8 week old Indian Ring Neck squeaking?

[DayDreamzz]

Hi guys!
My name is Day, and I have a double violet Indian Ring Neck named Anzu. I’ve had him for almost two weeks now, and he is still being hand fed. He’s 8 weeks old. I feed him every 3 hours. I watch/feel his crop, and stop feeding him when he refuses more food. I’ve been introducing him to fresh fruits and veggies recently as well. He’s had some mashed up sweet potatoes, peppers and apples so far.

I’ve had other birds before, but never an IRN, and never a baby. So I’m EXTREMELY paranoid with him. I took him in to a vet three days after I got him, just to get his first check up. Everything was good, weight was good and the vet gave me a lot of good tips/articles advice to read over.

This is my concern/question: over the last few days, while I feed him, he makes this squeaking noise. Because I don’t know what it means, it FREAKS me out. I’ve watched IRN noise videos, just to see if I can place the noise, but I haven’t been able to. At first I thought maybe his food wasn’t prepared correctly, and then me being me, I went to the worst possible scenario which is crop burn. Not that either. I follow the formula instructions to a T (I use a thermometer and everything). Has anyone heard this sound? Should I be concerned? I’ll leave a video here as well.

PS,
Yes, he’s messy in the video. Don’t worry. He had just gotten done eating, and he got a bath after this.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

It sounds like a pretty typical baby bird sound unless it's something new. I would bring him to the avian vet ASAP at any strange new vocalization to rule out something respiratory. Do you spoon feed or syringe feed? I highly recommend using a spoon to eliminate the risk of pushing too much food at once causing aspiration.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

It sounds like a pretty typical baby bird sound unless it's something new. I would bring him to the avian vet ASAP at any strange new vocalization to rule out something respiratory. Do you spoon feed or syringe feed? I highly recommend using a spoon to eliminate the risk of pushing too much food at once causing aspiration.

Why did you buy an UNWEANED baby? Why didn't you wait until the baby was weaned? It's very easy to make a mistake like pushing too much food with a syringe, ultimately killing the baby.

 

[DayDreamzz]

Why did you buy an UNWEANED baby? Why didn't you wait until the baby was weaned? It's very easy to make a mistake like pushing too much food with a syringe, ultimately killing the baby.

I don’t use a syringe. I (now) know you guys kinda look down on people who buy unweaned birds. I apologize if that makes you angry, I bought him. I love him. And I can’t turn back time. I am now asking for advice. Judge me if necessary.

When I found out he’d be unweaned, I did lots of research. Videos, articles, and his breeder sent me videos showing how to feed him. And she also video called me for the first 2 days so she could watch me/help me feed him. When I took him to the vet, his vet also gave me lots of tips and help. In my research, I saw that feeding them with a syringe can increase the chances of them inhaling their food. So I use the bent spoon the breeder sent with him.

The breeder claimed that he’d be more likely to bond if he was sent unweaned. Regardless of whether or not that’s true, now I have him. Like I said, I now understand that it’s frowned upon in this community. But he’s mine, and im doing everything I can to make sure he’s happy/healthy. I spend HOURS (I am not being dramatic) HOURS researching every little thing. Every sound, every body movement, everything, to make sure im taking care of him. I weigh him every day. And text his vet whenever I’m concerned (every time that I’ve texted her, there’s been absolutely nothing wrong with him. I’m just paranoid 😅). Gosh. I even looked up IRN anatomy pictures.

So… long story short. No. I do not use a syringe. I dont push the food down his throat, or force him to eat. I feed him using the natural head bobbing motion, and wait until he opens his mouth for more. I’m too afraid to use the syringe, because of the increased risks.

 

[DayDreamzz]

Why did you buy an UNWEANED baby? Why didn't you wait until the baby was weaned? It's very easy to make a mistake like pushing too much food with a syringe, ultimately killing the baby.

I’d also like to mention, he’ll make the noise when I call his name too. So again. I could just be being paranoid, and it may just be how he gets my attention.

 

[Cottonoid]

I adore ringnecks and I myself fell in love with one that wasn't ready to come home yet

To me he is just making cute baby sounds!!! 🥰🥰🥰 My adult African Ringneck definitely agrees - he immediately started talking back like he does when he watches baby ringneck videos on YouTube

Recommendations change and evolve over time but it sounds like your breeder gave you good information, and you've definitely done your homework. Anzu is such a cute name and my golly what an adorable little one!!

Welcome to the forums and I hope you'll share lots more pictures and stories as he grows up! 😍😍

 

[Cottonoid]

Why did you buy an UNWEANED baby? Why didn't you wait until the baby was weaned? It's very easy to make a mistake like pushing too much food with a syringe, ultimately killing the baby.

While yes, as a forum we like to make sure we address common issues even if the OP is aware of them, so that other people reading this thread can learn, there are much kinder ways of giving information. Even if the intent is conversational, we don't want to scare people off that are coming here for help ❤️

@DayDreamzz this forum is not a space for judgement but rather one for learning and sharing. I'm sorry if you felt judged. I think sometimes topics we feel passionate about tend to bring out wording that sounds harsher than we intend, and we can do better.

Denise (speaking for myself and not from the whole mod team)

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I don’t use a syringe. I (now) know you guys kinda look down on people who buy unweaned birds. I apologize if that makes you angry, I bought him. I love him. And I can’t turn back time. I am now asking for advice. Judge me if necessary.

