Weaning U2

[u2pearl]

Pearl is a 5 month old u2. She is not weaned. After doing alot of research, I have decided to go with "abundance weaning." I am now feeding her 2x per day with formula, using a syringe. During the day I have been offering her lots of varieties, pellets, fresh fruit, some seed, fresh vegies, scrambled eggs, oatmeal. 99% of the food offered is wasted. However, she does seem to at least taste everything.

Someone told me to try baby food. Is this a good idea? Should I mix it with the formula? What about baby cereal?

I also sometimes add warm water to the pellets, and make a mush. She does eat some of this. If I use regular pellets, she usually throws them around. (Much to my dogs delight.)

I see no reason to rush weaning, however I would like her to develop a taste of several different foods. Not just the formula.

Am I doing right? Any suggestion?

Pearl is my first large parrot and my first to wean.

Should the eggies be raw or cooked? If cooked, to what consistency?

[KimBear]

When you say you are offering her other foods, are you putting them in a bowl and hoping she pays attention to them, or are you feeding them to her with your fingers during her normal feeding time? The latter is a good way to help her transition to "real" food as opposed to her forumla. Just putting some stuff in a bowl may not be enough to interest her.

I don't suggest using human baby food instead of her parrot formula, but you can use it along with the other more solid foods you're using for variety. Don't rely too much on liquid food. The idea is to get her to eat some non-liquid food at each feeding, in addition to what you're giving her in a syringe. You then gradually decrease the parrot formula until you are mainly feeding her the veggies, eggs, etc. with your fingers, AND she is picking it up on her own, too.

Mostly this literal hand feeding occurs during the specific feeding times, but as she begins to develop the habit of chewing and getting used to the tastes and textures of the "real" food, she will hopefully start exploring what you put in bowls for her. Keep a few bowls of various things for her to pick at.

Begging for attention even when not hungry is something cockatoos may do during weaning. You don't want to just ignore a crying baby, but if you are overly attentive everytime she cries, you could foster a bad habit. A weaning parrot needs to become psychologically independent, not just food independent. There are many ways to do this. One is to make feeding time not just about the food, but also about play and exploration. As she gets full, she's likely to want to wander around the table, and that's fine. Have some toys on hand for her to play with. As far as how to balance giving attention to a weaning baby without "spoiling" her, you may want to give me a call if you need me to elaborate on this. There are some dos and don'ts that depend on the individual situation.

Overall, you want her to feel that she doesn't need to cry to get attention from you, pretending that she's hungry when what she really wants is affection. But she needs the right type of attention and affection. Over cuddling a young cockatoo isn't a good idea, so the attention you give her between feedings should consist of games and just hanging out. Don't make her feel that she has to be physically on you all the time.

As for eggs, always serve them cooked. Never raw. Same goes for any meat you might give her, such as a chicken bone. Bones make excellent treats for birds, but be careful that your dog doesn't try to take them from her.