Force weaned

[Minamommy]

I have noticed many people say the term force weaned. Could you explain what this is to me? Sorry if that sounds stupid. I feel worried that the vet I had with Mina made me do this to her. I feel this is why she won't eat well and keeps regressing although her new vet assures me it's because Mina is too smart for my own good and has manipulated me. Hahaha I can see that too. You have all seen my problems with her eating so I need not talk about it. Any help understanding force weaning would be great. Then if I did it, how do I now fix it?

[Pinkbirdy]

My Toos, that ive had, are impossible eaters. They can be extremely picky.I feed them [and sometimes they throw everything out of their bowls]. They don't seem concerned . So ive accepted this might be just how toos are. Is yours doing this ? What do you feed her?

[Minamommy]

I feed her in the morning a seed,fruit,bean,veggie,grain and pellet,herb mix from the safe bird store. She picks out her favorites right away of course. In the afternoon I cut up some fruit and veggies. All she will accept is carrot,apple,pear,zucchini,grapes,sometimes a wild rice mix sometimes sweet potatoes. She always gets Zupreem pellets
That she just seems to throw out of her dish. I take Harrison's and grind it up real fine and cook it in cream of wheat and give that too her before bedtime. I do this every other day because of the iron content. Not sure if it's good for her. Or that amount of vitamin A. But she LOVES it and she eats about 2 tablespoons of it.

[Pinkbirdy]

Wow ,your covering all your basis.Maybe try to cut it up finer . Keep trying things.Try different chop mixes .She sounds normal.

[Turquoise]

Kim mostly when someone is referring to a baby bird being forced weaned it means the breeder who was hand feeding the bird has taken the baby off of the hand feeding formula before the baby was ready to give it up. Every baby bird weans at their own rate and there is no set age. Species wise you can estimate an approximate age the baby should be weaned, but some babies need more nurturing and comfort to feel secure.

When these breeders force the baby to wean before it is ready, often times the baby bird has not begun to eat solid and fresh foods such as pellets, fruits and veggies well enough to sustain itself. Some very unscrupulous breeders, out to make a fast buck, don't even wean the baby on to these foods. They just stop the formula and sell them to unsuspecting new owners or pet shops. The new owners have a screaming, hungry insecure baby on their hands that they don't know what to do with.

That sets the baby up for possible abuse, neglect and starvation from some owners with no prior experience with parrots who can't cope with the relentless screams and uneaten foods. That in itself is the basics of a baby parrot being forced weaned. Sometimes you have to go back to the formula or something similar that we call 'Comfort Foods' (oatmeal, mixes sold for parrots that you cook, etc) to give the baby or young parrot the feeling it is still being nurtured by its parent who is now its owner. Comfort foods are a good way for you and your parrot to bond since it looks to you as its parent.

Force weaned babies also have to be taught to eat the good foods and that is not always easy to get them to do. Repetition of offering fresh and cooked veggies and fruits and various pellets is the best way I know of. You are offering Mina lots of good things and all I can say is keep trying and try new things to see if something will appeal to her.

My newest parrot, my White Capped Pionus, Sierra, I suspect was forced weaned for a quick sale to the pet shop I bought her from. We are working through issues that lead me to believe this. She screams relentlessly at me as soon as she sees me. I hold her she is still screaming, on the play perch she is screaming & chasing me like a baby bird chasing its parent bird that has weaned it. I did give her the formula for a little while, but she was not really that interested in it. She would not eat oatmeal, but does eat at her fresh foods. I did find a few things in the dry parrot mix that she will eat and she is eating very well, but she still has the thought in her head that I am there to supply her with food and screams as long as I am in her sight. She is very quiet when I am not in sight and she goes about her playing and eating.

I would love to say she just wants to be with me and screams for me to come to her, but she is screaming the whole time til I put what she thinks is her favorite foods in her bowl which is dry noodles right now and apple chunks. We will get through this and she is getting better about it and she is super hard headed and wants her own way. LOL Sierra Sunrise is a very sweet little girl and does like a head scratch. I told her this morning when I came home from work and she was screaming for me to get her food like *RIGHT NOW!*, "You know Sierra, I'd miss you and your screams if you weren't here! :th_heart:

[Pinkbirdy]

Oh dear De'Andrea. I remember my Caiques being like that when I first got them. It did get better [keep trying ]

[Turquoise]

Thanks Terri. Funny thing Sierra decided today the screaming is not getting her anywhere. It was like~~Did someone sneak in while I was at work & switch birds on me? She gave a few mini squawks, but not the badgering "Mommy I want and don't know what I want, but I want it NOW!" sound she had been displaying for the last two weeks any time she saw me or I held her or she was on her play perch. She was like, "OK, that didn't work or make me feel better about anything." "Let's try the I'm part of the flock and am loving it here attitude." :)

She is a funny little bird, but I knew she would give it up as she began to settle in and found out she was getting everything she needs. She truly did not know what she was wanting or screaming for since she really isn't hungry. And that is where poor little birds get into trouble with owners who can't cope and are overwhelmed by a bird they don't understand. At least she found me and I understand the reasons and know how to work through it without any abuse or neglect involved.

[Minamommy]

DeAndrea thank you so much for explaining that. The pet store had pellets in her cage which by the way was not even big enough for a cockatiel. The perch was for a parakeet. So he gives her to me to take home to finish hand feeding she was down to once a day and maintaining her weight. So I felt ok doing it I had gone there everyday to do it. It's a miracle she lived there was no testing to see the temp of it or anything and I have no idea if they sterilized anything. So when I get her home and take her to the vet he said just stop feeding her she is old enough. I said well the people on the My Too site still feed theirs. He said don't listen to that site stop feeding her. I did and I regret it. I think it was too soon. Needless to say he is no longer our vet. So now my sweet Mina is a picky eater. I'm a scrappy mom so I hide those pellets in her cream of wheat lol. I will try different chops. I think a finer one might work too. Thanks I would be LOST without all of you!!!

[Pinkbirdy]

Thanksgiving time ,I made pumpkin oatmeal [with everything in it]. Well Belly [my LS2 ] would not touch it .She would rather starve to death than eat that! ;)

[Turquoise]

You are welcome Kim. We are all still learning virtually everything about our birds and sadly about our vets in many cases. Hopefully Mina will become a better eater as time goes by and she matures. Some never do and others all of a sudden decide something they never liked before is the best thing to be invented as food. Great idea hiding her pellets in her cream of wheat. LOL

Terri, my Catalina boys were like that the first few months of cooked bean/noodle/veggie mixes I gave them. They would not touch it if their life depended on it. Leyla Belle ate it from the beginning like she'd had it since hatching and Ruby Jewel was not even an egg yet. She took to it from day one like Leyla Belle once she came to live with me. I decided in my home the girls were the smart birds!:hehe2: It took the better part of the first year the boys were with me, but they finally began to eat a little of it. Those two mac boys still don't eat the cooked mixes as well as the girls. Now all of them love anything that tastes like bread and I cooked muffins with fresh & dried fruits in some & frozen veggies in the other ones. Funny how some birds are just so picky!!:th_LOL:

[Blancaej]

I am with De' Kim. Just keep doing what your doing. She'll come around.

De' - what a challenge you have with little Sierra Sunshine. You are doing a wonderful job with her and it's working! :th_wink:

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