Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 12/7/2007

Question
Hi,
I asked you some questions about my baby parakeets a couple of weeks ago.  Their names are Merry and Pip.  If you remember, Pip had a splayed leg and I hobbled him with a makeup sponge.  Just so you know, I removed the sponge last week, and Pips leg is almost perfect!  He can walk normally and perch, and climb, just as well as Merry can!  Anyway, I have a few more questions for you.  

Merry and Pip will be 1 month old tomorrow.  I have been trying to wean them for the past 3 days.  I read how on your web page.  I feed them 8:30 am, 1:00 pm, 6:00 pm, and 11:00 pm.  I have eliminated the 6:00 feeding.  So far I have given them cooked brown rice, cooked mashed sweet potato, cheerios, cooked peas, cooked carrots, orange, and Avian weaning pellets softened in warm water, and spray millet. They are being very stubborn about trying new things!  They nibble at the cheerios, and make a huge mess with the millet (I'm not sure how much they are actually eating), but other than that I haven't seen them eating any of the other things.  I have tried putting it in their mouths, they just spit it out, I have tried putting their faces in the dish, I'm not sure if that is helping.  By the time the 11:00 pm feeding comes around, they are acting starved!  Is it too soon to start weaning?

Another question: I have noticed that for the past week and a half, after a handfeeding, Merry will approach Pip and "peck" at his beak until Pip regurgitates some of the food and then Merry eats it!  Basically he is acting like Pip is his mom.  Why are they doing that?  Is it normal?  Will it hurt Pip to give up some of his food?  How can I make them stop?

Also, do I need to give them grit to eat?  I know some birds need grit in order to grind their food, but I'm not sure about baby keets.

Do they still need a heat source, or can I remove the heating pad?

For the past week, whenever I take them out of the cage to feed them, they have not been very interested in eating.  When they were 2 weeks old they were eating about 7 cc's at every feeding, now they will only eat about 4-5 cc's.  Is that normal?  They seem more interested in running around and flying short distances.  Well, today at the 1:00 feeding, they BOTH took off and flew all over the room!  I had to chase them down.  They barely ate anything, and when I tried to restain them, they squacked at me!  They are becoming little brats!!!  Is is too early to clip their wings?  How do you clip wings?

I'm so glad you are back from vacation!  I've had questions for several days now!

Thanks in advance,

Cheryl

Answer
Hi, Cheryl,

I'm going to answer your questions first, then try to summarize it all.  I work overtime and don't have time during the week to answer questions.  Thus, I put myself on vacation from this site during the week.  

First of all, GREAT on fixing the splay leg.  Weaning is a process...it takes time.  Not all birds wean at the same pace...each bird is different and can develop differently.  I start weaning all my baby keets at 4 weeks of age.  Sometimes there's 1 or 2 that start weaning earlier and sometimes there's 1 or 2 that start later.  But I try to start the process at 4 weeks.  Most are completely weaned at 6 weeks.

Perhaps Merry isn't being fed enough when handfed so s/he goes to Pip for "extra" food.  Also, Merry may be begging from Pip because this is what s/he would do with its mommy.  Try feeding Merry a little bit more handfeeding formula to see if this helps.  Be sure you are mixing the formula correctly, too.  Watch Pip closely...s/he may have some type of digestinal/intestinal problem and food isn't being metabolized properly.  Also, if Pip is feeding Merry too often/too much, Pip may not get the nourishment s/he needs.  Can't say this is normal, as I rarely see it.  You may have to separate them after handfeeding (and put them back together a bit later) if this continues just to ensure both get the nourishment they both need.

Parrots do not need grit.  The only birds that need grit are birds that eat their grain/seed whole, such as pigeons, doves, other wild birds.  Parrots hull their seed, thus, they eat the soft inside and don't need grit.  Grit can/will impact a parrot's crop, which requires surgery to correct.

The baby keets don't need a heat source as long as they are fully feathered and able to keep themselves warm enough.  Heat also allows proper metabolism of food in a baby bird, so they have to be fully feathered to remove their heat.  If they have fledged (started to fly), they are fully feathered and heat can be removed.

It is perfectly normal when baby birds fledge that they prefer to fly than to eat (or do anything else for that matter!).  You can control this and must control this so the babies are properly nourished.  When it's time for feeding, you may have to take each one out of the cage individually and feed, then put the bird right back in the cage.  Allow play time outside the cage a couple hours after feeding so they get the nourishment they need (flying can result in food coming back up).  All they want to do right now is fly, but they also need to eat.  You can handle this another way, which may help with weaning.  Allow them to fly and when they are done, then feed them.  They will be all tired out and likely ready to eat.  Then offer them the cooked brown rice, etc.  In other words, allow them flying time in the afternoon, then about a half hour before 6:00 feeding time, put them back in their cage and provide the soft food, and don't allow them back out.  You need to try and control their flying time outside their cage so they will eat.  I don't like to clip wings of young birds until they have thoroughly learned how to fly, land properly, and control their flight.  Also, flying builds up the muscles in their back, wings, chest.  Clipping the flight feathers of a bird that hasn't yet learned how to fly can be a hazard to the bird.  Clipping of flight feathers doesn't keep a bird from flying if the clipping is done properly...it keeps the bird from being able to gain altitude when it does fly.  Therefore, it's important for a baby bird to learn how to fly and control its flight before clipping the flight feathers.  Instructions for clipping flight feathers is on my website.  www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html.  Your birds eating less at each handfeeding is normal for birds who are ready to wean.  I've had baby keets go from 4 handfeedings down to 1 or no handfeedings and directly to soft foods and pelleted food when they are ready to wean.  The birds have to be a bit hungry sometimes for them to try other foods.    

It's normal for a bird not to eat food it doesn't recognize as food.  Therefore, keep offering different types of food at different times for your keets in order to wean them.  You shouldn't proceed to the next step in weaning until your babies are eating the food you are offering.  Perhaps you are offering too many different types of foods at 1 feeding?  One day offer the cooked brown rice, next day offer the same but add some veggies, next day offer something else...avoid offering too many items at the same feeding until the birds are older.  If they aren' eating what you are offering, try different foods.  Birds can be particular about their foods...some like their food like veggies sliced, some like diced, some like shredded, etc.  Use fresh or frozen foods.  Cooking food cooks out the vitamins/minerals.  I've also found a lot of keets don't like fruits, so I'll shred some fruits and mix with their cooked brown rice.  Keets also like corn bread, whole/multigrain breads, greens (kale, collard greens, spinach)...there's many nutritional, healthy foods you can offer.

Your keets are normal baby keets!  Try my suggestions above and if not working, let me know and we'll try something else.  They may keep hollaring at you because they want out to fly, but you need to also ensure they are being nourished properly.  Walk away from them if you can't tolerate their hollaring to be let out to fly....control this.

Another tip:  When they get out and you can't catch them to put them back in their cage, make the room dark and you can catch them easily.  Birds can't see in the dark, therefore, they won't fly...they will stay where they were last until they can see to fly to another spot.  

Chrys