Transitioning Baby GC Conure to Solids

[JennyB]

Recently brought home my son's new GC, The Mean Green Jellybean! Was told by the breeder she was down to 2 hand feedings and was doing well on solids... we're doing great with the hand feedings, but Beanie seems much more interested in them than the solids we're offering her! (Beans, potato, carrots, peas, pasta, oranges, apples... cooked & cut up small, along with Zupreem Fruit pellets.) I guess my question is... is she not as far along on solids as we thought, or is she "training" us already to spoil her??? She is extremely sweet and gentle, and loves being with/on/near us. No biting, just gentle curious nibbling, is preening herself, and playing with balls, bells, etc. Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[BillsBirds]

You could try mashing the vegetables together. Many birds do not realize that chunks of food is food. Many here feed our birds "mash",or "chop". Which is exactly as it sounds, mashed or chopped veggies & fruit. You could also try baby food in the beginning. Eventually your birds curiosity will have it trying bits of veggies & fruit.

 

[JennyB]

Thank you, BillsBirds! We're having a little more success today... Beanie's been nibbling noodles and squished peas, and I strung cheerios on shoelaces, tied them to the sides of her cage, and she's been crunching them... although I can't tell if she's actually eating them or just exploring! Anyway, it does seem the softer foods are more appealing, so I think I'll try your suggestion to "mash" the other veggies as well. Thank you!

 

[MonicaMc]

There's a good chance that some regression has occurred, not that that's an issue as long as she continues to eat.

If you don't know already, it may help to find out what the breeder was feeding and how they were feeding it so you can do the same.

 

[JennyB]

MonicaMc, thank you for the idea/info! I feel confident that she is getting plenty to eat... she is very vocal and aggressive when feeding with the formula/syringe, and lets me know, by refusing and walking away, when she's full! After eating she likes to snuggle and nap, but is then very active and playful. Our breeder sent us home with both formula and a container of the solids she was feeding, but when I put them out for Beanie she just ignored them. We are now out of her "mix" and I've tried to replicate her ingredients, but mine looks a lot different (she prepared hers in much larger batches, which she froze, for more babies).

Beanie actually took her first "flight" today... just a few feet from the cage to the ground, so I'm feeling like she is adjusting well and progressing! Thank you, and please let me know if you think I'm missing or overlooking anything!

 

[MonicaMc]

I honestly can't think of anything atm, other than being creative in the way you present foods!

Sprouted seeds could be a huge hit! Or maybe softening the pellets with water or sugar free/organic fruit juice! Mixing the fresh foods, hanging them on a skewer, weaving through the cage bars, etc!



I don't agree with buying unweaned chicks, but it sounds like you are doing well with her! Keep it up!

 

[JennyB]

MonicaMc, thank you! I totally agree about unweaned babies, and had a lot of reservations about doing this... I had actually hand fed orphaned ducks many years ago, which I know is very different, and the breeder did spend some time making sure I could do it right! I was mostly concerned when, like you said, she seemed to regress and reject the solids she was already eating!

But... what a difference a day can make! Suddenly grated squash, and corn and grapes squished out of their skins, are delicious! I also tried what you suggested and lightly soaked her pellets, and she is now exploring those! She has continued to chew the cheerios on her shoelaces, so I think it's just a matter of time now until she makes the transition to solids!

I think I'll still try mashing the potatoes, beans, corn, carrots, and peas, rather than squishing everything out of their skins, and then adding the pasta and small pieces of broccoli and grated squash.

 

[MonicaMc]

Like I said, it sounds like you are doing great! And even better now that she's starting to explore more foods!

Can't wait to hear her how she progresses and grows up!!!

 

[rjl410]

My little GC is also starting to turn away from formula @ 6 weeks old. The breeder told us 3x daily and that worked for the first few days we had him but now we're lucky if eats 1 complete formula meal a day. We are introducing solid foods and started with corn on the cob which he likes. This morning he didn't want any formula at all so I had to give him a section of corn cob.

I'm going to attempt a beans and vegetable mush mix this afternoon and give him that. When doing so, is it important to warm it up as was necessary with the formula? Will he be more likely to eat it warm than cold?

 

[MonicaMc]

He is rather young... you might try presenting new foods both ways... Carrots and sweet potatoes steamed until soft, and as he gets older, you can steam the carrots less until you are feeding them fresh?

Experiment and see what our bird enjoys the most!

 

[Mirlito]

Poppy is 2 months old and has 2 formulas per day and shes eating some pellets all from NutriBird.

Her favourite fruit is apple but she isn´t keen on strawberries, bananas, peppers. It´s trail and error.

 

[lmwilson428]

I had the same issue with my sun. I think at that age they rely on the formula and just mouth or play with the food. I kept waiting thinking he would eat more food and pellets and I can cut out a formula feed, but I ended up just having to do it. I kept one formula feed a day till he was almost 14-16 weeks old that was the point I was having a hard time getting him to take it. I was still concerned bc he didn't seen to be eating much solids or filling up his crop like the formula did. But, I monitored his weight and he is fine now.

I did gave my sun grapes, nuts, pumpkin seeds, dried fruits, seed/pellet balls, and bird candy a little more than I should of during that weaning stage bc those were the only thing he would for sure eat! I regret this bc those are his favorites and he screams until he gets one of these in a fresh bowl of food. I think he fills up mostly on those and not his pellets. We are working on limiting the good stuff, fruits, and veggies and more pellets.

Hope that helps, just be patient. He eventually will loose interest in the formula and gain interest in the food! Just keep pellets out at all times, if they are hungry, they will eat. I was late coming home one day and mine ate quite a few pellets. I was very surprised bc he holds out for the good stuff. We also moistened the pellets with warm water or baby food to get him more use to it when he was on formula.

 

[lmwilson428]

My little GC is also starting to turn away from formula @ 6 weeks old. The breeder told us 3x daily and that worked for the first few days we had him but now we're lucky if eats 1 complete formula meal a day. We are introducing solid foods and started with corn on the cob which he likes. This morning he didn't want any formula at all so I had to give him a section of corn cob.

I'm going to attempt a beans and vegetable mush mix this afternoon and give him that. When doing so, is it important to warm it up as was necessary with the formula? Will he be more likely to eat it warm than cold?

Rjl410-

You can try feeding from a spoon if they are refusing the syringe. That way they only take that they want and teaches them to drink. Also, if it wasn't warm enough mine wouldn't eat as much. The warmth of food I don't believe is that big of a deal. Mine wouldn't eat anything straight from the fridge, I would nook it to room temperature, but now he does eat cold fruits and veggies. I think at that age they like things warm.

 

[Cheg]

So the fact that my 12 week old Jenday Conure simply seems to crunch all of the food into pieces in her dish and eats very very little of it is normal at this stage? She will soon learn that it's actually food?

She is already improving her methods for opening shells and focusing on the contents, and I think she has slightly improved in balance and co-ordination when holding foods, but it feels like she would happily starve to death if not for the formula.

 

[MonicaMc]

It helps to have a gram scale so you can make sure that the bird is not losing a great amount of weight... although young birds do tend to lose some amount of weight once they start weaning and trying to fly.

After a bit, they start putting on the grams again.