Urgent Baby Conure won't Eat!

[Ultramandyna]

Hi,

I have recently bought a new baby green-cheek conure a few days ago. He is 8 weeks old and has been hand fed by the breeder, but has not been eating from my hand whatsoever for the past 3 days. I'm really worried and he has only been eating corn and refuses to touch anything else. What should I do? I have no experience raising a baby conure before.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Did you contact the breeder? That baby needs to eat and you need to be monitoring the weight on a daily basis. Return to breeder and have him/her finish hand feeding the baby. That would be my first recommendation. You have no experience. Best that breeder take baby back and return to you when he/she is fully weaned. Is that a possibility? Did the breeder take any time with you at all to show you how to hand feed and watch how you were doing it?
Are there any droppings? What have you been offering besides formula and corn?
Are you checking the temperature of the formula and making sure it is not too thick or too thin? Are you feeding the same thing the breeder was feeding? Are you using a syringe or spoon?
Are you weighing the baby daily?
Where do you keep the baby?

 

[Hankmacaw]

When someone says "handfed", it does not mean that you feed the bird from your hand. You must get baby bird food - preferably the same brand the breeder was feeding. You will need feeding syringes and a thermometer. You will need to mix the formula as directed on the package heat it from 105f to 110f, draw it up into the syringe and put the tip of the syringe in your baby's mouth and keep feeding him until his crop is full but not overfull.

You need to get food inthat baby soon - it only takes a couple of days for them to starve to death.

@Zara

 

[Ultramandyna]

I contacted the breeder and he said that the baby is just nervous in a new environment. I am feeding the baby using a syringe. I do not believe it is possible to bring the bird back to the breeder, but I intend on bringing him to the vet tomorrow morning. The breeder did not show me how to feed the bird properly, stating that he was not in the mood to eat and was already full. There are lots of droppings. Aside from the formula, I have been feeding him broccoli and 1/2 a pellet. He wouldn't eat the entire pellet but ate part of one. I have not been weighing the baby daily and I have been keeping him in a cage at night but he is usually on my lap or neck during the daytime. He stays in the same room as me in my apartment.

 

[Ultramandyna]

The formula I was given was not inside of the original package. He gave me a large plastic bag full of powder formula to mix with warm water.

 

[Tara81]

1/2 a pellet... Maybe ask the vet to feed him and teach you.. Poor thing must be starving

 

[Ultramandyna]

I'm super worried about him right now I wish I had known earlier that it's a terrible idea to buy a conure that wasn't weaned at all! He's been eating tons of corn but that is definitely not sufficient!

 

[Tara81]

Try putting some formula on your fingers and see if he licks them? well hes eating corn at least !! Try cooked mashed vegetables / cooked quinoa / seeds ?

 

[Ultramandyna]

I'm gonna try feeding him again with the syringe but with a small rubber soft tube at the end to make sure I don't hurt him. Gonna try to heat up the formula to 110F and a different concentration.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Try not to stress out. The breeder should have weaned that baby or spent time showing you how to feed. It's a good idea that you are taking him to the vet.
How are you placing the syringe when feeding? You really shouldn't need to add a rubber tube to the end of the syringe. You can also use a spoon to hand feed instead of a syringe. Offer some cooked mixed veggies (warm but not hot to touch), millet spray, pellets softened with warm water, Cheerios (not too many). It's a good idea to get a gram scale and weigh him daily. Green cheeks wean at about 8-12 weeks. You can look through this thread: Green Cheek Conure Feeding Schedule and other questions | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[Ultramandyna]

He is literally actively avoiding the syringe. I forgot to mention it's not that he doesn't start eating or he spits it out, he actively avoids the syringe whenever it comes close. I'm afraid he was poorly hand fed or maybe not even hand fed at all?

