Help? 9 Wks B&G Regurgitating formula

[nanaschi]

Our Baby Blue & Gold Rio is giving us a hard time eating. We have to kind of force him to eat his formula and them he tries to regurgitate most of it back. We have pellets & vegetable for him, and he tries to eat them, but he is not eating enough of them. Has this happened to someone? Should we be worried? His weight is flutuating up & down by 10 grams. He is 1081 grams and pretty much covered in his new feathers.

 

[crzybrdldy]

If your baby is only 9 weeks old I wouldn't force feed him you could cause him to asperate which is a very bad thing.

Is this your first time handfeeding a parrot? I am going to see if I can get someone with some experience here to help you.

 

[Greycloud]

Welcome to the Avenue Trudy. I definitely think your baby needs to see the vet ASAP. Regurging or vomiting can be due to an infection in the crop as well as many other reasons. I wish you the best.
Also, if you post her what formula you feed, the temp and consistency and how much you feed it may help.

 

[WingedVictory]

Good Morning and welcome to the forum.

Your nine week old bird is should be on around 4 hand feedings per day, 60-100cc of formula each feeding. It is to early for him to be eating on his own. The regurgitation could be the result of a bacterial or fungal infection. Please do not try and force feed your bird as Patty above mentioned the bird can aspirate the formula and get a respiratory infection. I would recommend taking the bird to and avian vet for an exam. If the bird has an infection you it is going to need antibiotic or an anti-fungal or both.

You are doing a great job in monitoring the birds weight using a scale! Please ask your vet about adding a few drops of Bragg brand apple cider vinegar to the birds formula. The ACV will help keep away minor fungal or bacteria infection.

Please keep us posted.

Gary

 

[waterfaller1]

I agree with Judy. A qualified avian vet can also go over your handfeeding procedure, and make sure you have the right consistency, temperature, and make sure you are holding the syringe properly. What formula are you using? This one is what I used for Holly, and I tried them all.
Zupreem Embrace PLUS Hand Feeding Formula 5# - ZUPREEM HAND FEEDING by MY SAFE BIRD STORE

 

[nanaschi]

Thank you, we are feeding him now between 110 & 120 cc's and the temperature 102 or 100 - 3 times a day. The brand we are using is the EXACT hand feeding formula for Baby Macaws. We wait to feed the formula when he pumps, to avoid aspiration. Yes, this is are first time handfeeding.

 

[waterfaller1]

The temperature is too low..should be 105-107F. The amount should be 10% of the birds' body weight at each feeding. Weight should be monitored daily.

 

[waterfaller1]

Some birds cannot handle the Kaytee formula. I am not a fan.The Embrace has the extra nutrition baby macaws need. I recommend that you consider switching.

 

[crzybrdldy]

You are in good hands now!!!!!

 

[Greycloud]

Yes Trudy, you need to up the temp of the formula. 105-108F. Also it should be the consistency of thick gravy. What temp is his brooder that he stays in? Too cold formula can cause slow crop, yeast or bacterial infections. Too hot can burn the crop. It is very important to keep the temp of formula correct.

 

[nanaschi]

I will increase the temperature, we check with a thermometer. Also will try the Zupreem formula, to see if he does better with it. I made an appointment to take him tomorrow to the vet. We have a lamp in his cage to keep temperature around 78 to 80. Thank you all for your help!

 

[Bokkapooh]

How long does it take for him to digest his food?

 

[nanaschi]

We feed him in the morning around 9 or 10, by 2 in the afternoon we feed him again when his crop is pretty much empty. Then the next feeding is at 9 or 10 at night. We were doing 4 feedings and were told to cut down to 3 so he can start investigating the pellets and fresh veggies we put in the cage for him. We had also added a low perch for him and he already tries to perch on it. The whole family tries to interact with him, is this a problem? Should we have only one person handling his feedings?

 

[all4stvoyager]

I personally, and I think many on this board like to "abundance" wean...meaning let the bird tell you when to drop a feeding. You can have fresh foods in the cage as an option soon, and as he weans himself he will want less formula. When he doesn't want to eat as much formula, he'll let you know. Then you can drop a feeding. I'd go back up to 4 a day and let him tell you

 

[waterfaller1]

The whole family tries to interact with him, is this a problem? Should we have only one person handling his feedings?

My concern would be just the aspiration possibility. It is VERY easy to aspirate a baby. Maybe have one or two people handle the feeding, but everyone can play with him.
Also, keep a container of warm water under the container that holds his formula, so it stays at the right temp throughout the feeding. Do not microwave the formula, as hot spots can occur, that can burn the crop.
As Sara mentioned, abundance weaning is what we like to see. You can place a sheet on the floor, and put all kinds of interesting things to eat and play with there, and let him explore the colors and textures. Some also like to use weaning pellets. They are large, about the size of a soft cheeto. You wet them and they puff up and get soft. Babies take these pretty well, when they are ready to. There is a natural colored one, and a colored one. I prefer the natural, no color.

 

[tammie]

I would definitely take him to the vet tomorrow, and tell him all that you have told us. He may have an infection from the formula being too cool. For a macaw I have the temp. 106-108 and stir it to be sure there are no hot spots in it. At his age I would have him on 4 feedings a day. I would rather him have 4 feedings and eat a little less that 3 and stuffing him. He should be getting approx. 10% of his body weight, like Carole said. I would just have 1 person handfeeding him, 2 if you have to have someone else, and I would have him in a quiet area with no one else around when you are feeding. You need to have your full attention on him, and he needs his attention on eating instead of watching what is going on elsewhere.
My thoughts is that he is not eating because it's too cool. Some birds, usually the larger ones will refuse to eat cool formula. Also, like Carole said I would feed the Zupreem Embrace formula. It's probably one of the best formulas out there. If there is any way you can keep him warmer it would help also. He should have been kept in a brooder and if you don't have one, try to keep his temp. around 85. If he acts like he gets too warm you can lower it a bit.

Definitely keep that vet appointment. Hope he gets on the right track and grows up to be a wonderful bird for you!!