Pictures Anxious Newbie has lots of questions

[Clarke86]

Hi all,
I'd like to introduce our 15week old Amazon Buddy, and confess I am so so nervous. This is my first bird, my husband has had smaller parrots before so he's much more relaxed. We've been waiting for the right time to take one of these beauties home and now it is.

I have a few questions if you could help ease my mind where Google research isn't specific enough.

We wanted a baby because this little guy is going to be our baby, we want him to bond and grow with us and to see his big personality develop. The shop we've been visiting for the last ten years just to see the birds explained that he's a bit fluffy and feathers don't look as neat as the adults because he is so young. Is this true? I've been reading a lot about fluffy looking birds being sick.

He's not fully weaned, we've got the baby food he's been having and managing with feeds. They made it sound so easy and I've hand reared rabbits from newborn but it's not so easy. I'm planning on making some soft transition meals, he'll be eating steamed brown rice and veggies and decided on pellets rather than seed. Does this sound okay?

This morning he scared the crap out of me, I was first up and it looked like he vomited just kinda dropped baby food out of his mouth didn't seem distressed at all. I explained to my husband when he woke and he said its regurgitation he hasn't done it since. Google seems to think this is something older hormonal birds do but could it be to do with his weaning and the stress of yesterday?

He's clumsy as hell. Hasn't fallen but I'm watching him thinking he's walking and coining round the cage or his perch like a newborn deer. Perks of being a baby?

He chirrups. I think he was asking for food when I woke up and was doing it constantly. It's a lovely sound I just don't want to be missing anything. I feel like he's chirping whenever I stand up or get close or talk to him and maybe it's the only way he communicates right now?

He is very chill. Honestly I was expecting a lot more noise and drama from him. I know this is going to change and I'm looking forward to it. Google says young amazon's are very timid can you confirm?

Thanks for reading, a lot of this is me just needing reassurance and not wanting to ring the shop with lots more questions.

 

[Wardy]

@Love My Zons @Macawnutz

 

[Macawnutz]

Morning Jen.

Don't take this the wrong way but no more google please. I have no idea who is answering your questions and neither do you. We are going to get the right people helping you.
@melissasparrots

So far everything is sounding pretty normal to me but I have never had an amazon baby. With any baby I suggest finding an avian veterinarian and having them do a wellness exam. It's best to have found a vet and seen them before you need them down the road and now is the best time.

 

[Pixiebeak]

Hello and welcome! Congratulations on your baby!

This is kinda a tough time on baby to move to a new home with new people feeding them and right on the cusp of weaning . For other readers highly stress waiting till fully weaned before bringing them home.

Because of also not having a fully developed immune system and all the things that easily go wrong with hand feeding and crop infections. Having food fall out of mouth can be symptom of a crop infection both a bacterial or a yeast. Very much worth getting a veterinarian exam within next few days.

Temperature is everything with formula. And maintaining temp while feeding...I set formula cup in a hit water bath pot to help maintaining temp...105(?) Google it and get a candy thermometer. Also correct thickness older babies like it a little thicker.

Weaning by abundance.. lots of articles out there. Babies are more willing to try new foods after a formula feed. Seems weird but true.

Rice can easily spoil quickly even when refrigerated. I would only serve fresh made from the stove. Or switch to using quinoa and lentils, or cooked whole grains mixed with your veggies.

Have a digital kitchen scale and track weights. With a new baby I'd weigh every morning after first poop and log it.

 

[SumitaSinh]

What a lovely baby Zon waiting for more photos and updates

 

[Clueless]

@melissasparrots can help answer. She's had baby amazons.

My house walked in cold to amazons. Absolute zero bird knowledge. I rescued 2 wild caught blue front amazons (both DNA Male).

I would suggest you read old threads under Amazon forum. That may help.

Also we have a search feature.....

Your new buddy is adorable.

 

[melissasparrots]

Hi all,
I'd like to introduce our 15week old Amazon Buddy, and confess I am so so nervous. This is my first bird, my husband has had smaller parrots before so he's much more relaxed. We've been waiting for the right time to take one of these beauties home and now it is.

I have a few questions if you could help ease my mind where Google research isn't specific enough.

he's a bit fluffy and feathers don't look as neat as the adults because he is so young. Is this true? I've been reading a lot about fluffy looking birds being sick.

he'll be eating steamed brown rice and veggies and decided on pellets rather than seed. Does this sound okay?

its regurgitation he hasn't done it since. Google seems to think this is something older hormonal birds do but could it be to do with his weaning and the stress of yesterday?

