What to feed baby galahs

How to look after a Galah

This comprehensive care guide will show you how to look after a Galah in 3 easy steps

Fast Facts:

How long will my Galah live? They can live 40-60 years

How big will it grow? Approximately 36cm

What size of enclosure is recommended for my Galah? A wire enclosure of 40” X 30” X 65”

What does a Galah eat? A mix of seed and pellets with fruit and vegetables

Galah Housing

Hand raised Galahs have been raised by humans usually from 3 weeks old, making them accustomed to handling, cages and many noises that occur in everyday life.

A thick gauge wire cage with dimensions of at least 40”(W) x 30”(D) x 65”(H) will give your Galah enough room to spread out and exercise without risk of injury from hitting the wire sides. Open top cages with perching areas are ideal for hand raised birds as they provide more freedom and interaction with their family.

At night the cage should be covered with a sheet or cage cover to prevent drafts and reduce visual stress.

Galah Care

Galah's are predominantly a seed eating species so their captive diet should consist of a mix of pellets and seed. An appropriate seed would be a large parrot mix or fruit and nut mix, however, sunflower seed intake should be minimal. Grit assists with digestion so small amounts should be added to their daily seed.

Seed lacks important vitamins and minerals so their daily diet should be supplemented with small portions of fresh fruit and vegetables such as apple, carrot, beans, peas, corn, broccoli and spinach. Never feed your Galah lettuce or avocado, and always remove the seeds from apples. Fruit and vegetables should not be left for prolonged periods of time as they will easily spoil and this can lead to illness from the bacteria and yeasts that grow on spoilt produce.

Vitamin supplements such as Soluvite D or Multivet can be added to your Galah's water two or three times a week. Calcium and Iodine can be provided through cuttlebone and iodine bells. Fresh water should always be available and should be changed on a daily basis. Worming should be repeated every three months with a broad-spectrum bird wormer. It is essential that a good quality calcium supplement such as Calcivet is given to the bird at least 3 times a week for the first year.

Fresh water should always be available and should be changed on a daily basis. Worming should be repeated every three months with a broad-spectrum bird wormer.

Galah Feeding

Enrichment is all about enhancing the quality of life for your Galah and generally relates back to activities they would usually perform in the wild.

Foraging plays a big part in enrichment for birds. To search for food is a natural instinct all birds possess, so it is the perfect way to exercise both their body and mind. There is a vast range of foraging toys to suit all species of birds and keep them mentally stimulated for when you are not at home. It is a good idea to have several different types of foraging toys available, and to rotate them in the cage every couple of weeks.

Natural branches of varying lengths, shapes and thicknesses are essential for cockatoo species. There are many native branches that you could offer your Galah such as eucalyptus, gum, grevillea, bottle brush and lilly pilly, many of which have natural nuts and flowers that providing a foraging opportunity for your Galah. This also allows Galahs to properly exercise their feet and beak as they can chew and strip the bark perches.

Did You Know?

Male and female galahs look very similar until they have matured. Once matured, a female galahs eyes will change to a coppery red colour, whereas the males eyes will remain a dark brown colour.

Known as the clowns of the bird world, Galahs are adored by those who keep them. They are easy to train, highly affectionate and have been known to perform actions simply to make their owners laugh.

We have created a Shopping list to show what you need to look after a Galah:

Cage; 40”x30”x65” thick gauge wire
Water bowl
Food bowl
Perches
Ozpet Litter
Cage Tidy
Cage cover
Carry cage
Pellets & Seed
Vitamins
Worming
Avicare disinfectant
Cuttlefish
Lice & Mite spray
Natural perches
Cement perches
Foraging toys
Colourful toys
Ladders
Parrot Pad
Play stand

Common health issues in Galahs

Psittacosis: A type of bacterial lung infection commonly carried by wild and domesticated birds, and able to be passed onto humans.

