Help!! 4 month old macaw- breeder says I can take her home

[luluskittles]

It's me again! Thank you for all of your comments on my previous threads.. I haven't had the chance to go back and respond.
I do need your advice again!
I went to meet *my* parrot yesterday.. She is a scarlet macaw and was born June 27 2014.. She is such a sweetheart!! Super friendly, lays in your arms like a baby, isn't aggressive.. The breeder said that she eats seeds now but she continues to feed her using a syringe and that I would have to do it 2 times a day. I have never done this before and expressed my concern- she said that it is just something she does for comfort for the parrot and that her 3 year old even gets hand fed sometimes. My greatest fear is killing this parrot while I'm trying to care for it.. She said it is easy to hand feed and sent a video of her hand feeding *my* parrot. The parrot didn't bob it's head and flap it's wings like I've noticed them doing in other videos.. It was just very calm while eating (is this normal?)
The plan is that I pick up the parrot November 15th.. Now I have no problem doing te handfeeding (time and effort aren't the issues).. I just don't want to damage this parrot in anyway.. I have researched about it and saw lots of negative comments.


Also on a brighter note.. I am deciding between these2 names : Crayola or Skittles

 

[luluskittles]

So today she would be 4 months and 6 days old..

 

[RavensGryf]

I'm sure more people will chime in on this! This is a pretty heated topic in which many of us have quite a passionate opinion about.

Check out this thread I posted a little while ago. You will find that the majority of us (including responses from experienced hand feeders) will say NO!!! Don't do it! This thread is long, but skim through it to get an idea why (or confirm your thoughts as to why we say it's best to not do it) unless you're already pretty experienced and confident at it and have done it enough times before.
http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/42431-unweaned-babies-trend-these-days.html

No professional breeder should expect any customer (especially one not experienced in hand feeding) to finish the job on any species, let alone large macaws which are more of an advanced species to feed anyway. So much can go wrong. The link above is interesting, and I encourage you to read it when you get time

 

[luluskittles]

I just had a look through! Does it make a difference if she says the parrot is eating food normally? Do you think she is only saying that to comfort me?? She seemed like she really cared about all of her parrots..

 

[Sunset_Chaser]

If you are not experienced at handfeeding and don't feel comfortable learning on a Macaw (very understandable!) then you should tell her that until he/she is fully weaned you want him to stay with her. I'm sure if you tell her your reasons she will understand

 

[RavensGryf]

Well, she may care, and if she does, she evidently doesn't know enough about WHY the inexperienced customer shouldn't be finishing her job. Not all well meaning breeders are really experienced enough themselves as to all the dangers and mishaps that can happen.

I don't know how I missed it before, but I just saw the pic of the adorable babies! I love the colors of Scarlet macaws. One of my faves to look at
On the Aviator harness DVD, the Scarlet Macaw he uses as an example is named 'Crayola' also. That's cute. Good luck.

This forum has seemed a bit slow the past few days, but hopefully some experienced hand feeders, breeders, and macaw people will see this soon to give their input.

 

[luluskittles]

I really would love to do it.. I am just nervous after researching and reading people's opinions!! I would do it if it was safe! I just don't want to hurt a helpless parrot.
She said at this age I won't kill her and that the parrot is eating fruits and veggies fine. She is really comforting me and making me feel like I can do it! I want to believe that she truly cares and doesn't just want the $ (I believe this in a way because she told me I didn't have enough time for a large parrot).. I told her I wasn't finished work til 6 and she assumed I worked 9-6... I work part time (7-9 and 2-6) I plan on spending all my time in between work with the parrot and also any time I have after work. The fact that she didn't want to sell it to me because of that really made me like her!

 

[luluskittles]

Yes I hope more people respond! I love this forum... So many helpful people

 

[MacawLoverOf3]

RavensGryf has it right. A reputable breeder would not be trying to get an inexperienced person to take home a baby that is still being fed 2 feedings a day. This bird is not weaned. You only want to bring home this baby when it has been eating totally on it's own for a minimum of 2 weeks. Don't allow this person to shift the responsibility of weaning the baby onto you.

