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Baby Coming Home Early - Advice Requested

Lady

Meeting neighbors
Joined
8/30/19
Messages
42
With the Coronavirus, my local bird store is closing to the public. They called to ask if I would take my baby green cheek conure home early. He was due to come home at the end of March/beginning of April, so it's not crazy early, but still earlier than expected. His hatch date was 1/26. We're scheduled to pick him up this Saturday.

Since selecting him on March 1, I've been going in every day they're open to hand feed and spend time with him. I'm not terribly nervous about handfeeding as they've given me great training. They do abundance weaning, so he's already been eating chop for over a week, and is losing interest in formula. I wanted to know how to feed formula 1. to help with bonding and 2. in case he regressed upon coming home and needed formula again.

But he will be coming home pre-weaned. What should I be expecting/planning for? I will be offering him chop every day, and plan to still handfeed 2x per day unless he decides he's done with formula and is full on chop. Is this the right way to go?
 

mythic55

Rollerblading along the road
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Congrats!
That is the perfect way to go- You have planned- which is amazing! kudos to you.

Also try soaking pellets in the chop, or adding formula to the chop (of course remove this after a short time). With that hatch date- prolly getting close to being weaned. See if you can also try to mimic his current environment: similar toys, similar chop, etc. Small steps can potentially prevent too much regression.

A sure fire way to assist in weaning is providing millet- you can even sprout millet! Sprouting reduces the fat content a bit, increases nutrient value and makes it much easier to consume.
 

Princessbella

Biking along the boulevard
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Theresa
With the Coronavirus, my local bird store is closing to the public. They called to ask if I would take my baby green cheek conure home early. He was due to come home at the end of March/beginning of April, so it's not crazy early, but still earlier than expected. His hatch date was 1/26. We're scheduled to pick him up this Saturday.

Since selecting him on March 1, I've been going in every day they're open to hand feed and spend time with him. I'm not terribly nervous about handfeeding as they've given me great training. They do abundance weaning, so he's already been eating chop for over a week, and is losing interest in formula. I wanted to know how to feed formula 1. to help with bonding and 2. in case he regressed upon coming home and needed formula again.

But he will be coming home pre-weaned. What should I be expecting/planning for? I will be offering him chop every day, and plan to still handfeed 2x per day unless he decides he's done with formula and is full on chop. Is this the right way to go?
I got my bird at 7 weeks which was 6 weeks too soon but the breeder was having furnace problems in the middle of winter. First you want to get a scale to weigh him everyday. This is to make sure that he is eating enough. I used a slip tip syringe and prepared the handfeeding formula as instructed. As they get older, the formula has to be thicker. I was told Bella would be weaned but she wasn't. I put the food in her dish and she picked at it. Then I got the formula and gave it to her and then I became her best friend. It is also good to know how to handfeed because they may need it when they get sick. Bella injured her crop last year and she had to be handfed once a day for a few days. Also, you want to feed him what they are feeding him so he recognizes that as food. You can add to it but he will be stressed out and familiar foods help. Here is a video. Congratulations on your new bird. I can't wait to see pictures.

Green cheek handfeeding
 

Lady

Meeting neighbors
Joined
8/30/19
Messages
42
A sure fire way to assist in weaning is providing millet- you can even sprout millet! Sprouting reduces the fat content a bit, increases nutrient value and makes it much easier to consume.
I don't know why I never though to sprout millet! I'll have to grab some extra for sprouting and see how he likes it. We grow our own vegetables in our backyard garden, so I'm looking to grow his own little millet patch.

Also, you want to feed him what they are feeding him so he recognizes that as food. You can add to it but he will be stressed out and familiar foods help. Here is a video. Congratulations on your new bird. I can't wait to see pictures.
Awesomesauce. We'll be bringing home dry formula to mix up and already have a month's supply of their frozen chop to try and keep the food as normal as possible among all the other changes he'll be bombarded with. Glad we were on the right track!

I don't have many photos because I'm usually too busy talking to him/corralling him to think to take photos, but here's one from a week ago!
IMG_12591.jpg
 

mythic55

Rollerblading along the road
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Location
USA- USVI
He has old man hair!.... already has grey facial hair fuzzy.
hehe- I love the baby fluff.

All joking aside- cute as a button! I can see why you put in so much preparedness. I tried the 'millet patch'..... I experimented with different varieties of millet (there are many kinds other than the spray that people often buy for birds). My husband says (looking out at the garden) 'soooo.... about the 'wheat field thing?.... do I even want to know?'
 

Princessbella

Biking along the boulevard
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Theresa
I don't know why I never though to sprout millet! I'll have to grab some extra for sprouting and see how he likes it. We grow our own vegetables in our backyard garden, so I'm looking to grow his own little millet patch.



Awesomesauce. We'll be bringing home dry formula to mix up and already have a month's supply of their frozen chop to try and keep the food as normal as possible among all the other changes he'll be bombarded with. Glad we were on the right track!

I don't have many photos because I'm usually too busy talking to him/corralling him to think to take photos, but here's one from a week ago!
View attachment 331419
He is adorable!
 
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