Alexandrine Baby Difficulties in Feeding and Feather Issues

[bedantaguru]

Our Alexandrine baby [we named him Piku] [I guess 3-4 months old. but I'm not sure] is not cooperating while eating [requiring force feeding], having watery droppings and losing feathers [mainly tail and wing feathers].

1) We got him 1 month.
Initially he was under diet of homemade formula [Channa dal+few peanuts+corn+green peas-- all boiled and grinded in mixer]

2) 3 weeks we kept him in a box with shredded paper after the same he was moved to the cage. He was trying to fly around that time.
He use to enjoy feeding during this time and it was never required to force him [at least in night] to feed him.

3) Due to presence of mites in his feather [we could not gave bath to him as it was cold] we visited avian vet. She suggested to give bath with boiled neem water and apply 1:1 mixture of baby powder + Notix powder [one a week]. Due to watery drooping she also suggested to use Normet Syrup [2 drops for 5 days].
He got rid of mites after two application. Droppings also became somehow normal.
During this time he was able to fly with little less control over direction.

4) After few days his feathers from wings [black long feathers] started to come out on its own [initially we thought it was happening due to the cage]. There were white dust also there after bath in his feathers.
Seeing this we changed formula to commercial formula [Petslife Baby Bird Hand-Feed Food]

Issues Now

a) Right now he lost so many feathers from wings and tail. Only one tail feather is present now.

b) Major issue is that he still have watery droppings and

c) He is extremely reluctant to feeding [it was not due to new formula he use to refuse earlier homemade formula too]. We had to force him [hold his mouth open and push the formula in] for eating each time.

Here is the photos of Piku
Wing Feathers Coming out

Tail Feather only few left 2 weeks ago

Feeding Time

His last tail feather now

His cage :-

Respected Experts Kindly suggest what is required to be done.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hi sorry you were not fortunate to receive a quick reply - it does depend who comes on.

I am linking a similar thread for you to have a look at in the absence of anyone 'expert' as didn't want you to think you are unwelcome at all. It contains some links which you may want to have a look at.

http://www.parrotforums.com/new-members-welcome/60544-alexandrine-not-doing-any-sound.html

I have no idea where you are located but it would not hurt to take your bird to an Avian Veterinary specialist for a check up. It is easier moving forward if anything untoward has been ruled out.

Good luck with Piku.

 

[dragonlady2]

I would try giving him some fresh chopped food during the day to see if he will begin eating on his own. He may be refusing formula because he is ready to begin weaning. Do you have access to pellets? If so, try a mash of crushed pellets, water and a little banana and see if he will take it from a spoon.
As for the feathers, he may be moulting? He/she may be older than you think?

 

[bedantaguru]

Thanks @plumsmum2005 and @dragonlady2 for your reply...
As a matter of fact he[I was calling Piku as 'he' since he has a slight black ring coming under his neck though I'm not totally sure of it] is eating or rather I would say try to eat seed and foods that we offer him in his stand and cage [also food that we are offering him by hand]. Food which we are trying so far includes green peas, american sweet corn, biscuits, guava. Apart from these food we tried with apples, papaya, banana and grapes which he was reluctant to eat and throwing away.
Also today morning when I was giving bath to Piku I saw new feathers coming out from it's back, so I guess the feather falling is due to natural moulting.
Only thing right now bothers are force feeding and watery dropping.

We consulted an avian vet but getting a good avian vet is little difficult. I thought to check out in this forum before visiting again to the vet.
Anyway any thought will be greatly appreciated. I'll look into the tread mentioned by plumsmum2005

 

[Allee]

Piku is a very pretty boy, he looks healthy in the photos and his feather condition looks good too, especially for a young bird.

I agree with dragonlady2, Piku may be refusing his hand feedings because he is ready for adult food.

Here is a link for transitioning birds to a healthy diet, I know your situation is different because your bird is so young but there are some excellent tips and how to's to get a reluctant bird to accept new foods.

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

Best of luck with Piku, please keep us updated on his progress.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Thanks @plumsmum2005 and @dragonlady2 for your reply...
As a matter of fact he[I was calling Piku as 'he' since he has a slight black ring coming under his neck though I'm not totally sure of it] is eating or rather I would say try to eat seed and foods that we offer him in his stand and cage [also food that we are offering him by hand]. Food which we are trying so far includes green peas, american sweet corn, biscuits, guava. Apart from these food we tried with apples, papaya, banana and grapes which he was reluctant to eat and throwing away.
Also today morning when I was giving bath to Piku I saw new feathers coming out from it's back, so I guess the feather falling is due to natural moulting.
Only thing right now bothers are force feeding and watery dropping.

