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When do I Know He's Ready to Wean?

snapandrew

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Hey everybody! I got my 6 week old cockatiel yesterday and even after all the research I've done I'm still not completely sure when I know Mango(my cockatiel) is ready to start weaning. I read somewhere it's when he starts picking at his feathers but I'm still not sure. I put a little bowl of pellets in his cage just to get him used to it. I'll still keep hand feeding him of course.
 

JLcribber

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He'll be ready when he's ready.

A good read for you.

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.



Articles elaborating on this subject can be found in Sally Blanchard's Pet Bird Report where Pamela Clark with her intelligent, perceptive and well founded articles is a contributor, as well as in a number of outstanding books about the upbringing and keeping of pet parrots. Sally also has developed a list of questions to qualify a breeder.



This article is not intended to provide all the necessary information, rather, it is intended to stimulate the awareness that we must do our homework before buying

a parrot!
 

Zara

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Thats a great read posted by John.

I didn´t know there was a term created for that. But that is how I feed my chicks. I feed when they are hungry, and I feed formula until they have rejected it for a few days in a row.

My little lovebird chick Adelie is 10 weeks old today and is still handfed twice a day ( it was 4 times a day last week).. he ¨should¨ have weaned 3 weeks ago. Over the last few days, after formula, he has enjoyed snacking on a some millet.. you can see his little eyes squinting while eating :)
I handfed my previous chicks for a long time too. They were well flighted before they rejected the formula.

Picking feathers has nothing to do with weaning. The bird is nibbling away the sheath (coating) from the pin feathers so they open up.
If you have somewhere to be after handling Mango, I suggest laying a teatowel (dishtowel?) over your clothes ;)
 

Kodigirl210

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I would also offer items that are easy to beak like plain cheerios. They really don’t understand the concept of hard food yet and it’s a good way to introduce. You might also try offering soft veggies or soaked pellets or a little bit of hard boiled eggs. Vegetables like thawed frozen mixed veggies, papaya or blueberries. There will be a lot of waste in the beginning because the babies don’t understand food yet. You also want to be there to supervise when you are feeding anything other than the hard pellets as babies can choke on food. It’s best to help them by offering tiny bits of the foods especially the soaked pellets & stuff so you can make sure they don’t try to take too much in at once.

Also what type of pellets are you feeding? I usually recommend staying away from anything with dyes and added sugar. Like people the more sugar in their diet, the more chance of a weight issue. Kaytee is one of the worst offenders & offer the lowest grade of pellet. Their price makes them attractive but it still holds true for birds too-you are what you eat. I feed my birbs Tropican and a lot of people feed Harrison’s. I’ve attached a link that lists almost all of the pellets available & what the main protein source is as well as if it had extra sugar/dyes. A lot of times you can email or call manufacturers & they will send you pellet samples for free. Welcome & Good Luck :)

Pellets for Parrots
 
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snapandrew

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Hi everyone! Mango has started picking at my shirt and fingers. Is this a sign of anything? Or is he just being playful? Also I find he starts screaming if I don't pet him for awhile. Does he just want attention?

Thanks! :tieln:
Edit: I feed my birds ZuPreem pellet fruit mix! I used to have a parakeet that loved them :budgie9:
 
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Kodigirl210

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Mango is a baby. They “mouth” or “beak” stuff in order to figure out what it is. So basically he is exploring. He also may be trying to learn how to eat. Try to offer food bits when he picks. If he starts biting down, discourage that again by offering food or toys. He will probably beak quite a lot for the next bit because his entire world has expanded. Just be sure to supervise him closely. Also, if he screams when you leave him, try to start teaching him to play with toys. I’m not sure what your situation is but if you’re like me you’ll have to spend a fair bit of time away from the house. You want to encourage some independence so he doesn’t spend the entire time your gone screaming. Just things to think about :)
 

snapandrew

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Thank you for your help guys! He started rejecting formula so I offered him some Cheerios and he loved them! Im not sure what to do if he keeps rejecting formula, though, because I want to make sure he gets the nutrition he needs. Would offering vegetables/fruits help at all? I'm just trying to make sure he grows up healthy.
 

melissasparrots

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You do not wean baby birds. Done properly, they wean themselves. He should have seed and pellets in is cage in multiple places at all times. A couple times a day, you should give him warm cooked and/or fresh veggies. Always offer a huge variety of food for weaning babies. Do not decide that you don't like that he isn't eating his veggies and then take away the seed in an attempt to force him to eat a certain thing. Always offer everything and let the baby choose what he wants to eat. The bird always gets to choose. Nothing is ever final when weaning a baby. What he wants today, he may not want tomorrow. The first sign that weaning might be beginning is that he doesn't want as much to eat at a certain hand-feeding or just refuses to hand-feed at a certain meal all together. This does not mean he's weaned. Nor does it mean that you should do anything different. If he refuses a certain feed for 5-7 days, then you can experiment with skipping that hand-feeding. If he starts to cry and act like he wants it back, then you add the feeding back. Over the course of several weeks, the baby will choose to eat less and less formula and you will start skipping feedings. Its not you who decides when a feeding is no longer needed. The baby always makes the choice. Picking at you or his feathers means almost nothing other than that he's experimenting with using his beak.
 

melissasparrots

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T Im not sure what to do if he keeps rejecting formula, though, because I want to make sure he gets the nutrition he needs. Would offering vegetables/fruits help at all? I'm just trying to make sure he grows up healthy.
If he rejects formula, put him back in his cage with veggies, seed and pellets. Let him choose what he wants to eat instead of formula.
 

snapandrew

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Thank you for your input ! I'm just worried because he's rejected every feeding for the past day and a half. I've given him Cheerios and pellets and tomorrow we're going to start offering veggies as well. I'm most likely going to give him some boiled egg, too. The most important part to me out of all of this is just monitoring his weight to make sure he's not losing any. Should I keep offering formula throughout the day? Or wait until he begs for food?
 

