What are these pathetic little sqwaks?

[kk and tango]

Hi everyone,

I have a new hand raised male lovebird Merlin who is ten weeks old. He came to us fully weaned and has been eating fine over the past two weeks, and had a wellness birdie check with a good avian vet (who has seen my birds for years). He did have a minor crop infection and finished two weeks of antibiotics yesterday.

Merlin is very quiet. He will cheap if the parakeets get going from the other room, and he will cheap back to bird videos on facebook. But he often just sits here and will make these very sad and pathetic little cries. I don't think he is begging for food because he eats on his own, and he doesn't flap his wings. I don't think he is begging for head scritches because despite being hand raised he is scared of hands.

He isn't in pain that I can tell since he has been checked by the vet, and he only does them when he is sitting still.

Any idea what this is? Is he just asking for attention?

[linda040899]

If Merlin is 10 weeks old now, that means he was 8 weeks old when you got him. Fully weaned and eating on his own at that age is rare for a hand fed baby! Did your vet say his weight is good? How much does he weigh?

My thoughts on the whole matter is that Merlin is very much a baby and wants attention! Lovebirds are very social and he's away from everything familiar, including other lovebirds. Being quiet and lack of apparent energy also could indicate that he really isn't eating quite enough. Do you have any formula? I would get a small container and mix is up and try offering him a bit of it. Proper temperature is between 106F and 108F. He may need that extra food once/day to help him through this rough spot. His crop is at adult size so up to 3 ml is OK. More than that and you are stretching his crop back out, which is not what you want to do.

What sleeping arrangements do you have for him? Something for him to cuddle with is usually a good idea.

Hope this helps.

[kk and tango]

Thanks Linda! Yes, my vet thought his weight was ok, but that he was a little skinny. I will try getting some forumula today. His pooping is good and he isn't losing weight (I've been weighing him). I was concerned about him being fully weened when we got him but the breeder said he was and I knew he could revert so I have been watching him.

He is sleeping in a little tent that is what he slept in at the breeders.

One concern I have with supplementing formula is that he absolutely refused to take his oral antibiotics. I have given meds to five other birds over the years and I never saw anything like it. Will it be easier to feed forumula since it will be warm and he will be potentially hungry? And what brand do you recommend for formula?

[kk and tango]

Ok, so I snuggled with him this morning and even though I gave him new food last night I refilled his dish and let him see I was adding food. He has several millet sprays to eat from. When I put him back in his cage he did go start eating. Maybe he just wanted some attention first?

I changed the paper again so I could see if he ate when I went to the pet store, and how his poops are. Unfortunately, only Petco was open and they had one formula, the Kaytee Exact, which from my reviews of the forum no one seems to like. I bought it anyway. I also spoke with the breeder and she said she thinks he was just lonely since I was gone yesterday, and that he was wanting attention. I have him out now and he isn't crying and he seems fine.

I think I am going to try mixing up the formula and giving him some this afternoon just to see if he is interested. He isn't crying, or using his beak on me like he was earlier, so maybe he ate enough seed earlier. I also am giving him some avicakes and I did see him eating those. One thing I realized is that I weighed him earlier than I usually did. I might also try weighing him again to see if it actually got an accurate measurement, since even if he is eating if he is loosing weight that would still be an issue.

I'll try the formula on him this afternoon and see if he takes it. I certainly feel better having it here in case I need it. Just so you all don't worry I do have access to an emergency vet which is 24-7 and could do a feeding for me if I got really concerned (and you can probably sense I am pretty paranoid about taking them in if I have to). Thanks for your help and advice!

[linda040899]

Refused the antibiotics, huh? What is the vet treating and which antibiotics are you using? The meds tell me that something wasn't quite right or you wouldn't be treating something. If the vet did a gram stain and found yeast, that would not surprise me if he was recently weaned. Formula contains yeast and the only way to keep it out of the mouth is to follow up each feeding with a couple of drops of warm water.

I'm not a fan of Kaytee but if it's a choice of that or nothing, nothing is not what you want to do. When you weigh him, try to do it only once per day and do it first thing in the morning, preferrably before he's eaten anything. That's the true weight. As my own vet explained, everything consumed or eliminated has value as far as body weight. I have one lovebird that I take in for beak trims once/month and if you weigh Sierra, write that number down, he eliminates and you weigh him again, you will find almost .5 gram difference!

Millet is good to keep in his cage, as are Nutriberries and Avi-Cakes. Millet contains protein and he needs that. It's easy to eat and easy to digest. My babies all grew up on it if I was handfeeding.

I think the attention is probably what he needs the most right now. He's a baby and needs that cuddling. Once he's comfortable, he will begin exploring and being more active. :)

[kk and tango]

The vet found no sign of a yeast infection, only a minor crop infection as she described it. She put him on cefadrops twice a day for 7 days.

I just tried giving him formula on a spoon and he has no interest. I only have a really small syringe but I could try that. The antibiotics needed to be refrigerated and he may just not have liked how cold they are. He is fine if I hold him in my hand, but the minute I try to force him to do anything (eat off the spoon, take meds, etc) he understandably squirms and struggles like crazy.

[linda040899]

If he has no interest in the formula from a spoon (he may have been syringe fed), try the syringe. If there's still no interest, he's most likely completely weaned and fine. What I find odd is that most parrots remember warm formula and syringes and love at least a taste! My Military Macaw is 25 and will still take leftovers! :lol

You may have to hold him against you and insert the tip of the syringe on one side of the beak and gently squeeze the meds into his mouth. Aim for center of the back of the throat.

Merlin sounds like quite a character and I think he just wants some lovin', mom!