Crying Goffin.

[Addicted to Tequila]

You could also try handfeeding formula in a treat cup. I am doing that now for my new guys just to get some extra weight on them. That may give her the comfort without adding to the problem.

[mmr]

You can also just use a spoon for the formula instead of a syringe. The spoon feedings are messy, but this also gets her used to spoons for later. My too is 11 years old and I will put something of a thick consistancy on it (so it won't run off) and give her the spoon. She will sit there holding it in her foot and eat right off the spoon BY HERSELF. Now my macaw is obviously spoiled because he will eat off the spoon, but we have to hold it!

[JazzysDad]

Originally Posted by Seba

Hello I recently got a baby goffins cockatoo, I've owned her for about 2 months...

Seba,

We are in almost the same situation you are in. In fact, when my wife started reading your post, she thought it was mine!

About a month ago, we were given a five-month old G2 by some neighbors who had her for about a month and simply could not handle her. We were not looking for another bird, since we already had three, but we figured we would take her and see if they changed their minds.

They bought her from a pet store where they were still hand-feeding her at 4 months. They continued to feed her by hand, twice a day, for the month that they had her. She also got Harrison's pellets, but most of her nutrition was coming from the hand feedings. When we got her, we kept up the hand feedings for a few days but also offered her a lot of fresh food from a bowl she shared with the other birds. Within a few days she was eating with them but she still likes to get formula at least once a day, mostly in the evening. We have cut back a little on the amount of formula she is getting at each feeding since she is getting other food. In the time we've had her, her weight has actually increased from 240g to about 260g (BTW, if you don't have a postal scale, get one and use it at least once a day).

When she gets up in the morning, she is usually hungry, but the first thing I do is offer her some fresh food in a bowl. Usually she will eat some of that and most times it is enough for her, but if she cries for the formula I go ahead and give it to her - in a bowl. She is fine with this, but still likes to get fed from the syringe in the evening. During the day she eats with the other birds, both fresh food and pellets.

She likes to sit on our shoulder and interact with us, but we encourage her to play on her own as well so she does not become too dependent on our attention. She seems to be well adjusted and happy, though our E2 likes to chase her around when she gets too close!

The reason I came to this board was because some of the wackos on the mytoos board lambasted me for even thinking of withholding formula from her until she was at least two years old! I think this is a misinterpretation of the idea of abundance weaning, and found that the person who started this idea apparently thinks so as well. So the best thing to do, in my opinion, is to give her what she wants, but try to guide her towards independence - it seems to me that this is what her mother would do.

How hard is your G2 clipped? Did she ever learn to fly?