of the 'mouth' as food can become accumulated there if not wiped clean each feed, food accumulating here can also lead to bactierial and fungal issues.

 

[LauraS.]

I would have to agree that it sounds as if you may have over fed him and stretched the crop, I would get him to a vet as soon as you can.
Weaning time is so critical and in my opinion the most difficult part of hand feeding. I am weaning a lory right now and it is a challenge everyday. I put adult food in but offer him his night feeding which he acts like he wants but often fights. I only offer a little as more comfort than anything. His little body knows that he is preparing for flight and must slim down but his baby belly tells him he wants more. It is a balance act that I don't think someone should attempt without experience or at the very least a breeder that is close enough to show you hands on more than once how it is done and what to expect.

 

[LizandShadow]

On our way to the vet now, thank you for your help.

 

[CheekyBeaks]

Let us know how the little one goes

 

[LizandShadow]

Everything was fine, I didnt feed him too much, but was given better estimates for a feeding (35-40cc) regardless if he still acts hungry. No bactieral infection, no food in crop and I appear to being doing it right. $365 to find out both my birds are healthy and that handfeeding is going well.

 

[ncGreyBirdLady]

 

[CheekyBeaks]

That's great news, it's always best to err on the side of caution with the little ones and you have some peace of mind.

 

[Roxydarling]

I need help! I'm hand feeding 4bb gcc! This is the second time!! I always have more difficulty whith the oldest bird! The oldest is 4weeks old they r on three feedings. He will spit up,will not open his beak! But doesn't seem hungry!? Help....

 

[Roxydarling]

It will consume half the food of the younger ones!!! Why!? Should I offer soft fruits!!??

 

[CheekyBeaks]

You may like to start your own thread to get more exposure in the forum.

To start off with 4 weeks is far to young for them to eat enough on thier own not eating an adequate amount of food at this age is concerning. I normally find my baby GCCs will start to nibble at food at around 5 weeks of age.
If your little one is bringing up food I would see your vet and get checked out for fungal or bactierial infection. Some babies will bring up a tiny amount if thier crops have been over filled but any more and 1 or 2 mls would be a cause of concern.
If the lack of appetite continues more than a day or two seek veterinary advice, providing you are getting some food in, if you cant get any food down then vet sooner rather than later.

 

[Milo]

Everything was fine, I didnt feed him too much, but was given better estimates for a feeding (35-40cc) regardless if he still acts hungry. No bactieral infection, no food in crop and I appear to being doing it right. $365 to find out both my birds are healthy and that handfeeding is going well.

Even healthy vet visits for birds are expensive. To me it's a small price to pay to know that your bird is healthy, and you should be very thankful that your bird is healthy.
This forum has seen some truly horrible things happen with unweaned babies and inexperienced hand-feeders, and I will say that reading your first post I would have told you to go straight to a vet as well. I hope that things continue to go well, you may try offering some mushy pellets or cooked, diced sweet potato to help him transition back to solid foods.

 

[melissasparrots]

I need help! I'm hand feeding 4bb gcc! This is the second time!! I always have more difficulty whith the oldest bird! The oldest is 4weeks old they r on three feedings. He will spit up,will not open his beak! But doesn't seem hungry!? Help....

You might want to check around with other green cheek breeders to see what their babies weigh at this age and how much they are eating compared to yours. I have never actually bred green cheeks. However, I've raised some species that are a little bigger and a little smaller. If they've been parent fed all this time a couple things could be going on. #1, the oldest is having a harder time adjusting to the weird new food that isn't like what his parents were feeding. Plus he's old enough to know who his mom was and that you aren't it. A few things you can try would be to feed with the lights dimmer so there is less visual stimuli reminding him of scary unfamiliar things. Really double check the temp of your formula. With some reluctant feeders, going all the way up to 108-110 degrees or so really helps. However, this is assuming you are using a thermometer to measure temperature of your formula and that the thermometer is accurate. If you have not been using a thermometer to check formula temp, DO NOT just up the temp without going out and buying a thermometer. That is how birds get burned crops.
#2, the baby may simply be reaching that age where they naturally want to slim down. This can be different for different breeders depending on how fast their birds put weight on. If these guys have been parent fed, and are fatter than some people's handfed babies, they might be hitting that slim down phase sooner than if they were skinnier babies that still had some gaining to do. Depends on the skill of the parents and the skill of the hand-feeder in question. I'm sure there are some green cheek breeders around that could tell you on what day a green cheek typically hits their peak weight. Plus or minus a couple days from that is usually when birds start getting picky about their food and going into a loss phase. I used to have quakers hit that stage anywhere from day 28-34 depending on their weight gains. Although day 33 was typically their peak weight across the board with some pickiness showing up at around day 28-30 and beyond.
Otherwise, when in doubt, go to a vet. Spitting up a little is hard to diagnose on-line. Its one of those things you just have to have experience with. Its very normal for some species to do this to a moderate degree as they approach the picky weight loss phase. However, its also a sign of a sick bird and since none off us are there with you, a vet run might be the safer bet.

 

[JAM]

Everything was fine, I didnt feed him too much, but was given better estimates for a feeding (35-40cc) regardless if he still acts hungry. No bactieral infection, no food in crop and I appear to being doing it right. $365 to find out both my birds are healthy and that handfeeding is going well.

I know it's expensive but better that than for something to go wrong. Trust me I know what it's like to fork out on vets, Millow's vet fees ran over $3.5k and we still lost him.

Good to hear you are on the right track.

 

[CheekyBeaks]

I need help! I'm hand feeding 4bb gcc! This is the second time!! I always have more difficulty whith the oldest bird! The oldest is 4weeks old they r on three feedings. He will spit up,will not open his beak! But doesn't seem hungry!? Help....

You might want to check around with other green cheek breeders to see what their babies weigh at this age and how much they are eating compared to yours. .

I just had a look at the weights from my last clutch, now these babies were left in with mum and dad until the oldest was 25 days and the youngest was 19 days. The oldest definatley had issues adjusting with taking forumla but not enough for me to be concerned. GCCs tend to be pretty fuss free and are reletively easy to handfeed.

Now the oldest peaked at 36 days at 88.5grams and was taking 11ml three times per day at that stage. The youngest peaked at 89.9grams and was taking 12ml per feed 3X per day at that stage.
Other babies from my other clutches earlier in the season from different and same parents peaked at 83-95.7 grams and were taking 11-12ml per feed 3X per feed at that stage. These babies were also parent started to around the 21day mark, some were taken a little earlier.
Full fledgling/weaning weights have been around the low to mid 70s range

 

[Chaiah]

The breeder from whom we bought Dai Chi, our CAG, required that we come for four feelings before we were allowed to bring Dai Chi home. He showed us how to feed, and then had us do the rest. It was very comforting and reassuring to have our breeder so close and so concerned about the babies he was selling. He said that, typically, he does not allow his babies to leave without being weaned but we drove the hour each way several times to spend time with Dai Chi and feed him, so we were comfortable with doing it at home. Plus, if there had been any issues, we could have driven up there day or night for help.