Question about baby green cheek

[Yodergoat]

I am new to the forum but will introduce myself properly at another time.

Right now, I have a question about our new yellow-sided baby green cheek, Obi. We got him Monday night (Jan 22) from a large scale breeder who said he thought the baby was 3 weeks 2 days but did not know his exact hatch date. He was parent raised until the evening I got him. He has been with us for 4 days now so should be about 3 weeks 6 days.

Obi is feeding well and is bright, active and playful. I've hand raised many baby birds but never a green cheek this young, and I have a question about his feathering. His adult feathers seem to be coming in nicely and we've seen good growth in the few days we've had him. Most green cheek babies of his age that I see online are very fuzzy, with lots of down feathers. But Obi has large areas completely devoid of down, especially along his back and sides, crop and his bottom near the vent. There are some pinfeather in those areas, but no fluffy down like I see on the photos and videos of other babies his age online.

He does preen often but I haven't seen him pull any down feathers out.

My apologies for the small photo... I don't have any photos of him online and had to attach directly into the message. I hope you can see in the tiny photo what I am talking about... smooth pink shiny skin with no fluff. Having never had a green cheek this age, I wonder, is this normal?

He also appears a tad smaller than other babies his age online, but it could be because they are "fluffier." Last night he weighed 70 grams with an empty crop, and this was the same weight I saw a breeder give online for a 4 week old baby.

Please give your thoughts on this. Thanks!
-Shawna

 

[GaleriaGila]

I'm so glad you're here! You sound like a loving and responsible and open-minded parront!

Can you get the darling to an avian vet? There are medical conditions that might easily be related. After we eliminate those possibilities, we can all focus on behavioral ideas.

Man, that breeder sounds a little sketchy. I'm glad you rescued this sweetheart.

Welcome!

 

[morrjr]

I'm not an expert, but three weeks seems an awfully short time for a baby bird to be taken home. The breeder that we got our two conures from won't send them to their new home until they are about 7 weeks old.

 

[itzjbean]

Being from a large-scale breeder, they unfortunately can be known to carry more diseases, skin issues and generally don't care for the health of their birds as much as a smaller breeder. Babies from large-scale breeders often end up having medical/health issues that appear later in life, as the parents are often not disease tested and these types of breeders want to make money and put that above the well-being and care of the birds.

I would also suggest bringing your new baby to an avian vet to address these issues you have found so far, both with the lack of weight gain and the lack of normal down feathers. It could indicate a skin condition or medical condition of some kind. A certified avian vet will be able to run tests and will examine the baby to find out if there are any health issues to be concerned about.

 

[Yodergoat]

I specifically requested a young unweaned baby to hand rear, as I have enjoyed raising babies of other parrot species this young in the past (Meyers, Senegal, Indian ringneck, sun conure, lovebirds, cockatiels). I was glad to find a breeder who was willing to sell an unweaned baby since so many do not, and don't feel that I "rescued" this bird from an unsafe place or unscrupulous person. The breeder has dozens of pairs of green cheeks and since he does not band the babies, I can not imagine how he would know the exact hatch date of each baby in the clutch, nor did I expect him to. I requested a baby that was just old enough in which he could tell which color form it was.

I do not feel the baby has a lack of weight gain or is in any other way unhealthy. He has steadily eaten and been gaining since we brought him home.

I really did not want to hear judgment on the breeder, but only am curious about the amount of down feathers on my new baby since I have not had a GC baby this young before.

Can anyone offer insight on the amount of down feathers?

Thanks.

 

[GaleriaGila]

I recall reading in another thread (a while back... searching for it now) where somebody's avian vet identified and investigated a couple of medical causes for lack of down, even independent of general feather loss.

Good for you, for being so determined, knowing your darling depends upon you.