# Satinette still not eating right-Please Help



## bradygirl (Jul 25, 2006)

Hi all,
I have been posting with all kinds of great idea, but I am still looking for some others..
My almost 5 week old Satinette had a real rough start with the parents kicking him to the curb at 5hrs old, and being accidently attacked by our cat not once but twice. Amazingly he has made it into a beautiful sweet peepers. The problem is he can't seem to figure out how to swallow the seeds, and he doesn't have a canker i already checked. I am still giving hin Kaytee when he will eat it , which isn't very often anymore. I have tried adding seeds to the formula..sometimes he will eat it sometimes not. I tried defrosted peas, not interested...Kale..not inteested. I have not seen him drink either....I have to force him, and he doesn't like that. What should I do....He is so sweet, and I am very worried about him....He doesn't seem sick, or act weak, but I am worried that it is coming if I don't do something soon.
Thanks for any ideas you may have.....


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Do you have any idea what he weighs? Do you have a kitchen scale that you can weigh him on? Is his keel very prominent (the breastbone best felt just forward of and between the legs)?

Pidgey


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

bradygirl said:


> Hi all,
> I have been posting with all kinds of great idea, but I am still looking for some others..
> My almost 5 week old Satinette had a real rough start with the parents kicking him to the curb at 5hrs old, and being accidently attacked by our cat not once but twice. Amazingly he has made it into a beautiful sweet peepers. The problem is he can't seem to figure out how to swallow the seeds, and he doesn't have a canker i already checked. I am still giving hin Kaytee when he will eat it , which isn't very often anymore. I have tried adding seeds to the formula..sometimes he will eat it sometimes not. I tried defrosted peas, not interested...Kale..not inteested. I have not seen him drink either....I have to force him, and he doesn't like that. What should I do....He is so sweet, and I am very worried about him....He doesn't seem sick, or act weak, but I am worried that it is coming if I don't do something soon.
> Thanks for any ideas you may have.....


Do you have this bird in the house? Have you tried putting him in the loft with your other birds? Maybe he needs a friend to "teach him"..........If you have him in the house, do you have another pigeon you could bring in and keep with this one for a while? I can't think of a good reason that a bird this age would not eat, unless it's sick or blind? Have you tried not feeding him at all and in a sense, forcing him to eat or be hungry?


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2007)

There's an old expression, "Mother knows best." Parents will not feed a baby when they sense that something is wrong with it. They will push the bird out of the nest and ignore it. This may have happened here. There may be a birth defect that you can't sense but the parents did. I'm sure you will keep trying to bring this bird around but you may not be able to.


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## bradygirl (Jul 25, 2006)

The bird is in my house. I gave the parents away after this happened because it wasn't the first time. This is like the 3rd time that they wouldn't take care of their babies, and I just couldn't deal with the dead babies anymore. I feel that it stemmed from putting fake eggs in and taking out the real ones to try to control the amount that they had.. They seemed to get really mad and fight alot after that. This bird just like the parents is a house pet. I do not have any others to teach him to eat. I weighed him yesterday and he was 283 grams. He weighed 289 the day before. Last night before bed he ate about 30cc of formula that I added some seeds to, and seemed to enjoy it. This morning he would have nothing to do with it. I know its possible, but i do believe that he doesn't have any defects. I am going to try to put some in his mouth again today and see what happens. I don't mind the hand feeding even tho at this age its gets difficult. I just want him to eat what he is supposed to eat...
Thanks


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Sometimes when you're feeding them formula, they just don't really feel hungry and therefore don't have much incentive to eat. Nothing gets them to eating more than hunger and competition.

