Behavior & weaning

[Caryl]

Well, Mojito is 9 weeks old!
At 5 weeks old he started flying and went from his brooder to his big cage. Between 5-6 weeks he had his first bath, started pecking at seed & i stopped night feeds. I think he was pretty much fully preened then but he has a little box in his cage he can go to for warmth/quiet/darkness.I was worried he was not crying much for formula but that has changed & he chirps loudly when its feeding time. He also chirps when sleeping, playing and when he burrows into my neck (so cute) He is a little bitey but i am training with a firm "no biting"and put him down etc.

So.. Mojito is getting 4 formula feeds a day, 6/630am 12pm 5pm 10pm. He has seed mix and water available 24/7.
He does not care about fruit n veg. He will look at it, lick it and walk away. Sweet potato is the only thing he really ate a bit of and only because he thought i was giving him formula.
I have tried broccoli, peas, sweet potato, wet romaine lettuce leaves, blueberries, apple, banana, mini corns & carrots. Oh and quinoa
I have done a bit of research but have some questions..
Can i put the formula in a little bowl for him to eat by himself? Can i maybe mix veg and quinoa into the formula and offer it once a day? Take the seed out? Cut down to 3 feeds?

 

[Zara]

Can i put the formula in a little bowl for him to eat by himself?

You can try that. Or try spoon feeding. These method will help encourage eating.

Cut down to 3 feeds?

How much does your bird eat per feed?
How much does he currently weigh?

 

[Caryl]

You can try that. Or try spoon feeding. These method will help encourage eating.


How much does your bird eat per feed?
How much does he currently weigh?

He weights 41g and eats 4-6g of formula a feed

 

[Caryl]

I just tried the tiniest bit of cooked quinoa with his formula and i think most of it ended up on the table and me haha
Guess he will get used to it - flapped his wings quite a bit while he was eating it.
Gave him a dinner plate with some water after and he had quite the splash/bath

 

[Zara]

If he is eating those amounts then I would not remove a feeding just yet. Just be sure to offer adult foods right after the formula.
Stick to 4.5CC - 5CC then the adult food. Try mashed cooked sweet potato, you can warm it a little if you like (not in the microwave, use a bain Marie to warm it or cooled from cooked, mashing well to remove hotspots).

He´s nine weeks old, and yes, most lovebirds wold have weaned by now.. but Mojito just needs a little longer Keep feeding him until he starts eating less. If he takes less than 3CC for a few feeds, then I would remove one.

FYI, my youngest girl weaned at 5.5months!

 

[Birbman9]

I would take the feeds down to like 2 a day, so that she eats seeds all day and Youngash just feed her in the morning and the afternoon.

 

[Birbman9]

I would take the feeds down to like 2 a day, so that she eats seeds all day and Youngash just feed her in the morning and the afternoon.

By that, I mean not all of a sudden dropping it to 2, maybe start feeding him a bit less, Then take it down to 3 feeds, and then take it down to 2 feeds and raise the amount. Good luck!

 

[Zara]

I would take the feeds down to like 2 a day

That is called force weaning.

maybe start feeding him a bit less

That is starving the bird.

take it down to 2 feeds and raise the amount.

By feeding less frequently a larger amount you risk stretching the crop. The bird will be hungry during the day, and then bursting full at feeding time.
Bad combination.

Stick to the currrent schedule and let the bird set the pace. He is eating a full feed (10% of body weight) so all is going ok.

It is important to offer plenty of adult foods right after the formula, and throughout the day. Veggies, pellets and a few seeds.

 

[Caryl]

He´s nine weeks old, and yes, most lovebirds wold have weaned by now.. but Mojito just needs a little longer Keep feeding him until he starts eating less. If he takes less than 3CC for a few feeds, then I would remove one.

FYI, my youngest girl weaned at 5.5months!

Holy cow 5.5 months! That''s a long time!
I'm sure i read somewhere they fully wean 8-10 weeks so i wasnt rushing it.

I am giving Mojito 4 feeds a day still and the middle 2 i just put a teaspoon of formula in his cage on the same plate as his veggies so he gets used to eating on his own and from the plate. He definitely eats seeds all day long. I mixed some mashed sweet potato with his formula but he was not a fan. I will continue like this until next week and see how he goes.

 

[Caryl]

Update - at 3 1/2 months Mojito is weaned! I continued to offer fresh veg (on a bread plate so he can walk onto it) everyday and he eventually started eating it!

Eventually he just stopped eating as much formula - so i took it as a sign!
He loves broccoli, brown rice & cooked spiralized carrots.. oh and of course his seed.
We tried watermelon which he ate and it turned his poops red which scared me! Will limit watermelon for now.

 

[Zara]

Nice update!