Respiratory Infections: Usually caused by bacteria infecting the respiratory system of birds due to vitamin A deficiency, however can be caused by many other factors such as fungi, parasites and environmental toxins.

Bacterial Infections: There are many common bacterial diseases birds are susceptible to and is usually caused by lack of hygiene or stress, especially when there is another factor compromising the birds immune system.

Red flags

Is your Galah showing any of the signs of disease or illness? If yes, please contact your vet.

Fluffed up feathers
Nasal discharge
Lethargy
Out of character behaviour
Discoloured poo or diarrhoea

At Kellyville Pets, we encourage responsible pet ownership.

CARE GUIDE © Copyright 2016 Kellyville Pets - All information found in this care guide is based upon our own experience. The information provided is not the only information available. In any medical situations, you should always consult your vet, including questions regarding your pet's diet.

The Australian Galah - Article 029

Section 2. LOOKING AFTER A BABY GALAH

Hand rearing a baby Galah is a time consuming process but he rewards are worthwhile. For those raising an abandoned bird it’s the joy of keeping a bird alive and releasing it back into nature. For pet owners it is the friendly companion that will emerge.

Now you have the bird inside you need to find a place to keep the bird. A warm laundry is a usual favourite.

The bird needs to kept in a warm place away from any drafts, bright lights, direct sunlight, loud noises and dangers (like your cat or dog).. A cardboard box, with a towel scrunched into it forming a hollow works well. Whilst the bird is young cover the box with a towel to keep it dark when you aren’t feeding the bird. This will help it keep calm saving precious energy and allowing it to get plenty of sleep.

Administering Liquids

It is important the bird gets plenty of liquids. Using water at room temperature, use a thoroughly cleaned eye-dropper, or an old spoon with the sides bent upwards, to feed the Galah. With you hands gently tilt the birds head back, hook the eye dropper or spoon under its beak and then gently lift the beak till it opens. Then poor/drip the water gently into its mouth (not down its throat as it may go into its lungs and drown).

This will most likely be really messy, so wrap a cloth around the birds body to stop it from getting saturated and cold. Patience is the name of the game as a scared bird will put up a stubborn fight and refuse to drink until it realises you are trying to help it. So never yell at the bird, always praise and encourage the bird in a soft and gentle voice.

Hand Feeding

If the bird is too young to eat seed, you will have to feed it a suitable food mixture. Please consult a local vet or bird specialist on what food is most suitable for your baby bird.

Use a tea-spoon with bent up sides to feed you bird. DO NOT use a syringe unless you have been trained in its use. Otherwise you may squirt the food down the birds lungs which often leads to death.

Again wrap the bird in a cloth, because a reluctant bird will fight and shake its head to prevent you feeding it until it realises the food tastes good. Again be gentle in nature and in voice.

Hold the birds head back so it is looking upwards, this forms a straight passage from the mouth to the birds crop. Put the tip of the spoon under the birds beak lifting it gently until its mouth opens. Slide the mush into its mouth. Then allow the bird’s beak to close. Keep its head tilted back. Now gently hold the bird’s mouth shut with your fingertips for a few seconds until it swallows.

Again persistence is the key. If the bird isn't co-operating leave it for 15 minutes in a dark quiet place and the try again.

Very softly tapping on the bird’s beak with the spoon before feeding it is a good way of teaching the bird you want to feed it. This imitates the parent’s natural behaviour when it feeds a bird in the nest.

Once the bird begins eating, you will need to feed it three times a day. At sunrise (7am), before midday (11am) and in the evening (6pm). Follow up each feeding with a drink of water.

Teaching a Bird to Eat and Drink

As the bird gets older, introduce budgie/canary seed into the mushed Weat-Bix. Also try grinding some shelled sunflower seeds into the mix. So the bird becomes familiar with the seed and water, have a container of water and budgie seed where the bird can access it in its cage or box.

