Chapter 5
Common Worries
| Potential Problems include: | |
Common Worries
Prior to the time the baby begins to feather out, there are many potential problems that occur for many different reasons. Once the baby is feathered and ready for the cage, your pet has more in common physically with an adult than a baby and most of the hazard potentials are minimal or do not exist.
Perspective is important when considering the possible problems that may be associated with handfeeding a baby parrot. When asked, most veterinarians and small breeders use the words “often” or “regularly” when reporting the incidence of handfeeding disasters. When further asked to define “often and regularly” we find that these worst case scenario problems are seen only a few times a year. When we compare the number of problems to the number of baby parrots successfully raised each year, the chance of being struck by lightning comes to mind.
Those fear mongers that over report the hazards are rarely able to substantiate their claims. They often know someone that knows someone or resort to the comment “if even one baby suffers it's too many”. I wonder if these same individuals are recommending that all inexperienced mothers give up their children until they are weaned. Life carries risks and to get the most out of life some risks are acceptable.
The psychological benefit to a baby that receives copious amounts of one-on-one attention from a nurturing parent far exceeds the small chance of a problem occurring.
Potential Problems
Perhaps the most over-reported hazard is crop burn.
Crop burns are caused by feeding a baby formula that is too hot, which slowly burns the lining of the baby's mouth and crop. Few owners feed babies without at least touching the food, and most usually use a thermometer.
Parrots being fed formula are usually fed much quicker than a human baby is. Hot formula can enter the crop before the baby responds to the hot formula burning its mouth. Very hot formula can cause mild to severe burns in the mouth, esophagus and crop. In cases where the esophagus or crop is burned severely, the food may leak out into the body. Severe burns can be fatal. Mild cases may not even be noticed.
Because the baby is not able to move the food around in his crop, hot formula has more time to damage the crop lining. Think about a mouth full of mashed potatoes that is too hot. You can move them around in your mouth with your tongue until they cool, bur left in one spot you may experience a mild or severe burn.
Severe crop burns can often be fixed if noticed immediately. If the crop or esophagus membrane has been burned through and is leaking, apply a cold ice pack to the skin over the affected area and head for the veterinarian. It is not easy, but a good veterinarian can sometimes repair the damage. They can remove the burned tissue and sew the crop back together. In severe cases where the crop can be saved but is not immediately useable, it may still be possible to feed small quantities of thin formula or to bypass the crop with a feeding tube until the crop repairs.
In mild cases, which are hard to detect, you can feed the baby cool water to cool the food in the crop. The most common way a handfeeder is alerted to a mild case, or suspected problem, is when they feel the food pass by their fingers when feeding. If the food feels too warm, immediately measure the temperature of the remaining food and administer cold water if necessary. The incidence of feeding too hot formula to baby birds, as in human babies, is rare.
Every once in a while a parent feeds a child food that is too hot and burns the baby's mouth. This is no reason to keep parents from feeding their children until they are six years old.
Aspiration occurs when food or liquid passes into the trachea or lungs. This is common in parrots and humans. The phrase “going down the wrong pipe” is familiar to all of us. The solution in birds and people is to cough it out. Small amounts of food or liquid not coughed up immediately usually become coated with mucus and are coughed up later.
Aspiration, while annoying, is not a serious problem unless it occurs often. When a small amount of food is aspirated while handfeeding, stop immediately. If the baby clears its trachea quickly, you can proceed. If it is coughing for more than a few seconds, stop feeding and come back later. Continuing feeding while the baby is preoccupied with coughing may cause additional amounts of food to be inhaled.
Repeated incidences of aspiration indicate a problem of food delivery to the baby. The most likely opportunity for aspiration to occur is during the first few days of a new feeder feeding the baby. The baby is used to the way the original feeder held his head and the rate of food delivery. The new feeder will feed differently, even if well trained. New feeders should always plan on feeding smaller amounts more often than the baby is used to, usually for two days. The problem will quickly resolve with careful observation and a little patience.
Syringe feeders should start out slowly. Pushing the plunger on a syringe requires a few attempts to operate fluidly. Until the baby eats well for you, only load the syringe one-fourth full. Slowly fill the syringe with more formula until you are competent to deliver the entire amount at one time.
