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Help me. Baby cockatiel not eating!!!

barry collins

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Hello all. I have a clutch of 4 cockatiels and currently hand feeding because of plucking and then later after feeding visits started failing just plain abandonment from first time parents. Both parents are pets and very tame and bought both as males but that's a story for another time, however we got here I now have 4 abandoned chicks 3 of which are feeding from a syringe well and are getting fat and happy but the oldest chick who is 32 days old today and started flying 3 days ago will not take food by any method at all but still begs for food when it sees it's mum but she will not feed her. The chick has gone from 99 grams to 78 grams in 4 days with a little forced water and food and a visit to the vet for a small feed via tube but is otherwise healthy and active but I am just waiting for the inevitable to happen as she now feels very light and very thin breast and no crop bulge at all. Is there anything I can do or is my baby doomed ????
I use kaytee formula but it will not even swallow fruit juice or water or anything offered..... Please help how long has she got?????
 

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barry collins

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PS not first birds but first baby birds. At what point do you decide to call this an emergency?
 

sunnysmom

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I personally don't have baby bird experience but I do believe it's common for baby birds to lose some weight once they start to fly. However, I'm not sure how much "some" should be. That amount does seem like a lot. Will the baby eat millet spray? oatmeal? Maybe he's weaning and doesn't want formula- although he is pretty young still? Hopefully others can answer. In the meantime this is the best source I know on baby tiels: Hand-Feeding and Weaning - Just Cockatiels!

Although Suzanne, the website author hasn't been on AA in awhile, I believe she can be contacted through her website and facebook page. I consulted her when I was having issues with my tiel and have always found her to be very helpful. I hope your baby is okay.

@CeciliaZ ? @melissasparrots ?
 
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sunnysmom

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Also did the vet check to make sure there are no health issues?
 

barry collins

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No the vet made no checks as nothing else is abnormal, only refusal to swallow food or water. I have sent a message to srtiels on Facebook to see if she can shed some light. I don't think 20 grams is a safe loss even for fledging and still begging mother bird for food. She feels very skinny. I think she bonded to her mom too long and just doesn't see me as a source of food. I have ordered a needle and will tube feed if it gets here in time... It's the weekend and post is slow
 

sunnysmom

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No the vet made no checks as nothing else is abnormal, only refusal to swallow food or water. I have sent a message to srtiels on Facebook to see if she can shed some light. I don't think 20 grams is a safe loss even for fledging and still begging mother bird for food. She feels very skinny. I think she bonded to her mom too long and just doesn't see me as a source of food. I have ordered a needle and will tube feed if it gets here in time... It's the weekend and post is slow
I agree- I think 20 grams is a lot. I hope she will be okay. I think Suzanne has a facebook group too. I don't know if anyone there would be able to answer- but hopefully others here will answer soon also.
 

barry collins

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Thanks. All I can do is wait..... Can anybody offer some advice or put my mind at rest.... Anybody had same issues in the past? Please......?
 

barry collins

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OK will try to give her some.......
If it helps she is still very strong and can still fly so not physically impared yet but I know birds can go downhill fast.
 

WendyN

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Hope she starts feeding soon.
 

CeciliaZ

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I'm sorry...I have no experience with tiels that are still being hand fed. I did bring home 2 tiels that were recently weaned and they were pretty light weight - only in the low 70's. The vet was not really concerned...that was about 7 years ago...and they are healthy today. I hope your baby will be OK...
 

barry collins

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Sounds promising? Chick seems fine otherwise. Other chicks are mid 80s and one 6 days younger is only 53 grams but others all eating fine and gaining weight. I just don't know why it would starve itself as it's not shy or scared of anyone. All the babies have been handled regularly.
 

iamwhoiam

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I never handfed 'tiels although have handfed other birds but if she is flying he/she is starting to fledge but 32 days does seems a little young to start weaning although I've actually read about some 'tiels weaning at about 6 weeks of age. Do you have experience tube feeding? I would continue to try to syringe feed. You may want to consider adding some organic baby food to the formula. It makes it more palatable for some. Feed her siblings first and see if that stimulates her/him to want to eat. I hope that others who have experience with 'tiels can advise you. Perhaps provide the baby with a dish of formula or mash that she/he can eat on its own or even provide a bit of millet spray to see if she will try eating that and continue to try handfeeding her. You can even try to handfeed her multiple times a day using smaller amounts rather than larger amounts of formula just a few times a day. If the weight is dropping too quickly and the bird is getting little if any food in her and you have no experience tube feeding then the best thing would be to bring the baby back to the vet for tube feeding. I hope that all will be well with the baby.
 

barry collins

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I took her to the vet and to be honest they weren't really interested as it didn't have a problem as such and when she tubed she only gave 2g of formula and I was expecting to get a good feed. She showed me what to do with the tube and then refused to sell me a tube but would order me one to arrive in 5 days? No good I said bird may be dead in less. Anyway I have ordered the correct size tube and am pretty confident once I have it but honestly she wriggles so much when I try to get anything in her mouth that any other method is useless right now. I've tried baby fruit dessert and porridge and plain water and starting to get quite stressed about it and upset even that she is been so stubborn about food. I feel reluctant phoning the vet again as they made me feel a bit daft and said I should be dealing with it at home myself ( but got no tube?!) I've made a flexible tube but because she fights and clamps her beak closed it is impossible to try and insert it without fear of hurting her. A metal tube can hold the beak open while you insert with one hand and is so much easier.... Just gonna have to wait for the post man. I really would like to know if anyone else has had such a drop in appetite at fledging. I suppose 78 grams is still OK for a young bird but after a peak of 99 it has scared me.. they now have millet and water to nibble on permanently in the cage.
 

iamwhoiam

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If she is wriggling and wiggling and you don't have experience tube feeding except that they showed you one time I don't know if this is the route you want to go. Have you fed the siblings first so she can watch them eat and perhaps this can motivate her? 78 gms is not a bad weight and you need to keep weighing her and make sure she is getting enough food into her and that the weight doesn't continue to drop too much. You may need to go to an avian vet for a second opinion. If you let us know your approximate location someone might be able to give you a recommendation for a vet. What are her droppings like? Is she eating any of the millet or drinking any of the water? Have you tried putting the formula or some softened pellets in a dish.
 
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