Update on Millie

[newbaby]

Firstly, Millie is happy and healthy. So that’s obviously fantastic!

But when this buribie eat food?!?

Millie is now 16 weeks and 1 day old and shows ZERO interest in eating anything that isn’t spoon fed to her. She won’t even pick food items up. If I don’t put the food in her beak, she has ZERO interest in it. If the food I place in her beak won’t just flow down her throat, she just kind of mushes it around and spits it out the sides.

I’ve tried lots of different fruit and veggies. Brown rice. Plain Cheerios even. She won’t even pick them up. Even if I sit there eating them with her, she has no interest.

Maybe this is my fault? I was feeding Millie on a schedule so she was getting three 50ml ish formula meals per day. I didn’t wait for her to “ask” for it. About five days ago, I cut the middle meal out to see if she would ask for it. She didn’t. So she’s been getting only two meals a day now for the last fives days. I increased the formal amount. So before it was 3 TBSPs of water to 1 TBSP of formula. Now it’s 3 TBSPs of water to 1 TBSP formula + another 1/2 tsp formula + 1tsp powdered pellets. So she’s eating around the same volume of food, but it’s thicker and now contains powdered pellets. She eats this twice a day and after the second meal, she still wants more, so I make a pellet mash for her, but I still have to spoon feed this to her. She won’t just eat it herself.

Her weights are holding steady. But I don’t think she’s eating anything from her food dishes as her crop feels completely empty by the time I feed her the second meal.

Will this ever get better? Lol. Or will I be hand feeding her for the rest of my life?

 

[clark_conure]

applesauce? then introduce an apple? I'm sorry all mine are gluttons so IDK. Baby food jars, then remove over time or put seeds on top of them? just spit balling here, Just an idea that maybe prompts a better idea.

 

[rheashard2]

I don't know if I missed it. But what is Millie? The species is a factor in weaning.

 

[newbaby]

I don't know if I missed it. But what is Millie? The species is a factor in weaning.

Sorry! Millie is a CAG.

 

[newbaby]

applesauce? then introduce an apple? I'm sorry all mine are gluttons so IDK. Baby food jars, then remove over time or put seeds on top of them? just spit balling here, Just an idea that maybe prompts a better idea.

I’ve tried apple sauce and apples and a bunch of other fruits. She’ll eat it if I put it in her mouth, but she makes no attempt to pick food up herself and eat it herself.

 

[rheashard2]

Well congratulations. I am currently owned by a 21 year old CAG. Had her since just under 4 months. Millie is at the age at to show interest. But babies progress at their own pace. They eat amounts at their preferences. Nameless since young never had a 'full' crop. Her weight has been stable. It took a while before I learned what her normal wtg was. If you're planning on feeding pellets, crush a few in her feeding so she'll learn the taste. Is she actively asking to be fed? Take your time. She's at the cusp for weaning. Congratulations on your baby girl and please post a picture. I'm up early because my CAG owner decided she wanted up and breakfast two hours early. Fortunately that's not common.

 

[newbaby]

Well congratulations. I am currently owned by a 21 year old CAG. Had her since just under 4 months. Millie is at the age at to show interest. But babies progress at their own pace. They eat amounts at their preferences. Nameless since young never had a 'full' crop. Her weight has been stable. It took a while before I learned what her normal wtg was. If you're planning on feeding pellets, crush a few in her feeding so she'll learn the taste. Is she actively asking to be fed? Take your time. She's at the cusp for weaning. Congratulations on your baby girl and please post a picture. I'm up early because my CAG owner decided she wanted up and breakfast two hours early. Fortunately that's not common.

She asks to be fed if I don’t give her the afternoon meal. She will ask in the morning and then again in the evening. She’s been slowly gaining weight since losing quite a bit before fledging. She’s almost back to the weight she was a month ago. Ill just keep ordering her food and pray to the raptor gods that someday she has an interest in it.

 

[rheashard2]

Got the beak her breakfast chop. For Millie try small pieces of bird safe fruit and veggies. Use a variety of colors and texture. Have the size about a pea. Even mouthing it is good. She's gonna get a taste and learn. Feed foods you're willing to eat to avoid waste. I used to hate broccoli. Now we both love it. Allow her to see you eat the new foods. Parrots are flock critters. They'll be more willing especially when young to try new foods. From observing my CAG, she crunches her pellets and veggies. Some seems to fall out. I think it's more that she's eating from outside or edge inward. Not popping in in her mouth like a person does. On appearance it looks like waste. In the wild that action scatters seeds. There may be a video on YouTube or similar that shows normal eating action to help you out. Has she seen an avian vet? That's something strongly recommended. If you don't have one check here. Again welcome.