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 Post subject: Bent spoons for handfeeding
PostPosted: Sun Apr 10, 2016 4:55 pm 
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Name: Carolyn
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I've been wanting to try the bent spoon handfeeding technique, so I went on a spoon search.

I found this:
https://www.birdsupplynh.com/catalog/pr ... ts_id=2977

and this:
http://www.pets-megastore.com.au/ezyfee ... -1582.html

which are kind of pricey for something that I'm not sure I'll like. Then I learned that you can bend a plastic spoon into the right shape by dipping it into boiling water to temporarily soften the plastic. So I tried it out, and ended up with a spoon that looks very similar to this:
Image

It turned out a lot better than I expected. You have to keep the spoon in the boiling water for longer than I expected for it to soften up just a little bit, and it looks like it would take a long time for it to actually melt. The temperature of bird formula obviously isn't going to have any effect on it, so it looks like there aren't any safety issues.

If I like it, I might try bending a metal spoon myself. I take jewelry classes where we have access to all the tools I would need to do this. Or maybe I'll just break down and buy one that's already bent.



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 Post subject: Re: Bent spoons for handfeeding
PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 2016 1:22 am 
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Best way to bend a plastic spoon.....



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 Post subject: Re: Bent spoons for handfeeding
PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 2016 4:49 am 
Conure
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$21 for one bent spoon? Crazy! I haven't fed any chicks with a bent spoon before. I prefer syringes.

I accidentally melted a plastic spoon while stirring something hot. It didn't look like yours though. Are you going to reuse that spoon or make more after each use?


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 Post subject: Re: Bent spoons for handfeeding
PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 2016 7:39 am 
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Name: Carolyn
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I'll reuse this one. If it eventually breaks I can always make another one.

I'm sure it would melt if I kept it in the boiling water long enough, but dipping it in for half a second didn't soften it up at all. I had to keep it in for several seconds to get it soft enough to bend.

Eating from a spoon mimics the natural feeding style better than a syringe does, and it significantly reduces the risk of aspiration. It takes longer than using a syringe though. Here's a video of someone feeding baby conures with a spoon:

phpBB [video]



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