Expert: Marie Charon - 10/21/2009

Question
I have a baby cockatiel it is 23 days old I am hand feeding it. He has been fine untill tonight he decided to not feel good I don't know what I am doing wrong I make sure the formula is 103 to make sure it is not to hot not to cold. He looks terriable I make sure it is warm in his tank I don't know what else to do it does not look like there is air in there. I have been feeding every four hours I am lost.

Answer
I believe you should contact your veterinarian asap.

Hand feeding formula for cockatiel's should be between 104-106 degrees, also baby birds do not have any immune system yet so you need to make sure you are boiling the water for 10 minutes prior to mixing it and that you are sanitizing all of the feed implements in between use!!!

I can't say what is wrong with your babe, but the risk of bacterial infections to young birds is high, so I would contact a vet, also I would start feeding closer to 106 degrees and make sure the temp isn't falling below 104 by the end of feeding....

Blessings,
-m