Help

[Cerr83]

Hi,

First of all hello to everyone I am new to this site and I am new to having a IRN

Last week I went over at a breeder and fell in love with a 3 week old IRN. The breeder told us that if we take him at this age he will be more tame.

Anyways its been a week since we got this little darling. The first 3 days he was terrified of us but now he is comfortable around us. Loves being cuddled and he looks out for me when I am out of the room.

I keep him in a small box with wood shavings and cover the box to keep him warm, obviously, leaving air.

However I am very worried because he sleeps a lot. He doesn't cry to be fed or anything and I kind of have to make him eat. I give him warm formula from the pipette. I am really attached to this little bird and he seems too but I am worried something is wrong with him. Even when I hold him he sleeps. He practically sleeps all the time and I found no help at all from the breeder.

Please help a friend of mine told me he is too young and will die

[Skyes_crew]

Your friend probably meant well...sort of...but your baby is probably just fine. As long as his crop is filling nicely and emptying all the way he's getting proper nutrition. My 6 week old bird still sleeps a lot too. I feed him, he falls asleep. He preens, he falls asleep. Sleep is VERY important for babies. At this stage in their lives they are growing by leaps and bounds and they do the majority of that growing while they are asleep. As for being quiet, it's not a bad thing. Some birds are quieter than others. My baby last week didn't make a peep when he was hungry. Just a week later now, he here's the sound of me getting his food ready and he cries for it. Hand feeding a baby is both nerve wracking, and rewarding. You will have an awesome bond with your bird, but you will go through anxious moments during the baby process. That's where forums like this one come in handy. Never be afraid to ask questions. Your baby will be big and flying in no time

[Cerr83]

Hi,

Unfortunately my bird didn't make it. I fixed an appointment with the vet but he didn't make it. A day before he died I took him to the pet shop from where I bought the bird and he told me he had a bad infection. He was sick when i bought him but being a first bird owner i didn't realize.

The pet shop owner (seeing me cry for the little sick bird) gave me another IRN. I have this darling for 2 weeks now and now I know what a healthy IRN is We kept the name Gugu as we didn't tell our son that the previous bird died. He became so tame and cuddly. I got him home he didn't even have a feather.. must have been 4 weeks old..he is going on 6 now and he is super active and a lovely green colour.

Gugu never wants to stay in the cage he always wants to be cuddled and his appetite is increasing by the day. I am not sure how much I need to feed him now. I feed him formulae 20ml 3 times a day. When do I need to start introducing seeds?

Also do i need to trim his wings (The vet obviously as I am not capable!!)? or let him fly as he pleases?

I never thought such a bird could be so cuddly!!!! and he is sweet with the kids as well...even though i barely let them touch him since he is still very young.

Last question lol...when will he fly..he already flaps his wings...especially when i put him in his box to sleep on in his cage to play. he loves being with me all the time.. but with work and kids its impossible to do so...looking forward to when he flies and sits on my shoulder so i can get things done

Thanks for the post

Caroline (veryyyyyyyyyy happy owner of an IRN)

[MissK]

Caroline, my sympathies for your rough start and the loss of your first little one. Congratulations on the new one. It's probably fine, but if this were my bird, I would spin him by the vet just to be sure about his health, especially as he came from the same conditions as the first.

It would not be helpful for me to say he will fly when he's ready, so instead I'll say read Skyes_crew's posts on her baby Alexandrine. He has just started to fly.

-MissK

[Skyes_crew]

Oh Caroline...I am so sorry. I was really hoping he was going to be ok. What were the pet shop conditions where he came from? Do you know the breeder that supplies the pet shop? A lot of times birds that are kept in over crowded conditions will be unhealthy. The droppings when dry can be aspirated by the birds, especially the babies, and cause lung problems. I'm happy to hear that your new bird is doing well though. But like MissK said, I would bring him to your vet just to be on the safe side.

Here is a thread with a lot of info on weaning. I believe Subodh posted it.

http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... it=weaning

As for flying, it's unpredictable. I was just telling MissK that my baby alexandrine hadn't flown yet at 7 1/2 weeks and the very next day he took his first flight. When all the flight feathers are in and he's happily flapping around, flying is not far behind