Eclectus wean age

[Ashton]

Hi,

I had a 13 week old female eclectus (papa new guinea) for a couple of days. I thought her screaming was just adjusting to a new home but it turns out she was extremely hungry. I had given her a large variety of fruit and vege but she only would eat the pomegranate seeds and kept screaming.

Once I returned she happily accepted an entire tube of baby bird food and stopped screaming immediately.

Does this mean she basically hasn't been weaned and isn't old enough to eat a bowl of fruit/vegetables? How likely is it that she will scream once I take her back in 4 weeks? (17 weeks old). She also seemed to grip to your arm very tight (causing painful scratches). My friends Eclectus doesn't grip at all. Why does she grip so hard even after being fed? is it a young bird thing?

Thanks.

 

[AvianLover80]

I am no expert for sure, but it does seem that she was not weaned properly or completely, rather. Most breeders don't let the weaned babies go until thay are 16 weeks old and the weaning process takes 2 full months from what I've found in research. Did you bring her back to the breeder? You mentioned, bring her back...
I think the gripping is due to her not being used to her own talons, much less their strength. My mom's ekkie, even at 4 months old, had a hard time getting used to her perches. The breeder didn't use perches, so they walked mostly flat-footed.

 

[Ashton]

The breeder took her back, yes.

 

[AvianLover80]

Well, I hope she finishes weaning her and you get your little girl back soon. I'm sure you're anxious, but it will be worth it. You have enough to do as for as training and getting her used to her new home. You certainly can't be concerned about her eating habits too. See if you can get the breeder to use a perch for her too, then you can perfect her skill when she gets home to you!
Good luck

 

[labell]

Just now seeing this post, well I am not happy with this breeders practice and ethics I can tell you that! The breeder should have known that was too early, a baby needs to be eating lots of variety consistently and 13 weeks imo is unacceptable.
The hard gripping maybe that this baby is scared and unsure, being sent to a new home not weaned and suddenly taken completely off formula would most definitely cause a timid baby to be even more afraid and unsure. In my experience they are all different in their personalities, this little girl may take a little longer to wean and to learn trust. With hand feeding or very young babies I will take a rough emery board to the tips of their sharp nails and just smoothing that tip seems to help a lot without having to stress them out with an actual nail clip.

 

[Ashton]

I hope she weans by the time she's 17 weeks old. It's going to be extremely depressing if I wait 4 weeks to take her back and she continues to scream.

 

[AvianLover80]

What I would suggest is that you fully prepare yourself. It's hard to depend on someone else to do what is right and the breeder obviously doesn't have either of your best interests in mind.

What I suggest is that YOU create a diet for your Ekkie. Starting with fruits, vegetables and high fiber foods that are most nutritious for her along with high quality pellets.
This shoudl be at least a 60:40 diet and some suggest a 80:20... That is up to you. (That's 60% of fruits/veggies and 40% of pellets, nuts and seeds.)
The best foods are corn, peas (sugar snap), broccoli, carrots, cucumber, pomegranate, papaya, grapes, banana (sparingly), apples, brown rice, beans, oats and whole wheat. There are more but those seem to be the most trusted and nutrious.
You can also give her almonds, walnuts, pecans and brazil nuts (all shelled and unsalted). Peanuts are too controversial, so I just wouldn't do those. But don't over do the nuts, they don't need a lot. Also, sunflower and pumpkin seeds are among the best.
As for as the pellets that they are usually weaned to, the best IMO is Harrison's High Potency Coarse pellets for the first 6-9 months then you can switch to the adult formula. I only paid $6.50 for a bag at my local vet clinic. (Not advertising just pointing out breeders' and vets' suggestion.) As long as the pellets are natural colored and not artificially colored, they should be good.
They also like spicy peppers, we add a little crushed red pepper to our mix on occasion, my mom's ekkie loves it!

And of course nurture and give tons of attention during her transition into your home. Like Iabell said, she could be quite scared of the new surrounds and feel alone without the other ekkies. She needs you most during this time.
I hope this helps! Keep me informed!!