Abandoned baby budgie

[Alessa]

Hi! So i have a baby budgie that the mother rejected and threw it out of the nest. So i’m hand feeding it and i’m new to this.
I’ve read online that we have to feed every 2 hours from 6am till midnight. Do i have to feed the baby at night as well after every 2 hours?
Because i’ve read on another article that the parents sleep at that time so the baby budgies usually don’t eat anything at night. I’m confused what should i do? And should the crop area be completely empty before feeding? I’ve read they can get sour crop.
Please help!

 

[Sparkles99]

@Zara @Britnicorn @BrianB @Laurie @Matto

 

[BrianB]

This is one I’m going to say I’m not sure about. How old was it when mom threw it out? I’ve had fed budgies at a few weeks old but never tiny babies. For macaws if they hatch in the incubator then they get fed every hour during the day and every 2 or 3 overnight for the first 2 or 3 weeks. After that if we feel they are on track for growth then we’ll let them go 4 or 6 hours overnight. I won’t even try with conures. I’ve had such horrible luck feeding newly hatched conures that I won’t try again.

 

[Matto]

Hi! So i have a baby budgie that the mother rejected and threw it out of the nest. So i’m hand feeding it and i’m new to this.
I’ve read online that we have to feed every 2 hours from 6am till midnight. Do i have to feed the baby at night as well after every 2 hours?
Because i’ve read on another article that the parents sleep at that time so the baby budgies usually don’t eat anything at night. I’m confused what should i do? And should the crop area be completely empty before feeding? I’ve read they can get sour crop.
Please help!

How old was it when it was thrown out, and how old is it now? Generally, for the first 2-3 days, one should feed it every 90 minutes round the clock. After that, one can give it a 6 hour break overnight.

 

[Alessa]

This is one I’m going to say I’m not sure about. How old was it when mom threw it out? I’ve had fed budgies at a few weeks old but never tiny babies. For macaws if they hatch in the incubator then they get fed every hour during the day and every 2 or 3 overnight for the first 2 or 3 weeks. After that if we feel they are on track for growth then we’ll let them go 4 or 6 hours overnight. I won’t even try with conures. I’ve had such horrible luck feeding newly hatched conures that I won’t try again.

i dont know exactly maybe it was like 2 - 3 days old it’s eyes haven’t open yet. And i’ve been feeding it for the past 3 days. So maybe like a week old or so now.

 

[Alessa]

How old was it when it was thrown out, and how old is it now? Generally, for the first 2-3 days, one should feed it every 90 minutes round the clock. After that, one can give it a 6 hour break overnight.

It was 2/3 days old ig when the mother threw it out. And i’ve been feeding it for the past 3 days so like around a week old.
What about the sour crop? Should the crop be completely empty?

 

[Britnicorn]

Do you have a weight for them yet? You should be able to notice a decent size increase every day. They gain about half their weight every day until around week 4/5. Knowing how much weight they’re gaining will be your best indicator on if they’re digesting properly/healthy

When I was hand feeding, I fed every hour and a half his first week, and didn’t wait 12am-6am. After the first week I started feeding every two hours, and waited 12am-6am. The crop should empty over night, and be nearly empty between each feeding

Do you suspect they have sour crop? They might have sour crop if: their crop isn’t emptying completely over night, if their crop is still very full between feedings, or if they aren’t excited for food/wanting to eat. Sour crop is mostly caused by the food/brooder being too cold. The food temp should be according to your formula’s instructions, and brooder temp around 96-98F (if it’s too hot they’ll spread their limbs out and/or pant. Everybirdy is different)

I really hope they pull through. It might be a good idea to find an avian vet near you so you know where to go in case they get sick/something happens

 

[Alessa]

Do you have a weight for them yet? You should be able to notice a decent size increase every day. They gain about half their weight every day until around week 4/5. Knowing how much weight they’re gaining will be your best indicator on if they’re digesting properly/healthy

When I was hand feeding, I fed every hour and a half his first week, and didn’t wait 12am-6am. After the first week I started feeding every two hours, and waited 12am-6am. The crop should empty over night, and be nearly empty between each feeding

Do you suspect they have sour crop? They might have sour crop if: their crop isn’t emptying completely over night, if their crop is still very full between feedings, or if they aren’t excited for food/wanting to eat. Sour crop is mostly caused by the food/brooder being too cold. The food temp should be according to your formula’s instructions, and brooder temp around 96-98F (if it’s too hot they’ll spread their limbs out and/or pant. Everybirdy is different)

I really hope they pull through. It might be a good idea to find an avian vet near you so you know where to go in case they get sick/something happens

I don’t suspect a sour crop. The baby is excited for food every time and the crop area also gets nearly empty every feeding so i think it doesn’t have a sour crop. I just wanted to know if i am doing it right so i don’t harm the baby accidentally.
Thank you so much for your advice

 

[Matto]

If you are properly disinfecting your syringes, bowls, work area, etc between feedings sour crop is much less likely. If you do suspect it, it can be treated with pureed papaya or apple cider vinegar.
What about weight gain? Are they growing steadily? Oftentimes novices will under-feed newly hatched chicks and they will have stunted growth. If this is the case, you want to feed them more often until they show steady growth. They should be gaining about 10-15% weight per day.