# of feedings per day [Archive] - Talk Parrotlets Forums

nar1122

08-12-2007, 06:32 PM

This is okay. At this age, they should be getting no less than 24 cc's per day (7-8 cc's in the usual three feedings.) You can do it as often as he/she likes.
:):)
Make sure you are introducing it to seed, and millet at this age. She should start to wean soon.

In case your wondering, me and my mother hand fed all our birds, (6 parrotlets) when they were babies.

Plato&Mya

08-12-2007, 08:29 PM

Hello Paula, and welcome.
This is also the time to introduce fresh foods to your baby. Cooked brown rice, cooked veggies (cut up small) fruit, cooked legumes, everything you want you bird to eat when it is bigger.
I fed my babies 5 times a day until they were fully weaned at 6 weeks old. Even if they refused it, I still offered them formula.
Good luck with your baby!

nar1122

08-12-2007, 09:32 PM

Yes, memmey is correct. Introduce them to as many things as possible, from now on. Even if they don't look at it or touch it. They eventually will get curious, and will get hooked if they like it.
:):)
Is this your first time raising a baby?

Paula0442

08-12-2007, 09:58 PM

Yes Nick, and I'm lov'n it!!! I would happily do it again.

I'll start the food introductions in the morning.She already has millet in her container but I don't think it's been touched yet.
Veggies, cooked or raw? Besides the seed, which is the best food to start with.

nar1122

08-12-2007, 11:02 PM

He will probably try millet first. That is like a treat to them. But when they are young, they will try anything, and when they get older will always look at it as part of their diet. Fruits, veggies, some nuts, etc. You can search for many old posts that explain all that.

Veggies, if you get them frozen, you can cook them, or just soak them in hot water to defrost.

AndreaFahy

08-13-2007, 12:39 AM

Oh my! Why didn't the breeder allow the baby to wean either with the parents or at least in the hands of someone with experience?

Sorry, I know you are very excited but pulling babies and handfeeding is a delicate issue in my world...

nar1122

08-13-2007, 12:46 AM

Just to let you know Paula, Andrea is the most knowledgable expert here! LOL. We all know a little bit about this and that. But she knows a lot!
;);):D:D

catfish

08-13-2007, 12:49 AM

I remember hand feeding Gelato (I've had lots of experiance from work), and it was a lot of work. I only had to do it for about a 2.5 weeks, but it was still a lot of work.

Between mixing the formula, making sure the temperature of the formula was warm enough without being too hot, and continually checking the temperature, it turned into a very long process that at times could be frustrating (like at test times).

I would not recommend anyone doing this unless they've had experiance after being taught how to do it. So many variables can cause death in these little guys.

ANYWAYS. I fed Gelato about 3 times a day, some days he would want to eat small meals 4-5 times a day... it just depends on how much he eats at each meal and what foods I had available for him to eat while I was not there. I provided cheerios, seed, a little bit of vegetables when I was home, and millet. He may regress a little bit in the following week. Gelato did, but eventually he began to refuse the syringe. It'll be a gradual thing. Gelato at the end would still act like he wanted the syringe, but whe I got it ready for him, he would not want the formula. He would turn his beak and fly to his little cage.

AndreaFahy

08-13-2007, 01:48 AM

Thanks :)

We did breed and hand raise for some time, specialty in Parrotlets !!!!

I have since learned many new things and learned the joys of co-parenting / parent raised birds. I have not done this with my parrotlets yet, but do not foresee myself hand raising any more parrots. The parents do an excellent job and as long as a good relationship is established with the parents and they are kept well, the babies can be just as tame and easily trainable as a hand raised parrot. And in addition, less likely to develop behavior issues that can be linked to hand raising.

ANYWAY *L* I have totally changed the subject here, but just wanted to share a bit of that. Perhaps it's worthy of a new thread.

Pado

08-13-2007, 12:18 PM

That answers my last question on my previous post - guess I should have kept reading :)

This isn't directed at your Paula or your excitement at being a new Parrotlet owner - its just a general statement for the board -

I am very surprised that there are breeders out there that let their babies go before being weaned - I don't understand it.

As Andrea said hand feeding is a very delicate affair - yes, it can be done without incident but so much can go wrong - and when it does its devastating for the baby - Crop burn - infections - even starvation just to name a few. I'll just never understand any breeder that lets their babies go before weaning. My opinion is if you don't have time to do it - don't breed.

Anyway that being said - Paula I wish you the best of luck and look forward to hearing more about Emmy. One recommendation I can give you is to get a bird scale and weight Emmy at the same time each day (usually best first thing in the morning) this will give you peace of mind that she is gaining weight and all is going well with her. ;)

nar1122

08-13-2007, 12:59 PM

Pado

08-13-2007, 01:17 PM

Still IMO its not a good practice to just pass out such young birds and hope for the best.

Birds will still form a strong bond to their owner without being hand raised by them. Actually some think a bird will instinctually form a stronger bond with someone that didn't hand raise them as its normal for a wild bird to venture away from its parents to find an unrelated mate.

catfish

08-13-2007, 01:21 PM

I don't believe it strenghtens the bond. You are now the parent, and when the baby grows up it will want a mate which means leaving the parent behind. They will still interact with you because you are part of the flock, but they may not consider you their mate unless you are all they have.

