knowledgeable breeders pls help????

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ekamac
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2014 7:48 pm

knowledgeable breeders pls help????

Post by ekamac »

I need help. I just bought 1 baby IRN last 2 days. It is about 2-3 wks old. And my friend gt 1 too from the same breeder. But the problem is, my IRN can't seem to walk properly and can't really lift its head up. Mine is quite heavy and bigger compared to my friend's baby IRN. The thing is, his baby is alr walking although its not yet stable. And mine just can't. It just lie down and doesn't move much :( breeder said that it's normal cause it's still afraid of human and not used to us. Anybody knows if that is normal?
SkyeBerry
Posts: 270
Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:14 am
Location: Vancouver, BC Canada

Re: knowledgeable breeders pls help????

Post by SkyeBerry »

Sorry I do not know if this is normal or not but if I had a baby and I was concerned about something like this I would call a bird/avian vet. Do you have one? Is the breeder willing to look at the bird for you just to make sure something has not gone wrong? Is the bird eating and drinking? Is it going to the bathroom? Did the breeder tell you what the weight of the bird was and are you weighing it daily to ensure it is gaining weight? Two-three weeks is young. What are you feeding it? Did the breeder say it was fully weaned??? Are you feeding it a hand feeding formula? Or just seeds etc? How often are you feeding it? How warm is it where you are keeping the bird? What are you housing the bird in? At 2-3 weeks it does not have any real feather coverage. Sorry but I am unsure about how much bird knowledge you have and you have not supplied a lot of information. Some breeders are very good at ensuring new owners have all the information they require and some are not. Have you owned a bird before? Have you owned a ringneck? Have you cared for such a young baby before? I did not get my bird until after he was fully feathered and eating seeds, fruits, and vegetables. Birds can be raised by people at this age but you need to know what you are doing. If this is all new to you, you need to get qualified help that can ensure you are doing things properly, or this can turn very bad very quickly.
Mary
ekamac
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2014 7:48 pm

Re: knowledgeable breeders pls help????

Post by ekamac »

Thanks fr yr reply :) I hv Called up the breeder and he told me that it is normal cause my irn is afraid and not used to humans. Asked alot of questions rgd her being this way but he kept on insisting that this is normal. I'm guess ing he didn't want to do anything with this now that he's got my money. :( Before I bought my ringneck I asked him on how to care fr a baby this young. He told me how to handfeed it, when to. Assured me it is real easy to care for. And that's about it.

To answer yr questions. I am hand feeding it formula. Zupreem. 4 times a day. I keep my baby in a tank with bedding and towel below. It is very warm here in Singapore so I don't have any heatpad or whatsoever. Only cover the tank with blanket at night cause it gets a little cold durung night time.

I do have lovebirds. All of them were purchased before they weaned but they weren't as young as 2 weeks that is. The youngest I got was at about 3-4 weeks old. This is my first ringneck.

I did some research and googled since I posted this, and it seems like my baby has splayed legs. Seen a number of videos, pictures and those birds with splayed legs look exactly like mine, the way it moved, or sat. I read up on splayed legs causes and treatments and have started using make up sponge to a day now to correct its legs. It seems like she's making progress :) I can see her lifting up her head and moving much more compared to when I first brought her home. I'll try to make her walk tomorrow to see if she can walk properly. If not I'll be taking it to the vet. Thanks..
MissK
Posts: 3011
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:46 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: knowledgeable breeders pls help????

Post by MissK »

Please search this site for splayed legs - you are not the first and it is my understanding you should be taking action now, not tomorrow. Personally, I would be looking to get my money back, but that's me.
-MissK
SkyeBerry
Posts: 270
Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:14 am
Location: Vancouver, BC Canada

Re: knowledgeable breeders pls help????

Post by SkyeBerry »

I am so sorry that the breeder has done this to you and the baby! I am very happy that you replied to my post and that you do have some experience. I also have lovebirds. :D You are welcome to PM me if you want to chat about them.

re: the splayed leg - I agree with MissK - every day untreated the more difficult it is to correct. The vet will also be able to tell you if there is anything else wrong with your baby as well provide some feedback about how well you are progressing with feeding etc. You also want to make sure the bird does not have a deformity or injury in the pelvis itself. Ask the vet about the prognosis - will this condition be correctable, will the bird have a limp, will he have pain, arthritis at any time, cost to treat? Give the name of the breeder. The vet might have seen other birds that came from this breeder. Maybe this is a one of incident. Maybe the breeder has a history of breeding poor quality birds with lots of problems. Ask the vet if there is anyone you can make a complaint to. Some countries have laws to protect people from unscrupulous breeders. This, of course, all assuming the bird does have splayed leg.

I am a sucker for birds with medical conditions that are treatable as well as providing a good home for those with untreatable conditions - ensuring they have a good quality of life until it is best to euthanize them. I think you need to be honest with yourself as far as how much time and effort you are willing and able to put into this bird. Will you be disappointed or regret getting the bird at some point if he/she is not perfect. If there is going to be addition medical care - can you find the time to take the bird in for re-checks, do you have time and the ability to perform the correct care, do you have the financial resources, how available will the vet be to answer questions, what about your other commitments to work and family etc...

Please let us know what the vet said and what your decision is.

Best wishes for you and your bird. Mary
Mary
ekamac
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2014 7:48 pm

Re: knowledgeable breeders pls help????

Post by ekamac »

Hi Mary and MissK, thanks fr yr reply! Reason why I said I'd bring to the vet tomorrow is cause at the time I replied, it was 2am here :) I wanted to ask for a refund from the breeder but I feel like it won't be doing well there cause eventually he is going to sell her off again and who knows if the next buyer wouldn't take care of it well. Furthermore I'm starting to love her like my other birds.

I had an experience with one of my lovebird, KiKi with splayed leg, just that the only difference is it only has one leg pointing outwards, and I made 'braces' fr her with straws and rubber bands like one video I followed on YouTube. And thank god it was realigned after 4 days. I then brought Kiki to the vet after that to have everything checked and she was perfectly fine :D

I just finished feeding Jade, my baby irn and she's walking fine! I made her came to me fr the formula and she walked with her head up! And the sound she makes now is different from the first few days I got her! So adorable. I am so soooo happy now! Really am! :D

Once my husband is back from work we are going to the vet later to check it's internal and everything else. I will take on yr advise and ask the vet rgd the breeder too. Never thought of that. Hmm don't worry I will never have regrets of getting Jade even if she is disabled. No matter what. Before I bought her, I took an hour sitting with the chicks, deciding which one I wanted and I chose her fr a reason, I wouldn't trade her fr anything else. she's so dear to me even though I just got her. And I'm a home maker so I have loads of time for my birdies ^_^

I will do an update on Jade :) wish I could post up some pictures fr u guys to see but it says the file is too big :(
MissK
Posts: 3011
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:46 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: knowledgeable breeders pls help????

Post by MissK »

I surely wish you the best!
-MissK
ekamac
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2014 7:48 pm

Re: knowledgeable breeders pls help????

Post by ekamac »

Thanks MissK :D
SkyeBerry
Posts: 270
Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2014 2:14 am
Location: Vancouver, BC Canada

Re: knowledgeable breeders pls help????

Post by SkyeBerry »

You sound much more confident and I am glad. Looking forward to updates. :)
Mary
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