Just adopted a baby quaker and need tips

Yesterday I adopted a 5 week old baby quaker and I am hand feeding him. I am curious about when to start weening him into seeds. I will be feeding him twice a day with tropican formula as instructed by the breeder, but when should I introduce him to seeds?

Also I have him in a large box closed (has airholes) with a smaller, topless box inside that I put a small towel for him to cuddle up in. Is this sufficient? My place is about 70 F at all times so if he is inside covered/cuddled up in the towel he should be plenty warm, right? I was told by the breeder I got him from that I can introduce him to a cage in the next 2 weeks or so.

The breeder is staying in contact with me and helping me through all of this I was just trying to get some other input as well and any helpful tips for raising this baby quaker. I have had birds in the past, but never raised them from this young of an age.

Hi there, welcome and congratulations! I'm going to focus on the seed. I have a 2 year old Eclectus I brought home and at this point I've shelled out $800 because she is sick so far and we are not done, we are on week 4 of dealing with this. The vet this week has stated its because she was on a seed diet and a seed diet is deficient in their nutritional needs. I recommend fresh fruit and veg, human grade foods. I know this may be a shock but for a healthy baby this is essential.

Welcome to the forum and Congratulations!

Just some friendly words of caution, if you are hand feeding for the first time, please be very careful. It's a difficult and dangerous process for the inexperienced. I would even suggest asking the breeder to take the little guy back until he's fully weaned. A lot can go wrong, I'd hate to see that happen.

An all seed diet is not the best choice for a parrot. There are a lot of healthier options. Quakers will eat a large variety of fresh foods, especially if they are taught from a young age. Here's a couple of interesting links to give you an idea.

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/28242-ingredients-pellets.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

Best of luck with your little one! Please keep us updated, won't you?

thanks for the input! this is day 3 of hand feeding and it is going very well. I am in contact with the breeder and I also have a close friend/neighbor who is a veterinarian and is supervising me with the feedings. I am being very careful with cleanliness, temperatures, food prep and administration technique. I opted to take a non-weened bird because this is a great bonding experience for the bird and I. Also I was told quakers are one of the easiest species to hand feed and I am comfortable taking on this responsibility,

When can I introduce some fresh foods to this little guy? I definitely don't plan to have him on an all seed diet. What are some good foods to introduce during weening and when should I start the transition?

I hope I didn't offend you with my previous post. Weaning is a delicate stage of development, accidents happen and we hear about them too often. I'm glad everything is going so well for you and you have a lot of support.

You could start offering the dry pellet form of the tropican formula you're using. You should be weighing your bird at least daily until he's made the transition from formula to dry pellets. When he's eating on his own and you've dropped all his daily feedings except the last, between eight and ten weeks, you can slowly start to introduce fresh foods. Kale, shredded carrot, apple, peppers, peas, grapes, etc. I think most breeders have a favored weaning method, you may want to talk to your breeder to see what he or she suggests.

Best of luck to you and your little guy. We'd love to see photos.

no offense taken, I really appreciate the additional help and input. This is my first time so I do understand the concern. My vet friend was over last night for his night time feeding and he says he looks very healthy and he is progressing well which was a huge relief to me lol

I am feeding his once in the morning (about 20 ml of formula) and again at night maybe 8-10 hours later another 20 ml of formula. This fills his crop up nicely, but not too full where it can cause harm ( I am being very cautious about over feeding).

Maybe next week I will introduce him to some tropican pellets. Should I give him maybe 10 ml of formula and offer him pellets to see if he will eat them? and if he doesnt eat enough pellets then give him more formula?

here's a pic of him making a mess during his first feeding lol

here is a pic of him with a full crop after I fed him yesterday morning

He's precious! I've never had the pleasure of being around baby quakers, both of mine were adults when I met them.

I would offer the dry crumbled pellets with no changes to his routine formula feedings at first, you can cut back on the formula when you notice he's eating enough of the new food to compensate. You can gradually feed a little less at each feeding and eventually drop all but the last feeding, the last feeding of the day is the last one to drop, it gives the little ones a sense of security. He'll probably start to assert his independence pretty soon and let you know he's big enough to feed himself.

I've heard that some baby quakers say their first words as young as six weeks.