new handfeeding baby!

[penguin88]

Hey guys. I just joined the forum because I just got a baby peach faced love bird baby. He is being hand feed, I have had birds before but never hand-fed them. I watched the associate at the pet store feed him and asked lots of questions and I know I can do this. I have him in a 10 gallon glass tank with paper-based bedding and an under-tank great mat. I got him some kaytee exact formula and just did his first feeding at 106 degrees. Does my setup sound okay? I used the last of my bedding today and would like to change his bedding daily, I have read a lot of people use paper towels. Is that ok? will it be too hot with the heater?

Also another question. The employee at the pet store said he was born to two sta
ndard peach faces, but he is a light lime greenish-yellow. From looking at photos he looks like he's between a pallid and a lutino, more yellow then a pallid but tinted green unlike a lutino. Do mutations happen randomly like that?

 

[penguin88]

I'm on my phone and it won't let me edit my post but just to clarify, I have a heat mat on the cage not a great mat haha. also he is slightly more green tinted than showed up in the picture, not quite a pure yellow like a lutino. Any ideas what mutation he might be? is it pretty rare for a baby like this to come from two standard parents? And when he gets older should I get him a friend? Will he get lonely? are love birds less friendly if they are kept in pairs?

 

[crimson]

congrats on your new addition. hand feeding is quite the unique experience, very rewarding, but you should research before attempting to feed them. since you have already fed him, there are some things you should consider the next time you feed him.
plenty of people make this common mistake.
they mix the formula to the proper temp, and as they feed them, the temp. of the formula is dropping. by the time they finish it's no where near 106 degrees.....it usually less than 100, which can cause crop issues
keeping the temperature as consistent as possible when you are feeding them is very important.
once you mix the formula, and lets say you are using a syringe, I fill a cup(coffee mug) or measuring cup up with very hot water. after you draw the formula up into the syringe, place it in the measuring cup. this keeps the formula warm/hot.

after each time you feed him, place the syringe back in the cup, until he's ready for more.

also provide a little stuffy so he can snuggle with it, you can buy them at any dollar store...just make sure there is nothing he can ingest.
you may want to consider moving him to a small cage, that way you have the option of putting in perches, very low, so when he is ready, he will start to learn how to perch!
(that is always funny to watch)

this is a excellent web site that should help.

Flying Gems Aviary - Handfeeding baby lovies

 

[Nocturnal]

All I can say is get him off the Kaytee formula ASAP. Kaytee's formula killed a budgie I was handfeeding last year and one of my boss's african grey chicks as well. There was a big recall that we were not notified of until our birds were already dead. And there are still tainted (extremely high levels of vitamin D) tubs of food being passed around out there killing birds. I will never purchase another Kaytee product again.

 

[penguin88]

congrats on your new addition. hand feeding is quite the unique experience, very rewarding, but you should research before attempting to feed them. since you have already fed him, there are some things you should consider the next time you feed him.
plenty of people make this common mistake.
they mix the formula to the proper temp, and as they feed them, the temp. of the formula is dropping. by the time they finish it's no where near 106 degrees.....it usually less than 100, which can cause crop issues
keeping the temperature as consistent as possible when you are feeding them is very important.
once you mix the formula, and lets say you are using a syringe, I fill a cup(coffee mug) or measuring cup up with very hot water. after you draw the formula up into the syringe, place it in the measuring cup. this keeps the formula warm/hot.

after each time you feed him, place the syringe back in the cup, until he's ready for more.

also provide a little stuffy so he can snuggle with it, you can buy them at any dollar store...just make sure there is nothing he can ingest.
you may want to consider moving him to a small cage, that way you have the option of putting in perches, very low, so when he is ready, he will start to learn how to perch!
(that is always funny to watch)

this is a excellent web site that should help.

