Weird or normal? What's wrong?

[minijulius]

Hi all, I'm new here and also a new lovebird owner.

I got Ziggy a week ago and according to the breeder, Ziggy is weaned and about a month old +++ Ziggy is a sweet bird and he is really tame.

A while ago, a droplet of water flew out from his nose while I was playing with him. I was wondering if he caught a cold or something?

And also, when I'm doing my work with Ziggy in the cage behind me, he go from left to right of the bottom of the cage quickly non stop and climb up and down of the cage. He can do this for HOURS. He will bang his way through all the toys in the cage. When I open the doors, he quickly skip onto my hand and hops onto my shoulder. It seems like he wants to be with me. I put him on my shoulder while doing my work, he quietly stand at one spot and hardly move. He even sleep on my shoulder.

He is only interested in millet. I have pellets and seeds in the bowl for him but he will only eat the millet. I stopped giving him millet but I'm afraid that he will starve himself. So I gave him one short millet again today and it's gone after a short while.

Also, when I first got Ziggy, his grip wasn't good and strong but now it's much better. Probably it's the growing up process. There are toys everywhere and enough perches for him but I realized he likes to hang from one toy to the other and then drop himself off onto the bottom of the cage. Will this hurt him? I rearranged the perches slightly lower so it wouldn't be too high for him to drop off.

Lastly, he sleeps on the bottom of the cage most of the time. Though I saw him sleeping on the hammock a couple of times.

What's wrong with Ziggy?

[minijulius]

And also, Ziggy usually fluff up and he shivers but when I hold him lightly when he's sitting on my finger, no more shivering. Once I let go, he starts to shiver again.

As for now, I'm taking precautions of what might be the possibilities of him behaving this way.

[linda040899]

The problem with Ziggy is that he's still a baby and what you are seeing is baby behavior. I will admit that I'm concerned about him and would like to see a couple of photos of him...front view and back view (include his full tail in this picture). I, personally, think Ziggy is younger than you were told and you've been lucky that he's eating millet. Sleeping on the bottom of his cage is a telltale sign of a baby.

The fluffiness is because the room temperature at your home is cooler than what he's used to. Fluffing his feathers holds heat close to his body. The shivering stops when you cover him with your hand because your hand is warm.......

Baby lovebirds are very social and like closeness for the first several months. That's why he always wants to be with you and will sit quietly on your shoulder. As he gets a bit older, he will begin to explore his environment and you're going to find yourself wishing he would stay where he used to stay!!!

As for food, try soft warm food such as warm vegetables (corn, peas, small pieces of carrot) and homemade cornbread or birdie bread. Check our Birdie Cooking and Recipe Forum for some food ideas. Have food near where you are that he can eat and you may find him checking out the dish simply because it's near you. If you eat, chances are he will want to eat, as well.

[minijulius]

The problem with Ziggy is that he's still a baby and what you are seeing is baby behavior. I will admit that I'm concerned about him and would like to see a couple of photos of him...front view and back view (include his full tail in this picture). I, personally, think Ziggy is younger than you were told and you've been lucky that he's eating millet. Sleeping on the bottom of his cage is a telltale sign of a baby.

The fluffiness is because the room temperature at your home is cooler than what he's used to. Fluffing his feathers holds heat close to his body. The shivering stops when you cover him with your hand because your hand is warm.......

Baby lovebirds are very social and like closeness for the first several months. That's why he always wants to be with you and will sit quietly on your shoulder. As he gets a bit older, he will begin to explore his environment and you're going to find yourself wishing he would stay where he used to stay!!!

As for food, try soft warm food such as warm vegetables (corn, peas, small pieces of carrot) and homemade cornbread or birdie bread. Check our Birdie Cooking and Recipe Forum for some food ideas. Have food near where you are that he can eat and you may find him checking out the dish simply because it's near you. If you eat, chances are he will want to eat, as well.

Thank you so much for your response. Do I still give Ziggy millet?

When he woke up this afternoon, all he wanted was to get out of the cage. What if I'm out and not able to let him out?

At times when he's too bored on my shoulder, he will fly to the other side of the room (he's wings are clipped by the breeder upon request). Otherwise, he will hop onto the table in front of me and hop back to my shoulder.

Does it mean that when he's older, he won't be wanting my attention anymore?

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m536/minijulius/Photoon2011-03-03at1200.jpg

The white dots hanging on the tail are actually little feather.

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m536/minijulius/IMG_2255.jpg

Ziggy wants to be everywhere with me around.

