Abundance Weaning

[LivingFiction]

So Feo's still on a Syringe a day, if he begs for it. Tonight he didn't, and he'd pigged out on corn, apples, and bananas, so I let him go to bed without it. But I like the idea of abundance weaning, although until recently I'd never heard about it. Should I just offer him the syringe nightly until he refuses it?

[danforth3]

I did with my senegal and she's weaned fine. She no longer begs for the hand-feeding.

[The Outlaw]

What I would do is make him a warm snack for the evening, not necessarily formula. They really like the personal interaction that comes with the handfeeding. If he doesn't beg to be fed, then consider him weaned. Just make sure to check his weight and be certain he's drinking plenty of water.

When Sailor arrived here, he had been weaned for 14 days. He ate all by himself for the 10 days he lived here. When he went to his new dad, he apparently got homesick for me and stopped eating on his own. Roy didn't realize that a weaned bird could revert, so he just kept on filling up the food bowls. Unfortunately, Sailor had stopped eating. When in a panic Roy called me to come get this bird, I was horrified to see how much weight he'd lost. I had NO formula on hand, so I had to make up my own. I always have sweet potatoes handy, so I nuked a sweet, squeezed an orange and added about a teaspoon full of smooth peanut butter. Luckily for me, he ate it off of a spoon. He was RAVENOUS! He reverted to 4 handfeedings a day for another month! When babies get stressed, they want the comfort they get from being fed. Now I always keep a bag of formula in my freezer, some jarred baby foods in the pantry and monkey biscuits. You just never know when they might come in handy.

Monkey biscuits can be soaked in either warm water or fruit juice and offered to baby birds right off of your finger tips. I highly recommend getting a bag and keeping them in the freezer. Years ago, all baby parrots were weaned to monkey chow. It has now been replaced by more parrot specific foods, but its handy to have on hand.

If Feo is happy and stress free, he may wean completely with no regression what so ever. That would be ideal.

THE OUTLAW

[Rue]

...just an aside...I seem to recall hearing that the term 'abundance weaning' is TM'd...and the term can't be used without permission...

...yet I see it everywhere...

...is this correct, or am I out to lunch?...

[Eliza]

Originally Posted by Rue

...just an aside...I seem to recall hearing that the term 'abundance weaning' is TM'd...and the term can't be used without permission...

...yet I see it everywhere...

...is this correct, or am I out to lunch?...

Rue -- I've only recently heard of the term Abundance Weaning. I've seed it mentioned in many ads from bird breeders. Anyoo, I was reading up on different poicephalus breeders on the East Coast and came across THIS ARTICLE.

You've probably already found your answer by now, though

-e-

[StellaBlue]

eliza, that article is fascinating on a number of levels. My first-ever bird was a wild-caught TAG, perhaps a year old when I got her. It took almost two years for her to be tame and trusting, but after that she was incredibly stable. Interestingly enough, anytimne she was stressed or fearful, she begged for food. Even though she was NOT a handfed bird, feeding her water or juice from a dropper or soft food from a spoon always seemed to comfort her in any stressful situation. This article goes a long way towards explaining that behavior as nornal and natural.

Regards,
Rita