i am about to get an Alexandrine chick of 2 -2.5 months

Hi i am Ady and i am a new member here.
i am about to buy a chick of about 2-2.5 moths. i do have the experience of taking care of parrots as i had lutino love birds and an Indian ring neck but love birds were adult and ring neck was 6 months old so i do not have any experience of Hand feeding.

the baby i am about to get is currently on 3 times a day feed. I work and it is not possible for me to feed him 3 times a day.
My question is how hard will it be to change the feed plan and how important the temperature is for this baby.

Thanks for your help.

Welcome!

You should not be getting a baby that needs to be hand-fed still...It is complicated and it doesn't help bonding in the long-run. You will be doing the bird a disservice by adopting it when you do not have the time or resources to care for it (and you may even kill it accidentally). A responsible breeder shouldn't be selling unweaned chicks anyway...

Read this-- it is true: http://www.parrotforums.com/breeding-raising-parrots/74363-so-you-bought-unweaned-baby.html

i can feed him 2 times a day easily and i have experience with birds and i want a baby...

Well, if you can't commit to the required feedings, you won't have one for long...I know that is awful, but it is the truth.
Read that link.
Why is it that you want such a young baby? It's a disservice to the birds to be pulled so young (unless by medical necessity, and even then, they have standards for feeding etc which must be met around the clock).

If you think it will help you bond more closely that is a misconception, so just waiting a bit would actually be much healthier for your relationship and the bird's health. There is a lot of research out there that shows pulling birds too young makes them more anxious and less secure overall (less bonded, in fact).

Well i really appreciate your feedback. I will share some details and will ask your views about it.
The reason i want it this early is because i want to hand tame it and like u said create a bond with him(like no biting and all).
Second i can feed him 3 times a day but timing will b different. as i work from 9-6 i can feed him at 9 at 6.30 and at 11 (will this do or time matters too?)
last, i can also get a self feeding chick about one year of age and even hand tamed.but i wan to tame it my way.. so what should i do?
i am responsible and can take care of baby that i know. but i want seniors view based on their experience.
Thanks

its_ady said:

Well i really appreciate your feedback. I will share some details and will ask your views about it.
The reason i want it this early is because i want to hand tame it and like u said create a bond with him(like no biting and all).
Second i can feed him 3 times a day but timing will b different. as i work from 9-6 i can feed him at 9 at 6.30 and at 11 (will this do or time matters too?)
last, i can also get a self feeding chick about one year of age and even hand tamed.but i wan to tame it my way.. so what should i do?
i am responsible and can take care of baby that i know. but i want seniors view based on their experience.
Thanks

Click to expand...

The thing is, your bond will not be better. Yes, for like the first few months it may seem that way, but when your bird hits it's adolescent years and sexual maturity, you will actually be worse off than if you waited to adopted him at the proper time. Again-- that link I told you to read is written by someone who knows what they are doing and it was "thanked" by most of the forum--- pulling a chick so young seriously won't make your bond any better. You might think so at first, but that is just because babies in general tend to be sweet to those that raise them-- it doesn't last long term.
YES--- human interaction early-on is key, but YOU hand-rearing it makes no difference in terms of the bond.

I'd get the self-feeder--- it is so risky to deal with hand-feeding and there isn't a benefit to you personally. You may get bitten, but that would happen even if you got this baby and raised it successfully from such a young age--- in fact, birds often "push away" from their parents as they mature, plus pulling a bird from its mother too early damages the bird in general.


Bottom line- no matter what you do, there can be no skimping on feeding. You must follow the schedule.

Hi, please consider the above advice! Your two opening questions already exposed red flags! Food temp can mean life or death! And, you are on their schedule, not the other way around! The hand feeding myth is just that! A myth! The little ones learn many skills from the flock! There is reliable data that when pulled too young, a bird may have life long psychological and social issues!
You also run the risk of being rejected once the little one feels the need to leave the nest!

Thank you for your feedback and suggestions.
I have decided that i will not buy the baby but will get weaned one.As a bird lover i would love to take care of parrot as my baby but yes you guys are right,
It will be heart breaking for me if some thing happened to him because of my carelessness.

The weaned one is about 7-8 months old. Any tips to create a close bond with him
Thanks

Just want to chime in regarding the hand feeding/bonding myth- Baby birds do not form lifelong bonds with their parents (which is the role human hand feeder in the scenario where a baby bird is being hand fed). While being hand fed by a human increases a birds general trust in humans and ability to bond to a future owner, at weaning, a baby bird naturally rejects its parents and moves on to forge relationships with other non-related birds. In a human/pet bird scenario, this natural process makes the ideal time to bring home a young parrot shortly AFTER being weaned off hand feedings when it is primed and ready to forge new, non-parental relationships. This also makes the ideal person to hand feed through weaning the breeder, since they have no vested interest in keeping the bird as a pet after weaning.

It is a good call not to buy an unweaned bird. Not just because it’s dangerous for the bird to be in the hands of an inexperienced hand feeder, but also because it doesn’t actually do anything for the birds potential to form a strong bond to you. It is a very old school and outdated way of thinking going back to the days of wild caught birds that were extremely difficult to tame and people realizing hand feeding baby birds made them not scared of humans and better pets, but not yet fully comprehending the complex social interactions of parrots. Best of luck finding a weaned baby who is ready to become your new friend!

its_ady said:

Thank you for your feedback and suggestions.
I have decided that i will not buy the baby but will get weaned one.As a bird lover i would love to take care of parrot as my baby but yes you guys are right,
It will be heart breaking for me if some thing happened to him because of my carelessness.