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m536/minijulius/IMG_2254.jpg

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m536/minijulius/IMG_2243.jpg

Ziggy getting bored and almost asleep. But usually he will sleep with his head tuck behind his back.

[linda040899]

Does it mean that when he's older, he won't be wanting my attention anymore?
Absolutely not! Ziggy will always want your attention and to be with you but he will be less clingy and more independent.

Don't take away his millet. That's the only thing he's eating enough of that's keeping him alive. Your first photo is very revealing as far as age. Ziggy is probably 6-7 weeks old and he's still learning how to eat on his own. Other good food choices that you can try offering are Nutriberries and Avi-cakes. Both are available at your local pet shop. Break both up into very small pieces and put them on a small plate. Break a few millet pieces off the stem and add those to the same plate and let Ziggy sit near you when you offer him the plate and what's on it. Try this first thing in the morning, as that's when he will be the hungriest.

I'll be honest with you. I'm very close to suggesting that you get some hand feeding formula, mix it up and offer it to Ziggy on a teaspoon. I'm very concerned about his age and his ability to eat on his own.

[minijulius]

Ziggy is probably 6-7 weeks old and he's still learning how to eat on his own. Other good food choices that you can try offering are Nutriberries and Avi-cakes.

I'll be honest with you. I'm very close to suggesting that you get some hand feeding formula, mix it up and offer it to Ziggy on a teaspoon. I'm very concerned about his age and his ability to eat on his own.

Oh gosh! 6-7 weeks! At what age is considered as a teen and adult? I came back from shopping and saw Ziggy standing in the plate munching the seeds and maybe some pellets looking very very sad. But once I put millet in, he quickly jump out and eat it. Still, its kinda worrying.

It is possible to give Nutriberries and Avi-cakes as main? I will try to introduce veggies to Ziggy when he's more interested in other food rather than just millet. Any idea how long should I push fresh veggies in the bowl per day before removing it?

Also, is it true that there shouldn't be too many toys in the cage?

Last question (pardon me for the amount of questions), I was told that Ziggy is very noisy when I'm out. Is he scared to be in the room alone or...? Should I on lights for him?

Once again, thank you for your help. :D

[linda040899]

Pictures don't lie and I'm basing my age guess on what I see. I'm also a breeder and I've seen plenty of babies. I'm also aware that many breeders are less than truthful when they sell youngsters. In those photos, those little white wispy ends on his rump feathering are usually gone by age 6 weeks. Looking at the dark splotch on his beak, it's way too dark and large for him to be much older than 8 weeks, max. At age 8-9 weeks, that dark splotch begins to fade. It's gone by age 10-12 weeks. After that, the amber coloring fades to horn color, which is his adult colored beak. The entire transition is complete by age 16 weeks, when the first molt begins. It sounds like he's mostly weaned but not onto anything really substantial.

I would offer a combination of Avi-cakes, Nutiberries (both crumbled for now), small seed, a few pellets and millet mixed in with it. You don't want to take away the one thing he eats best but he's also at the age where he's willing to try almost anything if it's where he can get to it. Now is the time to introduce different food and vegetables. You will probably have the best luck with colorful veggies cut into very small pieces. Broccoli, shredded carrot, peas, string beans, kale, collard greens and sprouted seed are all good choices. You can leave fresh food in his dish for up to 4 hrs and then you need to remove it, as bacteria will start to grow on it.

It might also be a good idea to get a scale to weigh him every morning. If he's eating enough, he will maintain his weight or even gain. Weight loss is not good at his age. What you want is a scale that will weigh in grams or ounces. Ziggy should weigh somewhere between 40 to 50 grams.

[minijulius]

Noted! :D

Ziggy seems to be a less active tonight as compared to last night's craziness. He's done with eating and all he wants now is to sleep. He's sleeping on my working desk right now while typing this.

[linda040899]

That's a bad sign! It's my guess that he's not eating enough and he needs formula. What you need to get is some hand feeding formula. You need to supplement what he's eating, at least until he begins to eat better. He's just not getting the nutrition he needs.

Formula should be available at any pet shop, but you may want to call ahead to find out so you are not wasting time driving around looking. Let your fingers do the walking for you. When you get the formula, take about 1/2 tsp and put it in some kind of small container for mixing purposes. Small measuring cups work well for this. Heat your water (I use my microwave) to about 115F and then mix it with the formula. You want it to be the consistency of almost cooked chocolate pudding. Feeding temperature is 106F - 108F so I test the temperature before feeding with a meat thermometer. To feed it to him, use a plastic teaspoon and just let him eat as much as he wants from it. This is a messier method than syringe feeding but it's much safer, as you can't aspirate him by feeding him too fast.

