Weaning difficulties.

Alembic772

New member
May 13, 2020
239
52
Spring Hill, FL
Parrots
Basil - 22yr male SI Eclectus
River - male GCC
Nemo - female BCC - handicapped
Summer - female pineapple gcc
Rainbow - male yellow side gcc
Lando - male black headed caique
Paprika - female SI eclectu
Hello everyone. Paprika turned 18 weeks this past Wednesday. She is doing good and starting to jump on me if I am in the shower. She soaks herself pretty good and then I wrap her up in a towel because she is still young and shivers like crazy.

Anyways, I am still having to feed her twice a day between 25-30ml. I am not trying to wean her over to pellets so I am serving all of the time fresh veggies, fruits, spinach, sweet potato, cooked legumes and millet, brown rice, and many others. I vary it up. I give different sizes of the cut up stuff to see what she likes. She will eat the stuff in the bowl, but she is still screaming by 9am if I don’t feed her the formula and same by around 8pm. She literally will attack the syringe and try to feed herself with it if she sees it.

I know they can take longer than other species to wean. I am just asking for some advice from others who have done this process themselves. Basil didn’t take this long but he was also weaned to pellets.

Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

chris-md

Well-known member
Feb 6, 2010
4,349
2,119
Maryland - USA
Parrots
Parker - male Eclectus

Aphrodite - red throated conure (RIP)
She’s only four and a half months old, give or take. Depending on the bird, Ekkies can sometimes take over six months. Sounds like you still have a ways to go.

Have patience.
 
OP
Alembic772

Alembic772

New member
May 13, 2020
239
52
Spring Hill, FL
Parrots
Basil - 22yr male SI Eclectus
River - male GCC
Nemo - female BCC - handicapped
Summer - female pineapple gcc
Rainbow - male yellow side gcc
Lando - male black headed caique
Paprika - female SI eclectu
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
She’s only four and a half months old, give or take. Depending on the bird, Ekkies can sometimes take over six months. Sounds like you still have a ways to go.

Have patience.


Oh I am not running out of patience. She’s doing great I just forgot it could take this long or longer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,702
USA
Parrots
Full house
How are weights ?
First I defer to ekkie owners, I have no experience with these lovely birds.

Weaning , just prior to weaning in birds they require a bump in calories. From some research I have read , babies need 25-50% more calories when growing in their first feathers and just before they wean. This wasn't an ekkie specific study tho..

Also its a time when more protein might be needed. From just what I find in the net, this seems to be true for ekkie too. I see you feed legume, but adding a little animal protein might be needed. I've seen this mentioned for breeders and chicks, while adults don't need this.

This site i link , like Chismd, says upto 6 months as well.

It could be the formula is meeting the nutritional needs that the diet lacks at this time.

diets

Www.eclectusparrots.net
They have a section on weaning difficulty as well
I don't know why the link just says diet, but it takes you there.

I'd love to see a picture of your baby. Hopefully this tricky weaning time will soon be over. As much as I stress over the least little things with my birds, I'd be a wreck trying to hand raise and wean for sure.
 
Last edited:

wrench13

Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Parrot of the Month 🏆
Nov 22, 2015
11,383
Media
14
Albums
2
12,567
Isle of Long, NY
Parrots
Yellow Shoulder Amazon, Salty
Parrots will take formula until..... they don't. I wouldn't worry about it, specially if Paprika (love that name) is already taking some fruit and veggies. Even then try to offer formula to her occasionally, because if she needs meds some time, mixing it with a small amount of formula has a good chance of getting all of a dose into her. I offer Salty formula once every few months for that reason. He will still greedily eat a few spoonsful'.
 
OP
Alembic772

Alembic772

New member
May 13, 2020
239
52
Spring Hill, FL
Parrots
Basil - 22yr male SI Eclectus
River - male GCC
Nemo - female BCC - handicapped
Summer - female pineapple gcc
Rainbow - male yellow side gcc
Lando - male black headed caique
Paprika - female SI eclectu
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #6
Someone asked about her weight. She averages right around 340g. There is a small amount of variance in the weight but it is usually right around there. Basil is around 370-380.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
OP
Alembic772

Alembic772

New member
May 13, 2020
239
52
Spring Hill, FL
Parrots
Basil - 22yr male SI Eclectus
River - male GCC
Nemo - female BCC - handicapped
Summer - female pineapple gcc
Rainbow - male yellow side gcc
Lando - male black headed caique
Paprika - female SI eclectu
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #7
Just an update. I am no longer syringe feeding her handfeeding formula. I use a base of sweet potato or butternut squash, and make a purée with spinach and kale with brown rice, quinoa and chick peas. I give her about a heaping tablespoon of this warmed up with a little water to make it a little like porridge. She devours it.

She still gets a ton of mixed veggies and fruits with legumes and brown rice as well in her cage. She just seems to still want to go through the routine of twice a day eating at the counter or the table with me.

Vet said she looks very good, so I’m hoping we are doing the right things. She gets some tops pellets from time to time but she isn’t eating them as much as she did prior and seems more into her veggies.

Basil has convert still to the Harrison’s adult and spicy pellets but a larger portion of golden feast legume mix and dried fruit mix. He’s still not wanting anything to do with the fresher stuff except he loves carrots, celery, grapes and apples. He is going through a really heavy molt now and I think the cage lights has help put him on the proper cycle.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Most Reactions

Latest posts

Top