Question about comfort feedings... Is this normal?

[HolliDaze]

so Dex turned 1 last month. He's still taking comfort feedings, which I attribute to his regression at 6-7 months, where he completely refused adult food and reverted back to 3 hand feedings a day.
my concern is with his behavior during the feedings. He'll beg, but although he gets excited when he sees the syringe, after just a little bit of food, he decides he's done. He won't let me hold his head (which I don't believe he likes, I allow enough space for him to bob, but he has a tendency to move his head back while feeding) and after a small amount, it starts to dribble out of his beak, despite bobbing. After tha t, he's done.
Am I doing something wrong? He had no issue with this as a baby. Maybe this is normal? I guess since he just want s it for the co mfort, even a tablespoon would be enough for him. Hes more independent and isn't going to just let me do whatever like when he was a baby.
It's not like he's going to starve. He eats plenty of adult food, this is just a comfort feeding. However, if I can make it more enjoyable for him, I'd like to. He doesn't seem distressed after all of it, he's grinding his beak now. Other than not wanting my hands anywhere near his head, he's content.
I've never hand fed before, but i think I did OK. No burnt or slow crops. No aspiration. I haven't found any info info on comfort feedings other than to do them until he stops asking. Nothing on the usual amount or anything.
As usual, I'm hoping I didn't do anything wrong, and it's normal for him to only want a little. I'm asking because I'm not sure, and want to be sure. I'd rather ask and be told it's fine than hope I'm doing the right thing.
Cockatoos are fragile (emotionally at least) and though it was silly of me to get him nearly a year ago (as of the first of june!) i'd like to think I'm doing well for him Considering and will continue to do so. If that means constantly asking silly questions, so be it! Like many of the other 'too parents say, I'll never be truly prepared... nor will I ever know anything, how ever I'd like to suck in as much info as possible.

 

[JLcribber]

Tika is 24 years old and still gets comfort feedings from his favourite spoon. There couldn't be a more trust building, bonding activity.

Switch to feeding healthy stuff on a spoon. Although it sure is nice if a bird will accept a syringe because there will be a time when that might be needed (meds).

 

[Mizzely]

I think its normal

 

[rocky'smom]

Doesn't surprise me at all, @JLcribber , John's right much easier of the need ever comes up.

 

[Big Blues]

Comfort feedings are normal with any baby transition to a new home during or after weaning. Our Mango, BTM was 5 months old when the came into our home thought weaned and we quickly found out he he wanted handfeeding at that time until he was 10 months old. It became a bonding time for us and he is now a beautiful, well adjusted sweet bird.

 

[melissasparrots]

You said he's one year old? Giving comfort feedings to a one year old seems a little bit past when they would normally stop. Granted, just a tablespoon probably isn't a problem. Personally, I'd transition him to a tablespoon of warm mashy sweet potatoes mixed with some cooked rice, quinoa, beans and a mashed banana mixed in. Most of my babies transition to that toward the end of weaning. They eat it on their own out of a bowl, so I don't have birds that feel like they need a comfort feeding from a spoon or syringe. I don't think what you are currently doing is harmful, but I think you could probably stop now. If he begs, try the warm mashy veggies. Start with him eating it off a spoon if necessary, then put the spoon in a bowl and see if he'll eat it on his own. If he doesn't like it, hand him an almond and walk away.

BTW, cockatoos are only emotionally fragile if you treat them as if they were emotionally fragile.

 

[BirdManDan]

I agree with @melissasparrots! You shouldn't have to go past a year for comfort feedings! Instead of doing a comfort feeding try doing a nice chop!

 

[macawpower58]

I'd not say normal, but not unheard of either. Is he begging? or just happy to accept?

Try weaning to a spoon. This way, he gets warm happy feedings, you do away with the 'baby' stuff.
I'm assuming he's not still taking formula? If he is still taking it, I'd get him off the formula. Once again a spoon is perfect for that.
Warm oatmeal, scrambled eggs, mashed sweet potato. Great for comfort feeds, easy with a spoon.
I used to use a large plastic tablespoon when my macaw was weaning. The material must have been closer to the syringe. He hated metal spoons.