Flying Gems Aviary - Handfeeding baby lovies

that's very good advice about keeping the formula warm. I will do that, thanks! I am getting my hot water from an electric kettle which is convenient because it heats up quickly, I don't know how hot it gets when done (my thermometer gets an error testing so I guess it gets very hot!) but right around 10 minutes of sitting in a mug it is just the right temperature.
I have heard different things, my pet store who has several hand-feeding parrots told me just to rinse the syringe with water but I don't trust that. I have also read to clean it with a bleach solution. I washed mine with hot water and antibacterial dish soap, rinsed very well with hot water and took it apart to air dry. Is this okay or is bleach preferable? And I am worried about the bird aspirating the formula, any tips to keep this from happening? the employee who instructed me did the feeding quickly and I didn't notice how he got the bird to accept the formula, I just squirted a tiny bit out and put it to the side of the bird's beak and gently squeezed a little bit out at a time as he ate it but I noticed he coughed a little at one point so I am afraid some of it might have gone down the wrong tube. how dangerous is it if this might have happened? I have since googled how to do it properly, with the fingers lightly on either side of the break to induce proper feeding behavior.

also is there any idea how old he its from the pics? the pet store didn't tell me his age and I forgot to ask, I just know they had only gotten him in a couple of hours before I got him.

and I will put a little towel or something in for him to cuddle with.right now I have the box I brought him home in over the heating mat and he hangs out in there.

 

[penguin88]

All I can say is get him off the Kaytee formula ASAP. Kaytee's formula killed a budgie I was handfeeding last year and one of my boss's african grey chicks as well. There was a big recall that we were not notified of until our birds were already dead. And there are still tainted (extremely high levels of vitamin D) tubs of food being passed around out there killing birds. I will never purchase another Kaytee product again.

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss it's unfortunate when mistakes are made in pet food factories, it can be so disastrous. I read the recall information and apparently it was an isolated incident that happened in a specific batch of formula, I checked my formula and it was not affected by the recall. I understand why you would choose not to buy their products anymore however I guess my view is a little different, I guess I am pretty forgiving when it is a single incident probably caused by a (probably simple -yet devastating) mistake. I guess I tend to think mistakes can happen in any company and as long as the company makes quality products and is responsible in handling the situation and preventing it from happening again, I don't necessarily think less of the company. Given the reputation of this product I am choosing to trust that this was a rare and unfortunate occurrance.

I'm sorry for your loss and I understand your decision. had I been affected by the bad batch I would probably be hesitant to use the product again to. however I am going to choose to trust the product. the pet store I got the bird from regularly hand feeds a number of baby parrots on this very formula and their birds are healthy. Thanks for letting me know about the recall though.

 

[Nocturnal]

A lot of this is the principles involved. If they had tighter quality controls this would have happened. We did the research ourselves, and if they devoted $100 (per batches that fill hundreds of packages and tubs!) per batch to test levels of the vitamins and other stuff they load into their formula, ours and many other baby birds would not have had to suffer and die slow painful deaths as vets desperately tried to treat for infections that weren't there. Kaytee handled the deaths of the birds very poorly and I will never be compensated for what happened to that baby.

I at a bird store and my boss had fed this same formula for over a decade--- even after switching to a formula less loaded with artificial vitamins and such we have noticed the babies take it easier and we have less incidents of throwing up the formula. She will no longer sell any Kaytee product either. Again... simple, relatively cheap tests would have been all it would have been to keep many birds from suffering and dying.

 

[MikeyTN]

I'm gonna have to back up Nocturnal about Exact formula, 16 years ago I had a lot of issues with their formula causing my chicks to get sick and then the more recent recall of more issues. Personally, I just don't like using them period. I don't mind their other food, just NOT their formula. And I have hand fed many many babies so I'm picky about formula. BUT the choice is up to penguin!

 

[crimson]

A lot of this is the principles involved. If they had tighter quality controls this would have happened. We did the research ourselves, and if they devoted $100 (per batches that fill hundreds of packages and tubs!) per batch to test levels of the vitamins and other stuff they load into their formula, ours and many other baby birds would not have had to suffer and die slow painful deaths as vets desperately tried to treat for infections that weren't there. Kaytee handled the deaths of the birds very poorly and I will never be compensated for what happened to that baby.

