Baby started refusing formula...Is this ok?

[Murphy]

As a concerned Mamma, I had no choice but to ask. Over the last 4 days Murphy has started refusing his baby formula. He's roughly 10weeks old now and I would have thought he'd still be wanting a bit more formula than what he does right now.

It's to the point where he may only have 1 full feed of formula a day. He has pellets down for him all the time and I am finding sludgy pellet remants in his small water dish, but am not sure if he is just dunking them or if he is actually ingesting them as well...

What worries me is whether or not he is getting enough food...Surely if he was hungry though he'd just eat the formula offered...birds aren't that stubborn as to starve themselves are they? I have tried to get him to eat his formula at different intervals through the day, but he just won't. And yes, I'm making sure it's warm enough, always a fresh batch and have even tried varying the consistency to see if it's too thick or too thin for him...

Can anyone tell me if this is normal and this means he has decided he's ready to be weaned (obviously I'll still offer the 1 feed of formula if he wants it) and this is his way of telling me? If it is, apart from pellets, fresh fruit and veges should I be offering anything else?

Any guidance you can offer me right now would really be appreciated.

Being a bird mamma can be daunting at times...

[Nazir's]

Oh, I would just say that your baby is now starting to wean his/her self, granted everything is fine. Have you checked the crop? If all is well there, I would go down to only one feeding per day at this point. Weigh on a gram scale daily to monitor his/her weight. During weaning, you may notice a slight drop in weight but it shouldn't be by much. Also, it usually comes right back only quickly, as your fid becomes more comfortable with supplementing that missing feeding on its own. Generally, your fid's weight should slowly but steadily increase. If you do not notice this happening, go back to offering the second feeding again but if he/she refuses it, be patient and encourage independent feedings by offering/providing healthy and incising foods at all times. Weaning takes great observation and patience. Be observant of everything.

Good luck!

[Murphy]

Thank you Nazir...that certaintly sounds like the case. I haven't noticed any problems with his crop, it seems to be emptying fine, doesn't seem to be bulgy all the time, only after a proper feed from me

Hubby and I actually caught him red handed stuffing his face full of pellets tonight, so I'd say he is eating enough for himself that he is just not hungry at the time I'm offering the formula.

I'll go to 2 feeds a day, one in morning, one evening until Wednesday. If he is still refusing the morning feed, then I'll just drop it back to one in the evening. He seems in good health, lustrous feathers, he plays, he chatters away. I have noticed he is making a lot more noise now, but that is probably also because he is bigger and can lol...Not to mention the fact most of it is made over the fact he wants to be on our shoulder and we can't always have him there.

BTW, might I just say what a lovely Electus you have there. He's really stunning.

[Nazir's]

Originally Posted by Murphy

BTW, might I just say what a lovely Electus you have there. He's really stunning.

Oh, thank you. And good luck with your weaning process. For the time being (while you’re still offering two feedings) you may also try offering his first feedings a little later than usual. If you provide food throughout the night, he/she may just be taking advantage of the opportunity before you get a chance to offer your assistance. I had to change my Eclectus’s first feeding from 7 am to 9 am when he started refusing to accept as much as usual. At around 9 am, he was ready to devour something. He still dropped down to one feeding soon after but it's important to not force weaning. Provide the formula whenever in doubt; give the opportunity until you are sure that your effort is in vein.

[huntress]

I dont know what kind of bird Murphy is but in my Lovies and Parrotlets They will start to refuse food when they are getting ready to fledge (to lose weight for flying) and they get really into it. Once they are flying pretty good they start flying back to me and begging big time to be fed again after a few days. They are really insistant to be fed but they usually back off after another day or so and only take a mouthfull or two.