Naked baby

[ashbee]

My friend picked up a 5 week old Eckie baby today to hand raise, and she excitedly sent me photos when she got him home and settled, and he's cute and all but he's naked.


She hasn't taken him to a vet yet (tomorrow apparently) so I was just curious if any of you guys might have some ideas on why he's naked. He's got big boy feathers coming in on his wings and tail, but he has no down. All of my Eckie babies have had a nice woolly down at this age so he looks a little strange to me.


He eats ok although she's not using a great formula, and he weighed in at 349g.



Any ideas?

 

[OutlawedSpirit]

Although taking him to a Certified Avian Vet is her best way to find answers, it's possible that he was plucked by his parents while still in the nest.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[ashbee]

Thank you, somehow that thought never crossed my mind, lol. He seems healthy otherwise, he's very curious and alert.



I might see if I can get her an appointment with my vet. He's brilliant with baby birds and his clinic is the closest lol.

 

[fiddlejen]

Awww, so cute, widdle baby dinosaur!

 

[charmedbyekkie]

Be careful - ekkies are notoriously hard to feed as babies. Have the wrong formula, their feathers will grow strange colors.

They're incredibly picky, and their pickiness changes as they age. You have to be prepared to toss and remake formula if the consistency or temperature is rejected.

They also sometimes take the longest to wean. I've heard of 9 month olds still needing formula.

Your avian vet hopefully will be able to give insight into his feather situation.

I'm surprised this has happened in Australia, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[ashbee]

I've hand raised 4 eckies myself, I know what they're all about and i'm happy to give her some guidance with this guy, i've just never had or seen a naked baby before lol. My vet confirmed that he'd been plucked. He's healthy in every other aspect and we're confident he'll thrive.

The brand of the formula she was using is Whistler. I don't know anything about it, i've only ever used vetafarm neocare. I've had other brands on hand for emergencies but haven't used them. I've noticed that Whistler and Joy ProStart both smell kind of gross and have weird black bits in them. She has switched him to Vetafarm and i'm eager to see how well he does on it.

 

[Ellie777Australia]

Welcome...Looking forward to seeing this darling little fella with his feathers in situ...please keep us updated on his progress. Perhaps your friend may even join us here?