Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 5/17/2006

Question
Hi Chrys
Thank you for your response, but I think my son may have confused you. The Baby grey is 5 weeks old on Sunday and weighs 284g.
she is eating but will not exceipt a full feed. she was taking 25m of forula 6 times a day, which was due to reduce to 5 times. but we now struggle to get her to take more than 10 to 15m as a result her weight is now only increasing by 5g to 15g each day. she does also not bob for long when feeding. she seems active in the mornings than latharic for most of the day.We moved her to she if this will help. could you also advise on brooder temperture, at present It is 28c any higher and she seems to be panting.

Regards Terry  



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Followup To
Question -
Hi

i have a 5 and a half week of african grey parrot that has stopped feeding he will not accept food at all. i have not changed the formula at all but 2 days ago he stopped eating.
hes crop emptys fine and hes still playful and active. the only thing i've done its moved him from hes brooder to a heated aquarium because the brooder was getting to small. and moved him into the kitchen so hes exposed to alot more light then he was.

regards
Dan
Answer -
Hi, Dan.  Thanks for posting.

If this grey hasn't eaten in 2 days, you've got big problems!  You need to ensure he isn't dehydrated, which is very important.  Also, lack of food can result in weight loss, which is not at all good for a baby parrot (can result in other health problems).  I recommend you move him back into the brooder and back into the previous room to see if he will begin accepting food again.  Often times a change such as what you've made can affect a parrot's acceptance of food.  Are you feeding the formula at the correct temperature?  If the formula isn't at the right temperature (102-104 degrees F) when fed to the grey, he might not accept it (has to be correct temperature when the food hits the bird's mouth...not when you mix it).  When he begins accepting food again, you can gradually try making changes.

If this grey doesn't start eating again today (not tomorrow...TODAY), you need to consult with an avian veterinarian ASAP.  The parrot might have something else going on that you aren't aware of causing him to not eat.  It is very important that you seek medical advice for this situation if you can't resolve it ASAP.  

It might be possible that this grey is ready to start weaning.  He's young to start the weaning process, but usually when a parrot refuses to eat baby parrot formula, there's something wrong medically, they're ready to wean, or the formula isn't at the right temperature or the formula has changed in some manner (consistency, brand name, etc.), or could be the recent changes you've made.

Chrys  

Answer
Hi, Terry.  With reduced food intake, your baby grey will not gain weight as quickly.  As long as she is not losing weight, I wouldn't worry too much.  

The brooder temp seems OK to me provided she has some feathers.  I'm not used to metric system, but I believe 28c equates to approximately 83 degrees F, which should be fine at her age, especially if she is panting.  Panting means she is too warm and/or there isn't enough air circulation in the brooder.  

With 6 feedings a day, and at her age, it seems to me that 10-15m of food should be OK.  If you were to reduce her to 4-5 feedings per day, she would probably eat more at each feeding.  In other words, perhaps she is getting enough food (10-15m) at each of 6 feedings, considering her age at the present time.  I really have to question starting the weaning process at 5-6 weeks of age (you state "which was to reduce to 5 times").  To me, reducing her feedings at her present age is too soon.  Average age for greys to start weaning is about the time they start to fledge, which is about 2-3 months of age.  However, this depends on the individual bird.  You should wean the baby at HER speed, not what you've read or been told.  In other words, the baby may be trying to tell you that she does not need as much food at each feeding.  Sometimes she may take more at a feeding, sometimes less (in the mornings and for the last feeding at night, baby parrots usually eat more than they might during the day).  

I am an advocate of abundance weaning.  What this means is that as you reduce the amount of formula offered and/or number of handfeedings per day, you provide other types of food for the baby to start becoming accustomed to.  In other words, now that she is refusing to accept as much formula at each feeding, you can either reduce the number of handfeedings per day to say 4 or 5 and feed more formula at each feeding and/or start offering other types of food for her to start experimenting with.  When I start the weaning process on baby parrots, at each feeding where the baby doesn't eat as much or in the place of formula (or provide half as much formula), I also offer the baby parrot warm human foods to start getting accustomed to.  At first you should offer warm foods because the baby is used to consuming warm formula and will more readily accept warm food rather than cold food.  For example, offer warm baked potato, warm veggies, warm corn bread (or other type of healthy bread), etc.  You can move to cold foods (fruits, veggies, etc.) as the baby gets a bit older and is accepting of the cooler foods.  

As baby parrots get older, some tend to stop bobbing (aka feeding response).  This is OK as long as the food doesn't go down the bird's trachea.  

She would be more active in the morning after going all night without being fed.  As the day progresses and she's fed, she should be napping a lot, and with a full tummy, well, a parrot isn't any different than us humans with a full belly of warm food (nap time!)!  

In summary, your baby's behavior should dictate her feeding routine.  However, you must ensure she is getting enough food on a daily basis (the amount can change from day to day), she is hydrated, she doesn't lose weight (a little weight loss is natural, however, when they start to wean and fledge).  

There are many websites on the internet regarding caring for greys.  Just be careful and not believe everything you read and make sure you understand that not everything you read applies to every bird, since each bird is as individual as we are.  

Come back if you need to.

Chrys