Weening Goffin's Cockatoo
Richard Goodman
Hello bird lovers!
My wife and I recently purchased our first bird -- a baby Goffin's we've
named Q-tip. We purchased Q-tip from a reputable-enough pet store at the
age of 3 months or so, perhaps even a little earlier than that; but as of
right now, at the age of ca. 4.25 months, she is still at the pet store
because she is still not weened. We realize that cockatoos can be slow to
ween, and we've been visiting Q every day since the end of February, but
we have some questions/concerns about her progress to weening:
Q-tip has gotten a fine bill of health from a vet (we took her recently),
but she has *no* interest in food. Stick food in front of her, and it's
like a crucifix to a vampire! While all the other birds at the store
absolutely love all types of food (we bring in all sorts of goodies each
day for everyone), ours refuses to touch any of it. When we bought her,
Q-tip was on two hand-feedings a day, and about 2 weeks ago she was
brought down to one hand-feeding a day, in the morning. She is supposed
to take 30-40cc's of her formula with those feedings, but usually after
about 5 cc's (or 10 at best) she becomes very feisty and puts up a real
fight to taking any more. In the evening we currently give her a
heated-up mix of the monkey-chow type pellets mushed with apple sauce;
she does eat this, but clearly not as much as she should I think (her crop
doesn't even fill a third of the way).
When we visited another bird store a few weeks ago, they had a pair of
Goffin's babies, and we were told that their Goffin's are always weened by
3 months or so. In the meanwhile, we are concerned that the longer Q-tip
stays in her store, the less control over her habits and personality we
will have in the future. Things have recently been exacerbated by the
arrival a few days ago of a baby Moluccan's (3 months old), whose (normal)
crying and demeanor has led Q-tip to immediately regress it seems. Whereas
before she would pretty much never cry, or hunch down in the "feed me"
position, ever since the Moluccan arrived (and is in the cage directly
next to Q-tip), Q-tip does both every day when we visit her. Beyond that,
it seems like she is no longer displaying the spunkiness and attitude she
had before. We think she may be stressed, as her feces are now more
yellowish-brown in color, rather than the normal healthy green she's had
until recently.
We would like to bring Q-tip home as soon as possible, where we know we
can give her as good an environment as we think possible, but we don't
want her to have feeding problems prolonged. What is the best way to
quickly and effectively get our stubborn eater weened? We realize her
current state may be just a temporary phase, but we don't want any bad
habits to form, simply b/c she is being kept at the pet store for an
unreasonably long period of time. Any advice would be much appreciated.
thanks!
rick
Adam Sundor
Richard Goodman (goo...@fas.harvard.edu) wrote:
: Hello bird lovers!
: My wife and I recently purchased our first bird -- a baby Goffin's we've
: named Q-tip. We purchased Q-tip from a reputable-enough pet store at the
: age of 3 months or so, perhaps even a little earlier than that; but as of
: right now, at the age of ca. 4.25 months, she is still at the pet store
: because she is still not weened. We realize that cockatoos can be slow to
: ween, and we've been visiting Q every day since the end of February, but
: we have some questions/concerns about her progress to weening:
: Q-tip has gotten a fine bill of health from a vet (we took her recently),
: but she has *no* interest in food. Stick food in front of her, and it's
: like a crucifix to a vampire! While all the other birds at the store
: absolutely love all types of food (we bring in all sorts of goodies each
: day for everyone), ours refuses to touch any of it. When we bought her,
: Q-tip was on two hand-feedings a day, and about 2 weeks ago she was
: brought down to one hand-feeding a day, in the morning. She is supposed
: to take 30-40cc's of her formula with those feedings, but usually after
: about 5 cc's (or 10 at best) she becomes very feisty and puts up a real
: fight to taking any more. In the evening we currently give her a
: heated-up mix of the monkey-chow type pellets mushed with apple sauce;
: she does eat this, but clearly not as much as she should I think (her crop
: doesn't even fill a third of the way).