Two of mine still love warm soft food. They also do a 'baby bob' while eating it.

 

[HolliDaze]

He's begging. My way of justifying it is that he regressed back to only hand feedings at 6 months. It's not a daily thing, once every 4 days to a week. I give him blended up veggie mix.

 

[aooratrix]

Assuming he's passed a comprehensive vet check, I see nothing wrong with it. Katy McElroy, a renowned cockatoo breeder, documented the actions/behaviors of a Moluccan, Sadie, that was parent-reared. Even at a year and older, she would solicit feedings here and there. And she got them.

Baby birds in the wild don't go hungry. And if your bird wants the security and love of some feedings, do it. We can be too rigid about handfeeding and weaning, IMO. As long as he's maintaining weight and is healthy, it's a social need on his part. He may be going through a rough patch or window of insecurity. Insecure birds often develop issues like plucking, neurotic screaming, etc. JMO.

 

[macawpower58]

Too me, some handfeeding is fine. With Toos though you have to watch they're not becoming too dependent on you.

Toos are the masters of manipulation, and will milk things forever if you let them.

So wean....but gently.

 

[JLcribber]

Assuming he's passed a comprehensive vet check, I see nothing wrong with it. Katy McElroy, a renowned cockatoo breeder, documented the actions/behaviors of a Moluccan, Sadie, that was parent-reared. Even at a year and older, she would solicit feedings here and there. And she got them.

Baby birds in the wild don't go hungry. And if your bird wants the security and love of some feedings, do it. We can be too rigid about handfeeding and weaning, IMO. As long as he's maintaining weight and is healthy, it's a social need on his part. He may be going through a rough patch or window of insecurity. Insecure birds often develop issues like plucking, neurotic screaming, etc. JMO.

I think this is the story you are referring to?

Weaning Sadie

 

[JLcribber]

Another good read.

Abundance Weaning and Fledging

Wilhelm (Bill) Kiesselbach

Permission granted March 31, 2009

There is absolutely nothing more important for the healthy emotional and intellectual development of a young parrot than Abundance Weaning and Fledging. The term "Abundance Weaning" was created and trademarked by Phoebe Greene Linden of Santa Barbara Bird Farm. She has written extensively about it and subsequently, the term has been adopted by bird behaviorists as identifying the single most important contributing factor to the birds' emotional and physical health. As opposed to "forced" weaning where birds are on a specific schedule and, usually based on their age, the breeder decides when they ought to be weaned, "Abundance Weaning" leaves that decision to the bird.

Supplied with a variety of foods ranging from fruit and vegetable tidbits to pellets that should be available all the time, the bird is continued to be hand fed. A properly weaned bird learns to trust humans through the actions of it's caregiver. It gains self-confidence, learns to accept different foods readily and is comfortable in a changing environment. While initially "Abundance Weaning" is exclusively needed for nutrition, eventually it turns into the need for emotional comfort. The word "weaning" in this context implies an awareness of the bird's needs. It goes beyond the mere satisfaction of nutritional requirements. "Weaning implies love, caring, emotional support and the application of simple, elementary rules. It implies knowledge of the early very distinctive stages in their maturation and the birds' individual changing and very specific behavioral patterns.

The Poultrification of parrots is an expression coined by Sally Blanchard and refers to the indiscriminate breeding of parrots on a large scale expressly motivated by profit. While there are even breeders who incubate eggs on a large scale and then ravage feed the babies without individual attention, emotional support or even a modicum of "Abundance Weaning", the worst case of poultrification is the bird breeding program by Petsmart. They breed birds by the thousands and then distribute them into their sales outlets. Everything Petsmart and volume breeders do literally flies into the face of everything we know about the emotional and intellectual needs of a young parrot. Birds "produced" in this manner are very likely to develop very serious behavioral problems. In many cases, breeders and pet shops will even offer a discount to those who are willing to buy an unweaned bird, a clear indication of a breeder or pet shop who doesn't care beyond the "jingle" in the cash register.

