Question RE weaning

[Shae26]

So Indy is 9 weeks old and the breeder I got him from said he's on 2 formula feeds a day but he's refusing most of both feeds and is opting for fruits, veggies and seeds more than formula.

I've only had him a couple of days, but i've yet to see him eat a whole lot. I know it can take them a few days to settle in and get their appetite back (new environment/family is a big deal for a little bird!), but he just doesn't seem interested. He lets me know when he's hungry by calling and head bobbing, and he has food available (a dish of seeds, a millet spray, a dish of chopped up veggies - broccoli, cauli & carrot), but he really just seems to want the formula. He gets all excited when he sees me heading for the kitchen (where I prep the formula).

Should I be worried? Is there anything I can do to encourage him to eat? He ate some peach out of my hand a little earlier, which was a huge step forward in the trust/bonding department, but it still wasn't really a substantial amount of food.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[greytness]

No. If he wants formula, then that's what he needs right now. Continue offering him a variety of soft foods, veggies and pellets. Eventually he'll let you know when he's through with the hand feeding.

 

[Dinosrawr]

Congrats on your baby! I didn't get my IRN until at least 13 weeks of age because my breeder chose to abundance wean, which it seems your breeder has left you to do. From what I've come to understand, it's normal to see a bird regress once coming home from the breeders like you've mentioned. Because he's still weaning, I highly recommend weighing him daily to monitor how much weight he's gaining/losing if you aren't already. That's one of your best indicators for his overall health at this time and in the future.

You can encourage him to eat other warm, mash-like foods such as oatmeal, rice, quinoa, etc. Alternatively you can provide him food that has been slightly warmed like the vegetables you're already offering by steaming them, and of course ensuring they aren't too hot for his crop.

When my boy came home, he readily ate all of his pellets and chomped down on his chop. I personally couldn't hand feed a baby regardless of the stage... it scares me too much [emoji33] Hopefully a more experienced individual has some great advice to give you for this!

 

[Shae26]

Thanks guys!

I've bumped him back up to 3 formula feeds a day, and he munches on his veggies, seeds and pellets (got him some vetafarm pellets) between feeds. He isn't calling and head bobbing as much anymore, just when he can hear/see me making his formula.

I like to let my cockatiel chicks self-wean and they're usually done by 10-12 weeks, so I must admit I was quite surprised when the lady said that indy is only on 2 feeds a day and refuses most of it.. 9 weeks seems a bit early for a larger bird to be almost done already, but i'm not entirely sure because the largest i've hand raised are my cockatiels.

Honestly I think she was trying to wean them herself by cutting back their formula. Which would explain why he was hungry all the time. He seems a lot better now though. He seems a lot happier now that he's not hungry all the time lol.

 

[greytness]

That's great news! So many breeders tragically force wean their babies. I'm glad you were able to figure out what your baby needed and that she's now happy and comfortable.

 

[Shae26]

Ugh yeah! I really don't think I could do that and feel good about myself. I feel bad when my cockatiel chicks are fledging and put themselves on a 'diet' and drop a few grams in weight because they don't want to eat as much. I couldn't just decide to drop their food back and just watch them lose weight and be hungry all the time.