Hi, my friend has brought home a baby, maybe three and a half weeks old. He wanted to hand raise him himslef but hasn't had any experience. The little guy is getting weaker and won't feed, I think he really needs a tube feeding, is there anyone who can assist, pretty please?? He is in the Prestons area but will be more than happy to travel if it will save the little guy's life!

 

I've noticed he's had poopy butt and got him to remove the faeces and apply some paraffin and yesterday his crop wasn't emptying very fast. Today he is puffed up and not looking very happy and is very weak. I've only had experience with hand rearing different breeds, and never had to learn to tube feed.

 

It would be so so appreciated if someone could help this little guy and show my friend the ropes!!

 

If anyone around Sydney can help, please pm me o Thank you so much!

Edited May 25, 201114 yr by **KAZ**
removed phone number which is against bbc rules

Warm lamp needed, crop needle and handraising formula and off to a bird vet or bird breeder for crop feeding lessons. Urgently.

 

Hi, my friend has brought home a baby, maybe three and a half weeks old. He wanted to hand raise him himslef but hasn't had any experience.

What was he thinking ????!!!!!

Probably too late! Even a day without food for budgies is pretty critical.

I know, and I've explained it all to him. I tried to help him as best I could, told him to get a heat lamp, keep everything clean, keep the baby out of draughts and make sure the formula is hot enough. He brings the baby to work, yesterday was when I noticed the crop had slowed down and got him to massage it, this seemed to help then this morning he said the bird was refusing to feed and I noticed the pasted vent.

 

The good news is we finally found a bird vet not too far away and he was very helpful. What poop there was didn't look good (the urates were stained green and he hadn't passed any since early this AM), he tried to get a sample for a culture but there just wasn't enough there. He said it was very likely the bird had either a bacterial or fungal infection. He got a long acting antibiotic and an antifungal via crop needle, and I asked him to show my friend how to use a crop needle. He said he was going to give subcutaneous fluids, but didn't?

 

He said the probable infection could be what was causing the bird to not want to feed and that with the ABs and regular feeding it should be okay, and if it refuses, use the crop needle (has has been using a syringe). Fingers crossed...

 

Very glad we got him to a vet when we did, not it's just wait and see, I'll check on him tomorrow when he brings him to work.

Good job you convinced him that the baby needed a vet! Well Done. And good on him for taking the poor little thing to the vet too!

 

All the best of luck that the little guy pulls through.