You can encourage a slightly older bird (once feathers start to appear) to eat and drink on its own by holding the bird near its seed/water bowl and pushing its beak gently into the seed or water. At this stage also introduce grass, fruit and vegetables into the birds environment for it to have a pick at. Promote these foods to the birds mouth to encourage picking.

Introduce the Galah to sunflower seeds by hand feeding it shelled sunflower seeds. Holding the seed in your fingers, push it under your bird’s top beak till its mouth opens then place it onto the tongue till the bird puts pressure back on the seed with its top beak. Hopefully it soon gets the picture that if it grinds the seed with its beak it gets a feed.

Once it starts eating the sunflower seeds from your hand, you have now acquired your secret weapon. The achillis heel to the galahs undivided attention. Galahs almost always prefer sunflower seeds to any other food. So hold these seeds back as a treat (too many sunflower seeds can cause obesity in pet galahs). You will use these seeds to reward good behaviour when training a bird to talk, for being hand fed or to come to you on call. If you wish to release or keep the Galah in a large aviary and are not interested in training the bird, you can simply add a supply sunflower seeds to the bird’s seed mix.

To get the bird use to cracking its own sunflower seeds, use your fingernails to crack and then peel off one side of the shell. Feed this to your bird. It will discover the shell doesn't taste so good and will discard it. Repeat this process for a few days. Now introduce seeds that have their shell split but not pealed off. The Galah will soon work out it has to manipulate and remove the shell to get to the yummy seed inside.

Once it gets the hang of this introduce uncracked sunflower seeds.

Release

Releasing an extremely tame Galah is not a wise move. It will not be able to cope with the dangers of the outside world. If you are looking to release a bird you have rescued:
- Keep human contact to a minimum.
- Ensure it can fly very well
- Introduce a mirror so it can associate with birds of its own kind.

If you wish to release your Galah it is best to keep it outside in a cage located under some the shade. This allows the bird to see and interact (call) with other Galahs. Once the bird is old enough to fly and can feed and drink without your assistance, open the galahs cage when other galahs are around. (Ensure it’s in a place safe from cats, dogs or other wild animals). If the Galah doesn't leave when the wild galahs fly away make sure you close the cage again.

Repeat this process, as it is important the Galah leaves of its own accord.

If after a week the Galah hasn’t got the hint, you can try removing it from the cage when other galahs are present and allow it to walk around outside. Leave the cage with its door wide open so if scared the Galah can retreat to its refuge.

Once the bird does decide to fly away leave the open cage outside for a few days with a supply of food and water in it. If the Galah struggles to find food it has a place to return for a feed.

If you find the Galah keeps returning for food, you can now remove the cage a just leave some food and water out in a bowl. You may now have a bird that will grace you with its company everyday.

If you are keen for it to look after itself without your assistance, sprinkle the seed on the ground so it learns not to associate food as coming from a bowl. Everyday reduce the amount of seed you put out until after a couple of weeks you are only putting out a pinch of seed. The Galah will learn through this method that if it wants a decent feed it will have to start looking elsewhere.

Note:

This post has been updated removing the suggestion of Wheet Bix as a suitable feed for babies. Wheet Bix alone does not have sufficient nutrients and vitamins a baby needs for proper development. It is best to seek professional advice regarding suitable diets where possible.

Also Galahs can make wonderful pets. Bare also in mind that someone willing to keep a Galah as a companion bird do not always think of the long term implications, these can include:

· A bird that is very intelligent and needs constant stimulation

· A bird that can live for quite some time. 50 years or more

· A bird that is very destructive, one of mine destroyed a $2,000 lap top and ate away part of a window frame.

· A beautiful cute, cuddly baby that suddenly is a terrifying wild creature with ultra sharp beak and claws at puberty.

Thanks to Petah for this information.

Cockatoos and Parrots - Advice from Queensland Environmental Protection Agency

You can identify cockatoos and parrots by their distinctive bills. These birds will eat from a bent spoon, as it resembles the parent’s beak. To feed them, insert the first part of the spoon into the beak. Feed the young bird until its crop is well rounded. Do not feed it again until the crop is empty. You can learn to identify when the bird’s crop is full by feeling it before and after you have fed the bird.