Please take what I'm saying VERY seriously and do this ASAP! Ziggy is losing ground and the end of a downhill slide is death.

[minijulius]

That's a bad sign! It's my guess that he's not eating enough and he needs formula. What you need to get is some hand feeding formula. You need to supplement what he's eating, at least until he begins to eat better. He's just not getting the nutrition he needs.

Formula should be available at any pet shop, but you may want to call ahead to find out so you are not wasting time driving around looking. Let your fingers do the walking for you. When you get the formula, take about 1/2 tsp and put it in some kind of small container for mixing purposes. Small measuring cups work well for this. Heat your water (I use my microwave) to about 115F and then mix it with the formula. You want it to be the consistency of almost cooked chocolate pudding. Feeding temperature is 106F - 108F so I test the temperature before feeding with a meat thermometer. To feed it to him, use a plastic teaspoon and just let him eat as much as he wants from it. This is a messier method than syringe feeding but it's much safer, as you can't aspirate him by feeding him too fast.

Please take what I'm saying VERY seriously and do this ASAP! Ziggy is losing ground and the end of a downhill slide is death.

Omg I'll head out to my famous local bird shop and get it done the first thing tomorrow morning as it is night time over here now. Will Ziggy able to pull through the night?

[linda040899]

Hopefully. Do you have any kind of oatmeal cereal in the pantry? I'm not concerned about much more than getting some food into him. If so, try mixing up a little bit (temp needs to be between 106F - 108F) and offer it to him on a spoon. You can add a tiny bit of peanut better to it if you want. He needs food. Baby cereal would be better but I'll settle for any kind of warm cereal until you can get formula in the morning.

As for brand of formula, whatever they have to feed baby parrots, just not a formula for macaws. It's too high in fat.

BTW, you took excellent pictures.

[minijulius]

Thanks for the compliment. :)

He is eating more than usual now but back to sleep again. I'll go look for cereal right now.

[linda040899]

Make it more liquidy than you would for yourself. Hopefully, it will tide him over until you get formula.

You are welcome!

[minijulius]

I don't have the 'normal' cereal. Only the instant kind. Will this do?

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m536/minijulius/photo.jpg

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m536/minijulius/photo1.jpg

[wustaz]

he is beautiful

[linda040899]

What's in it?

[minijulius]

Ingredients: Cereal (whole wheat, rice, malt extract, maize, salt, contrains permitted flavoring - vanillin), non-dairy creamer (Glucose syrup solids, vegetable fats, sodium caseinate, emulsifier, stabilizer, sodium silico aluminate), sugar, black rice, vitamins and minerals (vit A and C, calcium, iron).

[linda040899]

The black rice is the ingredient I'm not sure about. How long until the pet shop opens?

[minijulius]

I have another instant cereal without black rice but it can be too sweet. It's 1:51am over here now, the bird place opens at probably around 9am.

[linda040899]

While sugar isn't the best thing to be in food, it's probably the better choice. Try offering a little bit of it and see what Ziggy does with it. If no interest, then the formula is what you will need.

[minijulius]

He took a few mouths of it and decided to go back to sleep.

[minijulius]

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m536/minijulius/photo2.jpg

[bbslovie]

I hope your little one's ok. Please keep us posted.



Barb :)

[linda040899]

Try again when the sun comes up. Baby birds are normally eating at that time so what you have may generate more interest. Make it a thinner and see if that has any effect. Something is still better than nothing.

[minijulius]

Will keep you updated.

Thanks!

[romie12321]

how is the little guy doing

[Enko_chan]

While I cannot be 100% certain what sort of rice is in your cereal, I do know that I eat black rice with my birds. Black rice is a common ingredient in those cooked birdy entree blends, and my quaker in particular likes it, so I started buying it for my own meals for us to eat. What we eat is organic and unprocessed and has nothing else added to it, but that rice is OK to or the birds to eat. I just wanted to throw that out there in case it became a last resort.

Positive thoughts for you and your Ziggy.

[linda040899]

Thanks for the information regarding black rice, Kristi. :)

I wasn't sure and I didn't want to make what seems to be a not so good situation worse. Ziggy is younger than minijulius was told and that can be a scary thing when a youngster isn't eating enough by himself!

[minijulius]

Got the formula and fed Ziggy. He ate quite a lot (I guess). He's up on my shoulder again. :D

[minijulius]

When should I feed him again?

[minijulius]

Ziggy's poop is greenish yet milky white with tiny bubbles. Is he fine?

