Baby African Grey Parrot Hand Rearing - By: Margaret Ann

Hand rearing a baby African Grey Parrot or any other avian for that matter, is a risky thing to do if you don't know what you are doing. It takes a lot of dedication and it can be difficult. Unless you have the experience of hand rearing birds do not attempt to purchase a parrot or any other bird. You could injure the bird or even kill it.

I would advice most people to buy a bird that has already been weaned. You might pay less to get a week old baby but the additional expenses will be more than you bargained for. The formula for hand rearing, brooder and syringes are to name a few.

Then there is the chance that the new baby won't survive. You will have to keep record of each and every feeding, weigh the baby on a continual basis and keep all things very hygienic. The formula has to be the right temperature and of the right consistency, to cold and thick can lead to meals remaining in the crop and causing harmful bacteria to grow.

Too hot might lead to crop burn, to runny will cause malnutrition. You have to know how to open the African Grey’s beak, if you do not, you could injure the beak and cause abnormalities. It may seem that a parrot has a strong beak, and adult parrots do but babies do not.

Then there's making sure that baby does not get to hot or too cold, both is disastrous and can have fatal outcomes. The baby cannot check his body temperature therefore you will need to do that for him. That means a constant check must be done, and you also have to know the signs of being too hot or cold.

You will need to know how much formula to give the baby parrot, and when to introduce solid foods. You will need to know what to give the baby parrot to ensure that he gets just enough vitamins and minerals. As too little or too much could lead toa number of different health problems later. Hand rearing does not take a couple of days, but rather weeks.

It will demand a lot of your time and you need to patient, very patient. However, should you decide to hand rear a baby African Grey Parrot; all of this will be a good idea. I would advice that you get a baby parrot from two weeks, and follow the instructions of the breeder and your avian specialist. When planning to buy a baby parrot no matter how young or old there are a few things you need to look at. Most important is make sure that it is a reliable breeder.

The cages ought to be clean and the other birds should be in a good state. You can ask the breeder what is the baby parrot eating and keep to that diet for a week or two and little by little introduce other foods. Ask questions about the parents, ask to see them.

Never accept a parrot if he shows any signs of sickness, faeces on the tail or anal area if it is a baby, if they seem to be lethargic, have fluffed up feathers, if they screech when any one approaches them. If they are not completely alert and are clumsy.

Parrots have an instinctive need to conceal their health problem but there are a few things like the above that give us an indication that everything is not fine. If after reading this article you still really want to hand rear a baby parrot, go to my blog, which will give you the additional info on hand rearing a baby African Grey.

About the Author

I have always lived with parrots and have come to love their quirks and personalities. They are a species onto their own.

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