help feeding baby corella

[wizza]

I have just had to take my 3-4week old baby corella away from its parents as they were no longer looking after it properly, they were still feeding it but were not keeping it warm (they have done this in the past also and that baby died) so now have it inside under a heatlamp.

Anyway to get to my point, what should I be feeding it? The stockfeed store told me weetbix or porriage would be fine but I'm not so sure.. it had a feed not long before I took it out but will want something soon, weetbix will have to do for tonight but I will go and get something better from a pet shop in the morning, just wondering what everyone else uses?

Thankyou

[vankarhi]

OMG weetbix?? Go to your pet shop or the vet......if they have roudybush or neocare then buy it. The instructions are on the packets as to the mix ratio. I just mix mine to a thin consistancy that when it rolls off my wrist (I use my wrist to test for temp) it is not too thick or thin. The most important thing is not to thicken the formula too much because they absorb their fluid from the formula and if it is too thick they might get compacted crop. If it is too thin they wont put on enough weight.

I weigh mine regularly too. Not normally daily but for a newby it probably is a good idea to weigh the chick daily so you can pick up on any problems early.

Where are you based??

[vankarhi]

What time did you take the chick out of the nest?? How much food is in the crop now?? Do you know any breeders who might be able to give you some formula to tide you over?? Can you ring the vet maybe??

If you do give weetbix.......mix it with warm water not milk and make it watery, like a thin soup. It would be better to have that very thin in my opinion........but I would only do that as a last straw.

[vankarhi]

I used Kaytee exact also in the past but it is no longer available......but apparently another company is starting it back up again under a new name.

[wizza]

I don't know any bird breeders, and I'm 80km from a vet who I then would have to call in so weetbix is going to have to do till tomorrow morning when I go to town.
I'm in Country South Australia

[vankarhi]

ok well make sure it is thin and soaked well in warm water. I needs to be not lumpy and weetbix soaked in warm water does tend to become quite soft. Try it with a spoon and see how it goes. Just remember it is better to be a bit watery than too thick especially at this stage and with weetibix ........ in my honest opinion.

[vankarhi]

how does the crop feel?? What time did you take it from the nest?? Does it feel like it has food in the crop??

[vankarhi]

sorry if I sound bossy.........I really am not bossy ;D ......... just worried about the chick. Just for the record too......I breed and handraise alexandrines and eclectus ;D and am raising an alexandrine since day 2 of hatching at the moment (he is 5 weeks old now).

Please let us know how you go with the chick.......we would all like to know. A few of us here are breeders and handraisers ;D

[wizza]

Oh no I don't think you are bossy I came on here for advice and that is what I am getting, Thankyou

It's crop was about half full when we got it out of the cage about 6pm, it has just had a feed of very watery warm weetbix, it was screeching and I think wanting more but its crop looks and feels quite full so have put it back in under the light and will just keep checking thru the night.

[vankarhi]

It may need another feed around 4 hours time?? Then I would leave it until around 5 or 6 am and feed again and then try to get some formula asap.

Let me know how you go ;D

[wizza]

Yeah I thought every 3-4hrs, I'm sure it will wake us up lol!

Will do, thanks again!

[avinet]

There was probably no need to remove the baby if it was getting fed by the parents. By that age a baby corella will be able to regulate it's own temperature in all but the coldest weather. South Australia at this time of year would not be cold enough to worry about temperatures. It would be normal behaviour for both parents to be out of the nest together after 3 weeks.

I have had wild corellas nesting nearby and have seen this sort of behaviour in these wild birds. I would suggest that the previous baby died from one of the many other causes of baby death rather than getting cold if it made it to 3 weeks.

However since you have removed it then weetbix is OK as an emergency food - in fact in an emergency any low sugar cereal can be used, mixed with warm water and mushed up as Tracey suggested. At that age a feed every 4 hours is OK with a gap overnight of 8 to 10 hours.

In the "good old days" before hand rearing mixes were available a lot of corellas and cockatoos were successfully reared on a diet of rolled oats. Baby cereal is also a good emergency substitute, especially the high protein ones. I used to mix up my own hand rearing mix before commercial hand rearing mixes were available and baby cereal formed the basis of it.

cheers,

Mike

[avinet]

Nov 28, 2010 20:35:53 GMT 10 vankarhi said:

I used Kaytee exact also in the past but it is no longer available......but apparently another company is starting it back up again under a new name.

It is still called Kaytee Exact hand rearing mix - just the importer has changed, not the product or it's name.

cheers,

Mike

[vankarhi]

oh ok ......... I knew something had changed lol Thanks for the "heads up" Mike ;D

[wizza]

The baby lived thru the night and is doing well today, it was actually standing up properly this morning wanting fed so must of had a bit more energy, last night it was kinda just flopped down and didn't really want to stand.
I got it some food from the petshop this morning and its been feeding on that today, its almost ready for another feed now

Mike, I took it out of the cage as it wasn't in a nest, it was sitting by the door in the wind and rain and was shivering and luke warm (at best) to touch, I don't know much about birds but it just didn't look right to me so I took it out.

[vankarhi]

Where is the nest box??? Did they kick it out?? Did the chick fall out?? It would be unusual for a chick of this age to be able to climb yet.......I would assume their milestones would be similar to that of an eclectus chick (seeing as they are roughly the same size) and I know my 3 week eclectus chicks can't climb onto things. They start that around 5 weeks old or a bit older........unless there is a fluffy toy in there with them lol.....which I do put in with the chicks I am handraising normally).

Anyway......the main thing now is the little thing is doing well now ;D

[Robyn]

Tracey a 4 week old corella has already got feathers. Unlike an eclectus of the same age.
So it would be able to climb out of a nest box if it wasn't especially deep.
Apparently they fledge at 6 to 8 weeks.

Wizza what species of corella, Long Billed or Little. So good you found the poor little guy when you did.

[vankarhi]

OMG ....... really.........that seems awfully young??? Gee Eclectus are a bit "behind the eight ball" in some things aren't they but not in everything lol ;D

[wizza]

They are long billed corellas

The nest box is a hollow log, but... the parents aren't real smart and moved the eggs onto the floor of the cage after they had made a nest and hatched the eggs there (there were a total of 4 eggs, 2 hatched, but sadly the other baby died) so the chick has just been able to walk around, hence why it got cold as it was no longer in the nest and the parents must of thought that since it was moving around it didn't need to be sat on. They have only had 1 baby before this lot, so 1 live bird out of 3 so far.
It is just getting feathers, I will take some pics of it when we feed it next time and put them up for everyone to see

mel

[vankarhi]

ok pics will be nice ;D