mischief health/behavior update; formula question

[Francie Mae]

Hello everyone! Hope you guys are doing well

My main point of concern: 21mL of formula per feeding for 2.5 month old cockatoo?

Health update! Mischief went to the vet, and it went very well. The vet absolutely adored her, and gave her a clean bill of health. She said the only concern was they found a very slight amount of harmful bacteria in her fecal matter, but they’re aren’t stressed about it, and suggested putting apple cider vinegar in her water. We’ll take her back soon to ensure their suggestion eradicates the bacteria. I couldn’t be more thrilled that she’s okay. As for feeding, I’ve gotten advice from some of you guys to let her eat until she’s full, but the vet recommended an approximate amount (21mL of formula throughout the day), because she was worried about aspiration or digestion issues, even with spoon feeding. However, my dad read that it’s meant to be 10% of their body weight per individual feeding, not for the whole day, and while we obviously aren’t more knowledgeable than the vet, my dad’s wondering if maybe there was a miscommunication between them. For reference, Mischief is currently being fed Kaytee Exact formula, which is what the vet gave us.

Her diet leads me to her behavior—this girl can scream! While I most definitely expect this of a cockatoo and Grim was no exception, if we’re close to her, she will nonstop do the ‘feed me’ scream, the one that sounds kind of like radio radio static crossed with how dinosaur shrieks are portrayed in movies. That’s part of the reason why I think there was a miscommunication between my dad and the vet, especially because the vet got great reviews, so I don’t think she’s misinformed. I actually don’t mind the noise at all—it means that she’s here and a part of our house—but what I’m worried about is how constant it is. I keep thinking something’s wrong, even though the vet assured us that she didn’t note anything of concern. As soon as we leave the room, she stops screaming, but the whole time we’re in view, she’s screeching her poor little head off. I’ve watched videos and the sound she makes is definitely very similar to the videos of hungry cockatoo babies, but she does it very loudly to where my parents and I have to notably raise our voices to be able to hear each other talk. We’re weighing her daily; she’s 2.5 months old and 210 grams. That’s the same weight she was when we got her. It doesn’t help her calm down when we pet her or have her step up. Maybe she’s thirsty and hasn’t figured out how to drink from her bowl, but she won’t drink from a spoon, either. I’ve read the same as my dad—that they need about 10% of their body weight three times a day—but again, I don’t want to go against the vet. Still, I think there was a miscommunication. My dad was asking the vet questions for over an hour, so it’s possible that by that point he either misheard her or she misunderstood the question. I don’t know for sure. So I just wanted to check in and get your guys’ opinions, because I really would like to be feeding our little girl more, especially with how upset she seems, but the vet’s warnings are filling me with an undercurrent of dread. I don’t want her to overeat and aspirate or be unable to digest her food and get really sick.

I’m trying to contact the vet for clarification, but it was literally her last day before moving, so I’m not sure if I can reach her. We have to go to their sister location from now on, which has a different vet.

I hope all of you guys are doing well. Thank you for taking the time to read this

 

[TiredOldMan]

Sounds like great news from the vet. Just my 2 cents but if a baby is hungry feed it.
Thank you very much for the update. Been looking forward to a good report all day.

 

[Jcas]

I tend to agree with the above. If Mischief is hungry, go ahead and feed her. If there are concerns about aspiration or overeating, you might consider feeding smaller amounts more often. It sounds like you guys are giving this bird a great home and that it so awesome

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Babies don't drink from bowls until they wean. They dont need water because formula has so much water in it. If her poops are wet shes definitely getting enough water. I'd feed her as much as she wants more often. She isn't likely to aspirate from overeating unless she's being force fed. When I hand raise budgies I feed them until they don't want any more food or their crop is full. I've never tried to weigh and measure because they spill so much it wouldn't be accurate. It's hard to tell if the crop is full when the baby is older and feathered like Missy is, but the crop is able to hold a lot of food so I wouldn't worry. Depriving the baby of enough food is bad for its physical and psychological development. She knows you're her source of food. You don't want her to think you're depriving her.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

A three week old 20gram baby budgie can easily eat 5cc of formula in one sitting.
I would think a 2.5 mo th old baby Galah could eat a lot more than 20cc.
I read an article from the Parrot Preservation Society that now feeds babies from small paper cups (little Dixie cups). They were using spoons for safety reasons but someone recommended trying paper cups and it worked great.
This way you can measure the food, put it in the paper cup, bend the cup a bit and tilt it as the baby eats out of the folded edge. You can push thicker formula toward the "feeding port" as needed. I thought it was pretty clever.

 

[Francie Mae]

Babies don't drink from bowls until they wean. They dont need water because formula has so much water in it. If her poops are wet shes definitely getting enough water. I'd feed her as much as she wants more often. She isn't likely to aspirate from overeating unless she's being force fed. When I hand raise budgies I feed them until they don't want any more food or their crop is full. I've never tried to weigh and measure because they spill so much it wouldn't be accurate. It's hard to tell if the crop is full when the baby is older and feathered like Missy is, but the crop is able to hold a lot of food so I wouldn't worry. Depriving the baby of enough food is bad for its physical and psychological development. She knows you're her source of food. You don't want her to think you're depriving her.

That makes sense. Thank you for the advice i was thinking the same thing about formula and water, but the vet said to put apple cider vinegar in her water to help fend off the bacteria she had in her system, so it seems like the vet was expecting her to be drinking water already.

 

[Francie Mae]

A three week old 20gram baby budgie can easily eat 5cc of formula in one sitting.
I would think a 2.5 mo th old baby Galah could eat a lot more than 20cc.
I read an article from the Parrot Preservation Society that now feeds babies from small paper cups (little Dixie cups). They were using spoons for safety reasons but someone recommended trying paper cups and it worked great.
This way you can measure the food, put it in the paper cup, bend the cup a bit and tilt it as the baby eats out of the folded edge. You can push thicker formula toward the "feeding port" as needed. I thought it was pretty clever.

The paper cups are a great idea omg. Thank you so much. We’re going to pick some up today. You’re a lifesaver!!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

That makes sense. Thank you for the advice i was thinking the same thing about formula and water, but the vet said to put apple cider vinegar in her water to help fend off the bacteria she had in her system, so it seems like the vet was expecting her to be drinking water already.

I think she might have meant to add it to the water you mix with the formula.