He's clumsy as hell. Hasn't fallen but I'm watching him thinking he's walking and coining round the cage or his perch like a newborn deer. Perks of being a baby?

He chirrups. I think he was asking for food when I woke up and was doing it constantly. It's a lovely sound I just don't want to be missing anything. I feel like he's chirping whenever I stand up or get close or talk to him and maybe it's the only way he communicates right now?

He is very chill. Honestly I was expecting a lot more noise and drama from him. I know this is going to change and I'm looking forward to it. Google says young amazon's are very timid can you confirm?

One of the first things I would recommend doing is get a vet check done with culture and sensitivity to make sure there isn't a bacterial infection brewing. From the picture, he looks like a normal, healthy baby. But, as you say, fluffy feathers can be a sign of illness. For that matter, there can be no easily detected early signs of illness until the bird goes down hill fast. So, a vet check is warranted and probably a good idea for any newly purchased bird anyway. Also, if you don't already have a gram scale, get one. I usually get them from the postage area of an office supply store. It should be a gram scale or one that converts to grams. Most parrot people don't deal with ounces. Expect the weight to be on the low side for the species and to bounce around a bit for the next month or so since he's in the weaning process and usually they lose a decent amount of weight for that. The scale is needed not so much so that you know how much he weighs as that you need to know the trend. How much he weighs on Monday is nearly worthless. Its how much he weighs, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and what the trend is doing. You don't necessarily need to fret over the weight, but its often an early warning that things are going wrong. If an adult or weaned bird is suddenly lower weight than expected for no good reason, its time to investigate why. You'll need a gram scale anyway, might as well get one now. If later on, you try to drop a hand-feeding and the baby responds by loosing weight 2 days in a row, then you'll know it's too soon. If you drop a hand-feeding and the baby looses 10 grams one day but is back up the next and maintains within that 10 gram window, then you'll know you are on the right track. Always weigh at the same time of day(usually morning) and on an empty crop. Weigh him daily for the next few months and then switch to weekly once he grows up. It'll help you catch potential illness earlier. To specifically answer your first question though, from the picture, he looks like a normal baby.

For diet, a good varied diet is what you are after. Seed does have it's place. Especially for young birds that are often skinny from weaning and trying to lose weight to fly. As adults, I ration the seed so they don't get much more than a teaspoon or two every day. But, they still get some seed. I'd feed a variety. Expect to waste a lot of whatever kind of food you put in front of him. Give him a little bit of everything and don't fret too much about what he eats at this stage. The goal is to expose him to everything and get him eating. A few months after he has weaned and his weight is starting to come up, then you can fine tune the diet to what you want it to be permanently. My babies often really like cooked brown rice, cooked soft beans, cooked and mashed sweet potato with some banana. All mashed together and served at hand-feeding temp. I will often do a hand-feeding and then immediately put the baby back in the cage with a fresh serving of my sweet potato concoction and then I leave the room. A baby that has recently had a hand-feeding is often curious enough to eat a little bit on its own. Especially if mommy isn't around to distract it. Every time you do a hand-feeding, I would put something fresh in the bowls and then walk away for 30 minutes or so to let the baby explore food on his own without mommy staring at him. You should eventually find that he will want less and less formula and then go for the food in his bowls right after you put him back in the cage. Always having something fresh and new in the cage keeps them interested in sorting through the contents of their bowls. You may also want to consider some home done sprouted seeds. I get them from chinaprairie.com. Don't buy the kind from stores since they can be full of bacteria. There is some evidence that pellets alone are hard on the kidneys long term since they are so dry. A diet with a lot of moisture every day like the veggies and sprouted seeds combined with pellets is probably the best bet. I just let the sprouts grow until they have little tails on them and then I rinse them well and feed. I don't let them progress to the point that most people would eat them. I bet there is more information on sprouting in a diet forum here. Amazons really need those vitamin A rich veggies and a varied diet to get the real shine that a healthy adult amazon has. Often times I can spot a bird that is either seed only or pellets only just by looking at the feathers. Adult amazon tail feathers should be almost iridescent.

