See also: "Food and Feeding for Birds - Convalescent Diets / Nutritional Support"

• Prepare syringe with formula and affix a flexible feeding tube (for example: urinary catheter, giving set or stainless steel feeding needle), ensuring that it is of a type that will not cause damage to the mucosa.
• If tube feeding or giving fluids, check temperature (should be warm but not too hot) - squirt onto wrist
• Restrain bird’s body and head, holding in a vertical position.
• Externally measure distance to delivery site (crop or stomach).
• Apply gentle pressure at commisures, and open bill.
• Apply gentle pressure to stabilize tongue.
• Place tube past glottis (to the right of the glottis), into oesophagus and to crop or stomach.
• Confirm tube is in oesophagus/crop by visual inspection / palpation (slight bulge should be visible in the neck).
• Slowly deliver formula, monitoring for fluid appearing in pharynx. Stop if this occurs, and continue at slower rate.
• When syringe is empty, pinch or fold over tube and remove quickly.

N.B. limited volume may be given at any one feed, e.g.:

• Canary, finch: 0.25-0.5ml
• Budgerigar: 1.0-1.5ml
• Cockatiel: 2-3ml
• Small parrot: 5-8ml
• Medium to large parrot: 8-12ml
• Large cockatoo: 10-15ml
• Medium to large macaw: 15-30ml
• Mallard duck: 60ml
• Mute swan: 120ml
• Adult crane: 150ml maximum, start with 60-80ml
• Crane chick (hatchling): 3ml
• (B37.x.w1, B115.5, B115.8, B119.w3)
• "Rule of Thumb" maximum up to 2% of bodyweight at one time. Generally assume 1ml of liquid to weigh 1gram, herefore give up to 2ml per 100g bodyweight B156.15.w15

• Excellent way to initially improve GI motility in a debilitated animal, and provide longer term hydration and nutrition.
• Definitive amounts of medication can be administered.
• Medication can be delivered directly to crop or stomach.
• Fluid medications often are more readily absorbed.
• Effective for routine administration of fluids to mildly dehydrated individuals.

• Tube touching roof of mouth and passing slowly over base of tongue should stimulate reflex closure of glottis (J2.12.w3).
• If used for providing nutrition in a bird which is not taking food voluntarily, careful calculation of nutrients being provided is essential.
• Feed mixtures made from e.g. ground up pellets often swell after being mixed with water. Care must be taken that the mixture is sufficiently thin to pass through the tube.
• Gag and/or metal tube required for e.g. psittacines.
• Check patency of tube before each use.

• Not effective in severely dehydrated or severely debilitated individuals.
• Not suitable for use if the individual is vomiting or has reduced gastro-intestinal tract mobility.
• Risk of damage to the mucosa.
• Extra care required to avoid perforating oesophagus if metal crop tube is used.
• Risk of improper tube placement into trachea.
• Risk of regurgitation and aspiration. N.B. cold food promotes vomiting.
• Tube may become blocked.
• Care to ensure food does not contain "hotspots" which may burn the bird, particularly if the feed has been heated in a microwave - also feed continues to heat after leaving the microwave.
• Limited to individuals or small groups or animals.
• Often need more than one individual to accomplish procedure.
• Limited volume can be delivered at one time.
• Parasitism, diseased mucosa and nutritional deficiencies such as Vitamin A Deficiency may adversely affect absorption of drugs.
• Not all drugs are absorbed if given orally.

• Appropriate sized tube, e.g. 0.5 to 1.0cm diameter in waterfowl.
• Appropriate fluids, liquefied / suspended food or medication.
• Gag if appropriate (e.g. for psittacines).

Use of Drugs (Medication):

• Many drugs are not registered for use in particular bird species and care should be taken in their use, with proper regard for possible toxic effects. Consideration should be give to relevant legislation regarding the use of drugs.
• In the UK, guidelines regarding the use of drugs are set out in the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Guide to Professional Conduct 2000: (see: LCofC1 - RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct 2000 - Choice of Medicinal Products).