Update

[Jill Page]

Well Fatso has doubled in size, but the Mom absolutely will not feed the little one. My husband has been getting up every 2 hours to feed this little one. He has been doing night duty and I do mostly day, (I can't work on no sleep as a medical transcriptionist...can you see me typing 500 mg instead of 50???) The baby is in the brooder. He was getting dehydrated in the nest box and at one point his crop was empty every hour. Today is his 3rd day. We upped his formula a little bit and he likes to drink warm water a lot after it. So far so good. He is pooping little tiny tiny poops, so I guess that is good. We are hoping he is going to pull thru. His crop empties so quickly...sometimes like i said we are feeding him sooner than every 2 hours..I was laughing this morning because my husband left me this LONG detailed note about how HE was doing it...it was pretty funny. He is really getting into this..

Jill

[bellarains]

Jill,

I have been following along,and am so glad to hear the little one is doing alright. I broke my right wrist, so typing one handed has limited me for awhile. I just wanted to say what an awesome job you and your hubby are doing. The note is very sweet. He sounds like a "goodun" as we say here in the South:)

[mangotiki]

wow, Jill...Mom won't feed him even with the larger one removed from the nest? :( Good grief. What next!

Phewie arrived sometime overnight, the other babies are getting good and fat but Newie and Phewie are so little. The two youngest were not fed this morn so I removed the older three and gave Mom a chance and she fed them. She is really stubborn, waiting for fresh food every couple of hours. So I put some in and a little while later the babies were fed and I returned the older ones. So again this afternoon when I checked, older ones full up, smaller ones empty. So back in the brooder the older ones go. I hope I am just interrupting and happening to look while she is in the middle of some assembly line feeding and just hasn't gotten to the youngest two yet!

Traci

[kimsbirds]

I recall someone having to handfeed and return the baby to the nestbox every 2 hrs for the first WEEK of the baby's life ! Eventually Momma bird figured it out, but they can be so strange in their patterns. You never really know what they're going to do or not do, and this is why observation is so very important when you have birds, and especially birds with new babies in the nest !!
I pray that your little one will pull through. How's the temp in the brooder? Can you get some unflavored Pedialyte instead of using water? It replaces lost electrolytes and salts in the body. Water is ok, Pedialyte is much better. You can mix the powdered formula with Pedialyte too. It gives peace of mind I tell ya !
Best of Luck
Kim

[Jill Page]

Hi All,

So far the little one is pulling thru. Kim, to answer your question, we used Pedialyte the first couple of days and today we started using water, per the Exact formula can? We have the brooder at around 95-98, a little bit higher since he is so small. I also have water in there to help with moisture.

To make things absolutely WORSE, I have to confess that today I took him out and knocked my hand accidentally against the brooder and he fell on the floor. OMG! I thought I would die...I picked him up thinking surely this was the end, and he was cheeping like he wanted food. I fed him and he went right back to sleep.. So far so good.... He ate the next time just fine. Can you believe this?? I have not been letting the kids get anywhere near it for fear of just that....and here I go and drop him on the floor.. Anyway, he seems to be progressing towards every 3-hour feedings now...He is still so scrawny though!

Do you think we should continue with the Pedialyte? Tomorrow he will start his 4th day..

Fatso is HUGE!!

Jill

[kimsbirds]

Thanks for the refresher...
I think I'd continue with the Pedialyte for a few days yet....he's still so tiny and at such a high risk, it can't hurt him for sure ! This little one is such a trooper already. What surface did he land on when he fell? I sure hope he's gonna be ok !!
I'm thinking "Zeus" would be an appropriate name....hehehe...
Will be thinking of you,
Kim

[Jill Page]

Zeus...I LOVE IT!!!

Jill

[linda040899]

Hi Jill,
You need to lower the brooder temp to between 94F - 95F. Anything higher is actually too warm. Incubating temp is 99.5F and momma lovebird keeps hatching eggs in a place in the clutch where the temperature is a bit cooler.

I'm glad to hear the baby is doing well. I've learned the same lesson you did (by dropping a chick) so now I keep something soft on the floor underneath where I will be working. The baby I dropped also survived but I about gave myself a heart attack when it happened!