alone

[Mysterygirl]

The pet store that my new Alex is at did something that is bothering me. They put him in a cage by himself. He stopped eating. So they moved him to a cage with other birds and he has started to except food again.
The thing that is bugging me is, shouldn't they have known that was going to happen. No other bird to teach him how to eat reg. food. So now he is back on baby food.

Another thing I'm concerned with is, I don't have another bird. Do you think he will stop eating when I finally get to bring him home?

 

[Delfin]

Hello Mysterygirl
First how old is your Alexandrine? I'm asking this because a fully weaned bird should be able to eat regular food without another bird present.
is the bird hand raised?
Who is feeding him baby food?

A lot of people are against the sale of un-weaned baby birds and rightly so, has in-experience people struggle to correctly feed them. Of course if you feel that hand feeding your new companion is a bit beyond you. Then seek out an experience parrot person who might be willing to give you guidance in how to hand feed a baby bird.

While I was weaning my two Alexandrines (Delfin & Mulawa) After feeding them weaning formula, I would hand feed diced up fruit and veggies to them ( dice into 5mm pieces). This helped with bonding and over coming the fear of hands.

 

[Mysterygirl]

I was first told he was 10 weeks old but then another employee told me he was 14 weeks. I have to wait until I can meet with the manager for the actual hatched date. One employee told me he was a she but then another said he was a he. They are feeding him weaning formula, I had meant to say baby bird food. They told me since I've never feed a baby bird before I wouldn't be able to do it correctly. Yes, he is hand raised.
We have raised all kinds of animals on our ranch, I don't think it would be any more difficult then any other animal. Of course, some are easier then others.

We live in a rural area finding another parrot person (besides on here) is like a needle in a large hay stack.

 

[Delfin]

The bird looks closer to 10 weeks than 14. Unless you get a DNA certificate stating what sex the bird is, then it's just a guess. I agree with the staff at the pet store, feeding a baby bird is not easy and is not like other animals . Because if it's not done correctly, you can kill the baby bird. There are so many things that can go wrong. This why you get someone to give a bit guidance, how about the staff at the pet shop helping you learn how to feed a baby bird. If you can't find anyone to help then I suggest that you search the web and research on "how to hand feed a baby bird".

Alexandrines are awesome and make for great companion birds. The more time you spend with your Alexandrine the better. With my Alexandrines, the whole family interacted with them, from training to feeding. This was done to prevent a 'one person bird'.

 

[Mysterygirl]

I agree feeding babies if not done correctly can kill them. We had to tube a baby goat, it wouldn't nurse, her mom wouldn't have anything to do with her. It was a delicate task but all went well. All formulas need to be mixed thoroughly, no lumps and be served at the correct temperature.
I've seen videos where some people feed the older baby bird from a spoon. How old would the bird need to be to feed it like that?

 

[Delfin]

There is normally two ways to raise a chick, one is incubate from a egg and the other is to hand raise from around two to three weeks old. It's preferred to allow the chick to be fed for two to three weeks by it's parents so it can receive the good bacteria and increase it immune system to fight bad bacteria.

But I do know of a couple breeders that are co-raising chicks with the parent birds. This is when the breeder and the parent birds share the task of feeding the chicks. This has produced quite good results. But you really need to be bonded to and trusted 110% by the parent birds.

Always feed them warm formula and be careful not to burn the chicks crop as it will die.

Hot pockets can be created in the weaning formula if you use a microwave oven.
Always make the weaning formula according to manufacturers directions.

Only mix enough weaning formula for one feed at a time and discard any left-overs.

Never feed a chick with weaning formula still in the crop, wait until it is completely empty. If you feed the chick while there is food in the crop from the previous feeding it will cause the old food to curdle (sour crop) and probably kill the chick.

always disinfect all feeding instruments and dishes has strict hygiene is essential.


I use a syringe because I find it easier than a spoon. But that's just me

All the best in your journey with your Alexandrine.

 

[Mysterygirl]

You are awesome!! Just spoke to the manager Edgar is 10 1/2 weeks old. How did you know? I was told he has reached his full size.

 

[Delfin]

Not by a long shot. The bird has at least another 4 to 6 weeks of growing yet.