When to bring my baby home?

[nicki]

Eko is almost 10 weeks old, he is beginning to eat a little bit on his own. I have hand fed him a few times, go to visit him every other day taking fresh veggies with me and today I took him some cooked beans and rice with corn and peas for the first time Most of it ended up on me and the floor, I also feel like he tries to feed me. Is that a thing? He will take some of whatever I give him and bring it to my mouth like hes giving me kisses.

The thing is do I absolutely let them finish hand feeding him? What worries me is while he is at a rather responsible pet shop, he is still at a pet shop. He was recently moved out of the baby cage (with acrylic sides and a heat lamp) to a cage where people can freely interact with him and there are always a LOT of people there.

They have 3 very knowledgeable bird/parrot people and he has been moved around a bit because of construction in the store and also when it gets too loud (to a quiet back room).

When I went to visit him today he lunged at me and bit me pretty hard, I know most of this is due to my error (and him learning how to use that beak of his), but I wonder how much is due to the stress hes enduring. I can't help but wonder if it would be better for me to bring him home and finish the hand-feeding here as I understand he might not finish the hand-feeding for a while and I will have to do it eventually anyway.

I just want the best for him and its stressing me out about him maybe stressing out!

Thanks!

http://i.imgur.com/8JV1WFt.jpg --> too cute <3

 

[psychocircus91]

I'm not experienced enough to give advice, but I have heard that they may have trouble handfeeding with someone who hasn't been handfeeding them the whole time because they don't recognize them as the parent or caregiver or feeder or whatever you want to call it. Hopefully someone else will chime in.

That is a gorgeous bird though.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

That photo is precious.

I would leave him with the experienced hand feeders, that's their job to provide you with a healthy baby. Could you request him to be behind a counter out of reach? Since he's already purchased I don't see why they would have him on the sales floor. Explain your concerns and make sure he has a good warranty, if he has any healthy issues upon bringing him home you should expect them to pay.

I still stand by my first choice though, leave it to the hand feeders who are experienced in weaning.

 

[nicki]

They do have 3 different people hand-feeding the babies. I have all his stuff ready, I know they said I could bring a cage if i wanted so he can get used to it, but I really don't think my vehicle is large enough to get it there :/

 

[drlisaort]

Oh is that picture precious of you and Eko! Like you, I bought Oliver from a bird pet store and had some of the same concerns. Oliver was not transferred to the "big" cage until he was close to 16 weeks old (because he was too clumsy and could fall) and then it was in the store front but in the back of the room, but still where kids could poke fingers into the cage, et cetera. Charlie, the bird store owner, was very interactive with Oliver and kept a watchful eye out for him, so all in all it was good. I visited frequently like you and taught him how to step up when he was very young, and I sang to him and talked so that he was very comfortable with me. On January 14 he came home with me. What a glorious day that was! He was a little over five months old. I agree with the others that you are best to bring him home after he graduates to eating on his own. And I also agree that you could ask the owner to move him out of the traffic. I look forward to hearing more about your precious baby!