Help me I don't know wth I'm doing!!

[Sherry]

First and foremost IF YOU ARE THINKING OF GETTING AN UNWEANED BABY BIRD THINK AGAIN!!! I am so stressed and worried so I'm asking for your help again. I thought/think that Nema (4+month B&G) was beginning to wean. She ate other foods and started trying out flying and mostly started to refuse her formula. I cut out her evening feeding as this was the feeding that she was fighting me the most on. The following morning she was ready to eat her formula. She did her usual day until around 4:30 ish. She started getting rather listless and made this noise like small squawking and lifting up a wing each time she made the noise. I inspected her and we played around a little but she was not her usual excited self, just kind of cuddly. I noticed no injuries and she didn't act like anything was hurting her as I petted her. That night she didn't touch her bowls of food or seeds. The next morning she again was eager to eat and had lost about 18grams in weight. That night I couldn't take her little squawks and offered her some formula. She acted ravenous. This morning I feed her her formula and she acted like she hadn't eaten in a week! She again squawked for more this afternoon! I gave her the formula and again she was ravenous! She ate again tonight! I'm going backwards. This just isn't right and I'm worried. If I don't give her the formula when she squawks she gets listless and is so sad. I think I'm going to have to take her to the vets for a checkup to make sure she is ok. On e I feed her she acts like her regular self but what is going on? Why did she quit eating her other foods? Should I still feed her her formula when she squawks, even if it means more feedings? I don't know what I'm doing and it's so not fair to Nema, I feel like crap. Please help me figure this out.

 

[plax]

Sherry, while I may not be the best one to address Nema's weaning situation, I know that it's fairly common for baby Macaws to regress and require a re-start of the weaning process. It sounds like that may be what's going on with Nema. It might be a good idea to consult your avian vet concerning the matter. I would have recommended that you contact the breeder, but I'm aware that you acquired Nema from a pet store. A call to your avian vet might well be in order.

Please keep us updated.

 

[willist]

Hi Sherry, first of all take a deep breath and relax. You are doing a better job than you think you are. Plax is right on when he said young Macaws regress, I can attest to that. Firstly a little background, I hand fed both my CAG and my Goffins Cockatoo, both from 5 weeks old. Then along came Auggie my Greenwing. I also got Auggie at 5 weeks old. He was a major hand full from day one. He would refuse to eat, when he did eat he would spit out most of his formula, he wouldn't open his beak you name it. I also considered giving him back. The guy I got him from told me to stick with it and be patient. He suggested that in between feedings I should squeeze grapes and orange slices down his beak. This would provide him with nutrients and water. I just kept at the feedings when ever his crop felt empty. We had our good days and we had our bad days but we made it. Today he his a healthy and happy 7 year old (he'll be 8 on Feb 28th). One other thing, Macaws need more than the average baby formulas contain. I would suggest you add a little coconut oil and some sunbutter to his formula. Also be careful to keep the temp. of the formula correct. Stick with it and don't get discouraged. I know that it can sometimes feel overwhelming. It will all be worth it in the long run. Best of luck and keep us informed.

 

[Turquoise]

Roscoe was 4 1/2 months old when I brought him home from the breeder. He was eating a wide variety of foods. His breeder would not let him go til she was certain he was eating fresh foods as well as pellets & nuts. She told me he was beginning to refuse his formula, but to offer it at least once a day for awhile, more for bonding than nutrients.

Roscoe really didn't want much of the formula so I mixed plain oatmeal with water. To that I would finely grind fresh peeled apple & nut meats. He especially loved that, tho he didn't really eat much of. He & Angel still love oatmeal when I offer it to them as a comfort food. And tho Roscoe is 16 months old now, he will still fluff his head feathers & bob his head in the baby bird mode at times for his oatmeal.

He never regressed, he's a glutton & loves his fresh foods & nuts. I don't have any real advice to give you other than trying other warm soft foods with Nema and see if she would accept one as a change for an occasional feeding. Getting her to eat other soft foods is also a good way to get her to try some of the fresh foods she may not like or has stopped eating. I never tried it, but I have read that you can use human baby food as soft food meals, especially if they won't eat fresh veggies yet. Just an idea of some things to change up the flavor if she gets bored with the formula.

