Hand Feeding 5 Week old parrot

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Gizmotech
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Joined: Wed May 07, 2014 10:58 am

Hand Feeding 5 Week old parrot

Post by Gizmotech »

I have been hand feeding my baby indian ringneck and it is growing well and had been on 3 feeds a day 9 (15ml each). Now the baby is 5 weeks old, i believe it should be going on 2 feeds a day. However, would a growing bird need more food? Why reduce the food? If it is going on 2 feeds a day, do i give it other types of foods in between as snacks?

I am worried as i do not want it to starve or be hungry. Please help.

Also it's not like it has stopped taking food, rather the opposite and gets excited on every feed.
Donovan
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Location: North Carolina

Re: Hand Feeding 5 Week old parrot

Post by Donovan »

Gizmotech
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed May 07, 2014 10:58 am

Re: Hand Feeding 5 Week old parrot

Post by Gizmotech »

Thank you but i had looked at that page before posting and it does not answer my question. My parrot still wants to eat and is not refusing food.
InTheAir
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Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: Hand Feeding 5 Week old parrot

Post by InTheAir »

Try posting your question in the breeding section of this forum. It may take a while to get a response, as everyone has lives outside of the forum, but if you look through the old topics you may find something useful.
You could also try to contact a local bird breeder or avian vet (I'd ask my vet).
Melika
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Re: Hand Feeding 5 Week old parrot

Post by Melika »

I believe that according to the link posted above, at five weeks I still fed three times a day. I also had water, millet sprays, and diced veggies offered freely throughout the day.

As explained later in that post, I only dropped feedings as the chick began to refuse one. By five weeks they would have been manipulating and eating food left in the cage.

There is no rule for when to cut back feeding. Listen to your bird, as you are, and feed accordingly. :)
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I've been called 'birdbrained' before, but somehow I don't think this is what they meant. say:hah-nay
Gizmotech
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Re: Hand Feeding 5 Week old parrot

Post by Gizmotech »

Thank you so much! I just gave it some millets. it eats the whole thing and doesn't crack the millet seed and eat the core inside. Is this normal?
Melika
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Re: Hand Feeding 5 Week old parrot

Post by Melika »

No, that isn't normal to be doing all the time. Has he begun to shell it yet? Sounds like he is ready to have food in his cage though, and can clearly eat it.

He was either really really hungry and swallowed in haste, or missed the stage where he would playing with his food and be learning to shell seed (don't worry, he can still learn). This is why I like to use the millet sprays instead of just seed, as it is more like a toy and encourages playing. I would definitely be feeding lots of veggies at this point, and a little fruit. I would feed all sorts of foods so he gets used to different things. If you feel confident that he is shelling his seed properly, you can try giving a seed mix. Perhaps try handing him a safflower seed and see what he does with it? It's a little easier to shell than a sunflower and bigger, so maybe it will encourage him to chew it. Or you can crack some sunflower seeds and try those- if they're already partially open it might encourage him to shell it (I had to do this with peanuts for Hane).
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I've been called 'birdbrained' before, but somehow I don't think this is what they meant. say:hah-nay
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