Formula for 23 day old Owl Fledgling
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a_gouldian
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Formula for 23 day old Owl Fledgling
Our Owl Fledgling (just barely) is 23 days old. We have used a mix of NutraStart and Neo Care formulas, and now are just using NutraStart. Is Neo Care better at this age? The little guy seems to get hungry again one hour after feeding. Would the Neo Care keep him fuller longer, or at this age do they just burn through the food fast. We have a millet spray in his cage which he hasn't touch, and also a small capful of Miracle Meal. He will peck at the Miracle Meal if I have it in my hand with him and nudge it with my finger. I don't think the pecking results in him eating much but he does eat a little because I have seen him swallow a few times after pecking at it. He would eat hand fed formula once an hour if we did it that often. The last day or two we mostly fed him every four hours but went back to every 3 hours today because he is so hungry and squawks to be fed all the time.
Gouldians, Red-faced Stars, Owl Finches, Blue-capped Cordon Bleus
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Sally
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Re: Formula for 23 day old Owl Fledgling
I haven't used NeoCare, but it is usually best not to switch around baby formulas but keep using the same one instead. Try hard-boiling an egg, mashing it up (take off the shell), and adding a bit of the Miracle Meal to it. You can offer a little each time, keeping the rest in the fridge for up to and including three days. You can also add a little handfeeding formula to the egg instead of the Miracle Meal (he is used to the taste of the handfeeding formula, so that may tempt him to try it).
One way to be sure a baby is gaining instead of losing is to weigh it. I have a kitchen scale that weighs in grams and ounces, as you want grams. You can get the smallest critter keeper you can find. You adjust the scale with the keeper on it, then add your baby, and you will have its weight in grams. Then you can check each day to see that it is gaining.
Of course, you can do the same thing much more inexpensively just by feeling the breastbone, to make sure that it isn't sharp and that there is meat on each side of it.
One way to be sure a baby is gaining instead of losing is to weigh it. I have a kitchen scale that weighs in grams and ounces, as you want grams. You can get the smallest critter keeper you can find. You adjust the scale with the keeper on it, then add your baby, and you will have its weight in grams. Then you can check each day to see that it is gaining.
Of course, you can do the same thing much more inexpensively just by feeling the breastbone, to make sure that it isn't sharp and that there is meat on each side of it.