Hi there,
Sorry to not be doing the proper introductions, but I really need some help!
Last Wednesday evening I brought home a baby blueheaded pionus. I purchased her from someone that I know to be a very reputable breeder. I am not one to happily line a breeders pocket when there are are so many birds in need of homes,all but one of my birds are rehomes or rescues, and for various reasons which I won't go into now - but they involve things like trauma in the birds- are not birds that I can really interact with, despite my best efforts. Two of them I can interact with, but they are very bonded to each other, which is great, the others I love dearly for what they are, and am just happy that I am able to give them a good home. That said, I have, for so long, dearly wanted a bird that could be a real companion for me, one that would enjoying being with me and interacting with me. To this end, about a month ago I bought an adult female blue headed pionus. I discovered very quickly- the very next day infact, that she was sick, tail bobbing constantly, with visibly laboured breathing. After a month of extremely expensive and tedious treatment with a two week stay at the vets and two weeks with us ( in which time I completely fell in love with her), an x ray was taken and aspergillosis of the lung, in a very advanced stage was diagnosed. The poor girl had to be put to sleep. It was an absolutely heart breaking experience, but one that I would repeat in a heart beat, to end her suffering.
After this, I decided I wanted another female pionus as my special companion bird. I think I was partly acting out of grief but for whatever reason, I wanted one.
The previous year my partner and I had spent in excess of £2,000 taking precautionary measures to protect my flock from psittacosis, when one of them tested positives for the anibodies - or something like that, but anyway, none of the birds were or have been sick, but we had to do the responsible thing. And then this poor sweet girl cost us another £1000, plus, to get, and to treat. The reason I am going into this, is to illustrate why my partner insisted we go to the best breeder we knew of, one that carried out all the blood work etc, and one that we knew to the very best of our knowledge would sell us a healthy baby, no issues, no trauma. I have to make that clear, as I do feel strongly about not having got a rescue or rehome, when there are so many needy birds. my partner put his foot down.
Anyway, the breeder told me that the baby may regress a little with her weaning when she came home, and gave us some formula. I had a few years ago, rescued a baby cockatiel that had been sold to a family without being properly weaned, and I finished his weaning. This was done with a syringe, and was fairly straight forward, and only lasted a few days, so I figured I would be able to handle offering the baby pionus a spoon with formula. She was spoon fed.
The baby ate nothing for two whole day, and on the third took formula. The breeder at this stage told me to give her no more than three feeds a day, so this is what I have been doing ever since. I did not expect this. I thought i would just be topping up her regular feed, and providing some comfort with the warm formula.
I never know if I am giving her too much or too little, the breeder has stopped responding to my calls and messages.
She gets covered in this formula, and I cant get if off while it is still soft, as I cant mess around with the crop when it's full, and when the crop is empty she will not let me get if=t off with warm water and cotton pads, I have tried towelling her, everything. She get a lot off herself, but I am so worried about bacteria growing from the hard dried formula. I think I will have to take her to the vets to get her cleaned up, but I can ill afford to do this after what we have just spent on our other dear girl, and anyway, I certainly can't take her every few days to get cleaned up, so this needs to end quickly.
She isn't touching the normal food I am offering, and cries all the time when she can see mw, which I am told in normal or baby pionus, but this is really stressing me out, mostly because I know how distressed she is.
I want to do my very best not to screw her up physchologically, and i don't want to force wean her, but this really has to end soon. She does snuggle up with me sometimes and stops crying.
She is only just 12 weeks old, and through reading I have found that most pionus don't wean till 16weeks.
Could somebody please give me some advice. I am a worrier at the best of times, and I am going out of my mind. I would certainly take her to the vet if I have to, but I wonder if I am just over reacting, and all this could be fairly easily resolved.
I hope to hear from someone soon, and I will be SOOOO grateful!!!!!
Thank you!!!!!