Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 1/11/2007

Question
i hope you can help me as soon as possible. my baby tiel was the only egg to hatch .the parents took good care of him/her until it was 2weeks old.then dad began to pick at it. all of the head ,neck and wing feathers were being pecked off and some bruising on the neck.i had to remove baby and hand feed (my first time to handfeed ) every thing has went well but now im worried about him.he took handfeeding real well and is the sweetest thing.hes 51/2 weeks old now.i was feeding him 4 times a day (cutting down to three times a day)he also eats millet,green beans,carrots,pears and parakeet seeds. he has been flying for weeks lands well.he can make 4 or 5 circles around a large room at a fast speed. but yesterday he would not take his formula only about 10CC all day.today maybe 4cc. hes eating the seeds and veggies good .i expected him to slow down but not to stop eating formula compleatly.is he to young to wean? is he weaning his self? what do i need to do? he was a real pig a few days ago. this has been such a rewarding experience he is so loving and sweet.please get back as soon as you can.     thank you nana

Answer
Hi, Nana.  Thanks for posting!

I'd say this baby is trying to wean itself.  When a baby refuses handfeeding formula, it's most likely weaning.  However, babies also won't eat formula if the formula is too cold when fed.  Don't force the bird to take the formula, but you must ensure the bird has plenty to eat with other foods.  This is particularly important with birds that are fledging (flying for the first times).  Young birds would rather fly then eat sometimes, so you may need to confine the bird to it's cage for portions of the day to ensure it eats well.  Try to keep seed to the absolute minimum and offer many other foods.

Chrys