How To Take Care of A Baby Parrot ? When caring for a baby parrot, it is important to have the bird’s favorite food on hand, minimize noise and activity for several days after bringing it home, and feed it properly. It will also need a suitable cage large enough to accommodate it as it grows. The wings of a parrot will also need to be cut so that it cannot fly away, damage furniture, or injure itself. Parrots will also need toys and other supplies for entertainment.
The first thing to keep in mind when choosing a baby parrot is that it is extremely important to buy it from a reputable breeder. Parrots should not be purchased until they have been properly weaned, as having to feed the bird by hand can lead to complications.
It could also lead to difficulties in bonding later, as most parrots end up migrating away from their nannies and joining their new families. For these and other reasons, it is best to go with a baby parrot that has been weaned and already has a stable feeding schedule.
Before bringing a baby parrot home, some supplies will be needed. First of all, the parrot will need a cage large enough to support it as it grows. Since parrots can get quite large, spacious bird habitat is usually needed. Parrots also do well with parrot toys, as they can get bored easily. In addition, you will need food and water containers and a coating at the bottom of the parrot cage to collect feces.
Many birds enjoy toy bells and other noisemakers. Others like small glassless mirrors that can be mounted in their cages. The most important thing to remember is that toys should be safe, too big to be suffocated, and unbreakable. Many pet stores offer toys specially designed for birds of various species, so this would be a good place to start.
New owners of baby parrots need to discuss in depth with the breeders with whom they deal in order to know what the bird prefers to eat and what the feeding program is. Stick to this schedule to keep your new bird’s routine as normal as possible for it. As the parrot grows, new foods can be introduced into its diet, assuming they are healthy and safe.
During the first days at home, handling a baby parrot should be limited to feeding and cleaning the cage. Birds can be easily upset, so there will be a period of adaptation to get used to being in a new environment. A blanket should be placed above the cage at night to promote sleep, and the cage should be placed somewhere away during the day. As the days go by, it is normal to handle the bird more and more so that the bond can occur.
Baby Parrot
The young bird is much more demanding in time and care than a bird aged 1 year and older. It is particularly susceptible to multiple infections as it has not yet developed a good immune system. It may not have all its feathers and it is very small which makes it more vulnerable to cold. It is unable to feed itself and requires your presence more often.
He doesn’t know how to fly and his biological parents aren’t there to show him so he needs stimulation. He is not surrounded by 80 other parrots of the same species as in nature (most parrots are gregarious) to learn to interact so you must show him how to do well to avoid problems of pecking or incessant vocalization in the future (too close often!). Here is a brief overview of the elements to know to properly care for a young bird.
Adopt a Baby Parrot
Weight
The weight of your bird is THE BEST INDICATION of its state of health. It should be taken every day, in the morning before meals using a food scale and should be noted in a journal dedicated to your bird (see new bird document).
Feeding
Your bird will have to be force-fed, either fed with breeding paste given to the syringe up to approximately 1 year-1 year and a half according to its needs. It is he and no one else who must choose; he will refuse his portion, he will eat it less quickly, spit it out when he does not want it anymore.
Never force a bird to eat what you give it with a syringe or spoon because you may cause aspiration pneumonia, that is, your bird will receive food in the lungs and may develop life-threatening pneumonia.
Hand-feeding baby birds
There are different companies selling LA PÂTÉE D’ÉLEVAGE. The most indicated are Harisson’s™, Roudyboush™, Kaytee™ exact ara (for the Ara) then Lafeber™. Tropican™ paste is acceptable as well. You should know that each species has special needs and that in nature, parents go to look for these particular foods. We try to imitate them but we are not as precise, although it is enough for them to receive the nutrients they need.
The QUANTITY administered varies by species. Cockatoos, African Greys, CaÏques, Ecruces, and Conures should receive 10% of their weight (kg) by volume (ml) at each meal. Hyacinth Macaws and Buffon Macaws should receive 12% of their weight at each meal while Cloroptera Macaws should receive 11%.
TEMPERATURE is very important. It should be between 102 and 106°F. If the pate is not warm enough, your bird will not accept it, and digestion will be inadequate. If it is warm enough, you will notice that your bird will make a back and forth movement with its head as if it wanted to hit its beak on the syringe.
This is a completely normal phenomenon that is observed in the chick when it is fed to the beak of its parents. If the pie is too hot, you risk burning your bird’s crop, the pocket into which food flows before reaching the stomach.
The ideal is to mix a few teaspoons of pâtée with previously boiled water that has been allowed to cool for a few minutes (otherwise you risk destroying the nutrients in the pâtée).
The mixture should be yogurt in texture and there should be no lumps at the risk of them swelling in your bird’s crop or complicating digestion. When mixed well, take the temperature with a thermometer (the wrist is unreliable!). If the mixture is not hot enough, add pate and hot water rather than reheating the mixture in the microwave.
This changes the pâté mixture and the temperature of the mixture is not homogeneous (risk of burning). If the mixture is too hot, place the container in cold water, stirring for about 1 minute.
Use clean CATHETER TIP SYRINGES (soaked in boiling water) to feed your bird. The spoon is not recommended, as it is more associated with risks of contamination, aspiration pneumonia, and creates more damage.
