My 9 Weeks Old Blue and Gold Macaw Refuse to Eat.

[boat2530]

i am a new member here. First to say" Hello to everyone"
i am now for hand feeding Macaw. I've got this baby for 4 weeks. 2 days ago, he started to refuse what i feed. the formula which i use is KAYTEE for macaw. his weight is 1,050 g from 1,100 g. It 's dangerous for Macaw losing 10 % of his weight. This morning I give him 50cc. He refused it. he actually ate 25cc. I decided to give him Banana. I have never give him fruits before. He ate them but just a piece of them. I am afraid that he will lose more weight.
Have you got any suggestions?
May I mix the formula myself? (how can i do that?)

Of cause,his crop is totally empty.
Time is 9 am, 3 pm, and 9 pm. it is about 6 hours,i will feed him.
This morning i gave him 60cc. follow some banana. on 3 pm. i gave him just 20cc. Then he refused but he ate some banana instead. on 9 pm in my country, i gave him 50cc. he actually ate. Then i placed some banana, papaya, tomato. He ate just some. if you want more ask my because i don't know what to be written down. Thank you so much.

 

[suncoast]

Have you called your vet? That would be the first thing I would do.

Do you have an avian vet or do you need help locating one.

I do know that Kaytee is not the best nutritionally. Roudybush is the best. Also maybe it's too hot or too cold?

Have you offered him any soaked pellets. Maybe offer him oatmeal, cream of wheat or regular baby food.

Ginger

 

[suncoast]

Oh dear,

I just saw that you were in Thailand. What kind of grains besides rice do you have there?

Ginger

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

If he is refusing to eat then I would definitely try to get him to a vet asap. Young birds like that can get very sick and go down hill very fast. Him not eating is telling me that something might be wrong. Is he being kept warm? What temp are you giving him his food?

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

I have only ever hand fed cockatiels or doves so I don't know much about Macaws. Maybe Joana can help.

 

[suncoast]

I went for help.

Ginger

 

[WingedVictory]

Hi, relax and we will try and help you. Let's discuss everything you are doing so we might be able to help you.

Look at the expiration date on you Katee. Are you using a thermometer to check temperature of hand feeding formula? You should feed around 105 degrees. If it takes you a long time to feed the formula may be cooling so the bird does not like it. If you know what organic apple cider vinegar is, normally Bragg Brand, you can add a couple drops to the feeding formula to help should there be a yeast infection.

Do you have an avian vet or a breeder that can assist you there?

I will be back in a few have to feed one of my birds.

gary

 

[boat2530]

this saturday in my country, i will bring him to Vet to x-ray for his crop and stomach. In fact his sinus is inflaming. Now he is healing and going to be fine soon. i have talked with Vet already. He just told " give just a little about 40 cc. when the crop is empty. Then give him another feed" but i am afraid that it will too late for helping my baby.


WingedVictory :
i use thermometer for all the time i feed him.It is about 103-107 F.and 4 nov 2010 is the date foe expiration.

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

When I use to hand feed I would boil some water and pour that water into a bowl. Then I would take the container with the formula and put it in the warm water to keep it warm throughout the entire feeding. Make sure to use a thermometer in the food when you do this though to make sure the food does not get too hot.

By the way don't ever give up on your bird. My cockatiel had a 50/50 chance of living and he made it.

 

[Kimba]

chances are the formula is to hot or too cold. Macaws like their formula to be 1-2 degrees warmer than other birds.(don't exceed above 105) Sometimes if this is not some they will not eat. Also if the baby it self is too cold (what temp is the baby being kept at?)they might refuse to eat. Sometimes it is not the temp of the formula but the temp at the end of the syringe. When I used to hand feed, I put all my full syringes in a cup of hot water. As I fed I would keep dipping the end of the syringe in the warm water, so that the baby sensed the tip of the syringe as warm. This helps to trigger the feeding response. The formula can be the right temp as you draw it form the syringe, but it will quickly cool off once in the syringe, the cup of hot water keeps the formula and the tip of the syringe warm. So as you feed.....you give the baby some, as they are swallowing it, dip the syringe back in the hot water. Make sure you test the temp of the formula though!!!! the hot water might make it too hot, so drop some formula from the syringe on the inside of your wrist. If it feels hot, let it sit for 30 seconds,and try again. It can be tricky to know how hot to keep the water in the cup until you are used to doing so.

other tips...
some babies only eat if wrapped snuggly in a towel, it becomes a comfort thing, (typically Too's like this as well as any other large baby that is unstable, zons, macaws...)