 

[MikeyTN]

I agree with all the above posters! While reading about this, it reminded me of the idiotic breeder who was sooooo mean to the baby macaw that regress to handfeeding. I feel like smacking him right then and there. I did NOT like what I saw. He not only refused to handfeed him but grabbed him like a piece of luggage and threw him into a cage under the table. I give him a nasty look and walked away.

At least you care for the baby, I don't agree with breeders that sells unweaned babies. But your only option is to keep on the twice daily feeding regimen and offer food at all times. A vet check would be wise to make sure there's nothing wrong, but it just sounds like he's still wanting to be fed.

 

[wenz2712]

Sherry,

Count to 10 and relax. It sounds like you are doing great. Your stress is probably being picked up on as well by your Macaw.

I dont agree with breeders selling unweaned Birds either and it is not allowed here in the UK. Can you contact the Breeder and ask for his help?

 

[Johnny]

Hello Sherry,

I just wanted to give you my opinion and info. My Ciry started to reject the formula at around 3 and 3/4 months old, so I contacted my breeder and he advised me, that I should take her pellets, soak them into warm water for about 0,5 hour and then mash so it looks like the formula when you make it. I also add evening primrose oil to it. ANd guess what, Ciry is not LOVING it, she is all nervous when I make it. About your squawking, Ciry is doing this too, especially when I am feeding her, but I thought it is caused by her heart problem, so maybe not But she is doing it quite often. Ciry is also eating from her bowls nicely now, I make her apple/bannana/carrot mix, sometimes I add other fruit in it, and she likes it. She mostly eats at night, when I put her in her cage. But it is not like she would eat fully, I was also thinking about that she wants to wean, but when she wants the formula, you should give her the formula Or in my case, the pellets Like many ppl said, macaws can take up to 5/6 months to wean, so you should just relax and let Nema do the job

 

[JerseyWendy]

Ditto to what other posters already said.

Sherry, you are doing a GREAT job with Nema. SHE will tell you when she's ready to wean. In the meantime "listen" to her Believe me, she WILL wean eventually.

It's AWESOME that you are keeping track of her weight. Cudos...just don't forget to breathe in...breathe out...and repeat until you are calmer.

Niko even regressed after bringing him home. And he didn't have ANY formula for over a week before the breeder released him to me. It happens, and it's no big deal.

 

[Doves1]

My Scarlet Macaw Phoenix is 7 months old and he regularly picks up his seed mix and crushes it into powder, never eats it though. I had him on the Exact baby formula for parrots and at first he loved it but then he started spitting it out and loosing weight. By pure chance the one day I was in the city to pick up groceries (the only place I can get the formula around here) the store was closed. I had a slight panic attack about what to do because I was out and didn't know what to feed him. The lady behind the counter suggested getting Tropican parrot pellets and soaking them to make them soft. I did this and added some baby sauce to it (so far I've tried Apple and Peach) then blended it all together....my gosh he goes crazy over the stuff and has gained 2 pounds in a week and a half. It's amazing! So if you want to try it this is how I do it:

Take Tropican Parrot Pellets and soak them in water, a sealed container and in the fridge over night
Once their soft put 4 tbsp of it in a blender along with a tbsp of some form of baby sauce
Blend it all together on the Puree and Liquify stages of the blender
Through it all in a bowl and in the microwave for about 30 sec and syringe feed to your bird

Hope it helps!

 

[plax]

....my gosh he goes crazy over the stuff and has gained 2 pounds in a week and a half.

Just a question and comment: Surely you don't mean "2 pounds"? Most large, fully gown Macaws only weigh 2 to 3 pounds total (3 pounds = approximately 1400 grams)

 

[Doves1]

Just a question and comment: Surely you don't mean "2 pounds"? Most large, fully gown Macaws only weigh 2 to 3 pounds total (3 pounds = approximately 1400 grams)

LOL no I didn't mean literally 2 pounds, he just gained weight. Before I started feeding this to him I could see his breast bone now I can't even feel it.

