Feeding

[weagle]

Weagle up until today was on only 2 feeds a day. When I first got her I tried her on 3 feeds, but she didn't want to be fed in the middle of the day. Today all of a sudden she wanted to be fed at 4.00 and then again at 9 pm tonight before I put her to bed.

Also she isn't feeding off the spoon like she was, instead of taking the end of the spoon (which Dad shaped like a beak), she is sticking her beak in the spoon and eating it out of there.

Is this normal??? Is she learning to feed normally now? I have given her a little bit of seed and she is cracking it open by herself and eating it.

Tracey

[petiel]

Hi Tracey,
Weagle is starting to wean herself onto seed. Give her some rawed out frozen vegetables like peas and corn. And some small bits of apple and carrot. They live to eat the mix off the spoon.

[weagle]

Well this morning my naughty little bird not only didn't want any of the mixture that I made for her but she decided she was going to fly!!!!!!!

Now I have to take her on Wednesday and have one of her wings clipped, cause if she flies with my puss cat around, then my puss cat will pounce and eat her....don't want that.

Have put Weagle onto some sprouts (which Dad grew in his new seed sprouter that I got him for Christmas ;D) and endives, corn, a bit of seed and some apple. She is only really getting into the sprouts and a bit of the endives but only really when it is right in front of her. Will try again with the mixture for a little while, but every time I bring her out to feed she decides to fly - and comes to a bit of a painful end if I can't catch her first.......ie. head first into the window

Am getting some tips from Dad, but anyone else's input will be much appreciated.....

[lovemytiels]

Hi Tracey, sounds all very normal for what weagle is doing. They quickly loose interest in food when they want to fly. The sprouts are a good idea as I use this for my baby tiels that I am h/rearing & they soon learn to gobble it all up. I also use rice bubbles when they don't seem interested in the formula anymore. I put some seeds, rice bubbles, soggy grainy bread in little pieces onto a dish & put it into a dish in their cage. I find with the tiels that they only seem interested in formula food at night time, so I continue to feed them till they are ready to stop that food. Weagle will calm down though if you have her wing clipped & may even go back to wanting more formula. Sounds like you are doing all the right things, but just watch that she doen't loose to much weight as they are really only interested in flying & sometimes they don't eat. I have cats too but I make sure they are outside when I have the baby tiels out. They are good cats but I still wouldn't trust them with the birds. Keep up the good work with weagle. Cheeers Anna

[weagle]

Thanks Anna....she has actually gone back onto the formula - we got a different one and it seems to be working. Then she discovers that she is out of the cage and wants to start trying to fly. Hope having her wing clipped tomorrow will settle her down.

I can't put my cat outside unfortunately, we live on a busy road and she is an indoor cat anyway. I don't really like cats being outside I would rather then being indoors. But she seems to be getting used to Weagle.

I have been sitting with the bird at night and putting sprouts in front of her and she nibbles on them for a while.

Thanks for the encouragement, at least I am doing the right things, this is the first time I have hand raised a bird.

[lovemytiels]

Hi Tracey. I think you will find having her wing clipped will calm her down. For the first time I clipped some baby tiels wings as they were starting to fly with formula in their mouth & one nearly chocked to death the little bugger. I have never moved so fast in all my life but I was able to save it. Scared the beejezus out of me. Once I had clipped their wings they all settled down & as these babies were only 5 weeks old, they really should have been having more formula than what they were taking. H/rearing for the first time can be so scary but sounds like you have really taken to it. My first h/rear bird was a baby tiel & it was only a day old but I had no choice as the parents had abandoned it. Now that was sacry but I with lots of help he survived & he is now my number 1 pet cockatie. He is nearly 5 now. H/rearing is very thearaputic for me & I just love doing it & watching the babies grow day by day. It is so rewarding. Cheers for now Anna