Alexandrine Baby Difficulties in Feeding and Feather Issues

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bedantaguru
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Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2016 2:16 am

Alexandrine Baby Difficulties in Feeding and Feather Issues

Post by bedantaguru »

Our Alexandrine baby [we named him Piku] [I guess 3-4 months old. but I'm not sure] is not cooperating while eating [requiring force feeding], having watery droppings and losing feathers [mainly tail and wing feathers].

1) We got him 1 month.
Initially he was under diet of homemade formula [Channa dal+few peanuts+corn+green peas-- all boiled and grinded in mixer]

2) 3 weeks we kept him in a box with shredded paper after the same he was moved to the cage. He was trying to fly around that time.
He use to enjoy feeding during this time and it was never required to force him [at least in night] to feed him.

3) Due to presence of mites in his feather [we could not gave bath to him as it was cold] we visited avian vet. She suggested to give bath with boiled neem water and apply 1:1 mixture of baby powder + Notix powder [one a week]. Due to watery drooping she also suggested to use Normet Syrup [2 drops for 5 days].
He got rid of mites after two application. Droppings also became somehow normal.
During this time he was able to fly with little less control over direction.

4) After few days his feathers from wings [black long feathers] started to come out on its own [initially we thought it was happening due to the cage]. There were white dust also there after bath in his feathers.
Seeing this we changed formula to commercial formula [Petslife Baby Bird Hand feed food]

Issues Now

a) Right now he lost so many feathers from wings and tail. Only one tail feather is present now.

b) Major issue is that he still have watery droppings and

c) He is extremely reluctant to feeding [it was not due to new formula he use to refuse earlier homemade formula too]. We had to force him [hold his mouth open and push the formula in] for eating each time.

Here is the photos of Piku
Wing Feathers Coming out
Image

Tail Feather only few left 2 weeks ago
Image

Feeding Time
Image

Image

His last tail feather now
Image

His cage :-
Image

Respected Experts Kindly suggest what is required to be done. :?
ringneck
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Re: Alexandrine Baby Difficulties in Feeding and Feather Issues

Post by ringneck »

First of all, welcome to our form. :D

Let's address the feather issue first. :p

Looking at the photos you have provided everything seems to be normal. Honestly, I would say the feathers fell out do to the cage. May I ask how large the cage is? Perhaps the sudden change from the box to the cage could have triggered a frightful experience to the Alexandrian?

If I were you, I would take your bird back to the vet and have the bird tested for beak and feather disease. If you cannot find a vet, you can send a few feathers to an online laboratory to run the test.

Keep in mind I'm not a vet, but looking at the photos, the feathers look to be very healthy. It seems that the bird might have broken the feathers from the shaft. If this is true, it will take one molting season for the tail to regrow-which is roughly 8 to 9 months. ;)

Now, let's move to the force-feed issue. Force-feeding the bird is not a good idea, unless you're sure the bird is ill. For example, the bird has a bacterial infection and completely stops eating. Usually when this happens, the bird will let anyone handle it, will not fight, will be lethargic, and will basically look like it's near death's door. If your bird is reacting this way then I would immediately take it back to the vet. In such a case, they would prescribe antibiotics, place the parrot in a brooder for heat, and nurse the bird back to health. ;)

If your bird is healthy and you force feed the parrot then you might run into such problems as aspiration or pneumonia. If this were to happen, the bird may pass away. :(

Here's some background information about Alexandrians when they are weaning.

When a baby Alexandrian is weaning they naturally reduce their food intake as they need to get their bodies off the ground to fly. This is a natural process. I found that feeding more frequently solved the problem. Rather than feed once or twice a day, offer the baby five feedings a day, or more. It may only take a few bites, but let the bird have its fill and be done. There should be no reason to pressure the birds to eat anymore.

You might also want to get a scale to measure the birds weight in grams. Keep a journal and monitor the weight daily. A normal Alexandrian will fluctuate 1 to 2 grams. If it falls below 10 grams, I would take the bird to a veterinarian. But also, you should also monitor the birds behavior and if its acting normal then usually the bird is healthy-- the gradual weight loss might be simply do to fledgling and flying.

I love that you're so dedicated to your parrot. I have an Alexandrian myself and I love him to bits. He is the most gentle bird and exudes nothing but love for me. I am very blessed to have him and I know you will be blessed to have yours too.

I hope this helps! :p

Best wishes,

IMRAN-C
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