Psittacus Red Soft Feeding Tubes

The Psittacus Red Soft Tubes are specialist hand-feeding tubes designed for the safe, hygienic administration of hand-rearing formula to psittacine chicks. Built for breeders and experienced keepers who hand-raise parrots from an early age, these tubes offer a reliable and controlled method of feeding that minimises risk to fragile neonates.

Construction and Design

Each tube is made from a flexible, durable material that resists wear through repeated use. The rounded tip is a key safety feature — it allows the tube to pass comfortably and reduces the risk of injury during feeding. These are not disposable tools; they are built to last through many feeding sessions when properly maintained.

Why Use a Soft Feeding Tube

Tube feeding is widely regarded as the most controlled and hygienic method for delivering hand-feeding formula directly to a chick's crop. It removes the guesswork from volume and placement, reduces the risk of aspiration compared to spoon or syringe feeding at the beak, and keeps feeding consistent across multiple clutches or species.

Sizing Across the Range

The tubes are available in four sizes to cover every stage of a chick's development, from newly hatched neonates through to larger juveniles approaching weaning. Smaller volumes suit the earliest and most delicate stage of hand-rearing, while larger sizes are appropriate as chicks grow and crop capacity increases. The full range covers a broad spectrum of psittacine species, from smaller hookbills such as cockatiels through to larger parrots including African greys.

Selecting the Right Size

Choosing the correct tube size depends on both the species you are rearing and the age or developmental stage of the chick. As a general principle, tube diameter and volume should increase in line with the chick's size and crop capacity — moving up through the range as growth progresses. The variant selector on this page allows you to choose the size appropriate for your current stage of rearing.

Having the correct tube size to hand at each stage of development makes hand-rearing more consistent and significantly reduces the stress placed on chicks during feeding. Keepers managing multiple clutches or species will benefit from keeping several sizes in rotation.