Hand Feeding a Weaned Baby

[redgate]

Hi,
I brought my TAG baby (Gracie) home on Friday. She is 13 weeks and was completely weaned but I was warned that sometimes babies revert to wanting fed when they go out to new homes. Through an oversight on my and their part I left without the just in case hand feeding formula. She and I had a great weekend but she started begging last night. I gave her some ground up pellets mixed with sweet potato baby food in a syringe and she gobbled it down. Should I make a special trek back to the breeder for the proper hand feeding food or keep going as I am as it is her regular pellet food anyways and this way get sweet potato into her as well?
thanks in advance

Irene

 

[Echo]

I don't believe you have a totally weaned Grey at 13 weeks. However she should now start to wean to solid food so if she's taking the food you are giving her, I would keep doing that.
I would suggest mushed warm foods like sweet potato, organic baby food like mashed peas, carrots, brown rice, pasta etc.... You want her to recognize pellets so I would feed those separate, you can offer them soaked with just enough warm water to soften them but remain their original shape.

And above all, I would quit the syringe. Use a spoon instead. Now is a good time to transition from associating formula/syringe...

 

[redgate]

Thanks. She is eating pellets and some fruit and veg. I am pretty sure she is fully weaned, she was supposed to come home a week ago but there was a screw up with the cage so she had to wait another week and didn't take any hand feedings during that time. After thinking about what was different I think the trigger was we went to work for the first time and left her alone.
I don't understand, why would I transition to a spoon and not stay with the syringe? Being a newby I am just wondering.
thanks

Irene

 

[Echo]

Syringe encourage the begging behavior and dependence feeding while the spoon relates better to them eating on their own. A syringe feeding is directed to the right of their neck straight to their crop, with the spoon the food encourages them to scoop it out and gets the food in their mouth then swallow. Helps weaning. They can easily go from feeding to a spoon to a cup. You tilt the spoon up but encourage the bird to grab the food. Does that make sense?

 

[redgate]

OK, that makes sense! She has fixed it for me. Obviously I wasn't quick enough mixing the powdered pellets into the baby food so she started helping herself from the bowl So I just held the bowl and let her help herself instead of using a spoon or syringe. We will keep going that way from now on.

Irene