Young parrots need to be fed three to four feeds a day. Always make sure that the feed mixture is warm as these birds will refuse or spit out food if it is too cold.

Young cockatoos and parrots become tame very quickly. To reduce human impact, never pat or cuddle a bird. You should also place pictures of adult birds of the same species around its cage and avoid eye contact. Try to feed the bird in such a way that it does not see more than your hand and the spoon, and cover your hand with a sock that is the same colour as the adult bird (i.e. white for sulphur crested cockatoos and green for redwing parrots). A tame parrot is very difficult to release.

The following are suggested diets for young parrots:

* 1 cup Wombaroo granivore rearing mix
* 1 cup Heinz high protein baby cereal
* 1 cup Uncle Toby’s Natural Muesli (ground finely in a blender) or
* Heinz baby muesli
* 1 pinch of calcium powder
* 1 pinch of Ornithon (or other bird multivitamin powder)

Store this mixture in an airtight container and take out as much as you need each day for feeding. Mix with warm water to make a slurry.

You can also buy commercial parrot hand rearing products, such as Paswell parrot hand rearing food and Wombaroo granivore rearing mix. These products should be made up according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

In the early stages young parrots can be kept in a hospital cage (solid walls and a mesh wire front). It will be easier to the feed the bird if the cage has a door that opens from the top. Young birds can be kept warm with a heater pad, hot water bottle or a lamp with a 40-watt bulb. The young birds should be able to move from the heat source if they become too warm. Young birds that are able to perch can be transferred to a “cocky cage” that has two or three solid walls. Cover the top of the cage with a towel for added protection.

As the young parrot grows, thicken the porridge (add less water) and add soaked budgerigar seeds to the mixture. This will teach the bird to crunch on seeds. Commercial bird seed mix can be spread over the bottom of the cage along with shell grit, nuts from native trees, greens, pieces of firm fruit (e.g. apple), and vegetables (e.g. broccoli, sweet potato, beans) and sprouting seed mixes. The frequency of feeds should be reduced to encourage birds to start feeding for themselves. The bird will also pick up foraging tips from adults of the same species in the area. Eventually the young bird will start to crack and eat seeds by itself. Keep a good eye on the bird’s weight at this stage as some difficult birds will refuse to eat and may start to lose weight.

Another good way to start them eating for themselves is to put a bowl of “parrot porridge” in the cage and gently push the bird’s beak into the mixture. After a few times the young bird may start to drink the mix itself.

Slowly add more solid food to the mix (e. g. rolled oats and small soaked seeds) and over a week or two the young bird will start eating seed for itself.

Once the young bird is eating well by itself for at least two weeks it can be transferred to an open aviary.

www.epa.qld.gov.au/nature_conservation/wildlife/caring_for_wildlife/carers_kit/birds/raising_juvenile_birds/
The State of Queensland (Environmental Protection Agency)

whether to change the food after sterilization, proper nutrition, is there any special feeding after the castration operation, features of the diet - Pet shop

Every dog owner sooner or later has to answer questions for himself: to sterilize his pet or not, what to feed him later. Many are afraid that the operation can adversely affect health. According to the research conducted by doctors, it became clear that castration or sterilization of an animal prevents diseases of the reproductive system and does not affect the condition of the dog with proper care. Again there is a “but”: is it so complicated?

The foundation is nutrition: why it matters

When you pick up a neutered animal from the clinic, you are bringing home an absolutely healthy pet. The only change is that your pet will become calmer. After the operation, the hormonal background changes: it does not cause him any harm, but it will save your wallpaper and slippers. The dog will still be your guardian and friend, but his hormonal surges will disappear. The only thing that now needs to be monitored constantly is the proper nutrition of the animal. Due to the changes that have taken place, the dog may be more lazy and sleepy. This is solved by selecting food and increasing the activity of the pet. The dog should not starve after six in the evening and run around the house for five hours, overcoming obstacles. Choose the right nutrition and increase the walk by fifteen minutes - this is how you prevent weight gain.