Pidgey


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2007)

Have you had the parents checked by a vet for any underlying causes?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

bradygirl said:


> The bird is in my house. I gave the parents away after this happened because it wasn't the first time. This is like the 3rd time that they wouldn't take care of their babies, and I just couldn't deal with the dead babies anymore. I feel that it stemmed from putting fake eggs in and taking out the real ones to try to control the amount that they had.. They seemed to get really mad and fight alot after that. This bird just like the parents is a house pet. I do not have any others to teach him to eat. I weighed him yesterday and he was 283 grams. He weighed 289 the day before. Last night before bed he ate about 30cc of formula that I added some seeds to, and seemed to enjoy it. This morning he would have nothing to do with it. I know its possible, but i do believe that he doesn't have any defects. I am going to try to put some in his mouth again today and see what happens. I don't mind the hand feeding even tho at this age its gets difficult. I just want him to eat what he is supposed to eat...
> Thanks


Although, Pigeonperson may have a point, I have 3 Satinettes that the parents abandoned. They were all raised by my homers. They've never been sick and are very healthy. There's not always a "reason" for a baby to be abandoned. ALL birds are NOT good parents, just like all people are not good parents. 
I still think that you need to try the "tough love" route for a day and see what happens. I think that if this bird gets hungry enough, he will eat. If he can eat ONE seed, he can eat TWO and if he can eat TWO, he can eat THREE. I've never seen a bird starve to death on purpose and with you caring for him, that wouldn't happen anyway. Other than this, I really don't know what to tell you.


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## bradygirl (Jul 25, 2006)

I was not around alot this weekend to see if he ate , so I did give him formula but not as much. I am going to try the tough love today and see what happens. It doesn't look good because already this morning he has been going to town pecking the seeds but not getting any to go down. I am really worried that he will not learn since he has no one to watch. Is that possible that he will never figure it out?? Do you know of any that have never learned how to eat the seeds. He also doesn't seem to drink either, unless I force him to. I am concerned because this weekend I will be away, and my husband is not good with the feeding, and by this time I was hoping he would be eating by himself. I am starting to think he will not get it. I weighed him on Friday he was 9.9oz or0 271 grams--today he was 9.5 or 271g ..Any other ideas to get him eating..???Or to get him to understand how to swallow the seeds would be awesome.3
..03*2...The last part he pecked on the keyboard asking for help..

any other foods that i can try and get him to eat.??


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Sometimes, you can help the bird understand how to swallow by painstakingly holding them, opening their beaks and popping a dried pea, kernel of corn and several other types of seed in there one at a time. You might need to do that a few times per day. I've sure seen a lot of them not learn very quickly. The most famous one that I remember, though, was a bird named Squabovitch on the NYCPRC site. It took that poor bird a long time to learn.

Pidgey


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## bradygirl (Jul 25, 2006)

I have been trying that with the seeds..hopefully it will work. I am sooo excited.....he actually drank today all by himself. How long should I let him go without feeding the formula..I don't want to wait to long and him get sick or weak....He hasn't eaten since 11pm last night ..How long should I wait to try to get him to eat the seeds..
Also..is it normal for them to sleep leaning to one side.. He is sitting here on my desk sleeping..and its freaking me out a liitle seeing him leaningto the side kinda on one wing...Its this ok??


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Answered that on the other thread. They only do this when they're very relaxed and comfortable with everything around them.

Pidgey


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Bradygirl,


You could try filling a small deepish little Bowl with small whole Seeds, such as Canary or Finch mix...and guide her Beak into it, but ( this is important! ) keeping your finger tips on the sides of her Beak.

I do this on a towell draped over my thighs as I sit.

Kinda like this ( but in this image, I am merely gently steadying his Head from above, with my Hand, so he does not wangle and Star-Gaze too much ).


That should allow her to stuff herself by 'gobbleing', and soon it will lead to more effective individual Seed-pecking also.

Remember, Seeds swell in their Crops as they hydrate, so several smaller meals through the day are best.

If you want to know for sufre how much she is eating each day, use a fresh small white Towell to line her Cagem, and, each morning, count the poops.

If you see more then 30, she is likely eating enough, unless they are tiny poops or something.


Drinking would work the same way, and make her Water tepid or even body temperature when offering it...and when you guide her Beak into it,she will drink...keeping your finger tips on her Beak as she drinks. And offer Water this way several times a day, untill you see for sure she is drinking on her own.


Good luck..!


Phil
l v


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