my nursing baby weening too soon?

[PeanutXoXo]

My sun conure is 8 weeks (no name yet...its been a tough decision haha,) and about week ago she very quickly went from nursing roughly 12cc 3x a day to refusing the syringe/formula and only eating on her own. (I've had her since she was 5 weeks and she always ate so much but was slightly close to being underweight.)

I handfed my other conure, Lolli, and she was hard to ween. She loved nursing.
So with the new baby, I had planned to ween the same way, bring her to twice a day feedings once she started on the pellets and slowly ween her off...but now that new baby has discovered her food bowl, she wont take the formula *at all*.

She is eating pellets, but I am not sure she is eating enough (they are hard for her to chew, so I moisten a few and handfeed them to her because i want her to get more nutrition, but the dry pellets in the food bowl do disappear in slowly.)
The vet said at her first check up that she was slightly on the light side, but not dangerously so, and she stayed slightly lighter until she began eating on her own, & she is a lubricious lady now.
I also started giving her mixed greens and fruit since she wont take the formula. She still isnt holding her food to eat it (at least from what I've seen,) she just picks it up with the beak, takes a chunk off and lets the rest fall, and repeat (or makes me hold her food for her lol.) Her poops look very normal and her energy levels are normal.

I've always tempt their formulas at 104 F. I have tried feeding her in other places (thought at first she just didnt like the feeding box anymore.) I have tried only nursing once a day. She never wants it. She does like the mushy pellets, & she works on eating the dry pellets (slowly) and picks at her fruits and veggies.

Is that adequate nutrition for her age?
If formula is the nutrition she absolutely needs, should I take her pellets away after morning feeding and see if she'll nurse later in the day after crop has emptied? What else can I try?

TL;DR... baby conure eating on her own at 8 weeks but completely refusing formula now. I dont know if pellets and f/v is enough nutrition for a bird this age.

Thanks a ton!

 

[PeanutXoXo]

UPDATE: I soaked some pellets this evening to the point of complete mush and mixed them with her formula, she ate 6cc of that, and seemed pretty excited about it. I had only pellets in her food bowl at the time and waited until she was eating to come with the syringe. Its was only 6cc, and only half formula, but it gives me insight that perhaps she just loves the taste of her pellets more than the formula? still looking for input and thoughts. Thanks.

 

[macawpower58]

I'm guessing you're baby is fledging, and that will slow down her desire (temporarily) for feeding. Has she flown yet? Is she trying to? Flapping and such?

I do know babies that start to fledge slow down on eating so as to slim down for their first flights.

The desire to eat does return after a bit, so don't think she's weaned totally yet.

 

[Jaguar]

UPDATE: I soaked some pellets this evening to the point of complete mush and mixed them with her formula, she ate 6cc of that, and seemed pretty excited about it. I had only pellets in her food bowl at the time and waited until she was eating to come with the syringe. Its was only 6cc, and only half formula, but it gives me insight that perhaps she just loves the taste of her pellets more than the formula? still looking for input and thoughts. Thanks.

I had to do this with Miles because my cat ate the bag of formula. I put the pellets (fruit Zupreem) in the blender, grinded them into powder, then added water and syringe fed him that instead. He was more enthusiastic about that than the actual formula!

 

[PeanutXoXo]

MacawPower: yes! She is learning to fly That makes me feel so much better, thank you. I will definitely keep trying to give her formula!

Jaguar: hahaha my babe made the exciting feeding noise for the time when I mixed the pellets with her formula! I've heard this sound plenty times but never with her, so I knew she was all about it. I think that's going to be my trick to get her to feed formula a bit longer (just in case she needs those nutrients still)

 

[Yungelita]

This isn't really an answer but a question did you hand feed since hatchling. If so how long after they hatch should you wait to hand feed?I read something that said wait a few hours so that they can finish what they got from the yolk.

 

[C.Harris]

A lot of people these days are under the impression that longer is better with weaning. Of course you never want to try to force weaning by abruptly stopping feedings, but some birds do wean faster than others. Birds lose a considerable amount of weight during weaning, and overly-extending the process can be as dangerous as going too fast. Cockatoos for example often weigh more than their parents before weaning begins, and by the end they could have a slightly protruding keel by the time they wean. If we were to extend that even further it could start to get dangerous.

At this point your bird is moving forward but I would not consider it weaned. Even though he may refuse the feedings, keep to at least 2 per day right now for hydration's sake. Don't force it, just offer. Even a "bite" of formula is better than nothing. You might find today he is Mr independent but tomorrow he eagerly takes a full feeding. But conures are small prey animals and are designed to fledge quickly and "get a move on" in life. As for your first conure taking longer, that is normal. Most birds that are weaned singly by themselves take longer. There's something psychological about the "competition" of other conures around and clutch mates that causes them to wean faster, in my experience. Keep it up, sounds like you're doing well

 

[Hankmacaw]

I don't do cockatoos, but I noticed that you live in North Hollywood, CA. I graduated from NH high school in 1957. Long time ago.'

I've never had a baby, but believe in abundance weaning. My Jasper weaned at 7/8 months (previous owners) and is far better adjusted than I am. I still give her a hand feeding now and then. My Hank was a wild caught, sold at auction in 1978, but he loved hand feedings right up till the day he died. He had a hell of a bad life until I bought him.

 

[C.Harris]

My Hank was a wild caught, sold at auction in 1978, but he loved hand feedings right up till the day he died. He had a hell of a bad life until I bought him.

I bet. I saw wild caught birds fairly often when I was young (my mom had a few wild caughts that came to the country pre-ban) and the smuggling was definitely tough on a lot of them. As far as abundance weaning is concerned I also think it is great, I hope it didn't seem like i was against it. My belief though and the only point I was trying to make is that many people online seem to pressure people through perfection vs redicule to the point that some hand feeders actually drag the weaning process out much longer than needed, as they think it to be inhumane for the bird to wean early. That just isn't true. I was hoping to use the cockatoo example to prove a point but I failed to specify that this applies to all parrots: They lose weight during weaning, all of them. Sometimes an excessive amount. And it can be dangerous to hold them in limbo between dependency and non- dependency when they've decided to give up on the syringe or spoon. I just wanted to let the person know that it's OK to wean on the birds time and what they are experiencing is normal. Keep the baby hydrated and pay more attention but if it's a little early I have seen that that's OK as long as it's on birdy's terms and not forced

Oh and p.s., you are correct! I live in studio city. I bet a lot has changed since '57! Thanks for the reply @Hankmacaw

 

[karen256]

Eight weeks is fine for her to begin weaning. It's younger than average, but as long as it's her choice to wean early, and she seems healthy and active, it's nothing to worry about. I would continue to offer her some soft, easy to eat baby foods (softened pellets or some handfeeding formula in a bowl) for a few more weeks though. It's normal for her to not hold food in her feet - a baby doesn't have that coordination yet.