Sterilization or castration is a surgical procedure. Therefore, while the animal is recovering, you need to pay more attention to it. Do not feed your dog immediately after surgery, wait 24 hours. Let the animal's body recover, survive the stress. Do not believe the sad eyes of a castrated dog: food in this situation will not save you from depression. In the future, build the feeding of the animal based on the diet that was selected before the operation. If the dog is accustomed to natural food, add more raw meat and dairy products. If to dry food, then choose a premium class. For the first two weeks, reduce the amount of servings, but increase the frequency of feeding. Then return to the previous mode.

Eliminate high-calorie foods from the animal's diet immediately after the operation, and in the future. Fatty foods can cause indigestion and cause a lot of discomfort. A spayed dog will gain weight quickly. This will lead to obesity and possible death.

The best way to avoid weight gain is a balanced dry food for spayed or neutered dogs. It contains the necessary nutritional supplements. The animal will retain weight, activity and beauty, so you will not notice a difference in behavior and appearance.

What to look for when choosing food

After sterilization, the metabolism changes: the dog becomes less active, but more hungry. The number of appetizing pieces in her life will increase. But with "goodies" there will be a possibility of obesity. Therefore, food for sterilized animals is dietary. The volume of lipids in it is reduced by 12-13%, and proteins are increased by 10% to curb animal hunger. Let's take a closer look at the composition of the feed:

1. Proteins.

For neutered dogs, dry food uses highly digestible protein. It is easier to digest and the risk of weight gain is reduced. Preference should be given to holistic and premium feeds, because the source of protein in it is natural meat and fish. And also additional vitamins are added to it for rapid fat burning.

2. Lipids.

These are fats and fat-like mixtures. For castrated and sterilized dogs, omega 3 and 6 are needed. Therefore, vegetable fats, oceanic fish are added to the feed.

3. Carbohydrates.

They saturate the dog, do not let him feel hungry until the next meal. Found in cereals. But the quality of the vitamins received is important: a spayed dog needs fiber, not starch. The composition of the feed will include brown rice, oats, barley.

An excess of carbohydrates leads to overeating and obesity. They should be at the end of the ingredient list.

4. Additional components.

If you don't want to supplement your neutered dog, choose a premium or holistic dog food. It contains the necessary vitamins that speed up the metabolism, prevent urolithiasis. You won't spend extra money on supplements or go to the vet again.

Food rating for spayed dogs

When you enter a pet store, your eyes widen from the choice of food. Among them it is very difficult to navigate and in a few minutes to choose the right one. We sorted out the brands of food for sterilized dogs and ranked them.

1. Acana Light&Fit contains 40% meat. Another source of protein is whole eggs 4%. Vegetable fats do not come to the fore. Carbohydrates are lentils and peas, the composition includes vegetables, fruits and additional minerals. The food maintains the level of magnesium and phosphorus in a sterilized animal, prevents the appearance of urolithiasis. It meets all the requirements of dogs and belongs to the holistic class.

Average price per 1 kg of feed: 470 rubles

“A two-year-old Chihuahua lives at my house. As a child, on the advice of a doctor, she castrated him. After the operation, there were changes in the coat, the eyes began to flow. I took him to the doctor, and he advised him to switch from natural food to dry Akana. The result became noticeable in a month. The condition of the coat has improved, the eyes have stopped flowing. And Nick eats with great pleasure. I am very glad that I decided to try this food. ”

Ekaterina, owner of a chihuahua

2. Royal Canin - diet food for spayed dogs. The composition does not contain natural meat, and the source of carbohydrates is processed proteins of animal origin. Corn appears, increasing the volume, but not the number of useful components. It is not absorbed by the body. The source of fat is soy meat. This food for sterilized dogs does not contain vegetables and fruits. From the above it can be seen that Royal Canin is not as beneficial to the animal as Acana. Choosing it, you will have to additionally buy minerals for the dog.

