Ask Lafeber

Red Crowned Fledgling

We rescued a Red-Crowned Amazon fledging that somehow got out of its nest before it was truly ready to fly. The nest she came out of was in the top of a very high palm and putting her back was not an option. We took her in and she is doing well now. When we found her, her stool was hardened liked she was eating solid food, but after a few days we realized she wasn’t eating. She was trying, but none of the food options we gave her worked. She would try to eat it, but after working on any piece of food for a little bit with her beak, she would drop it and cry. So, I began hand feeding her. Based on the breeding season and incubation periods for these wild parrots in our region, we believe her to be about 3 months old.
So my questions- How much should she be eating during the hand feedings and how long should she be hand fed for overall? (We do always leave a variety of food options for her during the day for her to practice eating). Also, how many hand feedings should she be getting from me each day? I have deciphered her “feed me” call and I’m currently feeding 15cc in the morning and at night. I am just honestly clueless about what I’m doing.

We’ve had her for 10 days now. She seems happy and healthy. She preens and “forages” during the day, squawks and calls, and enjoys climbing her toys. She has mastered short little bursts of flight, so my other question is about clipping her wings. I read that if you clip them before she has mastered flight, it can cause issues. I just do not want her to hurt herself flying around the house. When is the appropriate “age” to clip them and can you point me to resources to learn how to do that correctly?

I’ve fallen in love with this little baby and want to do the best I can for her. Any advice would be appreciated.

Hi,

The first thing to do is to take the bird to an Avian Vet. A healthy fledgling would not just be sitting on the ground, and would not be so tame. There is probably something going on internally. She very likely has internal and external parasites that need to be identified and treated for. The Vet can also determine the bird’s overall health and check for bacterial infections or other issues. As for hand feeding and amounts, the Vet can help with that, too. I’m not comfortable recommending any amount because of not knowing enough about the bird’s age and overall condition. You should never fill the crop completely. And you should be offering a variety of foods – a nutritionally balanced pelleted food, veggies, greens, some fruit and even some thickened formula in a small dish. As for when to wean, it is up to her. Most breeders force their chicks to wean too soon so that they can sells them. The more your bird eats on her own, the less formula she will need until she is eventually weaned. But right now, determining her health is the most important thing, because a bird her age would normally not accept hand feeding formula and would not be tame at all.

In regards to clipping her wings, I would not recommend this at all. It has been determined that flight is very important to a bird’s health. When clipped, they do not exercise the right muscles. Amazons are especially prone to obesity and heart disease. As she starts to fly, work with her in a small room with the windows and mirrors covered. She can master flight fairly quickly and will learn to navigate things in the household. Once she does this, she isn’t going to hurt herself because she will know how to avoid flying into objects.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda