Getting a YSC baby soon! Need advice xD

[Raine620]

Sooooo long story short, I fell in love with a little YS Conure, and I decided to get him/her! (Not sure on the gender yet xD) Anyways, I'll be getting him at 2/3 weeks old, and I need advice on how to start handfeeding! I've got everything ready for the little dude, and I roughly know the techniques and did a ton of research xD

But I wanted to ask this community so that I can get some extra tips! Hopefully the little one will grow well!

Here's some pictures of him xD

 

[Owlet]

Don't. If you've never hand fed do not get an unweened baby. Let the breeder finish weaning it.

 

[ChristaNL]

DONT go there!

Adopt a bird when it is ready to leave the nest on its own terms and can more or less feed itself consistently (without losing weight at all) and even that is a bit too soon (comming from their psycological needs as well).

We have laws against doing this for precisely those reasons: you mangle a bird for life (body and brain) by interfering with normal parental care and development.
There is just no way you can replace a parent- and as a novice: are you prepared to kill a few birds while you perfect your feeding/caringtechniques?


=
Sorry if I sound harsh, I think it is great you've done your homework and are prepared to take on a bird for the next 3 or 4 decades.
Just try to make sure this one at least gets a chance to grow up and old.


You will bond with the bird will just as strong if you let him reach the kindergarten stage with his siblings and parents instead of grabbing a neonate.

 

[Aratingettar]

Everything written above by Christa&Owlet
Plus some reading:

http://www.parrotforums.com/breeding-raising-parrots/74363-so-you-bought-unweaned-baby.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/breeding-raising-parrots/19049-hazards-buying-unweaned-baby.html

 

[clark_conure]

See that little baby every day! But let the breeder ween him or her! I know it's like xmas and you can't wait....

Spend time, bond, but leave the feeding to the breeder till the conure is on pellets. Consider it a warranty or insurance Or consider it the most humane thing. Whatever. I don't think anyone on this entire forum will say yeah go pick that chick up now....

It's awesome you can go see it as a hatching and OMG it's going to be great...but you have to wait for the payoff.

 

[EllenD]

Oh no, please, please don't take an unweaned bird home and try to handfeed them when you have no experience!!! A lot of us here are bird breeders/hand-feeders, and we can tell you that this will almost certainly end in heartbreak for you. You need to own a proper Brooder for him to live in, you'll need to feed him every 2 hours until he is at least 4-5 weeks old, INCLUDING OVERNIGHT, and at 2-3 weeks old, which is the youngest you can pull them from the nest so you're getting this baby at the exact time an experienced breeder who has hand-fed hundreds of baby birds would pull them and start feeding them, the chances that you will accidentally aspirate food into his lungs and kill him instantly are very, very high, and that is just devastating!

If the formula temperature is off only 1 degree either direction you can will make him very sick and he could die. If the ambient temperature he's living in is off even 1 degree the same will happen. If you don't have perfect hand-feeding technique and know exactly how much formula to push you'll kill him...2-3 weeks old is just too young for a anyone to start hand-feeding and raising a baby bird who has no experience doing it ever before.

Here's the other problem: You're giving money to a very irresponsible and unscrupulous bird breeder, and supporting what they are doing to young baby birds. Please walk away from this breeder!!! This breeder knows what they are doing is horribly wrong, and they know that their baby will most likey die after they sell it to you at 2-3 weeks old. But they don't care. They just want your money, and to get rid of another baby to make way for more in the nestbox. So you've unfortunately found a horrible bird breeder with no morals, ethics, or regard for their baby birds. Run away!

Something else that many new bird owners don't understand is that Hand-Feeding a baby bird is NOT what makes them tame, nor is it why they bond with people!!! You do not need to hand-feed whatever baby bird you buy to bond closely with it. All you need to do is to buy and bring home an already fully-weaned Green Cheek Conure, which would be about 12 weeks old to be fully weaned, so still very young, and then start spending lots of time with it, handling it, etc. That's it. Let an experienced breeder, and a responsible one at that, fully-wean your bird and then bring it home. Please do not do this to either yourself or the baby bird, because you'll regret it for the rest of your life if you kill a 2-3 week old baby while it's in your hands because you aspirate it, or because your temperatures are off and it dies of an infection, or you burn a hole right through it's crop...Don't do this to yourself or the bird. And find a reputable, responsible bird breeder that you can trust...For all you know this breeder's babies are exposed to all kinds of Avian Viruses, Bacterial and Fungal Infections, and could very well be in-bred as well, as they are obviously not a breeder who cares at all about their birds if they are selling 2-3 week old babies.