While the consequences for this lack of care won't be apparent when the birds are still babies, it will be very evident when they mature. They are prime candidates for seriously dysfunctional behavior. This, of course, is not to say that an Abundance Weaned bird is guaranteed to become a wonderful companion. A lot of knowledge, work, understanding, respect and love are still necessary. Abundance Weaning merely represents the vital foundation on which to build.

Cage bound birds which are suspicious of changes in their lives, who reject their caregiver, who become phobic or even feather pluckers most likely have not been properly Abundance Weaned.

It is a fact that in the wild, African Greys as well as Cockatoos for instance, are "Abundance Weaned" long after they have fledged. 2 year old Cockatoos have been observed being fed by their parents and other relatives. Greys are being weaned and taught the "ways of life" for a number of years to prepare them not only to survive in a hostile environment, but also for the rules of behavior within their very own flock. Bobbi Brinker the noted breeder has instituted a system of "Nanny Birds" which helps her raise her babies. She has the reputation of producing healthy and well-adjusted parrots. (The title of her latest book: "For the Love of Greys*)

At this point, it may be interesting to recount the stunning behavioral difference between wild caught African Greys and captivity raised birds. While African Greys have the reputation of being feather pluckers, there has been almost no incidence of feather plucking observed in wild caught birds. While being trapped, caged and transported must represent a level of trauma to an intelligent and sensitive creature that is hard to imagine, these birds clearly came emotionally equipped to deal with that. On the other hand the birds bred in captivity, cared for, fed and never subjected to the tremendous stress of their wild caught cousins are historically more prone to becoming phobic. The answer seems to be that they are ill prepared to deal with the uncertain, ever changing circumstances of a life with a bunch of mammals who don't even begin to understand them. Something was missing in their upbringing — in all likelihood they have not been properly weaned is a major part.

There is another component in successfully growing up: Learning to fly. Birds must learn to fly. Their sense of self-confidence and emotional well being depends on it. They must be able to maneuver and land safely. While the pure act of flying is a vital part of their development, it has been suggested that letting them learn to fly may even impact their eating habits. When a bird gets ready to fledge, it will instinctively reduce its food intake. That is to loose some of the accumulated baby fat and make it lighter. Many times loving caregivers become extremely concerned about lack of eating and weight loss. It has been suggested that our birds must fly to lose their focus on losing weight and regain their "normal appetite". Even though we may later clip their wings in order to protect them from injuries or escaping, they must fly first. Once we decide to clip them, we have to make sure to do that correctly. There are very clear guidelines on proper wing clipping which are based on bodyweight, size and general agility and are different for every species. Properly clipping is important and won't harm the bird's self esteem; doing so improperly can be devastating, physically dangerous and cruel.

Finally, "Abundance Weaning" is entirely the breeder's responsibility. There is no question that the bird's future behavior patterns, his/her ability to relate, the levels of socialization and emotional health are very largely dependent upon the care it receives early in its life.

The battle cry among all those dedicated to the well being of our companions parrots is: "Don't buy an unweaned bird" —and for a reason: Doing so clearly supports those who are in this business without regard to for the well-being of the creatures. We all should know the difference between a good breeder who cares for the birds and a bad, unscrupulous breeder. The entire future relationship between the buyer and the bird may very well depend on the breeder. A good breeder will never sell an unweaned bird and the bad breeder should be put out of business.

 

[EllaMay]

Ella is feed by spoon at times for dinner, mostly when she refuses to eat her fresh food for dinner. I take a disposable wooden spoon and feed her, she loves it, hence why I think at times she refuses to eat on her own because she wants me to feed her. She gets the spoon afterward when we are done for her to destroy.