Feeding issues

[Bubba Gump]

Hi All, I need some help and advise with my sky blue lacewing ringneck. He is approx 9 weeks old and I bought him from a breeder. I dont find the breeder very helpful as everytime i call him to ask for advise he doesnt really give me any but just tells me to bring my little bird back to him. I dont wish to do this and anyway he is too far away. My little one doesnt have a proper name yet so we call him Bubba and then it became Bubba Gump..
My worries are these..
He/she is only eating one feed of formula per day but is constantly begging for food. He refuses most food until the evening. He wont eat anything at all before I go to work and eats none of the fresh food, arrowroot biscuits and seed that I leave for him. By the time i return from work of an evening he/she is starving and practically eats my arm off..that is for the first 3-4 spoons and then he/she wont eat anything but keeps begging..The temp of the formula is between 38-41 degrees and I use 3-4 Nilstat drops per feed as the breeder told me to do. Help, I dont want him to be hungry but he wont eat??!!
My second issue is that if i have he/she out of the cage, he/she is always wanting to sit on my head. I dont allow this because i have heard it is not a good idea and apart from that its not great for me, especially if he/she poops..
Any way I would welcome any advise as I am very worried about my little baby bird..

Hope to hear back soon...Donna

[New Ekkie Mom]

I have no experience in this area, so I am sorry I can't help you, but I wanted to let you know, if you don't get any feedback here soon, you can try posting this thread in the breeder section of the forum. There should be lots of experienced handfeeders there too. Good for you for trying to get help for your bird, and I hope it all gets worked out!

[Bubba Gump]

Thanks for your quick reply.. i will do as you suggest and post in the breader section..

[Ashling]

I would take it to an avian vet who knows what they are doing. Birds can loose half their body weight in a few days, especially young ones, causing malnutrition and eventual death. I hope you can get some help soon.

[Franciscus]

I don't know if you are an experienced handfeeder. Ethical breeders don't sell unweaned birds to those that have no experience handfeeding. I would either find someone that is, or bring the bird back for them to finish rearing.

[MissV]

Ugh, how awful...it doesn't seem impossible that he'd be weaned by now, but I don't think a breeder should release a bird to someone without experience when it's taking hand feeding formula at all!

Definitely a good idea to check with the breeding section...hopefully one of our awesome breeders/rescuers can help you out. Do you have any avian vets in the area? If you do, you should really contact one.

[Greycloud]

Your baby needs some handfeeding. Temp of food should be between 104-107 degrees F. You should offer this in the AM and pm. You need to purchase a scale and way your baby first thing in the morning before eating and after first poop. Scales in kg are sold at kitchen supply stores and very easy to find and inexpensive. The breeder should not have released an unweaned baby for sale. A vet visit to check for a possible yeasty crop or bacterial infection is a good idea. This can cause babies to be really hungry.
You might want to fix some natural oatmeal(no sweetners) and serve with cooked sweet potato mixed in. Also pellets offered after soaking in natural apple or orange juice and slightly warmed are good. Babies need to wean themselves. It is a slow progress.
As far as being on your head, just remove the baby and place him in a preferred place. Such as your hand or a playstand. He is aiming for your head because it is a clear target and easy to land there. When he feels more comfortable he will learn to glide more securely to land. Patience is the key. If he is very thin, I would definitely take to an avian vet. Many babies are lost due to incorrect weaning processes. Good luck!