 

[itzjbean]

As others have stated taking in an unweaned baby with no experience hand-feeding is extremely risky. It comes down to possibly killing the baby with your inexperience. We don't say this to be mean, we say it becaue we've seen it before many times on the forum, and often times the baby ends up tragically dying under the care of an inexperienced hand-feeder who has no idea how to keep baby warm (with a brooder, they cost several hundred dollars), getting formula perfectly right (100-106 degrees, consistency of porridge) or don't know what to do when baby begins having problems, like sour crop or isn't gaining weight properly.

So many things can go wrong. Just this year my hen died while sitting on eggs, but I did have all my equipment ready (brooder, hand-feeding formula, gram scale, and experience with how to do so) to know what to do.

We can't make you give the baby back or not take him, but we can inform you of the risks and ask that you don't put yourself in this position. Let the breeder fully wean the baby, and it will be much less stress for you. I got a new cockatiel baby this year (fully weaned) and he's my best friend, our bond is very strong, so don't worry about not bonding with your bird right away, you'll still have an incredible bond with your baby.

 

[Flboy]

Welcome! Besides the dangers, if your baby sees you as a parront, you could be rejected at maturity!

 

[LordTriggs]

Don't get them unweaned the odds of you killing them are roughly 99% and that 1% chance of them surviving to weaning has a 99% chance of them being seriously psychologically screwed up. Do not buy from that person who's trying to offload their job on to you. Go somewhere else and find someone who isn't trying to get you to do their job!

Think of it like this, if you bought a brand new car would you expect it to come with the engine needing to be put together? NO

 

[Laurasea]

Welcome
I agree with the above, please let the breeder wean by abundance not force weaning.. baby bird formula grows yeast and bacteria in an instant so easy to make the baby sick or kill it. Then if the temp of the food isn't perfect it will burn the crop, or if to cold rot inside the bird, or chill the bird. Plus what was said earlier baby birds leave their parents and bond with another, so you won't have a special bond because you raised it. I also Strongly suggest finding a different breeder!!!! Their ate plunty of GCC breeders out there find one that would never sell un unwrsbed baby!!! And stick around we will love to get to know you and your future weaned baby. Please also read up on Teflon and other nonstick cook ware can kill your bird instantly even on the other side of the house. There are a lot of household cleaners that can kill your bird. I'm glad you came here. I'm sorry that we just don't support getting unweaned babies. If you meet some weaned GCC babies and let one choose you, oh the joy! When a parrot chooses you you have an amazing bond, and an unweaned baby can't choose...

 

[Kiwibird]

As with everyone else, I'd advise insisting the breeder not just finish hand feeding but also allow him to abundance wean. Pay extra if you must, it really is THAT important for your birds lifelong health and well being, Baby birds are so delicate and sensitive it is easy for an inexperienced person to kill them. We get people on here frequently with sick and dying unweaned babies they were too inexperienced to take on.

I've been around (adult) parrots my entire life and I still wouldn't want to take on a baby bird to feed myself. Just too much that could go wrong. Better to wait a few extra weeks and bring home a fully weaned juvenile And please don't believe the MYTH that a bird won't bond with you if you don't hand feed it yourself. It's not true and often just a way for lazy breeders to not have to put in the extra effort of fully weaning the baby with little regard for the birds safety/health. .

 

[Brownhead]

I am so glad to read this and now am wondering if I picked my bird from a bad breeder. She almost let me take my unweaned brown headed parrot home if I felt like I could do it. I am not working now so I was thinking it might be a good idea. Reflecting back, she had a variety of conure and the one brownhead, I didn't see the parents of any of the birds around. When I was there she feed a few of the birds in a haphazard way and didn't disinfect the syringe between birds. Don't know if that matters much. I did put down a $300 non refundable deposit. When I get the baby in December how do I know he is healthy. Would a vet visit be able to tell? I don't think she would offer a health guarantee. Should I walk away now taking the loss or just see how the bird seems on pick up. I never thought about the fine details. I was just looking at the birds trying to see who would pick me, but they just wanted food and sleep, so it's hard to say. I don't even know how old they were when taken from the parents.

 

[ChristaNL]

Just make an appointment with a CAV for the same the day you pick her/him up, get a visual check done, some cultures and (if possible) a bloodtest done. Most scary-diseases-test only need a pinprik sized droplet of blood to be completely accurate.
Then you will know (almost) for sure. (You can do an DNAtest at the same time, alsway good to know if you have a boy or a girl, because of behaviour and the whole possible egg-situation.)

She does not sound like someone who *really* cares about and for the animals in the most optimal way -- but live and learn ...
You did not make her do this and chances are good you will not return to this person if you ever wanted another bird.

(and yes, every single babybird should have its own syringe of course; I do not share cutlery at a restaurant with other guests-- it's just not hygienic.)