[linda040899]

I would supplement feed him roughly every 6 hrs for right now. Make the first feeding around 6 a.m.; second feeding at noon; and the last one of the day around 6 pm or right before you put him to bed. Parrots need anywhere from 10-12 hrs of sleep/night so that schedule should work out well. If he gets hungry in between, it's OK to offer formula if he wants it. The schedule I gave you is approximate, not etched in granite. You have to take into account the needs of the baby.

You will probably be supplement feeding him for a couple of weeks but you will find that, as he eats more food on his own, he will take less from you. When you eliminate feedings, start with the one at noon first. Next one to drop is the morning one. The evening feeding should be the last one you take away. None of my babies ever go to sleep hungry! :)

I'm glad to hear that he's eating the formula well. Keep making food available in his cage so he always has something he can eat.

[linda040899]

Ziggy's poop is greenish yet milky white with tiny bubbles. Is he fine?
He should be. I think you are seeing the effects of not quite enough food right now. They should change a bit during the day. Bird droppings have 3 basic parts. The feces is kind of a greenish color. There's also white and liquid expelled. If color changes, think about what the bird has eaten and you may be able to identify the color change culprit! :)

[minijulius]

He should be. I think you are seeing the effects of not quite enough food right now. They should change a bit during the day. Bird droppings have 3 basic parts. The feces is kind of a greenish color. There's also white and liquid expelled. If color changes, think about what the bird has eaten and you may be able to identify the color change culprit! :)

Maybe I'm scaring myself too much. He is now sleeping with one foot up. And it's scaring me again because he usually sleeps on two. He have clear water shooting out from his nose every now and then and the nose feather is a little wet but dried up within few minutes.

I'm thinking of bringing him to the vet if this continues. Oh wells, now Ziggy is being playful. He's good at bringing my mood up and down. Argh Ziggy!

[linda040899]

He is now sleeping with one foot up.
Nothing wrong with this! In fact, many parrots sleep with one foot curled up under their feathers and only one on the perch. Keeping the foot up under the feathering keeps it warm. :) This is a good thing. The fact that he's doing it means he's strong enough to balance on one foot and sleep.

The nasal discharge is something you will want to monitor. Occasionally is nothing to worry about, as long as the feathering around the nostril area do dry out if they get damp. However, if frequency increases, yes, I would take him to your vet for a check up.

[p3rr4n]

minijulius I have to commend you for being so caring, and Ziggy is a very adorable bird :) I hope the two of you will share a great bond for many many years :)



Please keep us updated on little Ziggy.

[minijulius]

Ziggy is not as sociable as before anymore. He don't want to get out of cage and not flying onto my shoulder. I'm very very sure that I did not hurt him or be mean to him.

[minijulius]

minijulius I have to commend you for being so caring, and Ziggy is a very adorable bird :) I hope the two of you will share a great bond for many many years :)



Please keep us updated on little Ziggy.

Thank you! :D

Hopefully Ziggy will be more attached to me than me being attached to him after all that I've done for him. Heehee.

[Chickobee]

Your baby is so cute and you are taking good care of him.

He may like a happy hut or a cozy to sleep in. Babies this young usually have clutch mates to snuggle up with and they like having a dark, warm, safe place to sleep.

I don't use huts for our adult birds because they can chew them up and get caught in threads but I do use them for babies.

The frantic pacing and climbing around you were seeing could have been his panic about being hungry and not being fed. My sister had this happen with a baby when she didn't understand that fledging (learning to fly) did not mean a baby could eat enough by itself to survive. Her baby was begging to be fed, not to be out of the cage to play. She didn't understand and her baby starved.

You have been proactive and are getting food into this baby so your baby is doing way better. Good job!

The other two babies from my sister's clutch were at my house and they continued wanting handfeeding formula for three more weeks.

[personatus]

Sleeping on one foot is a good sign, I get worried when mine sleep on two!

I'm not sure the bird is younger than the breeder said....in the first post he said he got the bird who was weaned and about 1 month old. Which is not right either, don't know any lovebird thats ever weaned at 4 weeks before, especially handfed.

I'm happy it's going well, he'll soon be chomping down them seeds!

[minijulius]

I heard that giving happy hut will make them very territorial over it. Ziggy is rather angsty today. He tried to bite me and I let him take a bite of me cos I wanted to see what kind of bite he give. He is soooo fierce right now.

I hope that he will forget what happened earlier on and be nice to me tomorrow. I think I fed him well and strong enough to bite me. And again, I'm worried that he will start to hate me.

[kimberly1985]

Just wanting to know how Ziggy was doing? Hopefully, he made it through the weaning process??