 

[Ultramandyna]

Update: He is clearly not going to eat soft food, he likes his hard food. I have gotten him to chew on pellets which he seems to like. Appreciate the advice everyone! *still bringing him to the vet tmrrw*

 

[AviaryByTheSea]

All formula food must be prepared fresh before each feeding. Food kept for the next feeding is an ideal place for harmful bacteria and yeast to grow. Any food prepared or heated in the microwave oven must be mixed thoroughly to blend hot and cold spots. Try to achieve homogenous food temperatures of 102° - 106°F (39° - 41°C). Use a thermometer. Food that is too hot will cause severe burns to the crop. Food that is too cold will not be accepted or digested well.

 

[Ultramandyna]

He seems to really enjoy eating his pellets I've been crushing them and holding them in my hand and he's been eating it all. Should I keep feeding him pellets?

 

[AviaryByTheSea]

He seems to really enjoy eating his pellets I've been crushing them and holding them in my hand and he's been eating it all. Should I keep feeding him pellets?

Absolutely! I would introduce your baby to new appropriate foods. Veggies, sprouts, nuts, some fruit, nutriberries. Feed him anything healthy he will eat.

I would consider monitoring his weight until he is older.

 

[Birdbabe]

He seems to really enjoy eating his pellets I've been crushing them and holding them in my hand and he's been eating it all. Should I keep feeding him pellets?

Give him anything he will eat, including the pellets ,soft foods, cooked oatmeal, baby formula, scrambled eggs, cooked soft vegetables, like carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, try it from a spoon or your fingers,,whatever he will accept. Good to get a wellness check from the vet, and they can also advise you what to do .

 

[Kodigirl210]

Welcome. Where are you located at & are you seeing an avian vet tomorrow?

 

[iamwhoiam]

Keep us updated. Hope things will be OK with the baby. Keep offering him a buffet of foods and just keep trying with the hand feeding.

 

[Zara]

He gave me a large plastic bag full of powder formula to mix with warm water.

Do it like that, and the food will be too cold causing sour crop.
I boil the water to kill any bacteria, then make the food (to a thick pea soup consistency), and I stir continually until it has cooled enough. Check with a thermometer so you know when it is ready.
I find when I use freshly boiled water, it is easier to get rid of the bumps, whereas if I use cooled down water, it is harder to get th temp right and it doesn´t look like it has bumps, but if you try it, you will feel them in your mouth, and bumps are not good for chicks.

I don´t know about conures but when my birds (lovebirds) wean, it goes quickly from eating well, to eating little, then just rejecting the syringe completely - like it can happen in just days with some. Also worth noting, if the bird has been handfed for a while, they can turn into a bit of a goldilocks and if the formula is too thin or thick they won´t eat it.
3 days is a lot to put it down to settling in. 1 day yea ok, but not 3.
I´m actually surprised this chick is still alive - maybe he was eating something you left in the cage?

If he is eating foods now, then do not syringe feed this chick, it is too risky with your inexperience, the food not having the original packaging with instructions and the awful breeder who hasn´t helped you.. And please don´t use the rubber tube - that is for putting down a birds throat.

Offer many different types of foods and see what the bird will eat / what he likes. Avoiding avocados and aliums. I personally avoid tomatoes.
Try mashed sweet potatoes, sprouted beans, cabbage, kale.

Like @iamwhoiam says, don´t stress out - your bird will sense that.

I´m really saddened that this breeder was happy to sell you this bird, knowing you didn´t have experience and not offering you any help, not even when you call back asking for help. That´s really crappy of them.

It sounds like you are doing ok now, Please let us know how you get on at the vet

@AviaryByTheSea I wouldn´t recommend a first timer using the microwave, it´s too easy to miss a hot spot. I don´t trust the contraption
@Hankmacaw Sorry, that was almost 3am for me

 

[Hankmacaw]

That's ok @Zara. I'm not a baby bird person and just know what I have read on here and you were the only baby bird person I could think of fast. I'm glad everyone came to her help fast - the breeder sure as heck didn't help. I do know that baby's can starve very quickly and go into a downward spiral fast.

Thanks everyone for stepping up.