Don't forget about the quarantine in your house (plenty of information about that here)- you have multiple birds, don't let them infect each other.

 

[Laurasea]

Oh man...yes should clean sterilize the sryinge between babies!!! She sounds like a bird broker not a breeder...what part if the world are you because 300 is a lot for a GCC , abd it sounds like you have to pay more?? I'm not the best at prices...so I could be off.. yes if it was me I would get my 30 year companion from a different breeder!

 

[itzjbean]

I am so glad to read this and now am wondering if I picked my bird from a bad breeder. She almost let me take my unweaned brown headed parrot home if I felt like I could do it. I am not working now so I was thinking it might be a good idea. Reflecting back, she had a variety of conure and the one brownhead, I didn't see the parents of any of the birds around. When I was there she feed a few of the birds in a haphazard way and didn't disinfect the syringe between birds. Don't know if that matters much. I did put down a $300 non refundable deposit. When I get the baby in December how do I know he is healthy. Would a vet visit be able to tell? I don't think she would offer a health guarantee. Should I walk away now taking the loss or just see how the bird seems on pick up. I never thought about the fine details. I was just looking at the birds trying to see who would pick me, but they just wanted food and sleep, so it's hard to say. I don't even know how old they were when taken from the parents.

Most hand-fed babies are taken from their parents at 2 weeks old and weaned, for this conure I'm thinking around 2-3 months is normal. When feeding multiple chicks from the same clutch I use the same syringe and sanitize between feedings, you don't necessarily need to for every bird, but I would use a different syringe for each clutch personally.

Yes, when you get a new bid a vet visit is always an important thing to do, they can do a physical, weigh the baby and make sure she looks okay, heart and ears and lungs sound normal. They can also take her blood or do a gram stain and test for possible diseases or illnesses that may be underlying.

 

[ChristaNL]

.what part if the world are you because 300 is a lot for a GCC , abd it sounds like you have to pay more?? I'm not the best at prices...so I could be off..

Same thought occured to me, but then ... the prices on the USA-side of the Atlantic are really quite different.

(all your 'small stuff' sounds so expensive to me anyway)

 

[EllenD]

$300 is pretty much the exact average cost in the Northeast US for a hand-raised, hand-tame baby Green Cheek. From a breeder they typically range from $200-$400, and at pet shops like Petco they cost $450...If you live in the south or southwest they tend to be very cheap because there are tons and tons of breeders, whereas in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic areas there are very few. I drove to North Carolina for my hand-raised Senegal because not only could I find only one breeder up here that I would never go to, he cost me half of what they did up here. So it just depends on where in the US you live. States like Florida, George, the Carolinas, Texas, etc. have so many parrot breeders that they have to be much more competitive than in other places...Even California is cheaper than other states because of the number of breeders.

So paying $300 for a hand-raised Green Cheek is right in-line, however it doesn't sound like the breeder really cares much about what they are doing if they offered you an unweaned baby bird, but rather they just wanted the baby gone ASAP...So be sure to get the Wellness Exam with a Certified Avian Vet as already mentioned the day you pick the baby up, and make sure they do at least a Fecal Culture and they test for PBFD...

 

[LeslieA]

My rehomed conures were from TX and the previous owner only paid USD150 each from a breeder a year ago for chicks from a late Fall breeding. Today in AR, breeder GCCs are about USD250. (Of course, you usually have to go out-of-state for them.)

Isn't a PBFD check in new birds pretty standard for certification? (For newbies, that's viral Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease.) Every AV I've been in contact with seems to think so. If nothing else, it's for the protection of other patients. If possible (I've yet to hear it isn't.), always have a fecal Gram stain done. It's worth the extra you'll pay! Your AV will probably ask which you prefer, but just in case, be prepared!

Most breeder contracts require a "within four days" exam. To avoid additional stress on the chick, have it examined by your AV separate from the breeder on the drive home. It's in the chick's, other bird's and your best interests. This is also a good time to discuss quarantine procedures and times.

Obviously, my experience is more with adult rescue birds. I'm no breeder but maintain at least one breeder baby in my flock. Let your experienced breeder wean your baby! Only experienced breeders should do that!

Please pay special attention to home requirement posts! GCCs have a way of stealing your heart, but birds have strict requirements!

 

[EllenD]

My rehomed conures were from TX and the previous owner only paid USD150 each from a breeder a year ago for chicks from a late Fall breeding. Today in AR, breeder GCCs are about USD250. (Of course, you usually have to go out-of-state for them.)

Isn't a PBFD check in new birds pretty standard for certification? (For newbies, that's viral Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease.) Every AV I've been in contact with seems to think so. If nothing else, it's for the protection of other patients. If possible (I've yet to hear it isn't.), always have a fecal Gram stain done. It's worth the extra you'll pay! Your AV will probably ask which you prefer, but just in case, be prepared!

