8 weeks old conure

[Bioengparront]

Hi everybody, I am surprisingly new to this forum, and I say so because I have been the proud owner of a cockatiel for 6 years without being aware of your existence :52: I seriously need some advice and a friend suggested me this forum.
Two days ago our family acquired a new member in the form of an adorable 8 weeks old GCC. He - or maybe she -, came as a breath of fresh air. We recently lost Pachito, the Tiel I was speaking about before, and the thought of having more feathers wandering the house helped us in getting closure. So there came Cookie.
The breeder told me that he was basically weaned, as he picked seeds and egg "thing" (sorry I don't know the English word) and Switchgrass, but that he suggested to hand feed him formula once or twice a day (if he manifested more hunger than usual) until he completely refused it. As Pachito came to us in pretty much the same manner I didn't question it too much; Pachito's breeder told me how waiting for the baby to refuse formula, as opposed to forcibly stop giving it, made for more self assured birds. Also the age of the bird reassured me, by the two months mark most of them are completely weaned from what I read. First day with Cookie was wonderful, he is probably the most cuddly bird I have ever met, and we gave him formula as suggested. Second day was mostly the same.
Today, however, he is acting a little bit differently, he seems more snippy even if still cuddly. I the early morning everything was usual. After his feeding he wanted to take a nap with his head basically under my armpit, and he soaked in all the scratches I gave him. He started acting that way after he woke up. I don't know if maybe it's just him exercising his beak, he doesn't attack per say but he start with giving kisses and then adds pressure till it becomes a bit painful, and when I try to make him stop he protests and tries to avoid my hands, just for repeating all the process again later. It seemed weird mostly because in the past two days he has been a bit passive toward us, curious of the environment, but content with letting me and even my parents pet him. He also ate much less formula than usual today, and he wasn't as enthusiastic as usual about it. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that his feeding was delayed a bit today, something came up and I just couldn't at the usual 8 a.m., but he wasn't even that interested in the formula...
Now I am starting to suspect that the breeder fooled me, and that maybe Cookie was more behind in his weaning than I thought... I read the thread here about unweaned babies and I wanted to smack myself (If only I read that before!) but at the same time I don't know if it applies as Cookie should be almost totally weaned? Also, having had him for so little time I don't actually know what is normal behaviour for him. I am as careful as possible with giving formula. I test the temperature with two thermometers and try to keep it between 38 an 40 degrees Celsius throughout the feeding. I sterilise the syringe with boiling water before and after the feeding. I stop at 10cc or before if he doesn't want to eat anymore. Bringing him back is not an option as for now... He told me explicitly that by this stage Cookie was more than safe to adopt. Am I doing something wrong? Am I way over my head? Sorry, but that article really scared me and I don't want to make my Cookie weary of me by inadvertently doing something wrong... What do you suggest? This is his poop from shortly after his feeding, I didn't manage to catch his first one of the day.
Also, we keep his cage in the living area during the day, and move him to my room at night. Maybe it's too noisy for him? Should I keep his cage in the same room all the times?

 

[Rival_of_the_Rickeybird]

I don't know much about cockatiels. Just giving your query a bump upwards.

Good for you, for reading the unweaned baby thread. I commend you for reaching out and I'm glad you found us.

Best of luck.

 

[LaManuka]

Despite what your bird’s breeder may have suggested, nobody here ever recommends adopting unweaned baby birds for exactly the reasons you are experiencing. It is fraught with danger for the baby bird because there are so many things that can go wrong and even long-standing breeders lose babies sometimes. I would strongly urge you to enlist the help of a certified avian vet NOW if possible, or take your bird back to the breeder until it has been properly abundance weaned and has been eating adult food independently for at least two weeks or more. I cannot tell you the number of heartbroken owners who have lost baby birds in exactly these circumstances and I don’t want you to be one of them!

 

[Bioengparront]

take your bird back to the breeder until it has been properly abundance weaned and has been eating adult food independently for at least two weeks or more.

Thank you for your answer! Unfortunately bringing Cookie back is not an option at the moment as quarantine measures have been increased to a point where we can no longer exit the city, and the breeder was from a different town... I will however contact an avian vet as soon as possible. I have researched a bit more into the matter, and also interacted more with Cookie, and I think a lot of his behaviour can be excused for hunger. I really think now that he is more behind in his weaning than the breeder told me. I have increased his formula meals to two per day regularly and it's a lot better.
However he sometimes starts flapping his wings for no reason at all as if disturbed by something. He also NEVER wants to stay in his cage, but I take him out only near his formula meals to encourage him to try the seeds, pellet and fruit there... I hope I am not wrong in that.
As for now, until I manage to contact the avian vet (there is only one in the entire city, which is also pretty big, so it can be tricky), am I doing things right?
About keeping him in the same room all the time, should I do it? I move him to the bedroom at night because it's darker than the living room.
Thank you again!