Needing help with a few things

[Lisa_Woody]

Hi , I am new to the forum and would like to thank you for any replies in advance :)

I have left the story of Woody in my introduction but long story short, I have rescued this little chap who is approx 4-5 weeks old
He was about 2 weeks old when I first bought him home and with not having any idea about hand rearing I crushed some of my other tiels seed added a little water and tried my best to get some down him , he was in a sorry state , cold , weak, and I think constipated,
The park keeper who gave him to me, expressed that I shouldnt take it to heart if he doesnt survive as he is so weak and they are hard to hand rear etc..
Well after a visit to pet shop, hand rearing food £16.99 was a little more than I wanted to pay for a bird that didnt look like it would last the night , so off to a different shop where I bought a bag of chick feed(please dont shout at me if wrong ) for 50p put it in grounder and syringe fed him every 3-4 hours..
He is still here today wooooooohooooooooooooooo
I have just started to feed him soaked egg food from a spoon before I top up with the syringe...Am I going in the right direction is what I want to know as I have no idea what is right or wrong , but would like to add that something must be right if he is still here today...

Also I need help with how to clean up dried food around his face feathers and some on chest ......... It has been very hard to press gently on the syringe while he is going crazy for it and his head bobbing about all over the place and he gets decorated in the stuff......I clean him up ......but while at work My daughter or hubby has to feed him and they not so particular with him as I am and he is in a right old state now,think they a little scared to touch him with how small he is etc.... I have tried a Q tip in warm water stroking over it but it will not budge:( any idea's

But the brighter side is , when I wolf whistle and make kissing moises he now wakes up ready for his next meal, he has been moved from the plastic fish tank into a cage and will try at feeding time to climb up, has even made it onto th low perch a couple of time, tho doesnt bother any other time, I think I kept him snug in his box for to long , not knowing he could be out for a while...but Im learning and he is progressing :)

If anybody could help with the major clean up of him and point me in the right direction for the correct food I would be most grateful

Lisa
xx

[elijahfan]

sounds like you are doing a greta job, i ahve never hand reard befroe but i know you will get som help soon :D

[sweetrsue]

I would get the hand rearing food. It has what babies need to grow. He is a long way from weaning and needs a proper diet. I have found Kay Tee baby bird formula in cans as well as in a bag. The can should be the cheaper as it's smaller and one can should get the baby all the way through. I just use moist paper towels to clean my babies faces up. I find it's easier with a spoon to hand feed. I just bend a half teaspoon and bend the spoon part into kind of a u shape so it's more like the bottom beak of a parent. They can take the food at their own rate and they still get it down thier chest but not so much everywhere else. A Q-Tip diped in water should help to soften the dried on stuff but don't expect to get it off all at once. If you can put a heating pad under what he is in now that would help. He needs the warmth to digest his food.

[tielfan]

Warm water on a washcloth is good for cleaning up messy feathers. Move the washcloth in an upward and outward direction (away from the bird and toward you). This moves the spilled food away from the bird, which is what you want. Wiping downward presses the mess deeper into the feathers so don't go that way!