Most breeder contracts require a "within four days" exam. To avoid additional stress on the chick, have it examined by your AV separate from the breeder on the drive home. It's in the chick's, other bird's and your best interests. This is also a good time to discuss quarantine procedures and times.

Obviously, my experience is more with adult rescue birds. I'm no breeder but maintain at least one breeder baby in my flock. Let your experienced breeder wean your baby! Only experienced breeders should do that!

Please pay special attention to home requirement posts! GCCs have a way of stealing your heart, but birds have strict requirements!

Yep, Texas is cheap, just like Florida (I think Florida is actually the cheapest state to buy a parrot by-far, there are just thousands of bird hand-raisers/breeders and bird shops that breed in-house and sell/ship all over the country wholesaie)...

***I don't think that this breeder is offering ANY type of "Health Guarantee", as the OP already stated so...So that's why we were suggesting that they make the Wellness-Checkup with a CAV for the same day that she picks the baby up from the breeder, because the only way she's going to be able to maybe work something out if there is something wrong is if she finds out the same day; however, if this baby would test positive for something like PBFD the OP will probably have to take the breeder to Small-Claims Court, as pets are considered "personal property" legally, and if she pays in-full for the baby and gets no health-guarantee, then it becomes a Civil matter for the courts unfortunately...It just depends on how unethical this breeder actually is...

I would definitely ask this breeder what their "Health Guarantee" is, as even the most unscrupulous breeders typically have at least a 72-hour health guarantee, as they usually give you a reasonable amount of time to get the bird to a Vet...However, 72-hours is not long enough to usually get blood-work back, such as a PBFD test...

****And No, you cannot at all assume that either a Wellness Exam or a "Certificate of Health" from even a CAV will include a test for PBFD, nor any blood work at all...In fact, unfortunately, most "Wellness Exams" that are done by even CAV's and Avian Specialists, let along Exotics Vets, do not even include any cultures, such as a Fecal. Most "Wellness Exams" or "New-Bird Certificate of Health Exams" are just that, "exams". They weigh the baby bird, they look them over visually, they may or may not look under their wings for abnormalities and feather-mites, they may or may not look in the bird's beak/mouth/throat, checking for Thrush or other issues, they typically just do a visual-exam, a weight, and they sign the Health Certificate. You must ALWAYS request or even demand that the CAV do a Fecal Culture and a blood test for PBFD. Sometimes the baby bird will be too small to actually draw blood from, so they can't run a regular, routine blood-panel just yet (that's why you must take them for a Wellness exam every 6 months to a year and have regular blood-work done then)...However, they can take just enough blood to run the PBFD test (there is also a feather-test for PBFD, but it's one of the feather-tests that is not very accurate)...They'll either clip a toenail and get the blood that way, or they will use a fine-aspiration needle to get just the drop of blood required for the PBFD test. But make sure you always ask for that and a Fecal Culture to test for both GI Tract infections and parasites/worms, as they are both very common in babies coming from a breeder/pet shop with other birds around...

 

[EllenD]

So this OP never came back after their initial post asking about how to hand-raise/hand-feed a 2-3 week-old baby bird (I got this OP mixed-up with another post where the OP is bringing home a fully-weaned Green Cheek, oops, information is still good, but not applicable at all about bringing home a 2-3 week-old baby bird from a horrible breeder)...

I'm going to assume that the OP bailed when they realized that no one was going to support their decision to bring home a 2-3 week old baby bird and just start hand-feeding them with no prior experience at all...I don't even know if this OP has ever owned an adult bird...I hope that I'm wrong, but I wish the OP would come back and discuss this with us rather than ignoring good advice from experienced bird owners/breeders.

To the OP, if you have made the decision to just go and bring home a 2-3 week old baby bird, or you already have, then all I can say to you is that I hope you'll come back and ask any and all questions you have, and that you won't just "guess" about things, because you cannot do that with a 2-3 week old baby...What's done is done, we can't force you to listen to our advice, but if you did ignore it and went and brought home a 2-3 week old baby bird, then you're going to have a world of stress and problems, so please, come back with any questions you have...You'll have to feed a 2-3 week old baby bird every 2-3 hours, including overnight, until the baby is at least 4-5 weeks old, as they cannot even go 6 hours without eating. So these are the things that you need to make sure you know....I don't know if you work out of your home, but if you do, do you have someone home to feed the baby every 2 hours for the first 2 weeks? This isn't optional...These are the things you are going to need help with...

None of us here would ever deny you help or advice if you've already got the unweaned baby bird, so I just want to make sure you know that. We would only want to help the baby to survive in any way we possibly can...