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Thank you for your input ! I'm just worried because he's rejected every feeding for the past day and a half. I've given him Cheerios and pellets and tomorrow we're going to start offering veggies as well. I'm most likely going to give him some boiled egg, too. The most important part to me out of all of this is just monitoring his weight to make sure he's not losing any. Should I keep offering formula throughout the day? Or wait until he begs for food?
Was the breeder offering seed? If so, you should offer at least a little bit of seed. Otherwise, if he refuses a feeding for a few days in a row, then start skipping it. I'd offer at least a couple feedings a day for the next week or two just to give him a chance to get calories if he needs them. If he cries, feed him, even if he just refused a feeding a couple hours ago or has been refusing for several days in a row. If he refuses, put him in his cage to eat grown up food. He may very well lose weight. That does not mean that you need to chase him around with a syringe and sweet talk him into eating formula. It means you should leave him alone with grown up food so he has a chance to eat what he wants. If he starts to loose A LOT of weight, then my first step would be to make sure seed is a component of what you are offering him and make sure you are offering hand-feeding. If he's refusing formula, and losing more than 10% of his body weight and he's refusing to eat seed, then you need a vet. If you don't like the idea of feeding seed, you can do sprouted seeds. Not the kind you get from the grocery store. Chinaprairie.com has some excellent sprout mixes that a lot of my small birds weaned onto. I'm about half convinced that small birds may do best on a sprouted seed and veggie based diet anyway.
 

snapandrew

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Thank you so much for your help! I'll keep offering him hand feedings in the morning and at night. He really doesn't like being fed during lunch time so I may just skip that feeding but I'll of course offer it for the next few days and see how that transpires. If you have any more tips/advice please do let me know!

Ah - something I forgot to mention. He's at fledgling age, he's been using his wings and is learning to perch. What exactly is a healthy weight for this time?
 
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iamwhoiam

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Continue to offer feedings. Add those veggies as well as small pieces of fruit such as apples and pears (skin removed). Add some seed mix and millet spray. Limit the amount of Cheerios. I preferred using cooked veggies with my babies.
 

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Cockatiels vary widely in their frame. I don't think there is a proper weight for a given bird. Most parrots are at their lowest weight at around fledging or weaning time. How low they get depends partly on how picky the baby is, the skill of the hand-feeder and the genetic background of the bird. The exact number is less important than the trend. Most babies hit a fat peak weight. I'm guessing for cockatiels they would hit their peak weight somewhere between 28-35 days old. Then they start losing. How much they lose depends on if they were a fat baby, skinny baby and the factors I mentioned above. Its normal for they to lose weight through weaning. But, it should be a few grams here and there for a cockatiel sized bird. Within a week or so of fledging, the weight loss should reduce or even level off and start gaining. Depending on how much your baby likes to eat.
 

melissasparrots

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Other helpful hint, don't clip his wings until he's been fully weaned for several weeks at least. Clipping wings always sets babies back in weaning progress.
 

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Other helpful hint, don't clip his wings until he's been fully weaned for several weeks at least. Clipping wings always sets babies back in weaning progress.
Best not to clip them at all.
 

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I weighed him this morning and he's 50 grams (The prior weighing was after he ate food.) Which may just be because of his size. He's a very tiny cockatiel, even for 6 weeks. I tried to feed him this morning but he still completely rejected the formula and ate some millet seeds I offered him instead. He also ate some softened pellets.
 

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Just want to make everyone aware, if they haven't been following the other thread. Yesterday afternoon after feeding this tiel weighed 70grams. This morning he weighed just 50. I think he needs real help fast.
@snapandrew What scales are you using? How accurate are they? Did you make that vet appointment? How has it gone with the egg?
 

snapandrew

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Let me clear this up - this scale isn't accurate in the slightest. I tested a few other things and it was completely off and will bounce from number to number. Lil Mango has already been to the vet and they said he was completely healthy. He ate some of the egg but was more interested in the pellets.

Edit - I got a new scale because the other one didn't work very well. He weighs about 70 grams according to the new one :)
Edit 2 - I tried another scale for good measure and it said 60? Which one should I believe..?
 
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iamwhoiam

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Let me clear this up - this scale isn't accurate in the slightest. I tested a few other things and it was completely off and will bounce from number to number. Lil Mango has already been to the vet and they said he was completely healthy. He ate some of the egg but was more interested in the pellets.

Edit - I got a new scale because the other one didn't work very well. He weighs about 70 grams according to the new one :)
Edit 2 - I tried another scale for good measure and it said 60? Which one should I believe..?

Weigh a few things with known weight and see which scale is accurate. Try to weigh him at the same time daily.
 
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