 

[plax]

LOL no I didn't mean literally 2 pounds, he just gained weight. Before I started feeding this to him I could see his breast bone now I can't even feel it.

Ah, OK.. fair enough then

 

[Batboy94]

Ooh my gosh! Me and you are having the same problem! I have a 4 1/2 month old Camelot. I know it is very overwhelming and very stressful... And she is my very first macaw, can you say rookie mistake again? But do you know what my vet said, she told me that we are going through the hardest part of baby raising. So hang in there I know your pain!

 

[Doves1]

I've actually quite enjoyed my un weaned baby macaw. Although I've had experience with hand feeding birds before as I raise doves. Defiantly not the same but it's the same concept.

All you have to do is get the right food that your bird likes and the food likes the bird and feed on a regular schedule.

 

[Vdavis0789]

I am just wondering ..I have a B&G macaw and I noticed ur baby is already weaned. my baby is 7 1/2 months old and is not weaned yet. Is there any tips you can offer? When was your baby eating mostly on his own? What tricks did you use?Thanks- HELP!

 

[JJones1719]

Please be advised that it normally takes up to 1 year to fully wean a Macaw and during this time, they do regress.
I purchased a wean GW and to due to his surroundings changing at 9 months, he regressed. I had to take him to the Vet for a week 2 times per day to tube feed him and after $800.00. I called my breeder and took him back to VA to be weaned again.
Hang in there, it will get better. Best of luck. Joe

 

[Sherry]

You know it's strange, I don't mind hand feeding ( I actually enjoy it), I was happy to think I had gotten through it and was almost done. What I didn't expect or know anything about was seeing her looking so weak and sad, she really looked awful. I thought I had done something wrong. As it turned out she's just a normal baby macaw and smart enough to manipulate me, hahaha. She is back to two very enthusiastic feedings and that's fine. I can wait until she starts refusing food again. Many people here were very helpful and supportive during my freak out and I'm very thankful ( especially you Wendy!). My concerns were always about not causing harm because of my ignorance macaws are definitely "different" kind of bird.

 

[Thingamagigs]

Awww Sherry... you are such a sweet and caring parront!!
The effort you have gone to is amazing, especially because you never expected to be in this situation.

I know where you are at right now. When I first started handrearing bubs this kind of thing scared me. When I originally started out handrearing I was under the impression that like puppies, they require being weaned in a certain time frame and at a certain steady progression. They soon taught me otherwise and gave me a great insight into birds and their ways.

I didn't have online resources to help, I had to figure it out for myself (I had a great teacher, but he was old school and did not abundance wean at the time)... after pulling my hair out over "just getting by" with my birds (i would get them weaned, but it was stressful for me and the birds), I had a break down and gave in and continued to feed them.
I ended up realising birds are a very different creature. I had to get used to loads of wasted formula, tonnes of mess, heaps of wasted foods and lots of annoying baby calls constantly because they were hungry but didnt want handfeeding but hadn't figured out simply eating by themselves yet. My eclectus required me to hand her food portions for weeks LOL

I have had to learn through trial and error, but I have a better understanding of birds and how they think as well.

Owning birds has taught me to relax and take things as they are. A person can't fight a bird, cant force it to do what they want and even if it was possible, it shouldnt. Its amazing how that filters through to other areas in life as well. Birds made me peaceful.

I understand your current stress so well. Its so disconcerting to have your bird tell you its over being handfed, it wants to eat real food... but then have it go off real food, become weak and then start demanding hand feedings again. Because in our human minds, weaning should be a constant progression.

I am happy people were here to put your mind at ease! I hope you aren't stressing anymore All I can say is, expect to waste heaps of food, make heaps of mess and have your baby remain fickle and undecided for as long as it sees fit... and all while trying to leave the frustration and worry behind. lol You are doing great Sherry

 

[Sherry]

Thanks for the kind words thingamajigs. It certainly has been an adventure haha. Everything is going as it should, she's happy I'm happy. Nema and I have worked out a way to feed through the syringe with little to no mess now. This took a while but we are like a team when it comes to feeding time.