Feeding time is not play time or show-off time. Even after you become experienced, do not ever allow distractions when feeding.
This problem is very rare.
Aspiration pneumonia occurs when inhaled food makes it all the way into the lungs. Food in the lungs can obstruct the airflow, cause a fungal infection to develop, cause swelling of the lung tissue or a combination of all three. A small amount will usually resolve without you ever knowing it happened. Large amounts or continued small amounts will cause a serious problem.
This condition usually requires a good deal of negligence on the part of the feeder. If, in the rare event of the baby inhaling enough food to cause impaired breathing, supplemental oxygen and other support can be provided until the lungs can clear the problem.
Humidity needs for feathered babies are the same as for humans. In rare cases, very low humidity may cause fluid to be drawn from the formula of a sick baby. A stiff mixture or hard lump of formula occurs because the crop membrane quickly absorbs the moisture from the crop contents when a baby dehydrates because of the combination of a debilitated baby and low environmental humidity.
You will know immediately if this problem develops because you will always feel the crop before you put in more food. Generally, thickened formula will pass when a small amount of water or Pedialite is fed and messaged into the formula.
Adding small amounts of Pedialite periodically is better than filling the crop at one time. EXAMPLE: If a medium size bird has ~ 10cc of formula that is not moving through the crop, I will add 5cc of Pedialite until the total volume of crop contents is back down to a little below 10cc. Then another 5cc is added until the volume is down to 5cc. Once the crop is empty, I add another 5cc to rinse the crop and intestines. When the intestines are totally empty as evidenced by stools with no fecal material, I then feed 5cc of Pedialite followed by formula as soon as the Pedialite passes from the crop. Usually this is all it takes to put the digestive process back on track. There is anecdotal evidence that feeding papaya for one or two feedings will flush the crop and restore normal motility.
As long as the problem is addressed early, it will likely be no more of a problem than constipation in a human baby. If this problem persists for more then a few hours, this problem may be the result of a bacteria or viral problem. Contact your veterinarian immediately for assistance.
The two most common reasons for a baby not eating well when a new handfeeder takes over are: pushing the baby off balance while putting the food in its mouth, and feeding formula that is under 104 degrees. Refer to the feeding section to find a quick and easy method to teach your baby to switch to a new handfeeder.
Forcing a baby to accept food from a new feeder may train the baby to look at the feeder as a predator. In this situation, the baby's survival instincts may cause him to avoid food, regardless of how hungry he is.
If the current hand feeder is having difficulty feeding the baby and you are not an expert, do not take the baby.
Viral infections are extremely rare in babies that are raised by professional aviculturists. Once your baby is in your home, the only way it can catch a virus that will cause a disease in a parrot, is from another parrot. Even if your baby should happen to come across one of these viruses directly form another parrot or by you bringing it home on you clothes, it is rare for a feathered baby to develop a problem. Humans inhale, on average, two virus particles every time we inhale and very rarely get sick.
Bacterial Infections/Fungal Infections
Bacterial and fungal infections could just possibly fall into the common category.
Just like humans, baby parrots will occasionally ingest a large enough quantity of a pathogenic bacteria or fungus to cause a problem. These problems are much more common in babies that are not thriving. Healthy feathered babies usually have a competent immune system that will eliminate the bacteria or fungus quickly without you ever knowing it was exposed.
Generally, you will not know about these problems until they have been developing for three to seven days. Once you notice the baby no longer looks happy and healthy, a trip to the veterinarian will solve the problem. The veterinarian can quickly diagnose the culprit and prescribe an appropriate antibiotic or antifungal that will show results in less than a day. Even though the problem disappears quickly with the correct drug, it will take several days of treatment to eliminate the problem.
Perforating The Inside Of The Baby's Mouth
Syringes with a long tip and spoons can cause damage to the babies' mouth and beak. The Parrot University has raised and sold a few thousand unweaned babies and has not seen this problem occur. With proper feeding utensils, it is possible to injure a baby's mouth, but would be limited to scraping or bruising the tongue or skin. In either case, the problem will be minimal and resolve on its own.
New handfeeders supplied with syringes with long tips that can reach the back of the baby's mouth could cause damage. Make sure the tip extension on the syringe will only reach about half the length of the tongue.
