Preparing for our baby!

[expressmailtome]

Welcome, and enjoy the site!

 

[Vittror]

Welcome to the Avenue!

 

[CMarshall2]

Welcome to Avian Avenue Cathy! Like others said, we don't see Illigers often. It's really quite shocking regarding the extra fee the breeder is charging for not clipping the baby. Have you ever hand fed before?

I have not. The breeder has been sending me video tutorials of her feeding the baby I bought, along with a long instruction sheet, and I've also been reading other articles and watching videos. Plus joining these forums and facebook groups is all I have.

I did hand wrestle...ehem, I mean...feed 15 teenage chickens their coccidiosis medication today, does that count? but in all seriousness. Theres a big difference between a $10 chicken and a very expensive macaw, that will be our lifetime pet... so I'm trying to prepare. Plus we'll be straight away to our avian vet when he gets here. I'm open for any advice and tips.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

I have not. The breeder has been sending me video tutorials of her feeding the baby I bought, along with a long instruction sheet, and I've also been reading other articles and watching videos. Plus joining these forums and facebook groups is all I have.

I did hand wrestle...ehem, I mean...feed 15 teenage chickens their coccidiosis medication today, does that count? but in all seriousness. Theres a big difference between a $10 chicken and a very expensive macaw, that will be our lifetime pet... so I'm trying to prepare. Plus we'll be straight away to our avian vet when he gets here. I'm open for any advice and tips.

Can you share the video tutorials her feeding the baby? Nothing can quite prepare you for actual hands on feeding. Some babies have a very strong feeding response ( bobbing their heads quite actively). Hopefully the breeder has given you a list of things to have ready for your baby along with the temperature she feeds the formula and how she mixes it ratio-wise. Since you brought up the chickens do be sure you have thoroughly washed your hands and changed your clothes before handling your macaw to avoid any transfer of bacteria. This includes any utensils/ supplies you use for the chickens which should in my opinion be cleansed and disinfected in a separate area from anything related to your supplies and utensils/ syringes for the macaw. Ask your vet while you're there if they have experience with hand feeding should you need a hands on guidance to ensure you're doing the feeding properly.

 

[BirdAtHart]

Just wanted to share that I also have a baby coming home in a few weeks, he’s a dna’d male Catalina Macaw, 9 weeks old right now and he’s stunning I can’t wait to bring him home and we will be going through a lot of the same things around the same time, so I’ll look forward to coming to the forum for questions and advice! Also, I told my breeder not to clip my babies wings and he said they would never do that this young anyway, and he certainly isn’t charging me any extra to leave them unclipped. That’s crazy!

 

[BirdAtHart]

Also I second the question of sharing the videos of her hand feeding.. I would love to see them if possible.

 

[CMarshall2]

Can you share the video tutorials her feeding the baby? Nothing can quite prepare you for actual hands on feeding. Some babies have a very strong feeding response ( bobbing their heads quite actively). Hopefully the breeder has given you a list of things to have ready for your baby along with the temperature she feeds the formula and how she mixes it ratio-wise. Since you brought up the chickens do be sure you have thoroughly washed your hands and changed your clothes before handling your macaw to avoid any transfer of bacteria. This includes any utensils/ supplies you use for the chickens which should in my opinion be cleansed and disinfected in a separate area from anything related to your supplies and utensils/ syringes for the macaw. Ask your vet while you're there if they have experience with hand feeding should you need a hands on guidance to ensure you're doing the feeding properly.

I will see, they are facebook lives she makes for her customers but I'm not sure if she's set to private? she goes through twice a week and shares about a 40 minute video of her feeding routine with all of the babies, talks about the temperature, how many cc's, and what to watch for in feeding cues, crop size, emptying, etc. She usually has what seems like over 30 - 40 babies in the videos from cockatiels to large macaws. Plus a tutorial sheet with everything written down she sent me in the mail. And I will be setting up the vet appointment for right after he arrives within the first few days. He is a relatively well known/respected avian vet here that the rescue nearby recommends but I'll call tomorrow and see if getting some hands on advice on hand feeding would be a possibility at the appt.

Thanks for bringing that up about the chickens. I will have to be extra cautious and evaluate my routine. I have some NPIP certified mentors that may be able to help on that spectrum.

 

[CMarshall2]

I wasn't sure how to go about this but I was thinking of making an introduction post in the macaw section but updating you all here that my baby is here safe and sound. Got an afternoon hand feeding in after that crazy flight from Georgia to Ohio, nibbled on some pellets, and he (or she) even took a great little clumsy flight of freedom a little while ago. and we spent a few minutes working on step up. I got one willing foot so far would love some great unique name ideas, I'll have to make a decision after getting a dna test done!

 

[RockyP]

Can you share the video tutorials her feeding the baby? Nothing can quite prepare you for actual hands on feeding. Some babies have a very strong feeding response ( bobbing their heads quite actively). Hopefully the breeder has given you a list of things to have ready for your baby along with the temperature she feeds the formula and how she mixes it ratio-wise. Since you brought up the chickens do be sure you have thoroughly washed your hands and changed your clothes before handling your macaw to avoid any transfer of bacteria. This includes any utensils/ supplies you use for the chickens which should in my opinion be cleansed and disinfected in a separate area from anything related to your supplies and utensils/ syringes for the macaw. Ask your vet while you're there if they have experience with hand feeding should you need a hands on guidance to ensure you're doing the feeding properly.

Where did you get your Illiger's from?