Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 10/26/2006

Question
Hi Chrys,
I need so help. My female lovebird kicked out the runt of the clutch. She has continued to take care of the others( which they are twice the size of this little guy)She had 5 all together. I have been hand feeding this little guy with a syringe and the baby bird formula made by Katee. How often am I suppose to feed it and how much at a time? How much weight is it suppose to gain everyday? It has gained 3 grams since yesterday. I am feeding it about every 3 hours, and it eats between 2ml and 4ml. Am I doing this right? I weigh it before every feeding, I have a heating pad in the drawer of the cage so that it is not directly touching the baby. But keeping it warm. Every time I feed it the crop gets pretty full. He hardly has any feathers. Mostly pink. If you want I send you pictures via e-mail. My e-mail address is tweemz3@msn.com
Thanks so much,
Trina  

Answer
Hi, Trina.  Thanks for posting!

Have you tried putting the runt back in the nesting box?  Depending on the type of nesting box being used, sometimes baby birds can accidently fall out of the nesting box or get kicked out accidently when the parents go in and out.  Also, mom may have thrown this baby out because it is ill or other.  

Anyhow, you need to be feeding this little guy at least 4 times per day (morning, noon, dinner, before bed) or whenever it's crop is empty.  Feed whatever it takes to fill up the crop...you've fed too much if you can see formula in the baby's neck.  There's no set amount of weight a bird should gain every day...as long as it is gaining and not losing, all's well.  The baby needs to be kept at about 98 deg F...you'll need to use a thermometer to keep a check on the temp.  Also, a cage is not sufficient, as too much of the warm air can escape.  You need to have this baby in a glass fish aquarium or something plastic (like one of those plastic shoe boxes you can buy) so heat can be maintained constant.  You can place the heating pad underneath one of these, but leave a small area free of the heat so the baby can move to cooler area if s/he gets too hot.  

My website has much information on this if you want to visit:

http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html

Come back with any questions.

Chrys