Average price per 1 kg of food: 350 rubles

3. Pro Plan is very similar to Royal Canin in its composition. Granules do not contain meat and vegetables, include corn. Vitamins and minerals will have to be purchased separately for a complete diet.

Average price for 1 kg of feed: 400 rubles

“My dog is six years old. At eight months, she sterilized him on the advice of a doctor. Since childhood, we fed him Pro Plan, and after the operation we picked up the necessary series. Jack calmly passed on to him. Once we decided to try a more expensive brand, but it did not suit us, an allergy began. Since then, experiments have not been carried out and are not planned, because the food absolutely meets the expectations and the price.”

Anastasia, owner of a toy terrier

4. Farmina Vet Life for sterilized dogs contains proteins and carbohydrates in the optimal amount for a complete diet. The composition includes a chicken egg. Farmina contains useful components that prevent obesity and urolithiasis.

Average feed price per 1 kg: 450 rubles

5. Summit is a holistic class. Very nutritious and balanced diet. It includes meat and a large number of healthy cereals (oatmeal, brown rice). Scientists were able to preserve chicken fat as a natural preservative. Saturation with this food will quickly come to a sterilized animal. A vitamin balance will save you from additional spending on supplements.

Average price for 1 kg of feed: 450 rubles

6. Hill`s contains a large amount of protein and carbohydrates. The food includes corn filling and is not as rich in vegetables as we would like for its price. It seems that many natural ingredients have been replaced with vitamin and mineral supplements.

Average price for 1 kg of food: 560 rubles

7. Eukanuba is a premium class food rich in protein. It includes chicken, animal fats and eggs, a large amount of rice and wheat (23%), which maintain the necessary carbohydrate balance, vitamins and minerals. However, it is not a complete diet for a sterilized animal. From the composition, it is not clear what origin the proteins and biological additives are.

Average price per 1 kg: 430 rubles

8. Canidae is one of the best and most expensive animal feeds. It includes natural meat of chicken, turkey, duck. The source of carbohydrates is peas. But few vegetables and fruits. They are replaced by a huge amount of vitamins and minerals. This is because Canidae is a hypoallergenic brand of dry food.

Average price per 1 kg: 900 rubles

“When I bought a dog, I consulted with the breeder about feeding. She recommended Canide, and decided to stop on it. Upon reaching the age, he sterilized Jesse. Feed decided not to change, just picked up the right series.
I am happy with my diet choice. The dog's coat is shiny, there are no problems with the teeth, our doctor is overjoyed. The only thing I noticed is that Jesse does not eat this food as actively as some other cheap brands (sometimes you have to buy). Apparently, there are very few nutritional additives in the feed, but this is not surprising, because it is hypoallergenic. ”

Andrey, owner of a shepherd dog

9. Pro Pac dry food for sterilized dogs has a mysterious composition. The manufacturer did not indicate the proportion of the necessary components in the description of the feed. It contains chicken and rice, and the content of cereals rolls over. Not one, but several types of rice are used. Most likely, the basis of this feed is cereal components. From animal fats, only chicken is used. High fiber content, with a minimum amount of protein. It is undesirable to use this food for the daily diet of a sterilized dog.

Average price per 1 kg: 350 rubles

10. Brit food for sterilized dogs belongs to the super-premium class. It contains the optimal content of proteins and carbohydrates, achieved using natural products. It is made from meat, brown rice. The composition shows the content of useful components. This food for its class has a fairly low cost and can be used as a complete diet.

Average price per 1 kg: 350 rubles

The choice of food depending on the individual characteristics of the sterilized dog

Breed, age, medical indications must be taken into account when choosing food for an animal. Not paying attention to, at first glance, an unnecessary component, we can endanger the pet.