Regurgitation: this may or may not be normal and I can't really advise over the internet. Its the reason I suggested the culture and sensitivity at the vet just to be sure. Many babies will regurgitate at some point. I've had some baby amazons that almost developed a habit of it and did it after nearly every hand-feeding. As they wean, I think their crop starts to tighten up and its easy to make them a little uncomfortable. Honestly, I think some babies just want to taste it again and play with the food in their mouth. This is where it helps to feed and put him immediately back in the cage with some adult food to eat. Also, remember not to feed any more than 10% of his body weight (the other reason you'll need a scale). A lot of my baby amazons seemed full at about 8% of their body weight. He will want smaller and smaller feedings over time. At his age, if he seems uninterested in hand-feeding, don't try to persuade him. If you can get a couple cc's of formula into him and then put him back in the cage with warm veggies, that would be ideal to promote weaning for a baby that doesn't want much formula.

Clumsy may or may not be normal. If he's in a new cage, yeah he'll be clumsy. Especially if he's had his wings clipped. Most of my baby amazons were weaned by the time they were 16 weeks old or even much earlier. But, if yours has hand his wings clipped, that will delay everything by a few weeks. He also changed homes when he wasn't quite weaned so that will also delay progress for a few weeks. Just know, he should be on the verge of weaning. Normally, he'd be flying all over the place and that would help with the learning coordination and getting rid of the clumsy. But, if he's been clipped, he may very well be pretty clumsy.

The chirps and chortles are usually content amazon noises. Begging for formula sounds more like a verbal belch or maybe a baby farm animal. More like Bah, ah, ah, ah ah. Baah, ah, ah, ah, ah. You might be able to find a begging baby amazon sound on youtube.

I wouldn't say young amazons are timid. I've had several that were quite obnoxious. But, yours is recently in a new home. Also, you have a blue front and I've had yellow napes. Yellow napes may well be more obnoxious.

Good luck with your baby. If you don't know the sex yet, you can get DNA sexing done at the vet. Or you can do it yourself if you don't mind making your baby bleed a little. I would guess that if he's truly 15 weeks old, you won't be doing much hand-feeding for long. Probably within a couple of weeks he will be down to one or two partial feedings in morning and evening and then finishing the rest of his meals on his own. Sometimes they hang on to their bedtime feeding feeding for a while, but if you always put warm veggies in the bowl after a feeding, he will likely transition to eating that preferentially to formula. There is a decent chance you'll be done with hand-feeding within the month. Possibly much sooner.

 

[melissasparrots]

This video shows what begging sounds like. Sometimes they will beg even after they have refused formula or as they are in the process of eating their adult food. The video doesn't show the best hand-feeding technique, but you can get an idea of what begging sounds like to differentiate it from other sounds. You don't need to stop what you are doing and feed the baby every time it makes this noise. But, if he is making the noise a lot between feedings and not very interested in eating his adult food, then you'll probably need need to take a hard look at what his weight is doing and seriously consider feeding more or adding another feeding.

 

[Clueless]

I purchased a food scale to weigh my amazons

 

[SumitaSinh]

I purchased a food scale to weigh my amazons

But how do you take secret there? Does he climb on his own?

 

[zoo mom]

Welcome. What a beautiful baby.
I can't add anything about care because I have never had an unweaned baby or an Amazon of any type.

 

[Clueless]

But how do you take secret there? Does he climb on his own?

I actually have a small wooden T stand on a base. I turn on the scale, set the T stand base on it and zero it out. Then I transfer Secret there by using the T stick.

 

[Clueless]

In our search, look up "scale" and posted by Clueless. You'll find threads about weighing.

 

[Tyrion]

 

[Clarke86]

I purchased a food scale to weigh my amazons

I've used my baking scales with a perch on, he's 354g this morning and munching on a piece of kale I tied to his perch. No more regurgitation and I'm relaxing around him now.

 

[Clarke86]

I've used my baking scales with a perch on, he's 354g this morning and munching on a piece of kale I tied to his perch. No more regurgitation since that day and I'm relaxing around him now.

I'm making mash and finger feeding and he loves it. I've got an avian vet appointment for a check up to get him on the books annd he's not clipped but his clumsiness is already improving. His landings on the perches are getting good already.

 

[melissasparrots]

Be careful with too much finger feeding. It can be a great way to get a baby to start eating food out of a bowl. But, it can also cause them to become overly dependent on you as the source of food. See if you can get him to eat a few bites from your fingers, and then just hold the bowl and have him eat out of the bowl. Then transition to eating out of the bowl in the cage like a grown up. This should not be a long transition. A week at most.