Adopted a baby- am I doing this right?

I had a lovebird when I was a kid (13 to 18) and have so many fond memories of that time/relationship...

Now I'm 26 and have adopted another lovebird. I wanted to get a young bird so it would be tame/bonded to me. I think I made a mistake in buying a VERY young bird. He is 4.5 weeks old and I'm having to hand feed him. Luckily, I'm mostly a stay-at-home mom, so I have time to feed him and I'm often up at night anyway, so the schedule isn't an issue.

I fed him for the first time this morning and he wasn't super interested. He didn't flap and bob like what I've seen other hand fed birds do. He just sort of lapped at it. I made sure the formula was gravy-like consistency and was 105 degrees. His crop seemed about half-full after taking 4 mL but he didn't seem to want anymore. He lapped a little bit off of a baby spoon. I cleaned him up and placed him back in his nest box...which is another issue-

I don't have a brooder, but I have a cage. I took a small box with a couple of holes in it (so he can go in and out) and placed the box in the back corner of the cage. Beneath the cage I placed a large heating pad, and then I put large cloth diapers (the old fashioned kind, sort of like dish towels) on the bottom grate of the crate. I put a thermometer in the cage and it reads about 82 degrees. Is this set-up okay?

Am I doing alright or should I take him to a local breeder for a good tutorial in hand-feeding? She's about 35 minutes away and has agreed to help me if I would like.

Thanks for the help!

Sarah

I think I've figured it all out....

Hi Sarah, welcome to the forums. I wish you the best of luck with your lovebird. I can't offer helpful advice as I've never hand fed a baby parrot. A lot of our members that could be of help are busy with holiday plans. Did you have a chat with the breeder you mentioned? Please let us know how it goes with Hedwig.

4ml is probably plenty per feed. The bird will stop eating when it has had enough. If the bird is fully feathered then it won't require extra heating.