Need help regarding the amount of my baby conure

[Elveras]

So my dad adopted conure but breeder said its 4months old but i don’t think he’s 4months old, from yesterday he first came to my house, i have been seeing his food pattern, I'm trying to find out how much ml he need to consume. Would like to know if its too much or normal?

Additional info: There's millets, bowl of soft pellets/seeds on his small cage, he starts to bite/chew wooden perches. Only today i added seeds.

Today i did try and test if its enough. But he prefers to be handfeed instead of eating in the food bowl but he did try it out and eat abit

Timeline

Morning - i feed 20ml ( its abit watery, but the parrot seems super hungry, i stopped at 20ml and i feed it slowly using spoon)

After 4 hours

Afternoon - he seems hungry again, i fed 17ml, he does not want anything more so i stopped feeding. (It is slight thick, the thickness is just nice for him)

After 4 hours

Night time - He seems abit hungry, was going to prepare to feed him but went to check on him first, i saw that he ate tiny bit of seeds/soft pellets then he went to sleep on off for about two hours.

After 2 hours

When he wokeup, he seems hungry again, i went to fed him 16ml, he do not wan anything more than that.

Is it normal to feed him 16-20ml of food? His pattern seems to be 3-4 times feed per day.

For background, can refer to my post on reddit, Click on the post to read the info (Theres photo of my bird):
https://www.reddit.com/r/parrots/comments/1j6c1dm
Video of my parrot sleeping after eating on reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/parrots/comments/1j71ec0 ​

 

[Sparkles99]

@Laurie @BrianB @Irishj9

 

[Shezbug]

@Mockinbirdiva

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Hi Shay, your conure looks to be around 5 weeks old from what I can tell in the photos. As a rule of thumb the suggested amount of formula should be 10-15% of their weight. You should have a gram scale ( like a digital kitchen scale that can weigh in either ounces or grams ) so you know the true weight. ( True weight is the weight first thing in the morning after the morning poop and before you feed ) Also a good idea to know the weight for health checks since birds can mask health issues including weight loss. Though you can expect some weight loss when they wean and eat less formula and begin to explore flight. Perhaps your morning formula is a bit thin. It should resemble the thickness of applesauce - not too runny and not too thick it can't be swallowed easily. If your baby weighed 50 grams you would feed 5 - 7 1/2 - 8 cc's of formula. It's better to feed four times a day than to over fill the crop at three feeds a day. You don't want to over fill the crop to the point it's so tight the crop gets stretched out. Your babies crop should be empty to near empty before each feeding. Temperature of the formula should be at least 105 degrees F . At this age you can keep a cup or bowl of pellets available at all times and fresh water daily. I think I saw multi colored pellets in one of your photos and I recommend plain pellets over the colored. Use up what you have and gradually switch over. You can also offer other soft foods - soaked pellets ( remove after an hour if not eaten so they don't spoil) , soft cooked veggies like steamed sweet potato, or other fresh vegetables like sugar snap peas, a little corn, small bits of bell pepper.... just for a few ideas. There are sections in this forum I would suggest you visit and do some reading for helpful information- Nursery Rhyme Drive, Feathered Food Court, Safety Avenue.

I'm linking one page in particular for you to read Laurie's posts on feeding instructions as well.

Edited to add these conures typically wean around 8-11 weeks but as long as they ask for a feed even if it's a couple of cc's I would rather they wean when they choose to be ready.

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[T. gillii]

20ml is waaaay too much. 10ml per feed.

 

[BrianB]

That is definitely a young chick, not four months old. It's sad that a breeder would do that and not be 100% sure the buyer is fully trained in hand feeding and weaning. Continue the hand feeding until the chick refuses it for several days and you are confident it is eating enough. Soft pellets are fine, balanced with fresh or lightly steamed veggies. A small amount of fruit is acceptable, but along with seeds, it should be a minimal part of the diet. A young bird does need some sugar and fat for energy and growth, but it needs to be part of a balanced diet. I'm not a fan of millet for conures. I think it's empty calories with very little nutrition for them. It's also very easy for them to eat, but they don't learn foraging behavior that keeps them mentally stimulated and physically active.

 

[Elveras]

thankful all for the advice!! so right now he has start rejecting formula, i still offering, he ate like 4ml a day now. I will try to stop giving millets, im also not a fan of giving millets as a daily food. I did steamed some veggies, he refused to eat even if i cut it in smaller pieces, he would touch it if its slightly bigger piece and thrown around hes so picky :<<

 

[Emma&pico]

thankful all for the advice!! so right now he has start rejecting formula, i still offering, he ate like 4ml a day now. I will try to stop giving millets, im also not a fan of giving millets as a daily food. I did steamed some veggies, he refused to eat even if i cut it in smaller pieces, he would touch it if its slightly bigger piece and thrown around hes so picky :<<

Mine don’t like steamed veg try grated carrot pieces of broccoli kale sweetcorn peas just got to keep trying even if they just play with it to start it’s a start and they should get a little taste

 

[Elveras]

Mine don’t like steamed veg try grated carrot pieces of broccoli kale sweetcorn peas just got to keep trying even if they just play with it to start it’s a start and they should get a little taste

Thankyouu!! i will keep trying!!

 

[Shezbug]

thankful all for the advice!! so right now he has start rejecting formula, i still offering, he ate like 4ml a day now. I will try to stop giving millets, im also not a fan of giving millets as a daily food. I did steamed some veggies, he refused to eat even if i cut it in smaller pieces, he would touch it if its slightly bigger piece and thrown around hes so picky :<<

They don’t always eat the veg straight away- picking it up and interacting with it is good, keep offering it daily.

 

[Elveras]

Hi just to check again! right now the feeding has reduced to 5ml per feed, i feed once a day now because he has started eating on his own! How long do i have to feed formula till i stopped? Wants to encourage him to fully weaned!