Help! New

[Blackfang320]

hi guys im new and ive done my research on a green cheek conure and decided to get one. well i found this guy with babies they are 3weeks and he is selling them to people who are willing to hand feed them. well ive raised kittens from 1 day old and raccoons and the whole shabang so im good with keeping things alive on a syringe and fourmla diet lol. well ive been researching about hand feeding baby conures and it will probaly be 4 weeks when i get it if i do and so far i have a container, pine shavings, and a heatng lamp . they places ive gone for info arent that great so please guys tell me all you can about feeding the babies at this old like what exactly i need to care for them and when i feed them and stuff please i beg you, thanks =)

 

[MikeyTN]

I disagree with people who sells unweaned babies to people who haven't had the experience. Its not like bottle feeding kittens, dogs, etc. There's problems you may encounter if its not done properly and it can be fatal. Another possibility is crop rot. If you can, wait until the baby is weaned. Or meet up with the breeder for a few feeding sessions.

 

[Blackfang320]

well idk if the guy is a breeder or not , i knoe (<----and yes i know it is spelled with a "w" i just spell it with "e" ) that he has a breeding pair and i figured if i got it a little later like 4th of 5th week it wouldn't be as critical and i cant really take trips out there bc its a decent ways away, people say you shouldnt to give to someone with no experience but i have to start somewhere ive had a cockatiel before so i have some experience with birds and ive had chickens

 

[MikeyTN]

True you have to start somewhere, its not that you don't have experience with birds. Its the experience in handfeeding and weaning the bird that you don't have the experience with. Its true once they're older its not as complicated as a one day old chick. That's something I did not enjoy doing before but I didn't have a choice at times when the parents abandons or the parents got sick and was unable to care for the chicks. It was a delicate process.... if you do decide to go through that process, watch handfeeding process off youtube. Good luck!

 

[Blackfang320]

Thanks =) what exactly did you use to keep your baby birds warm while they were that little?

 

[MikeyTN]

I usually have multiple pairs and I would let them brood. Sometimes they wont feed them but would keep them warm so I do the feeding around the clock. All else fails, use a brooder.

 

[Pedro]

I agree that breeders shouldn't sell to the inexperienced. This is one area where i have to repeatedly help people get their babies through safely. Very ofter the unsuspecting buyer ends up with a sick baby & by the time they realize it the baby is so close to death it can not be helped.

A 4 week old baby will need 4 feeds in a 24 hour period. I never feed round the clock any more As i have since found out if they are given to many feeds their little body works over time to digest all that food so they will just refuse to eat or start vomiting back the excess. Even a new born has a spell. I like to have the crop completely empty once every 24 hours.

I remember reading in one of my bird mags, some guy placed a camera in the nesting box to monitor the chicks at night & found that the parent birds don't feed through the night & will stop feeding around 8pm. So i thought mum knows best. So i would stop feeding at 10 or 11 PM & then start again at 5AM. Works wonders & never have crop problems.

 

[MikeyTN]

Pedro,

I fed around the clock in small amounts when they first hatch...that's been years ago....lol. it wasn't fun at all.... I set the alarm clock every hr to get up.... glad I had nothing else going on at that time...lol