Conure health

Hello, 3 days ago I got a 4 week old green cheek conure and I've been hand feeding it with a syringe. Since yesterday, my bird has been opening its mouth in between feeding and since a few hours it's been opening its mouth, bobbing its head up and down and after vomiting the food I just gave it. I don't know why is this happening, the bird is acting healthy but it doesn't take interest in food and when I feed it, it does what I explained earlier. I am a new owner, this is the first bird I've ever had and I would like to know if I'm feeding it wrong or if the bird is okay. Thank you to anyone who answers.

Oh my, I'm sorry this is happening to you and your new baby, and I want you to know that this is not your fault, it's the fault of the irresponsible breeder or pet store who sold you an unweaned baby bird. No one should ever be sold an unweaned baby bird unless they are a very experienced bird breeder, it is a very difficult process with an infinite amount of major problems that can arise and can kill the baby bird. I bred and hand-raised birds for over 20 years and I still had problems arise out of nowhere. So I obviously get enraged when I hear about breeders and pet shops selling people unweaned baby birds, especially people who haven't even owned a bird before in their life. They do it to make more money, the quicker they can stop feeding the babies the quicker they can stop spending money on them and the quicker a spot opens up for a new baby to move in to be sold. Uhg.

Where did you get the baby bird? You've only had it for 4 days, and honestly the best thing you can do is take the baby back to the place you got it and have them finish weaning it. 4 weeks is very, very, very young, and he probably won't be completely weaned until he is between 8-10 weeks old, so you've got a very long way to go, and too many things can go wrong. So if you can take him back I would do so ASAP. Most places will finish weaning them for you and allow you to visit them, or even allow you to help feed them with their help. That's option#1 and it's the best option for your baby.

What formula are you feeding the baby? Are you keeping a candy/cooking thermometer in the formula the entire time you are feeding him to make sure the formula you are trying to get him to eat is not one degree hotter than 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and not a degree colder than 103 degrees Fahrenheit? One degree hotter will burn his crop, one degree colder and he may not want to eat it, and even if he does it may cause slow crop, crop stasis, or a yeast Infection in his crop. Are you mixing the formula a bit on the runny side because he is so young? Are you allowing his crop to completely empty between feedings? His crop absolutely must completely empty before you attempt another feeding. At only 4 weeks old he needs to be fed every 3-4 hours, meaning he gets 5-6 feedings per day minimum. He's right on the cusp of being able to wait 6 hours overnight to be fed, but barely. Prior to 4 weeks old he needed to be fed every 2-3 hours including overnight. So now his crop should be completely emptying in 3-4 hours after feeding him, allowing him to become hungry and beg for food every 3-4 hours like clockwork. So if his crop is not emptying every 3-4 hours after you feed him and he is not begging for a feeding every 3-4 hours allowing for 5-6 feedings per day, something is very wrong. A photo of him would be helpful, please post a photo of his entire body, and a clear, close-up photo of his crop.

Are you keeping him in a proper brooder? If he is not kept in a brooder at the correct temperature until his entire body is covered with down and feathers, this too will cause slow crop, crop stasis, crop Infection, etc. Baby birds cannot regulate their own body temperature until they are fully covered with a complete layer of down and feathers coming in, so you must regulate his temperature for him. So that can be an issue as well.

Please post more information, as much information as you can about your feeding process, schedule, etc. Be as detailed as possible because it is a process in which one little detail being wrong or off can literally kill your baby. And please post some detailed pics.

Again, this is not your fault and I'm not scolding you, I'm trying to let you know what the people you bought this baby from didn't tell you.



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