Feeding schedules are very easy to determine. All bags of formula will have complete instructions as will the person teaching you the handfeeding technique.
How To Tell If The Crop Is Empty
Palpating a crop will quickly tell you how much food is in the crop. The person teaching you to feed can instruct you on the process.
Empty and full crops are easily determined. If you start with a full crop, you can palpate every hour until it is empty. After just a couple of tries, you will find this process very easy.
Fungal and bacteria infections in the crop can cause the crop lining to thicken and make it difficult to palpate correctly. Attention to the amount of food that should be passing through relative to the amount of food you believe is in the crop will help. If the crop still feels like it has a small amount of food a few hours after it should be empty, consult the person you got the baby from or you veterinarian.
Food will still pass through a crop with a thickened lining. If you are palpating the crop before each feeding, you will find the problem before it progresses very far and your veterinarian can quickly provide a solution.
Stretched or distended crops periodically develop in young babies, but are very rare in older, feathered babies.
Young babies can develop stretched crops for several reasons. Disease problems can cause the crop muscle to become flaccid. Continued overfeeding can stretch the crop. A chick that, for whatever reason, develops a “failure to thrive” is prone to distended crops.
Feathered babies that are beginning to eat solid food will develop strong crop muscles as they mature and get more exercise from pushing the solid food.
Crops of weaning babies more often shrink so far that a significant amount of formula may be expelled just after feeding. Solve this problem by feeding less formula.
Malnourishment From Underfeeding Or Not Using The Correct Formula
High quality formulas are easy to come by. There are several large companies producing a variety of formulas to fit every species.
Young, unfeathered babies often require specific fat and protein levels for the chicks to survive. Feathered babies have completed a significant part of their growth and no longer have critical nutrient needs.
Feeding formula too thin or too thick can cause feeding problems that ultimately result in malnourishment. Not following instructions on the formula bag is probably the biggest concern. If possible, obtain the formula instruction at least a week before you will be feeding. Read and understand the instructions and reread the instructions just before you pick up the baby. Review the instructions every few days.
Pay attention to the poop and you will know how much and how often the baby is eating.
Crooked Beaks From Incorrect Feeding Techniques
I cannot say it has never happened, but this is one of the most ridiculous claims in aviculture. While some babies do develop misaligned mandibles, it is not the result of improper feeding techniques.
There are 1,440 minutes in a day, and a really slow handfeeder may make contact with the baby's beak for 15 minutes each day. The baby spends much of the other 1,425 minutes with his beak pushed up against the side of the container or with its clutch mates standing on his head. If it were possible to deviate the baby's beak by applying a little pressure, surely all babies would develop this problem.
Other than obvious trauma events, most beak damage and deformities generally begin to develop long before most breeders and owners are aware of a problem. The most common problems include trauma from an accident, a small chip to the lower mandible biting plate resulting in scissors beak, and ingrown upper mandibles in cockatoos.
Beak problems rarely occur in the nursery of professional breeders. When it does occur, the initial cause is usually missed, and experienced breeders, inexperienced breeders and veterinarians often misdiagnose the resulting problem.
Most beak damage that does not automatically correct itself can be repaired. This can be accomplished rather quickly in babies under two months of age while the mandibles are growing rapidly. In older birds, this is a time consuming process often taking a few years.
Beak deformities can develop for many reasons, including but not limited to:
- Inherited genetics
- Low quality egg from older hen
- Low quality egg from malnourished hen
- Babies stuck in the shell
- Improper incubation techniques by breeder
- Beak damage from parents:
- Aggressive parents
- Inexperienced parents
- Accidentally removes a portion of the mandible while fastidiously cleaning the baby
- While feeding that little beak with that big beak
- While defending the nest from perceived predators or the breeder
- Biting edge of lower mandible is chipped while playing
- Malnutrition from low quality formula
Weaning problems do develop periodically, but are more often in the mind of the handfeeder than in the baby. Fear sells, and there is no shortage of inexperienced parrot enthusiast broadcasting misinformation. The fear factor is compounded by the many breeders, stores and new owners, who misunderstand the weaning process. Those who misunderstand “weaning” generally focus only on feeding independence rather than food as a tool to develop and promote psychological independence.
Many babies have the nurturing support of feeding by the parent removed months before psychological independence is fully developed.