Some babies like to run around and eat, conures are like like this, they eat best if not handled at all and just fed. They do not like to be confined.

Check the poop! If a baby stops eating, and the crop is fine....not distended, bloated, full..., than smell the poo! If you can smell a sulfur smell in the poo, that it is definitely time for a vet!!!!! Sulfur smelling poo means bacterial infection. No smell and infection is usually a yeast infection. Both can be common in baby birds.

And as always....a vet is your best option, especially if you are already doing all of the above

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

I know it seems discouraging at the moment because this is all going on but you have to be strong and keep trying for him. He is a cutie by the way.

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

Good info Kimba.

 

[Kimba]

I find macaws to be one of the more trickier parrots to hand feed. They often refuse to eat, and often it is a temp issue. Too's are equally difficult, I find they are more susceptible to yeast infections, especially when shipped between 6-8 weeks old. The stress gets to them.

Some macaws however are very slow eaters. So patience is also a must. I've fed countless baby parrots in my day. And some macaws would take me 45 minutes to feed, simply because they would take their sweet time, and in that case it would become difficult because maintaining the temp of the formula also became a pain.

keep us posted!

 

[boat2530]

i have checked his poo already. it has no smell but its colour is green. is it OK for green?
Thanks for everyone for helping us.
in my country, it is difficult to find a good Vet for exotic pet including bird but i found one.
i don't how good the DR. is but i trust him.....

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

Is it a dark green? Light Green? Is the white part white or is it tinted yellow?

 

[Kimba]

baby poo..........so different than adult poo!

Green should be fine, it may or may not be developed as formula typically makes poo look like the bird has diarrhea. So it is is watery and not formed....no worry there! It's normal.

How old is this bird? Too me he looks like her should be on 3 feeding going down to 2 depending on how much other food he is actually consuming and not just playing with. If however you just got him, (which I think is the case?) than you would keep him on 3 feeding a day as babies tend to regress during shipping. What temp is he being kept at? And when are you feeding him? Is he getting fresh food first then formula? or is it the other way around? At this age you want formula first than fresh. This is to make sure he gets enough food. If everything is ok, than in about 2 weeks you would change it up, giving him a warm mash first, and than give formula, this helps with the weaning process better. IMO If they can try to fill up first than they natural do not eat as much formula and the weaning process becomes more natural and you avoid, food anxiety issues and separation anxiety issues later on.

 

[Stevo]

Good information but it's IMPORTANT to state your temperatures with Fahrenheit or Celsius when posting on an international board (I'm not sure which unit of measure Thailand uses) - especially to beginners who may not think twice about trying to heat formula to boiling temp!!

105 degrees Fahrenheit = 41 degrees Celsius

 

[boat2530]

i can it is green. then i think it light green.and another part is still white. My vet told me he worry about PDD. He taught me to see poo. if some part of it has farmula, it may be
PDD.

 

[Kimba]

what else is he eating?

Green poo is ok, but typically formula makes for light to dark brown poo. So I would think that he is eating other things? And if this is the case, how much would you say he is eating? That could be the entire issue! He could be eating fresh, and not wanting much in the way of formula. He is a little young for that IMO, and it will cause him to drop weight! As babies wean, and the eat less formula/mama bird food, they lose weight so that they become light enough to learn how to fly, than they re bulk up. This normal, but if this is the case for your guy, then it is happening too early. In which case.....again....formula first, fresh warm mash second.

 

[Kimba]

i can it is green. then i think it light green.and another part is still white.
PDD.

It the poo looks like the typical parrot poo, which is what you are describing than he must be eating something other than formula.