Tiel Diet & Handfeeding

[Dodger]

I am taking in 3 Parakeets, 7 Cockatiels, and 2 Tiel babies that need to be handfed, from a person who lost their home and can no longer care for them.

I have about 7 years of handfeeding experience (not done by choice. I dont condone handfeeding unless I absolutely have to). But was told that alot of formulas changed. I was thinking about using Kaytee Exact. I also had a few questions about Zupreem. Now... I already feed this to my Green Wing Macaw; Herbie and my Orange Winged Amazon; Gort. But I dont feed them the "fruitblend".

SO my questions are...
*What do you think is the best handfeeding formula for a baby Tiel?
*Can Zupreem Natural Diet be fed as a staple and the Zupreem FruitBlend be fed as a treat? Or would that be "too much" nutrients for them?
*Can Zupreem FruitBlend be substituted for fruits and veggies if the bird is very picky with fruits and veggies or would it not have a "good enough" effect like regular fruits and veggies?

Sorry Im tired. So if this doesnt really make sense... Just ask

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[captwest]

Hey Dodger, I use the Kaytee excat hand feeding fomula, but then again i feed the kaytee pellets when they're older and i think it makes the transition easier by using the same brand. So use what ever is best for you.One of the biggest issues is temp. of formula , 105 F,too hot and crop burn will be a issue.Heating in a microwave will create "hot spots" so stir very well, or better yet warm in a bowl of hot water. I'd buy a set of scales and weigh each in AM before feeding,keep record of weighs and how much "cc or cm" that each consumes, I'll be around if you need help, Richard PS How's my buddy Gort doing?

[Dodger]

Gortsie is doing awesome! He is slimming down and actually doing his "flying exercises" all the time now. His feet have healed up nicely and I have kept all his hard wood perches wrapped in vetwrap. He also has quite a bit of rope perches now too and is overall looking and doing alot better!

I got all my scales and everything for the baby birds. And to keep them warm, I have a 10gal. glass aquarium tank with a reptile adjustable heating pad underneath and drape a towel over the top to prevent too much heat escaping and to eliminate drafts as much as possible.

I may just stick to Kaytee foods. I've always switched them over to Zupreem with no problems. But again, I have never used the Kaytee Exact handfeeding formula either.

So I will try that and keep everyone updated!