: When we visited another bird store a few weeks ago, they had a pair of
: Goffin's babies, and we were told that their Goffin's are always weened by
: 3 months or so. In the meanwhile, we are concerned that the longer Q-tip
??? physically and emotionally? really?
: stays in her store, the less control over her habits and personality we
: will have in the future. Things have recently been exacerbated by the
: arrival a few days ago of a baby Moluccan's (3 months old), whose (normal)
: crying and demeanor has led Q-tip to immediately regress it seems. Whereas
: before she would pretty much never cry, or hunch down in the "feed me"
: position, ever since the Moluccan arrived (and is in the cage directly
: next to Q-tip), Q-tip does both every day when we visit her. Beyond that,
: it seems like she is no longer displaying the spunkiness and attitude she
: had before. We think she may be stressed, as her feces are now more
: yellowish-brown in color, rather than the normal healthy green she's had
: until recently.
??? she may be sick and caught something?
: We would like to bring Q-tip home as soon as possible, where we know we
Chase Kimball
In article <5iuo5t$508$1...@news.fas.harvard.edu>, goo...@fas.harvard.edu
says...
>
>
> Hello bird lovers!
> My wife and I recently purchased our first bird -- a baby Goffin's we've
>named Q-tip. We purchased Q-tip from a reputable-enough pet store at the
>age of 3 months or so, perhaps even a little earlier than that; but as of
>right now, at the age of ca. 4.25 months, she is still at the pet store
>because she is still not weened. We realize that cockatoos can be slow to
>ween, and we've been visiting Q every day since the end of February, but
>we have some questions/concerns about her progress to weening:
>
> Q-tip has gotten a fine bill of health from a vet (we took her recently),
>but she has *no* interest in food. Stick food in front of her, and it's
>like a crucifix to a vampire! While all the other birds at the store
>absolutely love all types of food (we bring in all sorts of goodies each
>day for everyone), ours refuses to touch any of it. When we bought her,
>Q-tip was on two hand-feedings a day, and about 2 weeks ago she was
>brought down to one hand-feeding a day, in the morning. She is supposed
>to take 30-40cc's of her formula with those feedings, but usually after
>about 5 cc's (or 10 at best) she becomes very feisty and puts up a real
>fight to taking any more. In the evening we currently give her a
>heated-up mix of the monkey-chow type pellets mushed with apple sauce;
>she does eat this, but clearly not as much as she should I think (her crop
>doesn't even fill a third of the way).
>
> When we visited another bird store a few weeks ago, they had a pair of
>Goffin's babies, and we were told that their Goffin's are always weened by
>3 months or so. In the meanwhile, we are concerned that the longer Q-tip
>will have in the future. Things have recently been exacerbated by the
>arrival a few days ago of a baby Moluccan's (3 months old), whose (normal)
>crying and demeanor has led Q-tip to immediately regress it seems. Whereas
>before she would pretty much never cry, or hunch down in the "feed me"
>position, ever since the Moluccan arrived (and is in the cage directly
>next to Q-tip), Q-tip does both every day when we visit her. Beyond that,
>it seems like she is no longer displaying the spunkiness and attitude she
>had before. We think she may be stressed, as her feces are now more
>yellowish-brown in color, rather than the normal healthy green she's had
>until recently.
>
>can give her as good an environment as we think possible, but we don't
>want her to have feeding problems prolonged. What is the best way to
>quickly and effectively get our stubborn eater weened? We realize her
>current state may be just a temporary phase, but we don't want any bad
>habits to form, simply b/c she is being kept at the pet store for an
>unreasonably long period of time. Any advice would be much appreciated.
>
>thanks!
>rick
>
>(goo...@fas.harvard.edu)
I have a Bare-eyed Cockatoo, which is very closely related to your Goffin's.
