4 week old baby sun conures....

[killinamy]

I have been hand feeding two baby sun conures for two weeks now. I have noticed a change in their feathers in the last couple of days or so. They look ratty, and dirty from the food they get on themselves. Are they molting?????? And can I wash them up??? Karma and Randi are their names and they need help asap!!!!
Thanks....

[charmedagain]

They are too young to molt , and no you can't wash them.
When i used to hand feed my birds i always had a small dish of warm water and some cotton balls to gently remove andy food stuck to there faces, This stopped it becoming encrusted...

As they get older there feathers do start to change and start lokking scruffy because they are getting more feathers through, Until they have there full plumage they will look a little raggidy.

Mike

[killinamy]

Should I be worried that this could be a disease? They eat 4 times a day still, and are very social. Am I over feeding???? And when should I put them in their large cage because they are in a pet carrier with towels over it.

[charmedagain]

I would not be worried about disease unless there parents have a disease or they have been around other birds that have a disease.

They should already be trying to feed themselves by picking at seeds, Millet.
By the time they are 6-8 weeks old they should be eating and drinking by themselves with no intervention from yourself.
They can be placed in a cage at 4-8weeks old aslong as they have there feathers..

Mike

[kimf]

A sun conures first moult is around 6 months old so your babies will not be moulting yet.

The ratty dirty look is very common for any baby parrot. YES you can bathe the babies but it needs to be luke warm water, light spray bottle or very shallow baths & gently splash water & avoiding their heads.

You can also get away with not bathing them. They're babaies & will look ratty until their first 'real' moult. As jouveniles more than likely they'll have little or no tail because of thier antics, they'll break their tails.

As long as you have the sorrect formula for your babies & it is made & heated according to instructions you should be fine. The only diseases or illnesses theat normally occur in babies is not due to not bathing but due to bacteria forming in the birds formula if it's incorrectly made or kept for too long.

At about 8 weeks old you can start to offer soft or cooked solids like mash sweet potato, banan, peas etc. Offer these first in the same way you would offer the formula to them. Gradually over a period of weeks you can increase the solids intake & variety. Always feed the solids first, then offer the formula, this way they're becoming too full for formula therefore they'll wean themselves over time.

Putting them into a cage will depend on their balance. You can place them in a cage for short periods through the day (watch them closely) so they can get used to perch standing & climbing around.