Do I still need to hand feed my sun conure?

[Majest]

Hey, my sun conure is about 6-7 months old and still seems to be handfeeding. My sun conure now eats less of the formula but still likes it. I think my bird eats somewhere near 10cc and i called the pet store and they said stop feeding them when they don’t eat anymore of the formula but ITS BEEN MONTHS

help

 

[itzjbean]

Hello and welcome!

There are two types of ways birds are weaned by breeders - force weaned and abundance weaned. Force weaning = taking away formula and forcing it to eat food while still wanting to eat formula. Abundance weaning = continuing to feed the bird formula (usually one feeding a day) until they refuse it completely.

Many people on this board will agree that abundance weaning is healthier for the bird both mentally and physically. While most birds will refuse formula at a normal weaning time, that's not always the case, and some will still want it for a while. In my opinion, you should continue to offer formula as long as your bird wants it. At this time you should also be offering your young sun conure a wide variety of new food to try -- seeds, millet, pellets, and chopped up fresh fruits and veggies. Eventually your bid should refuse the formula and eat entirely on its own. It's not unheard of for a baby to still want formula at this age.

 

[SilverSage]

So I'm one of those "always abundance wean" people, but 7 months for a sun conure is not in the realm of normal. To me that indicates either a very insecure bird in which case you need to work on confidence with him, or a freak case of a bird who just thinks formula is yummy and doesn't want to stop.

What is the rest of his behavior like? Does he try new foods easily? Play with new toys right away? Step up for new people? Play quietly even when you are home without having to be on you?


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[Scott]

Welcome to the forums! You and your conure are in the best of hands with two of our hand-feeding experts!

 

[Majest]

My sun conure is a very social bird, yes they try new foods easily, plays with toys, and steps up for most people. When I leave my bird alone, they begin to scream a lot though. Eventually they stop, but when they see me they scream again.

 

[SilverSage]

In that case, based on his age, I'm going to give you advice that I usually yell at people for giving. I cannot believe I'm about to suggest this but your bird is almost an adult (though a macaw could easily still be hand feeding at this age).

Start at the vet. Go get a gram stain (probably around $40) to be sure nothing weird is going on digestively. All freshly weaned or almost weaned birds should get those anyway.

Assuming all is well in that area, start reducing the feedings by 1cc every 2-3 days. Once the last feeding is gone, replace it with he favorite treat. Watch for weight loss.


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[LordTriggs]

another fan of abundance weaning here and I gotta say I agree with Sage on this one.

I've seen stuff before of birds in their teens who still get hand-fed every single night, although rare there are some birds which just like it but those birds do appear to be confused when it comes to hormone season. They struggle to tell if their owner is a parent, a flock friend or a good baby maker and they get upset throwing tantrums much like a toddler being told they can't get that toy they absolutely have to have. A slow reduction in feeding is how I would go about things, I'm talking drops less each night until the syringe is almost empty and becomes boring.

Just remember a lot of hand-fed birds will continue baby motions and sounds as a way to get attention well after weaning

 

[SilverSage]

Yes. But let me repeat in case someone else reads this later on, reducing feedings like this is NOT OK FOR A BIRD OF NORMAL WEANING AGE!! 99.9999% of parrots should be fed as much as they want until they refuse feedings completely for several days in a row. This person has a SPECIAL CASE!


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[Majest]

I’ve called the pet store where I got my sun conure from, and the employee told me to feed my sun conure less and less each day. Is she right?

 

[Majest]

I also looked it up, it says maybe I should mix the formula with my sun conures food and to give them a lot more fruits and veggies.