9w/o baby b&g refusing formula

MyronGainz · May 28, 2014

Hey everyone,

I've run into a bit of trouble with my baby b &g. I approximate that he is about 9 to 10 weeks old now. He's been eating 120 cc of Kaytee exact macaw formula twice a day until Sunday night.

On Sunday he only ate about 60 cc and then began refusing. Everything he took he would just spit out.
I took him to the vet who examined him and diagnosed him with a vitamin a deficiency and crop mycosis. He received two injections of a multivitamin and a treatment called Menanox (that's what I I can I can make out, at least).

While he has seemed a bit better throughout the day yesterday, he refused his formula after about 60 cc last night. He will literally cry and scream at the sight of the syringe and will not accept any more food despite not being full. He will then make his way back into his cage on his own, crying until he's there.

Otherwise he spends his time picking at his bedding and strongly flapping his wings.

I'm not sure what else to do. I've tried feeding him mashed fruit and veggies, but he will play with most of it instead of eating it. He will however drink on his own.

If anyone has any input it would be much appreciated. I'm afraid that I'm running running out of options.

labell · May 28, 2014

No one is a vet here and this baby needs an avian vet right away!! Babies go down fast PLEASE do not wait any longer!

MyronGainz · May 28, 2014

I did take him to an avian vet, I said so in my original post.
He was diagnosed, by the vet, with crop mycosis and a vitamin a deficiency.

He's currently receiving medication for the conditions and I guess what I was trying to ask was if anyone here has been in a similar situation and could share some insight

JerseyWendy · May 28, 2014

Welcome to the forum.

Do you have any breeders/experienced hand feeders nearby? Your baby may actually need to be fed via tube, but ONLY the most experienced folks should even attempt this. What is "menanax"? With a crop infection the baby needs antibiotics. How long have you had this baby, and how come he/she can have a vitamin deficiency at such a young age?

It's critical that the baby gets the necessary amount of food, as (as Laura has pointed out) chicks at that age can go downhill rather rapidly.

labell · May 28, 2014

I know you said you had taken him but continued refusal to eat and crying means he should have stayed at the vets. Are you experienced in hand feeding? Did you get the baby from a breeder or store? Have you told them the issues you are having? It doesn't seem to me that from what you said the baby was eating or digesting properly from the start. Did the vet run any disease tests? Draw blood, fecal samples?

What temp is the formula when you feed?

MyronGainz · May 28, 2014

Hey, Thanks for replying again.
That's the name of the medication that I found on the dosage instructions
I was told that it is a water soluble antibiotic .

As far as a vitamin deficiency goes, I was wondering the same thing. Especially if he's being fed formula. As far as temperature goes, he is fed his formula between 105 and 107 degrees.

He has been with me for about four weeks, eating up to 120 cc twice a day before this happened. He has a healthy weight of 1100 grams

No blood was drawn but a fecal sample was taken and tested.

Kiwibird · May 28, 2014

Even if he has already been to the vet, if he is not improving, he needs to go back. If this vet is unwilling to listen, take him to another one who is. loss of appetite in ANY bird is a bad sign, let alone a much more delicate and sensitive baby. I hope you get this baby into see a vet on an emergency basis TODAY and everything works out.

JerseyWendy · May 28, 2014

MyronGainz said:
Hey, Thanks for replying again.
That's the name of the medication that I found on the dosage instructions
I was told that it is a water soluble antibiotic .

As far as a vitamin deficiency goes, I was wondering the same thing. Especially if he's being fed formula. As far as temperature goes, he is fed his formula between 105 and 107 degrees.

He has been with me for about four weeks, eating up to 120 cc twice a day before this happened. He has a healthy weight of 1100 grams

No blood was drawn but a fecal sample was taken and tested.

With all due respect, if your baby is now only 8-9 weeks old, and you got him when he was 4-5 weeks, he needed to be fed more often than just twice a day.

I truly hope he will recover from this.

Which formula are you feeding, is it Macaw specific?

labell · May 28, 2014

JerseyWendy said:
MyronGainz said:

Hey, Thanks for replying again.
That's the name of the medication that I found on the dosage instructions
I was told that it is a water soluble antibiotic .

As far as a vitamin deficiency goes, I was wondering the same thing. Especially if he's being fed formula. As far as temperature goes, he is fed his formula between 105 and 107 degrees.

He has been with me for about four weeks, eating up to 120 cc twice a day before this happened. He has a healthy weight of 1100 grams

No blood was drawn but a fecal sample was taken and tested.

Click to expand...

With all due respect, if your baby is now only 8-9 weeks old, and you got him when he was 4-5 weeks, he needed to be fed more often than just twice a day.

I truly hope he will recover from this.

Which formula are you feeding, is it Macaw specific?

Thank you Wendy, I too was freaking over the fed twice a day part!

MonicaMc · May 28, 2014

I was thinking to feed less food more often...... split the meals up throughout the day.

Is the crop emptying well?

Mekaisto · May 28, 2014

Everyone has already given good advice, I will add - what humidity and temperature is his environment? A high humidity can encourage mycosis in young parrots.
Are you sterilising feeding tools/containers/equipment frequently?

Keep him in the dark while you are not feeding him to prevent him from being too active - if he is sick, the last thing he needs to be doing is wasting energy.

GW.Joe · May 29, 2014

When people here say the "bird can go downhill quickly" it's because everyone here knows a baby bird can reach a point of no return and die in a matter of days

When you say "He has a healthy weight of 1100 grams"

When was that? Are you weighing him every day now? What is his weight Today?

Joe

9w/o baby b&g refusing formula

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