hope I am doing it right....

[ringosmom]

OK, so I have this unfeathered baby, I really have no idea how old, and live in the mountains of Mexico, 1 1/2 hours from the nearest town to buy formula at a Petco, and also, right now have a stay at home order, because of the Corvid virus....so, my neighbor, that has had Parrotlets before, said to feed a gruel of the corn flour for tortillas, and it would eat from a spoon....well, that was a mess, so I am now feeding from a syringe, and it is eating between 5 and 6 cc per feeding. How many times a day, is a baby bird usually fed? I must say, excellent poop, so I guess the diet is working. but I would like to hear other ideas or suggestions...it does love to be held, and sleep in my lap, while wrapped in its bunting....

[Pajarita]

I don't know what brand of tortilla flour mix you are using but all the ones here in US are loaded with chemicals and they have salt and other crap (look at the label on yours). Just get the plain corn meal (the finely ground, not the coarse) and whole wheat flour and mix it with pureed fruits with just the teeny, tiniest bit of the pureed white of a hard boiled egg. I don't approve of giving herbivore birds egg but, sometimes, you need to use a little bit to up the protein content.

As to how much they eat... don't go so much by actual measurements but by the crop - once you see it full, you fed enough. As to how often... well, that depends on the age of the bird but for a baby that has no feathers, you need to do it VERY often (once you no longer see the crop, you feed again). The trick is to allow the crop to empty completely once a day (to avoid fungal infection) AND to feed the formula warm and keep it warm all the way through the feeding (because cold can also make fertile ground for fungus).

[ringosmom]

Fantastic, thank you so much, I do have the very fine cornmeal, and also whole wheat flour, and one of the little stores does sell the pureed baby foods...I'll go see what they have, probably not a huge selection, but I am sure something I can use....

[Pajarita]

Don't use the spinach baby food, go for broccoli (few things are better for birds than broccoli and they all love it) and yellow veggies or fruits - you can also buy sweet potatoes or calabaza, cook it until it's very soft and then mash it up good with a fork to mix with the flours. Make a 'liquidy' roux (but without the fat, of course) and cook it a bit - cooked grains are easier to digest than raw ones. You should also get some good bird multivitamin/mineral supplement and sprinkle the tiniest amount on it every other day or so in one single meal of the day -you do not want to overdo it with the vits and mins, too much is as bad as too little.