weaning and free flight?

[25k]

talon, my blue p-let is 45 days old now. what a long hard journey this has been. he has shown little or no interest in any foods other than his baby formula. i have raised many baby birds, of all sizes, shapes, colors and breeds. he has been the hardest. i know that everybirdie is different, but he will only eat other foods out of my hand (i.e. millet, veggie mash, birdie bread, fruit, it doesnt matter, he will only eat it if i hold it in my hand. then he only takes a couple of bites.) ok so now that we have established that he is a spoiled brat. while feeding him his 6 am feeding this morning, he ate 3/4 of the formula and then waddled off to his play gym climbed to the top and began swinging. its the first time he ate some of the formula and then stopped on his own accord. kinda of shocked me but im so glad he is growing up. at first he seemed so scared of the millet spray, but after i broke it down smaller, he seems to tolerate it. he will stand on it and pull some seeds off, but nothing great. the thing he has liked the most, was a sweet potato/banana mash. but only off of my finger. i need help, any suggestions?

he started flying last week. lol it is so funny. he over thinks his landings and has a hard time catching a perch as he zooms past it. the other day, one foot caught the perch and the other didnt, he spun around the perch and then hung there upside down by one foot, dazed. he then looked at me and started chirping like it was all my fault. lol. just wondering how y'all feel about p-lets wing trimming. i have always trimmed my birds wings but he is so little, that i am fearful that he needs them to help keep him off of the floor. he loves to walk around my feet and that scares me. i would rather him fly around my head than walk around my size 14 shoes. silly little monster.

i had forgotten how much harder it is to have a single baby as opposed to having a few of them. i thought may be i would get him a girlfriend one day, but not now. i know i have posted it before, but as much as i love him and have enjoyed him, i never want to hand feed a p-let again. he is wonderful but i should have paid the breeder to keep him until he was weaned. if i were to get him a girlfriend that might mean more hand feeding babies and i am not willing. :) maybe he can have a best friend one day, but it will have to be another boy.

[ROYJOY]

weaning, free flight, and recall should all be tought now. the feeding siringe is the best dispenser for reward treats, and birds fledging, and weaning go hand-in-hand in the wild. please dont clip.

[25k]

i honestly knew that i shouldn't trim his wings right now, i meant later on.

[Sally]

I never trim wings, but I have heard you need to let them learn to fly for sure. Flying is important for the brain, not just the muscles.

[Powder]

I'm not sure how Pickie learned to fly so well because I've always kept his wings clipped and took him home w/ me when he was very young. He can turn corners and judge landings and does amazingly well with his wings clipped. It just keeps him from going too far or too high and up up and away. Maybe this is all he knows he can do as far as flying, he certainly is skilled w/ what he's got!

[ROYJOY]

please dont clip.