Small breed dogs are more active and have a faster metabolism than large dogs. Therefore, their food is usually higher in calories than other animals. As we already know, dietary nutrition is selected for spayed dogs due to hormonal changes. Manufacturers of small breed neutered dog food strike a balance by reducing its caloric content while maintaining the level of necessary carbohydrates. With such proportions of nutrients, the pet will not feel hungry until the next meal. Small breed dogs are prone to problems with the gastrointestinal tract, so their food contains special prebiotics for the full functioning of the body.

For neutered medium breed dogs, a less caloric diet is selected and nutrients are added to preserve the coat, tartar and prevent urolithiasis.

Dogs of large breeds and without sterilization do not always show excessive activity. Therefore, less high-calorie food is selected for them. Castrated dogs of large breeds are supplemented with more L-carnitine, which promotes fat burning.

When choosing a diet, the age of the animal must be taken into account. Older spayed dogs become less active and irritable. Most often, these are signs of disease.

Diet for older dogs should be low in protein but high in carbohydrates to keep the animal from gaining weight and staying active. More vitamins and minerals are added to the diet in order to maintain the appearance of the animal and avoid the appearance of urolithiasis, tartar and age-related diseases.

Special food is selected for allergic dogs, and if the animal is sterilized, the requirements for it are increased. In the description of the diet, you will see the addition of lamb, pike perch, salmon, but you will not find the usual chicken or pork. The feed will not contain food dyes, eggs, and the content of vegetables and fruits will be reduced. Rice will fill the diet with the necessary amount of carbohydrates.

More and more people are spaying their pets. Scientists and veterinarians take this into account and develop new diets. Choosing and purchasing food for a spayed or neutered dog will not be a problem. In the modern world, the task is simplified, because there are a huge number of Internet portals with a delivery service. That is, to purchase food, your pet will not even need to leave the house.

Feeding little owlets: bjorn_varulv — LiveJournal

The photo shows a Tawny Owl owlet that has just hatched from an egg.

How to maintain?

Newborn owlets need constant heating: the temperature should be maintained at about 37 degrees Celsius. Owlets can be placed, for example (as the simplest option), in a "nest" made of a box and a terry towel, and heating is carried out using a 40-60 W incandescent lamp, after setting it at such a distance from the nest to provide the desired temperature. It is dangerous to both overheat and overcool the chicks.

How often should I feed?

Owls need to be fed very often during the first few days. If these are small species of owls, such as splyushki or owls, you need to feed every half an hour with a break for a night's sleep no longer than four hours. Larger ones, such as Tawny Owls, Long-eared and Short-eared Owls, need to be fed every hour with a break for a night's sleep of no longer than five hours. As you grow older, the frequency of feeding should be reduced. Monthly owls are enough to feed 5-6 times a day.
You should always feed when the owls require food. Until full saturation. Owlets eat a lot and a lot. For example, a week-old eared owl owlet eats five or six quail breast fillets per day, that is, about half of its own weight.
The main rule: it is impossible to overfeed the owlets! But underfeeding - easily.

What to feed?

Owlets grow rapidly and the slightest mistake in the diet and diet instantly affect their health.

Owl food must be nutritious and contain sufficient amounts of essential vitamins, trace elements, minerals and amino acids. An ideally balanced food for owls in this respect is the meat of domestic quails. This meat contains a lot of calcium, which is extremely important for the body of owls, especially in the first days of life.

