Nanday Conure question

[Mango Mom]

Not sure if I am putting this in the right place but here goes.... We have a Nanday Conure that we purchased Labor Day weekend. When we brought him home he was on 2 syringes of formula twice a day. She told us he would probably continue that for a couple of weeks. Fast forward, he is now approximately 16 weeks old and still wants the handfeeding and acts like he is hungry. I have cut out his morning feeding and he does fine with that but he still likes the nighttime one. I have offered fruits and veggies, however he doesn't really care for them yet. I have him on a pellet diet and he does grind them up and he is contstantly nibbling. He also gets Mango treats and I give him a few seeds at playtime for a treat. We were told he would eventually reject his formula and and he does reject a portion of the second syringe. I guess what I am asking is is it harmful for him to be eating formula this long. Should I try to take it down to one syringe at night for a while then take him off or should I go by what he wants? He is such a good, sweet bird I don't want to do anything that will cause him problems. Thanks!!

 

[Mizzely]

It is not harmful to keep giving formula. They wean when they are ready. Feeding is not all about food. It is reassurance, confidence building, comfort, and love Let that baby have all of that as long as they need it!

 

[Mango Mom]

It is not harmful to keep giving formula. They wean when they are ready. Feeding is not all about food. It is reassurance, confidence building, comfort, and love Let that baby have all of that as long as they need it!

Thank you so much. He loves it and I don't mind. We really have a good bond going. Just didn't want to do something that's not good for him.

 

[aooratrix]

All bird are individuals, as @Mizzely indicated. As a general guideline, conures typically wean around 10 weeks. If it were me, I'd take the bird to an avian vet (if one is available to you) and have him or her perform a gram stain and CBC just to rule out an illness. Illness can cause babies to desire hand-feeding past the "normal" time. I'm not saying your bird is sick but better safe than sorry, IMO.

 

[Mango Mom]

All bird are individuals, as @Mizzely indicated. As a general guideline, conures typically wean around 10 weeks. If it were me, I'd take the bird to an avian vet (if one is available to you) and have him or her perform a gram stain and CBC just to rule out an illness. Illness can cause babies to desire hand-feeding past the "normal" time. I'm not saying your bird is sick but better safe than sorry, IMO.

 

[Mango Mom]

Thank you! Unfortunately there is not one available. There is no indication of sickness. He looks and acts totally normal. normal poops etc. He eats on his pellets and at first would not try anything else but he is now branching out to try new stuff. I think he is just a big baby.

 

[aooratrix]

Good, that sounds positive. Ply him with a huge variety of fresh food, mainly veggies more than fruit. You can establish a foundation of healthy eating and prevent your baby from growing up to be picky.

 

[Wardy]

Good, that sounds positive. Ply him with a huge variety of fresh food, mainly veggies more than fruit. You can establish a foundation of healthy eating and prevent your baby from growing up to be picky.

This is a great shout, putting some chop into his pellets to introduce veggies at this stage will benefit in the long run.
I was lucky both of my birds has been introduced to veg so has always been something they eat.