Experienced Handfeeder Having Problems with New Budgie Chick

Question
I've had lots of experience handfeeding birds,about 50 in 10yrs.  Today I took in a 3 week old Budgie chick and this baby is giving me fits.  It totally fights all feedings.  It was pulled yesterday so it's possible that it just isn't used to this type of feeding yet.  In the meantime is there anything to speed the process of it accepting handfeedings?  There are no other breeding pairs to even attempt fostering

Answer
Hi, Sarah.  Thanks for posting your question.

I don't know of any ways to speed the process of accepting handfeedings...either s/he will accept it or s/he won't!  You're right...it's probably because this baby has never been handfed.  Are you sure you are feeding at the right temp?  Babies won't accept handfeeding if not hot enough.  Also, most baby budgies I've bred start weaning at about 3 weeks of age and don't want anything to do with handfeeding syringes any longer.  Perhaps this is why this chick isn't accepting handfeeding.  Try offering some different types of feed, such as warm soft food (cooked brown rice with different types of veggies mixed in, warm baked potato, pelleted food mixed with warm fruit juice, etc.), spray millet...anything s/he will accept will do at this point, but try to make it nutritious food if possible (try keet seed as a last resort).  Also try offering this baby water, but I wouldn't leave a dish of water in it's enclosure/container until s/he is a bit older (unless you use a water bottle).  Let me know if the above does/doesn't work.  Only alternatives would be to force feed with a gavage (directly into the crop) if this baby continues to refuse a handfeeding syringe and won't eat on it's own.  Remember, birds won't eat anything they don't recognize as being food, so it may take some time before it will eat anything.  Keep different types of feed in front of it at all times, especially spray millet...this is a favorite of keets.  

Chrys