Baby Sun Conure

[Fur&Feathers]

My mother recently purchased a baby sun conure from a breeder, he or she is 1.5 months old and still being hand fed. The breeder instructed us to feed the baby 18cc's 3 times a day... but his crop is already empty from 2pm, when he was fed the 2nd time today. Should we be feeding him more in quantity or more times a day? Thank you in advance for any input.

[Argranade]

Well for pigeons you always have to make sure there fed right when the crop is completly empty, pigeons are fed parrot formulas as baby squabs too so hopefuly my skills can help.

I would just keep feeding the baby after it's crop empties, make sure the bird is getting more food inside it's tummy then from spilling, is it pooping more? & when you feed it after the crop is empty does it churp for more when you bring out more food? never feed a baby bird food if it's not reacting towards the food.

I hand fed my morning doves but I did not use a tube I used a little plastic cup then put some material on the top then cut out a tiny hole for the baby doves beaks to go threw I heard this way is more simple and there is a less chance of the baby drowning from the tube feeding, remember if the crop looks empty feel it just to make sure because sometimes it's the position the way the bird is sitting.

I would go to some pro parrot sites to ask for questions.

[Giselle]

I was taught never to let the chick's crop completely empty. I like to think of the chicks as children, if you may. If my child were hungry, I would feed it. Same goes for the chick.

I'm going to assume you already know how to handfeed so I'll bypass all that. However, your breeder probably knows from experience how much your chick should be fed each mealtime so I probably would not go past 18 cc's if the crop appears to be full. IF the chick is still chirping and you can see that the crop is not yet full, add a little more. However, it's MUCH safer to slightly underfeed than overfeed. An overflowing crop can lead to aspiration/death. Just stick to frequent small meals. Good luck! I loved handfeeding my chicks. It was such a rewarding experience!

[Fur&Feathers]

Thank you, Giselle and Argran. She ended up calling our Avian vet, who said 18cc's 3 times a day was correct... it really doesn't seem like enough. He always screams for more. But you're absolutely correct, it's better to underfeed than overfeed. Yes, she knows how to handfeed, I'm leaving that completely to her, I'm too paranoid I'll do it wrong. Argan, he's reacting to the food, he knows when it's being prepared and will scream louder... also, if he's not in his little baby cage he'll try his very best to get to the food. It's so cute. Hopefully I can remember to post pictures soon... all of his feathers aren't even in yet.

[Argranade]

Oh I would LOVE to see some photos of that little cutie!

[tikeyas_mom]

Oh I would LOVE to see some photos of that little cutie!

I second that motion!