Baby parrots, with all of their emotional needs met, will begin eating at a very early age. A greenwing macaw could possibly be eating on his own by the time he is eight weeks old, but will not reach a stage of psychological independence until he is eight or nine months old. While it is certainly possible to raise a well-adjusted parrot when formula is removed at an early stage, formula is such a powerful and easily used nurturing support tool that it is crazy not to utilize this tool as much as possible.
Most weaning problems and concerns involve too little food with too little frequency for too short a time frame. There are a few concerns that involve handfeeding for too long a period, creating psychological damage to the baby and stress for the parent.
The parent should feed as often as the baby wants formula for as long as he wants it. Just like us, baby parrots naturally evolve into independent individuals who want to be responsible for their own needs, wants and desires. Along the way, we need mom to be standing by to say, “You are doing well” and “I'm here for you if you need me.“ Any baby that does not develop into a well-adjusted independent individual while being offered plenty of support through handfeeding, is suffering form other significant parenting problems.
Chronically hungry babies can develop a syndrome called “syringe dependency” where their survival instincts focus on locating that one necessity that can keep them alive, the syringe.
Hungry, starving babies look to the food source they already know. They can't help that their brain is preprogrammed to focus on a known food source when hungry. Experimenting with new foods is the luxury afforded to the well nourished and well nurtured. Experimenting with new foods can be dangerous, there may not be enough, and you may accidentally eat something poisonous.
Weaning regression is a tool nature has supplied young animals to “pull at the heart strings of the parents” and prompt a little extra nurturing support. This slight psychological regression is a means of the baby getting mom's attention through crying, and reinforces mom's determination to supply the nurturing support necessary to raise a secure and pampered baby. A little nurturing from mom in the form of food and other supportive care, assures the baby that there is nothing to worry about. This need for nurturing is most easily satisfied by the parent feeding the baby.
This problem occurs when a baby experiences stress he is not yet able to properly psychologically deal with. Moving to a new home is a likely situation where this regression will surface. All babies under a year of age should be offered formula at least once each day for a couple of weeks after the move. Some babies will require the nurturing feedings, others will not, but all will benefit from the support.
Parrots, like humans are serially monogamous. During or shortly after adolescence, we develop a desire for long-term companionship. Unlike humans who develop a bond for mostly reproductive reasons, parrots have an additional and possibly more important survival component to their partnership.
"Birds of a feather flock together" is a survival strategy that has a lot to do with vision. Four eyes are better than two and birds generally rely on a companion to help peruse the environment for predators. Without the constant presence of a mate/companion, the bird can quickly experience separation anxiety.
The more secure and confident a parrot is, the less likely he is to experience this separation anxiety. Some of the more obvious manifestations of this condition are the sub clinical problems that surface as feather mutilation and the aggression displayed on a social level.
If a baby parrot is well nurtured in every way, including the parent feeding process, he will have less of a tendency to be paranoid and needy and to develop these behaviors. Insecurities associated with the one-person bird scenario will more often be the result of genetics rather than husbandry.
Handfeeding A Baby Parrot Will Make Him Bond To The Feeder For Life
Normally, baby parrots bond to their parents until adolescence, at which time nature and their parents tell them to move on.
In a captive situation. a baby will bond to the handfeeder (parent figure) until adolescence. During adolescence, nature will be telling the baby to search out a peer for a long-term relationship.
In our homes it is not possible for a parrot to follow all of nature's rules. Baby parrots most often experience a single parent relationship that the parent tries to enforce throughout adolescence and into adulthood.
There is no perfect answer to this captive predicament. The owner wants the parrot to be a life long companion. However, being the parent may push him away to another family member as he matures. Parrots are also choosy about their mates, just like humans, so there is no guarantee that an adolescent or adult parrot would be blissfully happy with you as his companion.
Fortunately, this is not a big problem with most babies that are properly bred and raised. The desire for companionship is so strong, that most parrots will be a companion to anyone willing to take the time and be there for him or her. Well-educated parrots with high self-esteem will generally choose one individual to be their closest companion, but will freely interact with the rest of the flock if given the opportunity.
Choose your baby from friendly, gregarious bloodlines and nurture him well. These babies are easy going and will be happy to hang out with just about anyone that wants to spend a lot of time with them.
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