When I found out he’d be unweaned, I did lots of research. Videos, articles, and his breeder sent me videos showing how to feed him. And she also video called me for the first 2 days so she could watch me/help me feed him. When I took him to the vet, his vet also gave me lots of tips and help. In my research, I saw that feeding them with a syringe can increase the chances of them inhaling their food. So I use the bent spoon the breeder sent with him.

The breeder claimed that he’d be more likely to bond if he was sent unweaned. Regardless of whether or not that’s true, now I have him. Like I said, I now understand that it’s frowned upon in this community. But he’s mine, and im doing everything I can to make sure he’s happy/healthy. I spend HOURS (I am not being dramatic) HOURS researching every little thing. Every sound, every body movement, everything, to make sure im taking care of him. I weigh him every day. And text his vet whenever I’m concerned (every time that I’ve texted her, there’s been absolutely nothing wrong with him. I’m just paranoid 😅). Gosh. I even looked up IRN anatomy pictures.

So… long story short. No. I do not use a syringe. I dont push the food down his throat, or force him to eat. I feed him using the natural head bobbing motion, and wait until he opens his mouth for more. I’m too afraid to use the syringe, because of the increased risks.

I am thrilled that you did everything right- very few people do, with tragic results. Hand feeding IS an amazing experience. I hatched and handfed my budgie Rocky because his Mama couldn't, so I can see why you would want to do it.
However, SO many baby birds die because the new owner made one seemingly small, accidental mistake usually involving a syringe. Most breeders use syringes and most handfeeding videos use syringes. No one deliberately forces the baby to eat or pushes the food down it's throat- usually the syringe plunger "sticks" slightly and with one push a little too hard, the baby gets a faceful, and a couple days later it's dead. Worse yet, quite a few people attempting to handfeed don't have ready access (or ANY access) to an avian veterinarian. Obviously you are an exception.
I was facing the reality of needing to hand raise Rocky while his egg developed in a temp controlled incubator and his mama Lilibelle sat in a hospital cage recovering the use of her legs. The vet said I couldn't give her eggs back to her. All three were fertile but only one completely developed. Like you, I studied reliable sources and consulted with a CAV. My situation was even more challenging because Rocky was SO TINY but she had a very strong feeding response from the first time I held her and tapped her tiny beak with a little spoon- I too was afraid to use a syringe.
Many people on this forum do not believe that hand feeding helps forge the bond between the baby bird and it's human. I will probably get some grief from saying this because most members, myself included, are against buying unweaned baby birds, but from my experience, handfeeding Rocky helped create a special bond unlike any other I have ever had a budgie or any other bird. However it wasn't just the handfeeding. I also handled Rocky a lot. I cuddled her and played with her. I introduced her to new people, places and things so she grew up self-confident and fearless. The special bond from handfeeding is NOT necessary to develop a wonderful relationship with your bird.

 

[DayDreamzz]

I adore ringnecks and I myself fell in love with one that wasn't ready to come home yet

To me he is just making cute baby sounds!!! 🥰🥰🥰 My adult African Ringneck definitely agrees - he immediately started talking back like he does when he watches baby ringneck videos on YouTube

Recommendations change and evolve over time but it sounds like your breeder gave you good information, and you've definitely done your homework. Anzu is such a cute name and my golly what an adorable little one!!

Welcome to the forums and I hope you'll share lots more pictures and stories as he grows up! 😍😍

Thank you! I was a little concerned about it, but over the last few days, I’ve noticed he does it when he wants my attention.

 

[DayDreamzz]

While yes, as a forum we like to make sure we address common issues even if the OP is aware of them, so that other people reading this thread can learn, there are much kinder ways of giving information. Even if the intent is conversational, we don't want to scare people off that are coming here for help ❤️

@DayDreamzz this forum is not a space for judgement but rather one for learning and sharing. I'm sorry if you felt judged. I think sometimes topics we feel passionate about tend to bring out wording that sounds harsher than we intend, and we can do better.

Denise (speaking for myself and not from the whole mod team)

Thank you so much. I apologize if I came off as aggressively defensive. I saw a post here about not getting unweaned birds, and it was a very angry post. But I saw it AFTER I got Anzu. So I was a little worried about posting here.

 

[DayDreamzz]

I adore ringnecks and I myself fell in love with one that wasn't ready to come home yet

To me he is just making cute baby sounds!!! 🥰🥰🥰 My adult African Ringneck definitely agrees - he immediately started talking back like he does when he watches baby ringneck videos on YouTube

Recommendations change and evolve over time but it sounds like your breeder gave you good information, and you've definitely done your homework. Anzu is such a cute name and my golly what an adorable little one!!

Welcome to the forums and I hope you'll share lots more pictures and stories as he grows up! 😍😍

I’m a huge mythology nerd, and Anzu is a lion/bird (basically a Grifffin) from Sumerian mythology. So he’s my fierce little lion eagle. 🤣 And I’ll be sure to keep you guys updated on his progress! I don’t know any bird wonders, so it’s nice to find a community like this one.

 

[Keet_Krazy]

You're baby is utterly precious and you sound like you're doing amazing 🥰
I do believe hand-raising give you a bond but it is not the bond you're actually looking for with parrots. You are creating a parent-baby bond which increases the chances of your baby completely rejecting you when they mature. I am not saying this will happen, but it needs to be viewed logically. No wild animal is going to create a lifetime bond with their parent, they are going to leave them and find a mate of their own.
I'd love to continue seeing updates on your baby! 😊