3 Month Old Green Wing Macaw Refusing morning feeding.

[mde1962]

Hello,
I have a 3 month old green wing Macaw that has started refusing his morning feeding. Until now I have been feeding him 3 times a day. He is getting 120 CC's of Zupreem Embrace Plus formula. He Eats his afternoon feeding and doesn't miss a drop. He also takes his evening feeding but kind of lets some of it run out of his mouth. I've also noticed that he doesn't bob up and down like he used to when I'm feeding him. Also, I have pellets in his cage and as soon as I put him in the cage he goes right for the pellets. I have also started giving him Rice, Carrots, Broccoli, scrambled eggs as well as fresh fruits. Can anyone let me know what to do??
Thanks

 

[JerseyWendy]

Hi there and welcome.

Sounds to me like you're doing everything JUST right. They all wean at their own pace. And if your baby is nibbling on the pellets and the fresh food you provide, then that's AWESOME!!

Just weigh him every morning, before he starts eating, and monitor his weight.

He may decide in a week or so that he preferred being hand fed three times a day instead of just twice, but it's also possible he's getting the hang of eating some on his own.

 

[kendrafitz]

I think it was about that age that Rosie went down to two feelings. I took her home at four months and she was on two, but it seemed more like 1 1/2. As long as your baby continues to gain weight and thrive you should be fine. If you are really worried, check with your vet.

 

[JJones1719]

As stated ealier, Macaws wean at their own pace. My Neleno was a very late weaner, he did not wean until 10 months old. He is extremely large for a Green Wing and now up to 1800 grams. He is larger them some Hy macaws I've seen. I met both his Mom and dad at my Breeders and they too are on the very large size.
I'm not sure if their size means anything or not but it seems like the larger the Macaw, the longer time for weaning.
I also agree to weigh them in the morning to make sure that they are not losing to much weight. Best of luck Joe

 

[mde1962]

OK Thanks guys!! I started weighing him today. He was 1145 grams before I tried to feed him this morning. At what point should I worry about how much weight he is losing? 50 grams? 100 grams? 200 grams?
I spoke with his breeder yesterday and she said that it was okay that he was turning down his morning feeding and to go down to 2 feedings per day. She said that I should adjust by not giving him the evening feeding and then moving him to mornings and evenings. She also said that I should make sure he gets a good amount of protein as well to offset the missing feeding, ie scrambled eggs, peanut butter, sweet potatoes.....
As you can probably tell I am worried. Our birds are like our children. They are an active part of our family. When we bought our Blue & Gold and African Grey they were both already weaned so we didn't have this problem. He has also spends a lot of time flapping his wings and trying to fly and I'm wondering if he's trying to "lighten" himself up because he thinks that will will help him fly?