There are plenty of cases where people have bought and weaned their own birds thinking the baby would attach to them, to only have them bond to someone else in the house when they become an adult.

The only reason I even took Gelato at such a young age and weaned him myself is because the breeder offered and said he should be done within a week, turned into 2.5 weeks but oh well. Overall, I don't think they should be sold to anyone until they are weaned completely. You are paying the same for a weaned bird or for an unweaned bird. IMO you should get a discount because you are doing the breeders work for them...

catfish

08-13-2007, 01:22 PM

ha! Pado beat me to the point! We just had this discussion on my quaker board~

Pado

08-13-2007, 01:29 PM

catfish - I know, I hate when that happens :)

But I'm glad to hear someone else posted the same info I heard. ;)

Paula0442

08-13-2007, 05:53 PM

I thought I already replied what I'm about to but now I can't find it. Here I go again.
The breeder was not handing the baby over to just anyone. Not that I'm experienced in baby birds but I have sugar gliders. Sometimes the parents refuse to take care of the babies when they come out of pouch. That's when the owner has to step in and take over the feedings. This little Parotlet WANTS to eat but a lot of the time you have to force the joey to eat.
Anyway, the breeder and I sat down and discussed this and decided that it was safe for me to take her.
And, I of course already have and am using a digital scale every morning.

catfish

08-13-2007, 06:00 PM

sounds like he is in good hands! I hope you don't think we were saying you were not capable, it's just the thread got hijaked by another topic. It seems lately we've been doing that....

AndreaFahy

08-13-2007, 06:20 PM

Well, people that have experience, want their baby young, because hand feeding is the process in which the baby will bond to you best, and get used to humans. Most breeders don't interact with their birds. Just feed them all, and put them back into a little dungeon.

This really is not true. Hand raising falsely imprints parrots on humans, which causes many captive parrots psychological issues later in life.

I have worked with hand raised (those raised well and those raised poorly) wild and even parent raised birds.

AndreaFahy

08-13-2007, 06:22 PM

sounds like he is in good hands! I hope you don't think we were saying you were not capable, it's just the thread got hijaked by another topic. It seems lately we've been doing that....

*L* You have to watch out for me when I come barging in!

Paula0442

08-13-2007, 06:33 PM

Thanks Catfish. That was nice of you to say. :)

nar1122

08-13-2007, 11:35 PM

Well what's the difference if the breeder or the buyer handfeeds that baby if they both have experience?

Pado

08-14-2007, 12:59 PM

Paula as catfish said the thread went into a different venue :) - I absolutely meant no judgment to you - as I mentioned in the original post my statements wern't directed at you it was a blanket statement I made and still uphold.

Pado

08-14-2007, 01:01 PM

Well what's the difference if the breeder or the buyer handfeeds that baby if they both have experience?

We weren't talking about people with experience in hand raising birds -

nar1122

08-14-2007, 01:16 PM

Oh....
Sorry :o:o:o:o:o

Paula0442

08-14-2007, 01:23 PM

Pado, no offense was taken. :)
And, I definitely do know where you're coming from with your comments, and for the most part, I agree with you.

nar1122

08-14-2007, 01:26 PM

One recommendation I can give you is to get a bird scale and weight Emmy at the same time each day (usually best first thing in the morning) this will give you peace of mind that she is gaining weight and all is going well with her. ;)

I'm not exactly sure, but don't they start fledgling soon. In which they lose weight, or stop gaining?
I'm not sure but you might want to look it up online or ask Andrea, so you don't panic when that happens.

Am I wrong guys?

AndreaFahy

08-14-2007, 10:53 PM

A parrotlet will reach full weight very quickly (ideal - 32 grams)
When still handfeeding you will notice that after they reach full weight that it will then go down a few grams.
This happens right before fledging (first flight)
Then baby will regain the weight!

Since fledging has come up, what are your plans for babies flight in the near and long term future?

nar1122

08-14-2007, 10:55 PM

Andrea, this topic is a little to the side of this one.
But, Oscar has always had his wings clipped. But I'm going to stop that, and let them grow. When they are grown back in, how can I let him know that he can fly?

AndreaFahy

08-14-2007, 11:11 PM

How does he handle getting around now? Does he jump and glide or crash and burn?

parrotlets are generally quick to learn, unless they have a wing deformity or something.

ooh! And parrotlets are MASTERS at clicker training and recall. They absolutely LOVE it!! There are some good threads about it in another section here.

nar1122

08-15-2007, 12:19 AM

Umm they aren't completely grown in. But is he's right next to me, hes fine. If he's a little far away and gets scared, he will do like a little hop. He will get 1 foot high, and maybe one foot forward, and fall. But he doesn't get high.

So do you think when his feathers grow he will do okay, since he's getting "practice" right now??

AndreaFahy

08-15-2007, 07:25 AM

I have a feeling he will do just fine, out of all of the parrotlets I have worked with over the years, only one did not learn to fly (has a wing handicap) And I have had some come to me with severe clips that occured immediately at fledgling never allowing the chicks to really learn flight. Within about six months the flights regrew and they figured it out :)