Almost all advice on feeding owls that can be found on the Internet contains a serious mistake: they recommend feeding owls with meat with bones and hair, regardless of the age of the owlet.
But the fact is that the body of very young owlets is not yet able to get rid of undigested parts of food, that is, newborn owlets are not able to form and shed a pellet.
The mother owl feeds her newborn babies by carefully choosing the meat, pinching off small pieces like with tweezers. The first few days of life, owls need to be fed with muscle fibers alone, and quail breast fillets are best suited for this purpose. When the owls begin to open their eyes, you can gradually start feeding pieces of meat with a small amount of wool, fluff and small, not hard bones. To begin with, you can feed the owlet a quail neck cut into pieces, and then be sure to wait for the owlet to drop the pellet. This should happen within six to eight hours of feeding the first meal with solids. During this period, you need to continue to give only muscle fibers. If there are no pellets during the day, you can give another quail neck or a similar small amount of small, not sharp bones and wool or fluff, and wait again. If the pellet does not appear for the second time, it is necessary for another two or three days not to give food with solid particles, to feed only soft ones. During this time, the owlet will grow up and his body should begin to cope with the removal of undigested particles to the outside.

The same rule applies to weakened owlets who, for some reason, lag behind in development. Recently, there was a case when people who had never fed owls undertook to feed the owls. Newborn owlets were fed too infrequently and insufficiently nutritious food, which soon led to intestinal atony in one of them. Then the weakened owlets began to be fed with chickens cut into pieces - along with bones and fluff. Two of the four owls were severely retarded in development, and one also had characteristic fractures of both legs and wings, which happen when the chicks are clumsily picked up, lifting by the limbs for fear of crushing. The organisms of these babies could not cope with the formation of the pellet, and although the people who fed them saw that there were no pellets, they continued to give pieces of chicken with bones and fluff, believing that maybe the bones were being digested. As a result, weakened babies died, painfully trying to burp the bones accumulated in their bellies - the first at the age of 7 days, the second at 10. The third baby also began to lag behind in development, fell ill with rickets, but still he was larger and stronger and after a while pushed out the accumulated in the stomach a lump of bones and chicken down. And only one of the four developed normally, perhaps because initially he received more food and this allowed his body to cope with the test.

When should one start feeding "normal owl food"? The rule is this: if the owlet does not lie, but sits confidently, actively tries to swallow his fingers when they touch the beak, if his eyes have already begun to open, you can give a quail neck and wait for the first guess. This is like an indicator of whether the owlet's body is ready for coarser food.
Coarse food is newborn mice, minced quail, ground together with bones (tubular bones must first be removed so that sharp fragments do not form!), adult mice cut into pieces. A little later, you can start giving pieces of day-old chickens - there are fewer nutrients in such feed, and there are a lot of bones and fluff.
At the age of one month, the owlet should already receive ordinary owl food, that is, for example, owl owlets are able to swallow small mice whole.
(Of course, we are not talking about feeding owls with live animals - as well as adult owls kept in captivity.)

Do I need water?

Owlets need to get enough fluids so that their kidneys can successfully excrete harmful substances formed during the life of the body. You need to water the owls carefully so that the owlet does not inhale the liquid. You can give water drop by drop from a pipette on the side of the beak, but the easiest way is to dip pieces of food in water before feeding them.

What about vitamins?

When feeding an owlet with quality food, such as meat of domestic quail, additional vitamin preparations are not required. It must be remembered that synthetic vitamins are easy to overdose, and an overdose of vitamins is more dangerous than their lack.
As a natural source of vitamins, it is recommended to feed raw chicken liver to owlets once a day. This is quite enough to maintain balance, synthetic vitamins for the prevention of beriberi do not need to be used.

Since a growing body needs a lot of calcium, it is recommended to use the Calcium-Sandoz drink as drinking water. Tablets for the preparation of this drink are sold in a human pharmacy. They must be diluted at the rate of a quarter tablet per 100 ml of water, and of course you need to wait until the gas comes out. You can start giving your owlet this drink in place of regular water from a week old until its plumage is fully formed.
It is very important for a growing owlet to receive a sufficient amount of ultraviolet light every day, because under its influence the body produces vitamin D, which promotes the absorption of calcium. It is best to provide the owlet with a safe stay in sunny penumbra, for example, the “nest” should be covered with two or three layers of cotton tulle and in this form you can sunbathe the owlets for two to three hours a day.