First of all I'm not trying to say that no one can do this. but you have to understand handfeeding a baby parrot is a lot of work and requires a lot of tender loving care and knowledge. Hand feeding a baby bird does not mean shoving food down it's throat. It's a complicated task that should be left to those that have the time and experience. Please read on and you will find out why i'm saying this.
I have been in the bird business for sometime now and have handfed a lot of baby birds during my time. I have fed over 200 babies at one single season and we are talking about not just one kind of species this are different species all requiring different care. It is a difficult task and can take hours in my case.
Baby birds that are a day old should be feed every two hours (depending on species) for 24 hours for the first few weeks. So if you think that you are up for this then go ahead. I'm telling you it's not easy. Some breeders will tell you that they can go by without eating at night. That is wrong, for in the wild or parent raised chicks, this parent feed the babies through out the night. So in order to have healthy babies i think we should do the same. But don't worry the bigger the babies get the lesser you will have to feed it. but If you don't want to get up every two hours at night then don't by a baby bird that is not weaned.
Food, needs to be at the right temperature, too cold can lead to a yeast infection, too hot can burn the babies crop. And have you ever seen a baby with a burnt crop, it's not a pretty sight. And will cost you some money when you take it to the vet.
I understand that a lot of people say, oh get a baby that is on three feedings a day, it is better to get a baby, they will bond to you faster. Wrong! Feeding and bonding does not go hand in hand. It is the time that you spend with the bird that matters.
People, it is not an easy task to raise a healthy baby especially during weaning. some people wean the birds to early, which is wrong and some wean them too late. Which is also wrong. This birds are just not birds, they are intelligent creatures too much of something is not good and to less is also not good.
Please if you want a bird buy one that is already weaned and give it a lot of love. When i use to sell birds I would never sell one that is not fully weaned. And I have seen the difference in the birds when they are weaned properly. They are in much better health and since I weaned them properly they all are not picky when it comes to eating. They are all weaned on a balance diet of veggies and fruits. This is something that i don't see much. Most baby birds are just weaned on seed which is not good for them. They need to be taught to eat veggies and fruits just like us. So please get a fully weaned bird. it will save you time and money.
stinky and me
