Misinformed by my breeder, need to make the best of it. Advice?

[Josk]

Hello everyone! I am a new member to this forum and also new to hand-rearing parrots, although I was told it would be fairly easy by the eclectus breeder and he insisted on me buying it this young to ensure I develop the best relationship with him. So after meeting him and him saying he was confident that I could do this I bought a 6 week old eclectus male. He taught me the basics and I have been reading extensively on hand-rearing articles online to make sure I am doing everything right. Unfortunately I didn't know it would be such a huge deal and now I am nervous about doing something wrong and jeopardizing my baby!

So, after 4 days of owning him, everything is fine (presumably)! He is very active, friendly, loves being scratched and held, has a very healthy appetite and is growing steadily and quickly (I have been weighing him).

I want to know some things about bird-rearing that anyone here may have experience with.

1. If my baby is screaming for up to 20 minutes after I feed him, or after he wakes up for a nap, does it mean he is hungry or is just craving attention? Is it okay for me to ignore him sometimes (so long he has been fed within the last 6-8 hours) so he doesn't develop a habit of screaming for my attention?

2. My baby bird formula says I should be feeding him 8-12% of his body weight 3 times a day, however when I feel his crop it isn't circular or very protruding, so I feed him around 15% of his body weight. Is that OK?

3. How many hours a day should a baby parrot be sleeping? I would guess he sleeps around 20 hours a day. Is that normal?

4. My room is constantly 80 F. I have a thermometer that I check every now and then to be sure. His plumage is coming in fast, Can I lower my room back to 73-74 when he is fully feathered?

Can't think of anything more now but I would really appreciate any advice you guys can offer me. Thanks for your support!

P.S - I have cared for baby hens before so I have a little bit of experience and common sense around bird-rearing, although I am aware that chickens aren't raised by their parents they mature and develop on their own.

Update: Here are some pictures as requested!

Sleepy Parrot is Sleepy

 

[ann]

no breeder should sell an unweaned chick, and hand feeding is not easy, its not you fault you are doing your best, the breeder should not have mislead you. i dont know much about hand feeding, but if it helps i heard eclectus prefer to be spoon fed rather than syringe fed. also he should be a bright healthy green, not a muddy dull green. if his behavior is normal than i think he's ok, but call your breeder or ver to be sure. good luck!

 

[Josk]

I am pipette feeding him currently and his color seems to be quite vibrant, although he is a bit darker shade of green b/c he is a solomon eclectus. Fortunatley I have an avian vet nearby so I think I'm gonna have him checked up after a week just to make sure everything is going smoothly, better safe than sorry.

Realizing that my breeder probably just didn't want to have to deal with taking care of the bird for another 2 months so he conned me into buying it early, it sickens me really, that he could be so greedy. But I'm sure there are breeders out there who do that. At least I got him for cheaper than one would normally pay for an eclectus but you cant put a price on a well-reared companion parrot can you?

 

[ann]

it sounds like your doing great, hes lucky to end up with you

 

[cdog]

Well the breeder should not have sold you hi, that young but seeing how what's done is done i shal help you. I fed my first clutch of gcc 10% of their body weight and they were fine and full but the clutch I am feeding now needs 15% of their body weight because the parents fed them so much that their crops developed larger than normal.
I would play with him after he stops screamimg so he doesnt learn that that's how he gets your attention, babies only know how to get your attention by screaming because that's when you feed them so you have to teach them they get played with after they stop.
Babies under 4 months should sleep around 16 hours a day so he os probably fine if he is still active.
Once he starts to feather out completely, check under the wings, you can put him at room temp.
Hope this helps, good luck.

 

[mrob]

One tip if you move to spoon feeding
Make sure you feed from alternate sides of the beak or you can damage the beak and it grows all twisted and the top and bottom bits wont line up
I dont envy the work but you sound like you are doing a great job
Keep up the good work and please PLEASE post us a picture of him!!!!!!
I got my eccie boy not fully weaned but nowhere near as young as your baby! They really are amazing birds, I dont think I could possibly love mine more, he is perfect (you will be saying that soon too!!)

 

[MikeyTN]

Your lucky he's eating for you, it is NOT wise to change handfeeder in the middle of the process!!!! I have witnessed a baby Soloman Male that someone bought unweaned and he became VERY aggressive to the new handfeeder and refuse to eat for him. The breeder should of known better! Pipette feeding or spoon feeding, it don't matter as long as it works out for you. Babies is going to scream when they see you cause they see you as their parent that feeds them. I don't start training that young cause babies will be babies, I let them be until they start to get a bit older.

 

[lene1949]

I find spoon feeding a lot easier than any other method... The bird is basically eating by itself, out of the spoon... You don't have to put anything down his throat...

You can bend the spoon yourself or you can buy them... They come in different sizes... I used the large size for Max...

 

[brianlinkles]

I am in no way an expert but have finished hand feeding several of my birds. I was taught to feed with a paper cup. I would crease the cup on the side so it kind of fit into the beak (just a little fold) then I would tip it into the beak. This way the baby is essentially eating on its own and I think it is less scary than putting something down the throat. I agree with everything said above about the crying. Babies will cry often just because that is what they do to their parents. I think your baby is too young to train right now. However by the time it is eating about twice a day I would make sure he doesn't associate crying with attention.
I am in the minority for sure. I am a believer that finishing the weaning process does help in the relationship with your bird. I have also researched ALOT about this and I realize that there are two schools of thought however it was and is my decision to finish the process to reinforce my relationship with my birds. I have been very pleased with this decision and my experience with my grey has just reinforced my opinion. I do feel that 6 weeks is too early for the breeder to give you this bird however it sounds like you are doing great! I waited until Dorothy was on 2 feedings a day. I think that a visit to the vet would be good just to put your mind to rest. Good luck with your baby! Pictures?

 

[Josk]

Update: Here are some pictures as requested!

Sleepy Parrot is Sleepy

 

[funkmaster100]

i'm hand feeding my IRN who hatched on feb 28 using a syringe . i give 10cc slowly at the birds pace just squirting enough to go on his tongue and let him gulp it down . most of the time immediately after the 10cc is gone if he chirps for more i give another 5cc then give a little shower usually in the mornings and then no less than 30 minutes of scratch and cuddle time . also about twice a day i give a cube of sweet potato mash and veggie mix but your baby my be to young for that here's 2 good links IndianRingNeck.com • View topic - What to Feed your Parrot (recipes, toxicities, links too!) IndianRingNeck.com • View topic - Hand-Feeding and Weaning

 

[MikeyTN]

Ohhhhh he's sooo cute! Thanks for the pictures!!!

 

[mrob]

Oh my GOSH. What a beautiful baby!! He is incredibly cute.
You are doing a fantastic job.
This site may help (its not very specific though) or the link to the eclectus forum will probably give you some more info.
Please keep us updated with pics....He is going to be a very handsome boy!
weaning
or this forum
• Index page

 

[Lintini]

He's adorable!!!

 

[lene1949]

He's absolutely gorgeous... I'm hoping to get a male eclectus this coming season...