I weaned Curly myself which was a tremendous nightmare. As for Goffin's
always being weaned at 3 months, birds wean at their own pace, but I would
imagine most Goffin's are weaned at that time. It took about a month to six
weeks to get Curly weaned, and it was an acutely stressful time for me. he
fought the handfeeding, but just picked at other food. I boarded him for a
few days with a friend so he could sit next to another bird and watch him
eat pellets. He lost a lot of weight, but some weight loss appears to be
normal at weaning, as they lose baby fat and become lean mean flying
machines. I doubt there is a quick way to finish off the weaning, at least
not one that doesn't damage the bird somehow. Your bird is still very
young, I believe you will be able to train her away from any bad habits.
Please use this time to be reviewing training articles from Pet Bird Report
and Bird Talk, so you can start off right when you do bring Qtip home. Also
you may want to join a local bird club and get advice from people in the
area. It sounds to me as though your bird is a little slow, but appears to
be advancing towards the desired state. I had an experienced friend who
took and entire year to wean a stubborn cockatoo, so it can definitely take
a lot of time. Good luck.
--
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+Chase Kimball (ch...@aros.net), nom de plum "Lord Brancaster" +
+ +
+My heart in hiding stirred for a bird, the achieve of, the mastery+
+of the thing! "The Windhover" Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J. +
+ +
+Visit my home page at http://www.aros.net/~chase to view the +
+virtual gallery of fantasy art of Jesse Allen, and the home site +
+of the Wasatch Avian Education Society. +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ellen beth kessler
(snip)
>
> We would like to bring Q-tip home as soon as possible, where we know
we
>can give her as good an environment as we think possible, but we don't
>want her to have feeding problems prolonged. What is the best way to
>quickly and effectively get our stubborn eater weened? We realize her
>current state may be just a temporary phase, but we don't want any bad
>habits to form, simply b/c she is being kept at the pet store for an
>unreasonably long period of time. Any advice would be much
appreciated.
>
wean properly. The last thing in the world you want to do is force-wean
your bird, because that will undoubtedly lead to behavioral problems in
the future, including plucking and screaming.
Actually I'd be wary of the petstore who claims all their goffin's are
weaned by 12 weeks. That sounds like force-weaning to me and it's the
worst thing in the world for a baby bird who's at an age where s/he
needs all the security/love in the world.
Be patient. Once you have your goffin's, s/he will be with you for a
long, long time. A few more weeks, or even a few more months, are a
drop in the bucket compared to the difference in personalities you'll
experience in force-weaned vs "abundance weaning and the many years the
bird will spend with you.
Ellen K
Rick Jordan
ellen beth kessler wrote:
>
> (snip)
> >
> > We would like to bring Q-tip home as soon as possible, where we know
> we
> >can give her as good an environment as we think possible, but we don't
> >want her to have feeding problems prolonged.
There is no such thing as "forced weaning". That is a term often used to
spread the blame for behavioral problems. In the wild, Goffin's
cockatoos remain in the nest for approximately 7 weeks. After fledging
they are fed by the parent birds only partially for another 4 or 5
weeks. The normal weaning age for a well adjusted, healthy Goffin's
cockatoo is about 10 to 12 weeks.
If you "force" a bird to wean early it starves to death. That is the
bottom line...
Rick Jordan
--
Rick Jordan
Hill Country Aviaries @ http://www.upatsix.com/breeders/hill_country/
"The beauty and the genius of a work of art may be reconceived though
its
first material expression may be destroyed. A vanishing harmony may yet
again
inspire its composer, but when the last individual of a race of living
things
breaths no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such
a
one can be again." William Beebe
Richard Goodman
Thanks to everyone who has responded to my post. Almost everyone we've
heard from or spoken with believes that bringing Q-tip home is the best
step, so...
We brought our bird home last night, and we are hopeful for good
progression. He was very recently brought down from 40 to 20ccs for his
morning hand(syringe)-feedings at the store, and he eats the heated/mushed
pellet mix we give to him in the evenings pretty well. His weight is
staying fairly constant I think (ca. 250-260g ... he's a little small,
even for a goffin's), and otherwise he is active and lively as always.
