HELP with my new feather-baby, PLEASE!

I picked up my new IRN yesterday and because he has not been handled much, I first clipped his wings as he was panic-flying and I didn't want him getting hurt. I spent quite a lot of time, yesterday and today so far and he has calmed down considerably; in fact is now sitting on me He's a sweetie and I think he will do just fine once he is used to being handled. Despite being told that he and his sib were eating on their own, he doesn't appear to know quite what to do yet with food, so I have been hand/ mouth feeding him (mouth feeding was the ONLY way I could get him to eat last night, now he will take a little from my hand). I have been able to get him to eat a little bit of scrambled eggs.
I am heading home with him today, and will get whatever is needed for this not-quite-weaned little guy, and would appreciate any advice on what I should be getting for him. The lady I got him for provided some food, but when I looked it was quite large fruit/ veggie pellets, and that's not going to cut it for him. I do have medium size pellets at home for when he is ready...but in the meantime, what and how is the best for feeding him?

He needs a good quality avian porridge, I used aviplus but I'm in south africa. Your vet or petstore should be able to help you with that, you can also feed him steamed, mashed veg such as butternut carrot etc, no potato, yes I think he's too young for the pellets, but do leave a few at the bottom of cage in abowl, as well as a shallow dish of water, for foraging purposes and to assist in weaning, you can use a syringe with a rubber tube on the front ( securely placed) to feed the porridge mix, just make sure there's no air in the tube that your baby could ingest. Alternatively you can use a teaspoon with the edges bent up to form a type of tube, for feeding. Please use boiled cooled water for the porridge mix, and remember their food should be abt the same temp as baby food, too cold won't do and too hot will scald. Throw away any leftover mix and make a fresh dose for each feeding, porridge should have the consistency of toothpaste or slightly firmer. Your baby should take about 2 feeds a day if it is allready flighted, of about 15mls a feed. Always ensure it has the foraging food, because very soon it will ose interest in tge porridge as it starts to wean. Here's just another thought, perhaps baby is old enough to eat and has been weaned, but may be a bit stressed out ( new environment) and therefore not eating? But try the veg and porridge just for safety so as not to perhaps unnecesarily and unmeaningly starving the baby. Also remember after a feed crop should b firm but not bulging excessively, that's a sign of overfeeding, be sure to clean the beak afterwards and make sure no foods stuck to inside of the beak. Good luck!

Thanks SO much for that advice... I am sure he was not fully weaned because he really does not know what to do with the more solid food...I wet down some pellets and he tried but then dropped it out again,, same thing with anything sort of semi-solid, but can eat the weaning food that I got the other day as well as mushy egg biscuits and tiny pieces of well-mashed carrots, bananas, and cauliflower... he does have a good appetite and is eating well, I think.

Glad to hear that, just continue the way you are and still leave the foraging food around, you will find in a week or two baby will start eating less of the mushy food unless he has a favourite, you can also defrost some veg mix eg the peas carrots potato green beans mix, the type you buy in frozen food section and add some of that to his bowl as well. Don't stress if baby eats less unless he looks stressed or thin, that means its starting to wean to the foraging foods, keep cage floor very clean so that way you will start to notice shells, etc pellet pieces that will clue you in on the weaning process your baby is in at any given time. Its good to note some babies wean as early as 9 weeks and some take months, then some spoiled ones always prefer the soft foods over pellet and seed mix. You may also try some tiny soft apple or pear pieces, cut them about the size of a half a pea and supervise the first few times to make sure baby is coping, it will also help to familiarise baby with the shape of the pellets. Please keep me posted, baby IRN are so cute and interesting.

He is still eating his soft food, and has a very good appetite..enjoys mushed up fruit and is "playing" with some semi-solid foods, getting more interested... I am weighing him every day, and his weight is staying stable...he's settling in well, I think!

Sounds good. Glad he's doing well

Thanks! He is doing well and has started nibbling at pellets...my only concern at this time is his fluid intake...he doesn't seem to drink much, but his poops are a healthy colour/ consistency, so I am just keeping an eye on it...
Any advice on increasing fluid intake as he becomes less reliant on the "mush" (which has liquid in it...)?

Well if he's thirsty, he will drink, as long as he's not straining or has any poop stuck to the vent, he is fine. As he eats more of his solid food, he will drink more, I've found when I mist my IRN's they usually open wide for a drink at the same time too lol! Well I guess you first have to try him at misting, as Piper tolerates it occasionally, while Buster keeps coming back for more untill he's soaking wet! If the poops consitency is normal though I do believe he's getting enough to drink.

Thanks...I will try the misting with him...and thanks so much for your input!