@Hagen
I know we spoke before, but in this circumstance, you have to do what the baby tells you. The longer Ekkies are on formula- the more commonly they develop irreversible liver, digestive and renal failure. However this is also important for feather development.
You must ensure your baby is eating the proper items during weaning (providing fresh multiple times a day and removing it after just 2 hours- otherwise bacterial and fungal infections in young ones). You said you have a scale- weighting him every morning PRIOR to eating but AFTER the first BM is a MUST.
I dont think anyone can tell you WHEN you should wean your bird. They are so individual, and Ekkies are the hardest to wean since they can not be weaned onto pellets, etc.
What items are you trying to wean him on?
For ecelctus I always recommend a solid blend, and addition daily:
1 Cup Mixed: Plums, Blueberries, Cantaloupe, Papaya, Mango
1 Cup Mixed: *Butternut Squash, *Carrots, Zucchini, Bok Choy
Cut these in 1cm pieces.
*Steam these in the microwave. DO NOT BOIL (boiling removes most of the vitamins and instead things like Vitamin A are in the water).
Make a large batch. FREEZE the unused portion on a sheet pan for easy future use. But for babies, I will recommend the following:
Step 1: Gather your ingredients, chop them to desired size
1/2 cup each: Green beans, carrots, butternut squash, sweet potato, yam
1/4 cup each: zucchini, cauliflower, radish, broccoli, red pepper
1/2 cup each: papaya, mango, apple, pomegranate, plantains
1/2 cup Quinoa (cooked)
1/4 cup: beans (cooked)
2 tablespoons crushed egg shell
Step 2: Steam the dense starches & fibrous items
1/2 cup each: Green beans, carrots, butternut squash, sweet potato, yam
1/4 cup each: zucchini, cauliflower, radish, broccoli, red pepper
--- To steam, place the chopped items in a bowl, cover with saran wrap and microwave on high for 4 minutes (or until tender but not mushy). DO NOT BOIL (boiling just leaks the nutrients into the water)
Let cool.
Step 3: Freeze mixture
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Sprinkle the mixture on a sheet pan. Ensure there is adequate distance between ingredients so once frozen you can easily break it apart (you may need to use multiple sheet pans).
Place the sheet pan in the freezer (freezing retains the largest amount of vitamins and minerals). Ensure any unused mixture is refrigerated for up to 2 days (DO NOT leave at room temperature).
Once frozen, place in plastic bags and store in freezer until ready to serve.
*I use quart size bags, only filling them 50% (so in this case, I made 4 bags)
Step 4: Additions- Variety...
Find new items, in this case, the next day I found Guava, Dragonfruit and Kiwi.
Follow steps 1-3
However, once chopped and frozen, add a small amount to each bag.
Find new items yet again: Repeat steps 1-3 a few times a week when new produce is available. A few days later I added strawberries, blueberries, peas, apricots and plums.
- Now you have created even more variety ensuring your feathered friend has an opportunity to indulge all his senses with each meal. Color, taste, texture and even sound play a large role in the mental stimulation of these extremely intelligent birds.
I always caution people to wean Ekkies on corn, rice, etc as this can cause an issue with transition to a healthy diet.
EDIT: I cant remember what you said before your 'parrot mix' is? can you clarify?