Hopefully we'll be able to get him off any real hand-feeding in the
not-too-distant future, and in a safe manner...
thanks again!
rick
Eugene Botha
> From what I understand, goffin's can take up to six-eight months to
> wean properly. The last thing in the world you want to do is force-wean
> your bird, because that will undoubtedly lead to behavioral problems in
> the future, including plucking and screaming.
I can agree with this. When we bought out Lesser Sulphur Crested too
a while ago. She was sold to us as a "totally weaned" bird. I did
not want to go through weaning, largely due to what was said on this
new-group. From the time I picked her up to the vet check-up was 6
hours. As I did not want to handle her, in fear that she may have
some decease, so I just put water and seed in her cage (quite large
for a travel cage). I though she was okay, as I could see she took
some of the seeds. It later turned out she was just playing with it.
When I got to the vet he was furious! This guy has no problem telling
you when you have screwed up! She was dehydrated as she still could
not drink water by herself! I told us that the bird was very thin and
very stressed due to the very early forced weaning. He also told us
we had to feed her for at least another 5 months!
We then decided to take the weaning very easy, as she even today seems
a bit thin. At first we gave her baby food up to 6 times per day.
We'd always offer a variety of food (she liked banana, apple and young
apricot leaves) before the baby food. This way, when she had enough
food she would reject the baby food. After 4 or 5 time of rejecting a
particular feeding we never offered baby food at that time again. She
finally stopped eating baby food almost a year after we have bought
her, that is only after being about 15 months old. But she never lost
any weight, and that was the important thing for us.
Another interesting thing the vet told us is to give the birds freshly
cut fruit tree branches. The birds get a lot of minerals from eating
the bark and from playing with the leaves. Of cause, only if the tree
is not sprayed and have not been sprayed for at least 3 years. Luckily
we did have an apricot tree which bear very little fruit, but my wive
liked the buds in springtime. This trick work wonders for our other
bird, who had a mineral deficiency which showed in his feathers when
we bought him. This poor guy did not have a very happy live before we
got him, but thats a long story.
The tree also was a very nice (and cheap) source of perches!
Eugene
--
-------------------------------------------------
Eugene Botha P.O Box 2377
e-mail: Pretoria,
eug...@faraday.usc.es 0001, South Africa
Layne David Dicker
> There is no such thing as "forced weaning".
As one who uses the term all the time, I wanted to react strongly to this
assertion but, technically, you're right. You can't actually "force" any
animal to eat on their own, such being a component of weaning. They have
to put the food into their mouths and swallow, which (when viewed in a
vacuum) are volitional acts.
How about "manipulate such that they wean prior to the psychologically and
physiologically appropriate/optimal time"? Or, for the sake of brevity,
"prematurely wean".
> That is a term often used to
> spread the blame for behavioral problems.
Speaking solely for myself, I use the term to describe the possible
genesis of a certain group of behavioral anomalies frequently exhibited
by birds who "feed themselves" within a time frame which, depending on the
subject species, would be considered "a little on the early side". I
frequently see B/G macaws at bird marts "weaned" at 9-12 weeks.
This is no less often the fault of the buyer as it is that of the seller
(breeder, shop, broker/agent, handfeeder, whomever), or even of some of
the popular literature. (Problem: birds don't read the books.)
> In the wild, Goffin's
> cockatoos remain in the nest for approximately 7 weeks. After fledging
> they are fed by the parent birds only partially for another 4 or 5
> weeks. The normal weaning age for a well adjusted, healthy Goffin's
> cockatoo is about 10 to 12 weeks.
In the wild.
One thing that has been seen is that domestic birds have slightly
different schedules for weaning (I prefer "transitioning"), sexual
maturity, mating and moulting. Why this is will depend on the behavior,
the breed, the individual bird and the environment.
