Need help with 3 week old!

[6nickles]

So I got 2 little lovebirds from a breeder. He told me they were 5 weeks old and can be weaned in a couple weeks. I am not comfortable with a syringe so I use a spoon. Anyway, they are still new to me, just a day, and eating is going ok. I tried the syringe like he said but it was too much in his mouth. Of course I was thinking great I've killed him. I start looking up online what problems we could have and realize my babies are only 3 weeks old. No feathers on their backs and one doesn't have any tail feathers. So crap...breeder said oh no they are 5 weeks and just feed twice a day Any and all help would be great. Please don't be mean. Thanks

 

[Oscarbird]

@Zara, @Gigibirds , @Mizzely .

 

[Zara]

Hello there.

Switching to the spoon is a good idea. It´s much safer for novices.

Do you have a picture of your setup? You need to keep the birds in a brooder lined with a few inches of aspen shavings (coarse pine is ok if no aspen - NOT fine pine, NEVER EVER cedar).
Very important you have the temp and humidity well set up. Fluctuating temperatures can cause crop problems.

Formula prep for a lovebird at the 3 week age is the same as a 5 week old so there´s no change in that.

Have a read of this thread, there´s lots of info there, how to make a feeder spoon, charts to print for logging weight and feeds, demos on prepping formula and feeding etc;

Some helpful links about hand feeding :)

With these Links-I hope to bring You as Much information as I can to help anyone that finds them selves having to Hand feed A chick Lots of tips for Breeders-with links for Hand feeding etc http://www.parrotscanada.com/breeder...rbreeders.html A new way to Hand feed-With a Cup...

forums.avianavenue.com

If you have any specific questions, please post and ask - don´t think any question is silly or that people will ¨be mean¨.

 

[6nickles]

Thank you! I have them in a 5.5 gallon aquarium with a night heat light above. I keep their temp in the day between 74-80. My house is never below 73. At night I cover and it stays about 73. I have bedding then paper towel and then shelf liner for grip? Read that somewhere. So feed 3 times a day right? And just go until their done? Here's a pic of their setup Thank you!

 

[Zara]

I have bedding then paper towel and then shelf liner for grip? Read that somewhere.

Wood shavings are best. Fill the conatiner a good 3 inches deep, patting gently.

So feed 3 times a day right? And just go until their done?

At 3 weeks old it should be a minimum of 4 feeds per day.
And not quite feed until they´re done, you need to know how much they should be eating.

First, weigh the birds. Then use the weight to work out how much food. 10% of the birds bodyweight. For eg 30g is 3CC. 35g bird is 3.5CC food. If the bird eats that amount and is still begging for food and the crop is not full, you can give up to an extra 1CC.
Note how much you fed each bird. You can use the chart in the first link I posted above.
So in the morning you weigh the bird, feed the formula, fill in your chart. Then wait. After a few hours when the crop is almost but not quite empty, feed again. 10%. Jot it down. Carry on. Writing down times and amounts. Be sure they sleep on a full crop. You may find they can´t make it through the night yet on a full crop of food, so you will have to get up earlier than normal to feed the chicks again. This feed is different. The crop must be completely empty this time.
Even though the crop must be empty for the first morning feed of the day, it´s important that they are not hungry and with an empty crop for a long time leading up to that.
Using the info you jotted down the prev. day, you can now work out a rough schedule. You will know if it is 4 or 5 feeds and what time you need to put them to bed and wake them up.
I find this to be the most accurate way to work out a chicks schedule, as online info can sometimes be too text book, ¨eat at 8, 12, 4, 8, 12¨ does not work for all birds, and all human caregivers.

 

[Gigibirds]

Zara has already told you just about everything you need to know, but I have also found this Hand Feeding Baby Lovebirds From Day 1 website very helpful while raising baby lovebirds. Good luck and congratulations!

 

[6nickles]

Thank you for the info! Will keep updates!