I at a bird store and my boss had fed this same formula for over a decade--- even after switching to a formula less loaded with artificial vitamins and such we have noticed the babies take it easier and we have less incidents of throwing up the formula. She will no longer sell any Kaytee product either. Again... simple, relatively cheap tests would have been all it would have been to keep many birds from suffering and dying.

these are good points, I was focusing on answering her question rather than informing her about Kaytee products.
Kaytee has never ever been considered for my birds either.
Too many recalls.
I use Zupreem hand feeding formula, without any issues.

 

[Penguin25]

Okay, this is my third account. I keep getting banned for spam and I don't understand why? My only posts have been in this thread, I didn't even get to post at all with my first username (penguin). Can an admin sort this out? If I get banned again can someone please unban me? I don't understand what is going on and it's getting frustrating.

Anyway, I've decided to name the baby Kiwi. I wanted a gender neutral name since I want him (I'll call it a him) to learn his name early and I don't know the gender yet. He also has a limey green tint to him so Kiwi seems like a good enough name.

I see your point about Kaytee and I won't buy their products in the future. Since he's doing fine on Exact and it's the same batch they've been using at the pet store no problems, I am sure mine isn't contaminated. However if I have to buy more formula I will buy Zupreem.

I've ordered some stuff for him on Amazon, I got him a cage that is 16 inches long x 25 inches wide x 21 inches high. It comes with perches and plastic food dishes which I know will need to be replaced due to chewing, I read porcelain is a good replacement? I couldn't find any porcelain food cups on amazon though, I found some steel ones but most people seemed to be using them in dog kennels so I wasn't sure they would clip right to the cage bars. The perches included with the cage are plastic and I am going to replace them with natural wood perches since I know those are better for birds' feet and legs and keeping the muscles strong.

Ordering food on amazon, I decided on Zupreem, and it was a little hard since I couldn't look at the products myself, and a lot of the foods that seemed like they would work had some reviews saying the pellets were too big for the customers' lovebirds. I went on the safe side and ordered Zupreem Avian Maintenance Natural Parakeet -better safe than sorry right? Also which Zupreem food is the best for lovebirds for future purchase? I also ordered some safe toys and some cuttlebones.

I am ordering most of the stuff on Amazon because transportation is a little inconvenient for me, I don't have a car and although my boyfriend does he is working all the time. Also the prices are better on amazon and they have a really great selection and I like being able to read reviews and shop comparatively. I did pick up some seed-based bird food (I know the pellets are best, I bought it as a treat) and some millet spray. I put a little bit of the seed food and millet in with Kiwi for him to pick at, which he has been doing. He seems to mostly nibble at it and spit it out, but hopefully he can get some of the smaller seeds.

I am guessing from looking at photos of baby lovebirds that he is a little over 4 weeks old. He gets around 6 cc's three times a day, I make sure to space them out so his crop can empty. I have gotten the hang of feeding him better, I think initially I wasn't putting the syringe far enough in his mouth/throat so feeding was pretty messy but it's going a lot better now. He's also been more active today, he slept a lot the first day or two probably from missing his parents or stress I guess? But he's preening and walking about and nibbling things now, seems very alert and healthy. He has also perched on my finger, I've begun teaching him "up".

I've only kept birds briefly before as a child, it started with zebra finches which I had for quite a while (but they obviously weren't tame so they didn't really teach me how to handle and bond with a bird). I had a parakeet for a few weeks that was very affectionate but was given to me by a woman who just let her birds fly all over her house, no cages, and he didn't seem to adapt to life in a cage and got very depressed or something and started to refuse to come out of his cage. I felt bad so I returned him to the woman. I also as an older child had an adult lovebird that wasn't tame, which I intended on taming, and I think I was too young to have the patience with the taming so we returned him eventually. Anyway, what I am trying to say is I am not 100% sure how I should be handling Kiwi. I have read that I should be getting him used to being held with his tummy up, but I have also read that you should never hold them on their back like that. Any input? I'm trying to get him used to physical contact all over, I stroke the top of his head, his cheeks, his back, scratch under his wings etc. Any advice?

Sorry for my very verbose posts, I just have been reading and researching a lot and want to take the best care of my bird and help him be the healthiest and tamest he can be. Am I doing anything wrong? Is there anything else I should be doing?