We consulted an avian vet but getting a good avian vet is little difficult. I thought to check out in this forum before visiting again to the vet.
Anyway any thought will be greatly appreciated. I'll look into the tread mentioned by plumsmum2005

That's okay, hope it has helped you?

Watery droppings (some solid but very wet) could be from what he is eating, slimy droppings (no solid, messy, slimy, possibly green(ish)) are not.

I know you are having a time of it but it is important to remember that he needs a balanced diet to be healthy and develop properly. There is the potential for loads of health problems from poor nutrition. If you can get him interested in a pelleted diet each day. This will give him a good solid nutritional base, as well as feeding him fresh foods. These can be purchased in different sizes and textures. I am giving a link for Harrison's which is well known for you to do some research. Good luck with him

Using Our Foods | Harrison's Bird Foods

 

[AamirKhan]

I Like this Parrot soo much but i m very Angry because my Alexandrine is Die 3 month ago. very hard days for me. i buy expensive. i lose my hobby & Money .

 

[aemy]

Can u tell me what do u feed ur parrot. My parrot is in worst condition right now and i dont have avian in my area. Please help me

 

[Brittany741]

This is an excellent resource for hand feeding and weaning. He sounds ready to eat on his own. Offer a variety of vegetables and fruit, plus a high quality pellet. Look for crumbles of pellet and food in the bottom of his cage- this means he is beginning to wean on his own.

He is beautiful!

https://theparrotuniversity.com/arthandfeeding

 

[SilverLining]

Hi,

Seems to me that most Alexandrines/IRNs get harder to handfeed around 2-3 months. This is usually when the transition to solid food needs to begin.

Boil some chawal/rice and try to get him to nipple on that. You could even take the same channa ka daal you used to grind and boil that and get him to nibble it. Heck, my ringneck loves little pieces of roti. Point is, start with mushy soft foods gradually until he can learn to break open seeds and crunch on pellets.

The idea is to teach him to eat solid foods on his own as he is hungry. Still feed him his formula but do not force him in a negative way. If he is giving you trouble, hold off on his feeding for 1-2 hours and try again when he gets a little hungrier. If he still refuses, wait another hour, but no more. And NEVER let him go to bed hungry.

Believe me, I have doing the same thing right now with my ringneck boy. He is about 10 weeks and have reduced his formula feeding down to 1 feeding before bed. Before I was giving him 15cc 3 times a day. During the day he now eats solid mushy foods.

You can use some of my tips if you'd like:

Go to the grocery store and get some human baby food like, sweet potato, carrots, mango. Put some in a small spoon and let him taste it. Warm it slightly more than room temp. You can put some on your finger and put it in his mouth to give him the idea to try more.

Get some Red Palm Oil or Coconut Oil and put a few drops on the food you are trying to feed. It is full of Vit A and great for feathers and overall development. Not too much though as it is still a fatty oil.

Get some sweet banana and pack his mouth with some, he will have no choice but to chew it and chances are, he will like the taste and want more.

Take some small healthy pellet food and soak it in warm water then put small pieces in his mouth.

Don't insult a parrots intelligence either, they are all smart and they watch and listen to everything. This is how they learn. Sometimes, a new food may be scary to them or they may not recognize it as food, so you need to try it in front of them first before they will. When you do try something, be enthusiastic about how out of this world yummy is it. Act as if your mind is blown by how tasty it is and say "yummy yummy" in a very excited voice. It really does help them want to try new foods.

The bird needs you to teach him how to eat. You must be his responsible parent for everything as he will depend on you like he would his mommy and daddy bird. He needs to learn to chew and process food in his mouth then swallow. He needs you to let him try different things so he can decide what his likes and taste good and what he dislike and is a no-no for him (usually the healthy stuff).

Never ever ever feed any parrot avocado or chocolate or dairy as it could potentially kill them.
He is letting you know by rejecting his formula, and the transitions to weaning him should begin.

I am just sharing from hand raising my own feathered babies and just trying to pass on my experiences, hopefully it helps.