20ish day old Babies Indian Ringneck refusing to bob....

Peachykeen · Post by **Peachykeen** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 4:37 am

What has been anyone's experience with a baby Ringneck refusing to bob and wanting to sip their hand feeding formula. The two babies in question are appr. 20 days old- they were taken from the nest at 14 days. They ate very slowly when we first took them but it is getting worse. It is like you are tying to force feed asparagus to a 2 year old. The temp of the formula is fine- we make sure to feed them first so it is the warmest about 107-110- it doesn't matter. If you have ever tried to give a dog an pill... you know what these birds are doing. I had to buy a baby bottle warmer just to keep the formula warm enough to get through feeding ONE bird. ( EXACT brand )

I have considered tube feeding and syringe feeding these two is out of the question with the refusal to bob. They bob for each other when they are playing around- they do it perfectly?

Any thoughts?? This is the first year I have had something like this come up. Mostly just curious about others experiences... I promise I won't let them starve even if it takes an HOUR to feed each of them.. so no need to worry there. Other than the fact that they seem to NOT want to EAT which is weird for a ringneck since they are such food hounds... they seem perfectly healthy

Yes I have been weighing them daily and they are progressing normally - it is just taking about 10 minutes per baby to get the crop full.

If we have to go to tubing... what size is best for baby ringnecks... I have only tubed Macaws and Too's before.

leo · Post by **leo** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:10 pm

hi, i think 10 minute is not that bad, i eed my baby very slowly with syringe. i feed and play with him and start the step up comand, and the food as the reward. i let him swallow it by himself.
healthy baby usually food hound, but if the baby is scared, they would not beg for food too. but in my area, usually ppl just do force feeding that take less then a few second

Peachykeen · Post by **Peachykeen** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:20 pm

Hey Leo!

First off- today I read your story about Tango. I didn't get through all three pages of the post but read where you had gotten her back and she was starting to progress with not screaming and being more calm. I just wanted to say congrats and I know you just must be thrilled.

Ok... back to my topic.

I don't mind the time to feed them and we do play with them after eating because they are awake and active... what I am scared of is the choking factor. I hate tubing... I hate it with a passion. It is just a personal issue I have with it and don't think badly of anyone who does do it. I just don't like it.

I am worried with the slow sipping that they are going to choke a little food down the wrong way and I would not want to see that happen. That is why I was asking. If anyone has had a sipper and a baby that just doesn't bob and the risk was really low for choking- I would feel a little more at ease but every time I feed those two particular birds I just say a little pray that no one breaths while they are sipping the formula.

It is so neat that you work on the step up with you babies so young. Mine can barely walk around without stumbling all over the place just yet. But as they get a little older we are definitely going to work on that before we sell them.

Thanks for your encouragement and look forward to hearing others experiences

bec · Post by **bec** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:29 pm

skeet would do that sipping thing occasionaly when i was hand raising her ........until the day i fed her in the loungeroom while riku was flying , riku reconised the hand feeding spoon & swpt in after consulting with a friend who is a breeder she said its fine just give riku a spoon or two
so i did & it was sort of on spoon for skeet on spoon fro riku it realy was amazing how quick skeet started eating when she realised some one else liked her food
but skeet was 21 days when i started feeding her so it might be different for younger fids keep us posted on how they go

leo · Post by **leo** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:40 pm

thanks peach

First off- today I read your story about Tango. I didn't get through all three pages of the post but read where you had gotten her back and she was starting to progress with not screaming and being more calm. I just wanted to say congrats and I know you just must be thrilled.

yea, he progress so well, learn very well and learn so much till he know how to open his door and escape for good...now i lost him, and i already got new baby

hmm, i just ask the breeder that i got my new baby from. he seems to be very expiriance and good, i just told him your case and he advise me something. but im not asking you to do that is you dont like it...

he said:
hearing from your condition, your baby wil just get enought food as they are not begging. expiriance breeder with no time will just pump the food in to the more than enough amount so the baby will grow better.
however, if you are not expiriance, dont do that, you can kill the baby by pump the food in to the lunge

his advise, you have t be patient, ise small sringy, and push a little food in the mouth( inside lower beak) and let him swalow by himself...very minimum risk of food going in to wrong place and baby bird will most of the time swallow it. no matter what..

right amount of food is important in the bird growth and developement of the immune, you dont want to grow small and weak bird...

it is ehat he said...but really, if you dont feel confortable with the method, just dont follow it...good luck

julie · Post by **julie** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:35 pm

Grab a tin or jar of baby food (apples, pears ect) they love the stuff and start bobbing away to get it.heat it to the same temp as you would formula.

Peachykeen · Post by **Peachykeen** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 4:38 am

Hi Guys,

I spoon feed to lower the risk of choking on all the babies. It takes longer but I would rather be very safe than very sorry.

Well, as long as sipping wont confuse the baby and the food go down the wrong way- I am satisfied. I will also add some baby food to the in between feedings I give these two because they will not take enough in at the regular feeding time- so they get a supplement feeding. I have added P-butter to my formula for runty babies before- that might be an option too. But with our p-nut butter scare going on over here... who knows... baby food sounds safer to me...lol

Hope everyone is have a great Easter weekend!

Thanks for talking to you breeder friend Leo- Sad to hear about the lost one. Hope the new baby stays put!!

julie · Post by **julie** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:35 am

have you tried them with a syringe? I was worried because spike wasn't bobbing, after feeding him with a syringe full of strained baby apples he started bobbing like crazy. If you get a syringe (make sure it doesn't have the needle part still) try to get one that slide really easy and wont be that hard to push the formula down. you can also raise the syringe above them with out it dripping on them.

Peachykeen · Post by **Peachykeen** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 6:43 am

Julie,

I have the syringe stuff here... I will go there as a last resort. I noticed that these older two babies have really tight crops too. They might be getting full very fast. We are going to get the baby food today for supplemental feedings. I have been putting p-butter in the formula since last night and it has stimulated the other baby to eat better ( thank goodness ) But the older one still sips but does a little better.

I really thank you guys for kicking my brain into gear and reminding me about the baby food- cause I just plain forgot in my grief over the situation.

They are still gaining. The two oldest slowly but the other 7 are really food hounds!

I took some pictures I will post them when when I get a account set up- Google has my website all messed up and I have not had the energy to fix it.

Thanks again everyone!

Suzanne