Help please. Baby Alexandrine is retarded

[Ashleigh253]

Hi everyone,

So his weight went down to 185 this morning after 2 days stop crop feeding. I tried with a syringe and a spoon but he kept on running away and growled at them. Should I force to feed him by holding his beak down?

My baby IRN will eat out of a syringe and spoons wherever I placed food down. With Alex, I have to ignore him for a good 10mins and then he started to eat on his own. If he can hear my voice or see my face, he cries (he scream now) even if I put food in several bowls and dish for him. I cooked gloop for both of them but with Alexs bowl, I added some mixed seeds in for him as well.

Anotherthing is really he is scared of my hands. He hates them so much that whenever I move my hand he came straight in and bite (his bites are so nasty).

[Ashleigh253]

He is eating then I looked back to see him, he made baby crying sound and stopped eating till I looked away. This is so weird ; ((((

[marie83]

Are you getting any food in his mouth when you try to hand feed him? Just wondering if he hasn't yet learned that the syringe/spoon is a source of food. Yes I would gently but forcefully put the food in his beak a few times to allow him to taste it, he should start taking it once he realises it is a good thing. If he tries to spit it out I think you need to get him back to the vets.

[Ashleigh253]

Hi Marie83,
He sort of using his tongue to push it out. Yeah, the Vet tried to syringe feed him but they couldnt thats why we had to go through crop feeding in the first place. Will try to push his beak down gently tonight when I get home.

Thanks again,

[Wolf]

I sort of figured that was the reason that the vet decided to go with the crop feeding. But the thing about the crop feeding is that it does nothing to encourage the natural feeding reflex in the bird, they don't get to even taste the food and it can be a major cause of the bird becoming fearful of hands. I really like the spoon feeding, but overall, I think that syringe feeding is probably the most useful throughout the birds lifetime. This is due to the fact that it can be used to give oral medications to the birds when needed. It is relatively easy to do and maintain the birds enjoyment of getting fed things this way just by finding a fruit juice, often apple, that the bird likes and giving them a little bit in a syringe once in a while.
If this bird will eat when it knows that you are not looking then I would go with that and see if it will eat the handfeeding formula in the same manner. In the end all any of us can do is the best that we can and hopefully everything will work out for the best. Also, I think that you should know that I think that you are doing a wonderful job with this bird.

[Ashleigh253]

I tried syringe again just then. Patchie kept on running after it whereas Rex the baby Alex kept on running away from it, nodding and crying loudly. They are eating gloop atm. Very frustrating .

Wolf: thanks for the encouragements. I know its a long way a head for Alex to be normal. Im thinking of getting another Alex to feed and teach him to be more natural?

[marie83]

I wonder if you can make the formula really thick, just enough so you can hold it between two clean fingers and replicate how the mother bird would feed if that makes sense? Kind of opening and closing your fingers like a beak? It might stimulate a feeding reflex.
I have no idea how it would work in reality though.

Of course long term it might encourage nippiness or obsessive behaviour with your hands.

[Wolf]

If Alex is eating gloop, why don't you try mixing some of the handfeeding formula in with it. It he refuses to eat the gloop when you add the handfeeding formula, it could be that he does not like the formula and you might need to consider a different hand feeding formula. Just a thought. Another thought would be to make the handfeeding formula using apple juice in place of half of the water, it could improve the flavor enough to where he might eat it willingly.

[liz]

I tried syringe again just then. Patchie kept on running after it whereas Rex the baby Alex kept on running away from it, nodding and crying loudly. They are eating gloop atm. Very frustrating .

Wolf: thanks for the encouragements. I know its a long way a head for Alex to be normal. Im thinking of getting another Alex to feed and teach him to be more natural?

Feeding Patchie can be a learning tool for Alex. They learn from watching. Myrtle first learned what was good to eat from Rambo. She then began to watch me and wanted whatever I was eating. Rambo never ate bananas until Myrtle showed him that they were good.
They see, hear and absorb things more than we can know. Use whatever enrichment you can.

[Ashleigh253]

Sooo, after all troubles. Rex now has been eating on his own if Im away. I put food in 3 bowls and 1 dish for him and get out of his sight, he eats. After hearing my voice or seeing my face again, he stops eating and starts geowling or crying.

There are 3 breeders helped me to have a look and handle Rex. He bites everyone. He isnt good with birds and cages either.

When I first got him (the 1st day) he tipped the food bowl up side down then I tied it down with zip ties. Now he bites cages aggressively.

He attacks my hands whenever he sees them even tho Im playing with my phone on the other side of the table. I thought that he only does that to me but to everyone and worse to me.

Most people suggest that the breeder force syring to his beak create a hollow part on the beak (fit syring tip ferfectly) making feeding easier. And they grabbed him with both hands to firce him in and out hence the fear even tho he was handraised and supposed to be tame.

Questiom now since he is eating well on his own if Im not around, what can I do to help him come out from the fear of hands and human?

Thanks folks,
Xo