The weaned one is about 7-8 months old. Any tips to create a close bond with him
Thanks

Click to expand...

You've made an excellent decision, but FTR please allow a somewhat dissenting opinion. It is possible to hand feed a chick without experience provided you learn quickly, have a deft touch, and have the time to feed on the bird's schedule. My mom hand-fed three newly hatched Goffins with 100% success. Not a conscious choice, the parents promptly abandoned them after 3 to 4 days. She fed them round the clock and received permission from her supervisor to bring them to work and feed as needed. A rare confluence of events, but proves all things are possible circumstantially.

Superb thread to help bond and build trust: http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

I bought a parent-raised youngster of about 8 months of age (but I'm not sure) and we have an incredible bond. I got bitten 3 times in 1 day earlier this year because of hormones, but other than that I hadn't been bitten for over a year! He isn't cuddly, but I knew Alexandrines weren't particularly cuddly when I decided that they would be the bird for me so I haven't tried to get him used to hands that way. He steps up and flies to my hand no problem.

You won't struggle to bond with a hand-raised BUT WELL WEANED baby.

Even if you can handle straight away I'd suggest you take it slow and steady. Lots of time by the cage just talking and giving treats until he or she is interested in you and wants to be near you. Be guided by the bird. I would probably handle as soon as you can, but only very minimally so you don't push too far, but also don't lose that trust with hands.

Scott said:

You've made an excellent decision, but FTR please allow a somewhat dissenting opinion. It is possible to hand feed a chick without experience provided you learn quickly, have a deft touch, and have the time to feed on the bird's schedule. My mom hand-fed three newly hatched Goffins with 100% success. Not a conscious choice, the parents promptly abandoned them after 3 to 4 days. She fed them round the clock and received permission from her supervisor to bring them to work and feed as needed. A rare confluence of events, but proves all things Are possible circumstantially

Click to expand...

My friend, perhaps thats the difference: your mom had no choice, she was forced into it. I as a rule strongly dislike this immediate “its too complicated, things go wrong, so you should be forbidden from doing it”, as demonstrated by noodles (not calling you out noodles! Promise, you’re not the only one who says it, I’ve even said it myself) but I wholeheartedly endorse the logic behind it: in the wrong hands it can go wrong, and often does quite easily.

When I ask myself what the middle ground is, I have no answer. Is it truly unethical to sell unweaned babies? I lean yes, as in the case of this OP. Buying an unweaned baby purely for the sake of hand feeding your own baby should probably be discouraged. In my mind I 60% equate it to selling an unweaned puppy. Except that we pull chicks from the nest for hand raising as a practice.

but there are so many exceptions to this rule that the exception becomes the rule.

So I fully endorse your logic: if you know what you are doing, who are we to say anything? I don’t bat an eye when we see a rare post of someone saying “this unweaned chick landed in my lap”...hand feed, by all means! With my blessing!

But if the buyer just “wants the experience”, those are probably exactly the people who shouldn’t be doing it.

Sorry, Long winded wall of words I always hate seeing, but I think it helped me actually resolve how I feel about it. I guess I believe that for me personally to endorse the idea, there has to be a reason behind it, or otherwise extenuating circumstances; you were forced into it or you’re a bird broker who buys unweaned chicks to sell, for example.

Otherwise, i guess prefer to see a standardized practices of not selling unweaned birds to the public just for the hell of it.

well i am not a guy who "wants an experience" because its not worth the risk.
the news is i did bought the baby and its been 10 days i am feeding him.i made the arrangements to feed him 3 times a day. 2 times by my self and one time by my brother.
i know the temperature of food ,place and also how thick or thin the feed should be.
i know the place should be cleaned regularly ,bird should be clean as well.

The reason i bought it is because i know i can take care of a bird even its a baby.the only thing you need is passion and some experience which i had.

one thing i would like to add is that even though warning about the dangers and risks of hand feeding a baby ,by inexperienced owner , is appreciated but at the same time advice should also be given if they want to do it and are passionate about it.

Please share your view as i am always willing to learn.

The following was posted by another member on 3 January 2020. This member also was also sold an unweaned baby and everything was fine right up until the moment that it wasn't.

"My Little Baby Floyd
This hurts so much.
Two weeks ago I adopted a baby cockatiel from a home on criagslist.
I had made a few posts about how to hand feed as my baby was not completely weaned but I was willing to put in the effort and work through it with him.

A day ago I noticed he was less lively and more fluffed up than usual.
I was going to take him to the vet today, but unfortunately he had passed away in my arms.

I don’t know what caused him to die.
He was eating his formula, flying, singing..
Today it was like a switch completely flip-flopped.
My house does get chilly, but I use a bird safe heater to keep him warm..

He passed away in my arms as I whispered to him and stroked his head feathers.
He only lasted about five minutes before he finally decided he could go.

I am devastated and even hours after the incident I cannot stop crying.
I miss him so much."

PLEASE do not let this happen to you or your bird.

Please read the following, very informative despite the inherent warning tone of the beginning: http://www.parrotforums.com/breeding-raising-parrots/74363-so-you-bought-unweaned-baby.html

Hi.. i think my parrot is going to be on self soon. can you tell me change in habits that can tell me about this.
today he flapped his wings and also exploring things on its own and is looking very happy.
i give him banana and papaya and cucumber (smashed). He likes banana more .

Posting a picture of when i bought and of today.