 

[luluskittles]

Also I wanted to add that I just recently asked her more questions..
New info:
- breeder thinks the parrot might be weaned by pickup date (nov 15)
- parrot eats seeds.. doesn't like pellets
- parrot eats fruits and vegetables
- parrot eats unshelled nuts
- parrot flies a lot (not sure if this matters)
- breeder recommended I feed her twice.. 10 am and dinner time (20ml)

Does this info change anything?
Also hoping someone comments on the head bobbing I mentioned in my initial post!
Thank you

 

[horsesculpter]

Four months is pretty young for a macaw and did the breeder really say seeds? Surely they are not weaning this baby onto seeds? Anyway I agree you should not take the baby until you are comfortable with its care.

 

[luluskittles]

“Don't worry I have raised about 70 Scarlets and hundreds of other ones no one has ever killed their bird by giving it a little baby food when they go home. Scarlets are the fastest weaning macaws, bgs the slowest ”
“You won't kill a parrot that age it's the tiny ones that can aspirate. Just go slow. Don't believe all this internet stuff they try to freak everyone out. She eats fruit and veggies too”

This is what she said to me.. I sooooo want to believe her I'm just so confused and torn.

 

[RavensGryf]

I just think that these breeders who do this (although they care about the birds like you say) just want to get the babies out to their new homes asap because it means less work for them.

That's good that she agreed to keep your baby until it's weaned. I guess a couple 'comfort feedings' won't hurt.

 

[luluskittles]

She didn't say shed keep it til it was weaned.. She just said it might be weaned by the time bob 15 comes and that I should continue with the syringe feedings anyways.. Ergghhhh I wish this wasn't so complicated

 

[luluskittles]

Just realized I said bob 15 lol.. Meant to say nov*

 

[RavensGryf]

Can you ask her to please just keep the baby until it is WEANED?

Then, after that when it's properly weaned and home with you, you can then offer "comfort feedings" of warm mushy foods from a spoon, your fingers, or the tip of a syringe just at the side of the beak, not farther down like they do when hand feeding youngsters.

I have a feeling that if she keeps the bird til it's weaned, it will be force weaned or 'pushed out the door' the second she feels it's just barely weaned, rather than abundance weaning where the bird goes at it's natural pace, not the breeder's time frame. When they're pushed off in a hurry to a new home when they're just barely weaned, they can regress easier. Good luck!

 

[KimKim]

Congrats on your baby! I don't know much about hand feeding or macaws, and I don't know the "breeder" but if your babies beak was caused by the breeders incorrect hand feeding, then this breeder may not know a lot either... I wish you luck with whatever happens, just wanted to throw that out there.

 

[RavensGryf]

Congrats on your baby! I don't know much about hand feeding or macaws, and I don't know the "breeder" but if your babies beak was caused by the breeders incorrect hand feeding, then this breeder may not know a lot either... I wish you luck with whatever happens, just wanted to throw that out there.

That's right, I remember your other thread about the crooked beak...

 

[faeryphoebe1]

I had a baby cockatiel who only needed 2 feedings a day. He was almost weaned.

I didn't know any better. I hadn't researched it, as I didn't expect a pet store to sell an unweaned parrot.

It just wasn't in my periphery to ask "why unweaned", as I knew so little about parrots but had owned an adult tiel 20 years ago. The pet shop owner gave me all the assurances this breeder is giving you.

My baby Pikachu ended up dying of a horrible crop infection.

By then, we were really attached to him. We adored him. He'd even gone to an avian vet on 3 separate visits, yet he still died in my hands, gasping for air and suffering. No baby should have to suffer like that, simply because the breeder is lazy and wants to make a quick buck.

After that, I found parrotforums and all these wonderful folks here and learned all that I could spongeup. Still learning, too.

That was 3 years ago. I know that you really want this beautiful baby, but it is absolutely unethical for a breeder to sell an unweaned baby. So much can go wrong.

I agree with the posters above. Weaned at a minimum of 2 weeks and why is she feeding seeds?

 

[Echo]

Besides the health concern for this Macaw, you will not "bond" better because you syringe feed her. Did you pay less because you have to finish weaning her? Is it a money issue? If it isn't, then let the breeder do her job and properly wean your bird. It's that simple really.

Although I understand the way this breeder hand feeds her birds and damage their beaks, you would want that baby out of there ASAP! I'm surprised anyone would buy from her...