Feeding 8wk old SC cockatoo

Hi there,
I am adopting an 8wk old SC cockatoo and wanting to know the ideal frequency and volume at which a commercial formula+probiotic should be fed? The current owner says the bird has about 50-60mL of this 5 to 6 times a day but this seems an awful lot to me?
Thanks,
Grace

Hi Grace, hand feeding a baby bird is a huge challenge, I'm not trying to discourage you just want you to be aware of a few things that could go wrong. When you bring your baby Too home it will disrupt his routine and feeding schedule, keeping things as close to his normal routine as possible will be less traumatic. I think the weaning age of the large Toos is 12-14 weeks so the schedule your baby Too is on sounds reasonable. Have you considered waiting until the little one is fully weaned before bringing him home? Cockatoos as a species are extremely clingy, as sweet as they are, those first months can set them up to be emotionally insecure and overly dependent on a human to constantly interact and entertain them, this can lead to chronic screaming or plucking. Please do lots of research before bringing your new addition home.

Here's a link to a good article on hand feeding in general.

https://theparrotuniversity.com/arthandfeeding2

Please keep us updated, whatever you decide. Do you have photos to share?

Grace said:

Hi there,
I am adopting an 8wk old SC cockatoo and wanting to know the ideal frequency and volume at which a commercial formula+probiotic should be fed? The current owner says the bird has about 50-60mL of this 5 to 6 times a day but this seems an awful lot to me?
Thanks,
Grace

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There are strong reasons why any Parrot should not be sold to anyone that is themselves are not a Breeder or has a long history of working with very young Parrots on a twenty-four hour schedule. Parrots should only be sold 'after' they have been on solid food for at least two weeks!

Your questioning the amount of food provide is very concerning, since behavioral problem are very common with young Parrots that are not provided enough to eat, yet alone on a schedule that is based on 24 /7.

Leave this Parrot with the Breeder until it is on Solid Food for at least Two Weeks!

Allee said:

Hi Grace, hand feeding a baby bird is a huge challenge, I'm not trying to discourage you just want you to be aware of a few things that could go wrong. When you bring your baby Too home it will disrupt his routine and feeding schedule, keeping things as close to his normal routine as possible will be less traumatic. I think the weaning age of the large Toos is 12-14 weeks so the schedule your baby Too is on sounds reasonable. Have you considered waiting until the little one is fully weaned before bringing him home? Cockatoos as a species are extremely clingy, as sweet as they are, those first months can set them up to be emotionally insecure and overly dependent on a human to constantly interact and entertain them, this can lead to chronic screaming or plucking. Please do lots of research before bringing your new addition home.

Here's a link to a good article on hand feeding in general.

https://theparrotuniversity.com/arthandfeeding2

Please keep us updated, whatever you decide. Do you have photos to share?

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Thanks Allee, for your comments that provide great depth then mind does! Seem we where both responding at about the same time!

SailBoat,

You sound like you know about as much about feeding a baby bird as I do- which would be nothing at all past what perhaps a few online resources could tell me. Let the breeder who knows what they're doing finish weaning this baby if you've put a deposit down or really bonded with the bird! Baby parrots are extremely delicate and can be easily killed by an inexperienced hand feeder. Something so simple as the formula being a few degrees too warm or cold, having their brooder off a couple degrees, feeding too frequently or not enough can make them very sick or kill them. Weaning them too early can cause behavioral problems for life... They require 24/7 care and monitoring, and the generally accepted practice of abundance weaning, to set them up for a better life, can vary greatly by individual when they're ready to eat solids on their own. Vet bills for even tiny mistakes with a unweaned baby can stretch into thousands of dollars and no guarantees. Seriously, do you want that huge burden on your shoulders?

To be perfectly honest, I'd find a new breeder or look into adopting an older bird if at all possible. The breeder you found sounds completely irresponsible being willing to sell a 8 wk old baby to someone who has no experience caring for a baby parrot. Will this breeder also be force weaning it (a practice known to set a bird up for all kinds of neurotic behavioral issues down the line) if you decide to let them finish weaning to get it out of their hair sooner? I'm not insulting you for being inexperienced and not knowing what you're doing here, many people on this forum who are long time/experienced parrot owners (myself included) would have no clue how to care for an unweaned baby parrot. It's like asking a person off the street to preform neurosurgery. Maybe a smart person could read a guide and figure it out, but it's dangerous and a bad idea for anyone but an experienced neurosurgeon to attempt even if there is a slim chance of success. Same applies to caring for baby parrots.

Thanks for the replies - I was wanting to know that the person I am getting the bird from is doing the right thing as he didn't breed the bird...I was concerned after I read a post on this site by an experienced breeder who said she fed her 8wo moluccan cockatoo 3 times a day which is also consistent with the link provided above

Grace said:

he didn't breed the bird

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this right hear sets some serious alarms screaming for me

How has this person come across this bird? I'd be more wary of this than standing on a lake of sheet ice. This sounds worryingly like either it's a scam or this is even a stolen bird. Not wanting to send any unnecessary fear but if this is some one you've spoken to online and not met in person I would be dubious at best that there even is a bird.

Ask them where they got the bird from and try to speak to the breeder. If they're reluctant to give you the name of a breeder/address I would ask around different breeders to see if they have had any thefts recently