Bring the tip of the syringe INTO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE BIRD’S BEAK BY POINTING IT TO ITS RIGHT TO HIM to reduce the risk of false swallowing. Administer a small amount at a time to give it time to swallow.
CLEAN THE BEAK AND ITS CONTOUR WELL after each meal to avoid irritation of the skin around the beak or bacterial growth in the pâté residue on the bird’s beak.
The FREQUENCY of meals varies depending on the species and age of your bird. Here are APPROXIMATE values, if you notice weight loss along the way, increase the number of meals per day immediately.
Baby Cockatiel:
- 20-30 days: 3 meals a day
- 30-40 days: 2 meals a day
- 40-X days: 1 meal per day
Baby African Grey, Eclectus, Conure, CaÏque, Amazon Parrot:
- 25-40 days: 3 meals a day
- 40-50 days: 2 meals a day
- 50 to x days: 1 meal per day
- 30-45 days: 3 meals a day
- 45-65 days: 2 meals a day
- 65-90 days: 1 meal per day
- X: the moment when he will refuse his pie!
NOTE:
Do not prepare the pâtée mixture in advance for the whole day. Even if you place it in the fridge, bacterial growth is present and so is the risk of infection!
Your parrot crop should always be empty in the morning. If not, watch your bird’s droppings. If they are less frequent, consult a veterinarian, it may be that the digestive system of your bird works in slow motion (Disease).
As soon as your bird receives 2 meals a day, you can start THE TRANSITION by offering it feeds (Harisson, Lafeber, Roudybush, or Tropicana) all day in a dish in its cage as well as VARIOUS fruits and vegetables PLACED EVERYWHERE IN THE CAGE.
The more you vary the diet of your bird at a young age, the less capricious it will be and the more it will receive a balanced diet! The purpose of placing parrot food everywhere in the cage is to introduce your bird to foraging, which consists of enriching the environment that is essential for your bird (see New Bird document).
Seeds should not be offered, as they are high in fat and tastier. Your bird may develop an aversion to feeding and develop significant nutritional deficiencies. Seeds will be occasional rewards later in your bird’s life.
THE BOWL OF WATER can be offered as soon as it receives 2 meals a day. Be sure to change it at least 1 time a day.
When day x comes, when your bird decides it doesn’t want any more pie, you can start WEANING. It is important to proceed gradually and especially to MONITOR THE WEIGHT of your bird because you will probably not be present all day to monitor its food intake.
It is accepted that he loses up to 15% MAXIMUM of his current weight during the weaning period. If the loss exceeds 15% or even before if you notice that your bird is more turbulent than usual, if it screams more, if it is more biting, increase the amount of pie per meal.
The ideal is to start by reducing the amount of pâtée per meal and when he categorically refuses the slightest bite of pâtée, give him in 1 day out of 2. This is an important moment in the life of a parrot so it is worth paying close attention to its behavior.
What to do when you first remove a parrot chick from the nest
SOURCE:Tony Silva Aviculture
Room Temperature
Young birds are more sensitive to cold than adults because they are smaller and have fewer feathers. The ambient temperature should be about 24 ° C and you can also add a heat lamp (as for reptiles) above its cage making sure that it can not reach it, nor the wire, even when you take it out on top of the cage!
This lamp can be turned on for 2 hours in the afternoon (birds often take a nap in the afternoon and being less active, their body temperature decreases) or when his feathers are ruffled (a sign that he is cold unless he is playing).
Sleep
Like babies, young birds need maximum sleep in order to promote proper growth and good health. They need 12-14 hours of sleep per night, which implies NO NOISE (TELEVISION) AND NO LIGHT (opaque cover to cover the cage). In addition, you should never disturb a bird that takes a nap (classic in the afternoon).
Theft
Unfortunately, most of the birds sold have wing feathers cut off. It is not recommended to cut the feathers of birds even in adulthood (see new bird document) and this is even more important in young birds because they have still not learned to fly. In doing so, they may not develop the wings-flapping reflex and will not develop their muscles properly.
They, therefore, risk, the day they are free and more on them (or when a cat tries to bite them ..) to launch into the void to fly away, fall, and seriously injure themselves.
To remedy this, we can place the bird on our index finger, hold a paw with our thumb and make a movement, GENTLY, from top to bottom with our hand to encourage it to flap its wings. This will allow him to work his flying muscles and vaguely teach him how to fly. Thus, he will have more chance of escaping the fangs of the cat!
Socialization
Parrots are mostly gregarious, that is, they live in groups. From an early age, the bird is involved in the activities of the group and learns to “live in society.” Captive breeding, which we do, is contradictory to the very nature of the parrot. That is why it is imperative that you involve it to the fullest in your life and in that of others! Each member of your family should handle it and feel free to introduce it to visitors and friends.
The more contact he has with different people, the more he will learn to be open to strangers, and the less he will be afraid of them.
In addition, repeated contact with humans will serve as socialization with his group and teach him how to behave, that it is not acceptable to talk to someone who is already talking on the phone, to shout at someone who is right next door to communicate, etc. Be aware that by buying a parrot, you have committed to bringing it as much as it will bring you!! It is your responsibility.
That’s what completes this guide to caring for young birds. These are some tips and notions that will unfortunately answer only a few of your questions! So if you have any other questions or concerns about your bird, do not hesitate to contact us!
The basic hand-feeding of parrot chicks
SOURCE:Tony Silva Aviculture
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