The end of weaning

[usamimi]

I apologize in advance, you're probably going to hear a lot from me out of sheer paranoia with my new baby. :54: I read as much as I can but someone else telling me it's okay is always reassuring.

So my congo grey is at the end of his weaning, he's 15 weeks old, but still seems very dependent on it. He only gets fed once a day, does;t beg the rest of time and only starts begging behaviors when he sees the syringe. The lady I purchased him from refuses to force wean, which I love, so she teaches people how to hand feed their birds. No issues so far (fingers crossed!) with that part. I go slow and let him take his time just out of paranoia. He only eats about 30-40ccs now and anymore he tends to star the "my crop is full" regurgitation.

My worry is that I don't see him interested in other foods. He LOVES millet and will eat that in his cage but doesn't seem to touch any seeds, nuts or fruit I leave in there. He does;t seem to have grasped the concept of holding his food so he mostly flings it all over me and eats very little. I got a little cantaloupe and banana in him today but not much. I'm trying to trick him into grabbing it by letting go and forcing him to use his foot which seems to be helping.

It's probably paranoia, but i'm just worried my new little man is starving and not telling me, but I think he'd be a bit more up front about that. Just trying to quadruple check (it's not unusual to get a fourth opinion right?) that i'm going about this the right way, i'm terrified of causing him trauma from the weaning process. He did seem to be eating more before we brought him home, I don't think stress has regressed him but I suppose that could be a possibility.

Just looking for a reaffirmation that i'm doing the right thing.

 

[brianlinkles]

Hi! I too have a 15 week old cag. She is still on two feedings a day however she has become increasingly difficult to feed! She doesn't beg for food however she too does the regurgitating thing. This is very common for them at this age. Thank goodness my breeder told me this and I witnessed their weaning cags throwing up a bit after eating. (if I didn't know this I would have freaked out!) Is your baby flying yet? Dorothy is trying to fly to the top of my head while I feed her, flap her wings, I have paper towels, paper cups (this is how I feed her) and formula flying around everywhere! I have started adding a bit of peanut butter to her formula, I too am worried that she is too thin. I bring her in to be checked by the breeder and they said her weight is normal, they do slim down quite a bit while fledging. Dorothy does go to her food, I do see her eat however she isn't very good at holding her food with her foot so she kind of munches up pellets and alot falls to the ground. I would make sure that you find a good quality pellet, then offer healthy vegetables, grains, sprouted seeds, fruit (not as much as vegetables & some nuts (be careful, fattening) Watch the seeds, you need to make sure that he is eating pellets. I also buy the food that you can cook then freeze separate scoops and heat one up, mix with vegetables and some pellets. She seems to like the warm food. At least she doesn't have to hold this kind of soft mushy food in her foot! I'm sure others will jump on her that have way more experience than I do. All that said, I am one of the biggest worriers and I get very nervous thinking that Dorothy is getting too thin. So I understand!

 

[usamimi]

Kevin can fly, he was trained and clipped (though he still seems to have plenty of ability xD). I perch him, hold his head and syringe feed him, fast and easy.

The only reason he's getting more fruit than anything is that it's soft and fairly easy. I'm going to try the sweet potato mush this week and see what that gets me. I'm thinking that cooking and heating the veggies will get a better response. Maybe he just likes the warm, I don't blame him, I do too.

Its nice to not be alone!

 

[lene1949]

It takes a while for baby birds to learn to use their feet for use... Max is now getting pretty good at it.. I was worried about it for a while, because I thought all parrots used their feet.. lol... Max is my first ever baby, so it's been a learning curve...

 

[antoinette]

I was also worried that he was going to starve.
I still feed Mishka his baby formula each and every morning, he loves it. (20 ml) out of a syringe, he will be turning 4 years old the end of November 2011.
The vet said I am doing the correct thing, as the formula has great nutritional value, and if Mishka was ever to be given medication via a syringe, I know I will not be bitten and he is used to the syringe.
It continues with our bonding, making it so much stronger.
He is fed pellets, nuts and fresh fruit, as well as what we are eating, each day as well.

 

[Spiritbird]

You can get a food processor. cook the vegies, drain water and then process to baby food consistency. Then stir into the mash the healthy foods like hemp seed, some corn bread and anything else that is safe. This is how I fed my grey when she was a baby. Cooked oatmeal served warm is good also.

 

[usamimi]

Thanks guys! I'm now much less worried!

Tomorrow we will try cooked veggies, and slowly work our way into uncooked. I will probably still keep trying the fruit to train him to grab with his feet as he won't eat much of it and I think he enjoys shredding it and coating me in it

 

[brianlinkles]

Antoinette, that is such a great idea. I love the philosophy of Hartman Aviary when it comes to raising our babies, they also have a great diet that they talk about "circus diet" They also believe that you could continue the formula. I however was taught to feed the formula from a small paper cup, bent to fit in the beak. This way the baby also tastes the food. This is however where the problem arises, Dorothy is getting so active that it takes longer and she is spraying formula everywhere with her flapping etc. I would love to start using the syringe, do you just put it in the beak or do you push it back a bit further. I am so scared of choking her. I would love to continue her feedings throughout her life as well. I think it is very healthy and a great training tool for future medications as well. I love to hear about Mishka!

 

[Spiritbird]

Try to feed the softer foods to the bird with a spoon. That is what I did with my grey when she was younger and she still enjoys a bit of yogurt from a spoon. As a matter of fact she gulps it down.