Possible weaning?

[mikamacaw]

My 10 (nearly 11 in two days) week old blue and gold macaw is starting to eat less. He went from 80-100ml 3 times a day to 50-70ml 3 times a day feedings. He’ll act very hungry for the first bit and then just walk away and stop flapping. He’s almost fully feathered (just some on his back are missing) and is very vocal, active and alert. He loves perching. Is this him weaning?
note. all the vets near me are booked until next week when he has his appointment.

 

[Zara]

How much does your bird currently weigh? (with empty crop)

@Macawnutz @macawpower58 @BrianB

 

[mikamacaw]

How much does your bird currently weigh? (with empty crop)

@Macawnutz @macawpower58 @BrianB

He weighs 1015g in the morning after his first poop.

 

[Legend88]

My 10 (nearly 11 in two days) week old blue and gold macaw is starting to eat less. He went from 80-100ml 3 times a day to 50-70ml 3 times a day feedings. He’ll act very hungry for the first bit and then just walk away and stop flapping. He’s almost fully feathered (just some on his back are missing) and is very vocal, active and alert. He loves perching. Is this him weaning?
note. all the vets near me are booked until next week when he has his appointment.

Yes Congratulations he is weaning you should start introducing him to fruits and pellets , my two caiques started weaning around that age of 10 to 11 weeks when I tried to hand feed them they would only talk a drop of the hand feeding then fly up on my shoulders , So I started feeding them fruits and seed mix and they been eating on their own ever since..

 

[tka]

I'll tag in a couple of people who know about macaw weaning @Macawnutz @macawpower58

I'm not a macaw person but I suspect that 10 weeks is rather young to start weaning.

 

[Legend88]

I'll tag in a couple of people who know about macaw weaning @Macawnutz @macawpower58

I'm not a macaw person but I suspect that 10 weeks is rather young to start weaning.

Every parrot is an individual, some may wean earlier then others , I dont think that should be a big mystery..

 

[Sodapop&Co.]

Every parrot is an individual, some may wean earlier then others , I dont think that should be a big mystery..

Macaws are big birds and, from what I've heard, often take quite long to wean. It's always good to make sure babies are developing correctly. Hopefully the macaw people will be able to help out. Welcome to the forum, @mikamacaw !

 

[Macawnutz]

It's young but the lessening in amount is not unheard of. Just keep offering the food and weighing him every morning.
Keep the vet appointment just in case he does have a little infection which is quite common in young macaws.

 

[Legend88]

Macaws are big birds and, from what I've heard, often take quite long to wean. It's always good to make sure babies are developing correctly. Hopefully the macaw people will be able to help out. Welcome to the forum, @mikamacaw !

Caique's usually take around 12 to 16weeks to wean my two started eating on their own at around 10weeks, Their are always exceptions to the rules..

 

[Sunni Tiel]

Caique's usually take around 12 to 16weeks to wean my two started eating on their own at around 10weeks, Their are always exceptions to the rules..

Yes, but too early is dangerous. Macaws take longer to wean than caiqes.

 

[mikamacaw]

It's young but the lessening in amount is not unheard of. Just keep offering the food and weighing him every morning.
Keep the vet appointment just in case he does have a little infection which is quite common in young macaws.

I’ve been trying to get it sooner just because I’m worried about a possible infection. He has no other signs of one but I’m still worried of the possibility!

 

[Macawnutz]

Macaws often go through a stage where they eat less as they want to be mobile. It is pretty short lived and then they go back to eating again.

 

[mikamacaw]

Macaws are big birds and, from what I've heard, often take quite long to wean. It's always good to make sure babies are developing correctly. Hopefully the macaw people will be able to help out. Welcome to the forum, @mikamacaw !

Thank you!

 

[mikamacaw]

Caique's usually take around 12 to 16weeks to wean my two started eating on their own at around 10weeks, Their are always exceptions to the rules..

I hope he’s just on the faster track of progression! I’m offering him homemade veggie mixes and he hasn’t eaten any, he just plays with it!

 

[Macawnutz]

I’ve been trying to get it sooner just because I’m worried about a possible infection. He has no other signs of one but I’m still worried of the possibility!

Of course. Any change is a good reason to make a vet appointment. My sweetie Korbel started this at about 9 weeks old... It was a terrible infection so I know very much how you feel. Just try to be as normal as possible and keep offering that food.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Macaws are a large bird and do not wean as early as smaller birds.

Large macaws in the wild probably are not weaned until 6 to 9 months old, so pet macaws are frequent victims of force-weaning. They are prone to obsessive food begging, with repetitive wing-flicking and macaw begging sound well into adulthood.

Weaning Birds - Yarmouth Veterinary Center
yarmouthvetcenter.com › weaning-birds

My GW weaned at 7 1/2 months and I have known macaws to not wean until they were well over one year old.

 

[macawpower58]

My GW weaned at 8 months of age on his own.
He went from 3, to 2, then a final night feeding.
It sounds like your baby is starting to try those wings out.
Fledging makes a baby slow down on eating for a bit, but do not stop offering!
The feeding does pick back up.
Now is a good time to start offering bits of veggies, fruit, cooked beans, pasta, pellets, etc...
Feed first, and then offer a scattering of the real food.
Most will be played with and wasted, but this is how baby birds learn to eat. Trial and error.

Like the others suggested, a vet through this stage is important. You want to catch any problems early.

 

[Legend88]

I hope he’s just on the faster track of progression! I’m offering him homemade veggie mixes and he hasn’t eaten any, he just plays with it!

Try fruits like apples and oranges etc

 

[mikamacaw]

My GW weaned at 8 months of age on his own.
He went from 3, to 2, then a final night feeding.
It sounds like your baby is starting to try those wings out.
Fledging makes a baby slow down on eating for a bit, but do not stop offering!
The feeding does pick back up.
Now is a good time to start offering bits of veggies, fruit, cooked beans, pasta, pellets, etc...
Feed first, and then offer a scattering of the real food.
Most will be played with and wasted, but this is how baby birds learn to eat. Trial and error.

Like the others suggested, a vet through this stage is important. You want to catch any problems early.

I’ve been offering and he’s the biggest fan of yellow peppers and strawberries! He hasn’t eaten any yet but I suppose he will soon.
Yes, I booked the appointment with the vet two weeks ago when I got him so he could get checked out ASAP! It sucks that there aren’t many avian vets accepting new patients near me, I wish I could get him checked out sooner.

 

[macawpower58]

You can eat it with him. Nothing is as fun as stealing 'mom's food.