New baby Black Capped Conure - Boo

[Sincerely]

I have a 7 week old baby who I hand fed for the last 2 weeks and he is not wanting to take it now. I have never hand-fed my own babies but have worked for The Center For Wildlife feeding hundreds of baby birds who ate all different stuff so am familiar with hand feeding. He is also eating a seed mix with pellets and I have tried different fruits and veges which at this point are more played with than eaten. I am not sure if Boo is a boy or a girl but I named him Boo because he likes to play peek-a-boo with anyone who walks by. He will be 8 weeks on Sunday and is already flying. Would anyone suggest I get him into a cage now. I am afraid he will hurt himself in the container he has been in because he is constantly flapping his wings, not to mention the mess his bedding is making all over the house because when I am home I keep him with me. He has a small beak but seems to eat fine. It seems like it just doesn't have the point and curve at the end but other than that it works he nips and eats just fine.

Any suggestions or advice is appreciated.

Joyce

 

[itzjbean]

Yes, now would be a good time to get him into a 'starter' cage. Usual weaning times for conures are going to be around 8-12 weeks, with some sooner, and some later. Every bird is different.

This is basically a small cage that will be big enough for him to flap around in and with a couple perches (put them low so he can climb up onto them from the cage floor) he should also be learning to perch and will eventually begin sleeping on a perch instead of on the ground and on bedding. At this stage he should be fully feathered and he should be weighed daily with a gram scale to ensure he is gaining weight. This is very important! He should also be seen by a Certified Avian Vet to get a wellness check to make sure he doesn't have any health problems. They can also do a DNA test for you, usually it's pretty cheap, like $20 to get it tested.

At this stage you should continue to offer a variety of foods like seeds, pellets (I use Zupreem fruit pellets and Roudybush crumbles) and as many fruits and veggies as you can think of. He will keep playing but eventually should begin actually eating them. It wouldn't hurt to keep a nightly feeding just in case, and stop when he refuses for a few days. Softer foods are better, and the more finely you can chop them up to serve they usually eat it better if its bite-sized but just continue to keep offering different foods.

By the way, my bird is named Boo, too! lol

 

[EllenD]

Agreed, you need to get him into a "Weaning Cage", which is a parrot's very first cage, and that consists of all different diameters and materials of perches, all different types of food and water bowls/dishes/bottles, and all different types of toys/foraging activities/ladders...This is all so he learns how to perch on different surfaces, climb, jump, eat, drink, and yes, play...often breeder's don't put their babies in any type of cage at all, and the bird literally has no idea how to even "play" with a toy...So this is extremely important to his development, both physically and psychologically...


****Are you weighing him daily, on a digital kitchen scale or similar? If not, this is the time that is absolutely imperative that you do so every single day, to make sure that he is actually eating solid food and not just playing with it/spitting it out...This is the time when many baby parrots who are seemingly starting to wean actually have issues and aren't really weaning at all, and the only way to know is to keep track of his weight...If he's already fledged and you haven't been keeping track of his weight thus far, then you can start from this point and go forward every day...If you have been weighing him every day, it's typical for them to lose weight while fledging, then gain it back quickly after...But any time they start refusing all hand-formula at one time, you must make sure that he's actually weaned, and that nothing else is going on...Usually they don't just suddenly refuse all formula feedings, they typically do taper-off slowly, and they often request a nighttime "comfort feeding" for quite some time after they actually seem to "wean"...So be very careful, weigh him ever day, check his crop multiple times a day to see if it's full, etc. You must make sure he's actually eating enough pellets and seed to sustain and increase his weight after fledging, if not then you've got an issue that needs to be addresses...
Hopefully once he's inside a proper Weaning-Cage he'll adjust quickly, but you still need to keep a very close eye on his food intake. At 8 weeks for a Green Cheek they are typically just starting to really wean, so it's early for him to be fully-weaned at this point...not impossible, but not typical either...So just be sure you are still offering him formula multiple times a day...

***A good rule of thumb is "Let the baby refuse the Formula, let it be their decision. Never make the decision for them."

 

[TinaLee]

Congratulations on Boo! I am considering a Black Capped and can't wait to hear how life with Boo is going. Take care.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Great advice above.
I know little about dealing with hand-feeding, but here is a great source from a respected member, SilverSage.
http://www.parrotforums.com/breeding-raising-parrots/74363-so-you-bought-unweaned-baby.html
Good luck to you and your baby.
And thank you for the rescue/rehab work you do!