My baby GCC won't wean! Help!

[JMO]

I've been hand feeding my baby green cheek conure for about 4 weeks now. I bought it when it was six weeks old so this make the bird 2 1/2 months old and it just wont wean.

Ive offered pellets, seeds, millet, veggies, fruits and the calcium stone but the birdy won't budge with anything.

It cannot, and I repeat, CANNOT see any of us because it will start screeching and "begging" to be fed. It has driven us to a loss of patience at times.

Maybe I am being too generous? It is currently on 3 feedings a day. I want to do what is best for the new member of the family, but should start making him/her eat on his/her self?

Thanks!

 

[cdog]

You have to help him along, cut out the middle feeding and offer fresh fruits and veggies and pellets. You cant rely on him to just stop taking one feeding, you have to kind of push him along. Also for the morning feeding only offer a few ml of formula that way he can fill up the rest of the way with fresh food. They don't wean themselfes, you have to encourage them to wean. As long as you are offering free meals(formula) he will never start to eat on his own.

 

[Joeyx]

yeah, do as cdog suggested. don't starve the bird though. if it's begging for formula, give
it a few ml, which would encourage them to eat more, and start offering its own food by
hand until it gets it. you'll see it starting to eat alone and eventually beg less for formula
and then won't want it.

 

[JMO]

Something horrible happened today.

This morning I went ahead and fed it what I usually feed it. Around 12-1 when I usually offer the second feeding of the day, I went ahead and put veggies, seeds, millet and pellets scattered on the table and served myself some cereal. I got the bird and set it on the table with a toy to have some birdy fun time.

It wouldnt have it!! It was screaming and screaming and I was just almost in shock. It then flew to my face and bite me by my lip and wouldn't let go. It was almost as if the bird said "feed me or else....". I bled a little, not too much but I am definitely worried.

I want to do what's best for the bird. The hand feeding itself is not a problem and I haven't encountered one either. My family is just getting tired of the constant begging and screaming. I went to the pet store today and I always see this Sun there and I swear it is the quietest Sun I have ever seen. I always tell myself how beautiful that baby bird is.

 

[Joeyx]

i don't know why you were sold an unweaned baby. if you really can't handle it and can
take it back to the store, get another that's weaned.

 

[cdog]

He was abviously hungry. And he is starting to fledge so he is flying now. I don't see how that is horrible, it is a good thing that he is starting to fly. Try giving him just 3ml of formula at lunch and then placing him on a dish of fruit salad so he gets the idea of feeding himself.
And like Joey said, if you cant handle feeding a baby give him back.

 

[cdog]

Are you sure of his age, can you post a picture of him? And why are you calling him "it", don't you have a name for him.

 

[JMO]

He has been flying for a little more than a week and is quite good at it actually. Giving him back is not an option, not because I can't take it back but because I think that if I am getting a little over my head with the situation it is not a good excuse to get rid of an animal. I don't have a set name for "it" yet but soon I will. I just want to do what's best for my birdy, my cockatiel passed away at the age of 25, I want this bird to be a complete member of the family.

 

[QuackQuack]

It's not that the forum members want you to dump your bird at the first sign of trouble. It is that baby birds are easily killed or permanently damaged from bad hand feeding. We just want everyone to come out happy and healthy!

 

[KatherineI]

It's not that the forum members want you to dump your bird at the first sign of trouble. It is that baby birds are easily killed or permanently damaged from bad hand feeding. We just want everyone to come out happy and healthy!

I agree. It's not that we're saying "Oh, this bird is trouble, you should just give it back" but hand feeding is nothing to play around with! I have a friend who was sold her U2 (Umbrella Cockatoo) before he was weaned and despite _her_ having experience hand feeding and weaning, the place she bought him at insisted on finishing the job of weaning the bird. He ended up having to have almost 3/4th's of his crop removed because _they_ burned it by allowing an inexperienced employee hand feed the bird. It can be a dangerous thing; the formula is too hot, it's too cold, it's fed too much, etc etc etc.

Weaning a baby is nothing to mess around with. And it sounds like you and your family aren't necessarily ready to handle all that it entails. Not to mention, if you think this baby is loud _now_, wait until he or she comes into their own. Sun Conures (and conures in general) are rather loud birds. They aren't cockatiels or budgies that most people don't notice.

 

[JMO]

I've been doing fine all along, I think I just have a baby that doesnt want to "grow up". "Bandit" is actually a very smart little green cheek who loves to cuddle, give kisses and fly. He has steadily gained weight and increased muscle strength, as he can fly for quite a while at a time.
I feel that I have just not done my part on "pushing" him to eat on his own because I have offered formula all the time.
When he starts begging I immediately engage in some form of activity whether its bringing him outside with the budgies (in their cage), a spray bath or laying out on the floor with some veggies, seeds and millet. He stills believes that if he begs enough, he will receive his food, I am just trying to curve that a little and start making him eat on his own that's all.

I agree that hand feeding is a rather meticulous thing to do. I always temperature check the formula though, I just think I have a manipulative baby lol.

Thanks guys!

 

[solobaby]

when i got my gcc he wasn't weaned and he was on one feed a day - then i had to put him on two feeds a day and it took me 2 extra weeks to wean but it happened so just hang in there

 

[cdog]

Yes sometimes babies regress when they switch handfeeders so it can take longer than usual.

 

[MikeyTN]

Sometimes certain babies just takes longer to wean. I can have 5 chicks in a batch while 3 of them weans extremely early during fledging time while the other two takes almost a month longer. It might be wise to clip him right now if he can already fly good. Cause it can drive a person kinda crazy during this period. For those who haven't done a lot of handfeeding you don't understand as it is a very stressful time for the handfeeder.

 

[MySafeBirdStore]

Have you tried feeding any warm, mushy foods first thing in the morning rather than the feeding? I would try sweet potatoes or yams, boiled carrots, any of the available cookable foods, etc. You can mix some pellets in with them, as well.

Do you weigh your baby every other day? What is the weight? I would worry that there is possibly some bacteria going on that is eating up all of his calories and, accordingly, he is very hungry. Has he been to a vet?

Sorry for all the questions. Just trying to help