And I'm gonna go out on a limb here, but I'd have to imagine that wild
birds, just like domestic birds, have their own schedules for successful
food transitioning (all research does indicate some range). In that wild
birds are still better at feeding than we are, they can probably keep
everyone within narrower parameters than can we, but variances must exist.
However, for survival reasons, it is necessary for some species to keep
everyone on pretty tight schedules. Therefore, guess what happens to birds
that can not fully transition at the "appropriate" time and, accordingly,
do not develop the necessary independence, self-confidence or survival
skills of their peers?
They get et. Hawk food. Predated.
If a flock, for survival reasons, HAS to move on or have their young
become independent at a certain time, they can't endanger the entire flock
on account of the odd individuals. That's survival of the fittest/natural
selection. Oddly enough, we have a similar system in the companion world.
It's called the "problem bird" and they are "selected" to be passed around
from home to home and lead a miserable life. This is all on account of
premature weaning, weaning too late (an uniquely cockatoo phenomenon from
a detrimental behavior perspective), over-indulgence, failure to instill a
sense of security, abandonment, gavage feeding, poor diet, sensory
deprivation, and all the other ways we mess up our birds.
> If you "force" a bird to wean early it starves to death. That is the
> bottom line...
I think you have to seperate mere physical ability and
physical/psychological propriety. There is a big difference. Animals are
physically able to do lots of things LONG before they can handle the
responsability or psychological impact of commiting certain acts before
they can be appreciated. Need I cite any examples of this??? Food
independence in parrots is no different. A huge number of the large macaws
I see were weaned way too soon; the similarity in fact situations,
manifestations and successful remedial courses are just too great to
ignore.
So it's true that you can't force a bird to wean. But you can,
essentially, "train" him to eat at an age when it will be harmful to both
his body and his mind. I'm not pointing any fingers nor do I know enough
about the case at issue to make any determinations, but it happens all the
time.
Layne Dicker
Staff Avian Behaviorist
Wilshire Animal Hospital, Santa Monica, CA
Rick Jordan
Eugene Botha wrote:
>
> In article <5j90hr$1...@dfw-ixnews8.ix.netcom.com> ebk...@ix.netcom.com(ellen beth kessler) writes:
>
> > From what I understand, goffin's can take up to six-eight months to
> > wean properly. The last thing in the world you want to do is force-wean your bird, because that will undoubtedly lead to behavioral
problems in the future, including plucking and screaming.
>
> I can agree with this. When we bought out Lesser Sulphur Crested too
> a while ago. She was sold to us as a "totally weaned" bird. I did
> not want to go through weaning, largely due to what was said on this
> new-group. From the time I picked her up to the vet check-up was 6
> hours. As I did not want to handle her, in fear that she may have
> some decease, so I just put water and seed in her cage (quite large
> for a travel cage). I though she was okay, as I could see she took
> some of the seeds. It later turned out she was just playing with it.
>
> When I got to the vet he was furious! This guy has no problem telling
> you when you have screwed up! She was dehydrated as she still could
> not drink water by herself! I told us that the bird was very thin and
> very stressed due to the very early forced weaning. He also told us
> we had to feed her for at least another 5 months!
Well, isn't that interesting...a vet with poor advice...IN the United
States there are probably only 10 vets that have even weaned one bird,
let alone could speak to the issue with authority. If your vet is
not a bird breeder, they often don't give the proper breeder
advice...There is no cockatoo on the face of the earth that takes 5
months to wean properly and with a healthy body and attitude. Simply
because you like to feed a bird and don't want to give up the "baby
stage" does not mean it is normal for that bird. Like I said, there is
no such thing as forced weaning...the proof is in the fact that your
bird was dehydrated and sickly. So called "Forced weaning" would result
in death...on the other hand, hand-feeding a bird for too long after its
"normal" weaning time results in an overly dependent bird that will
probably become a screamer and spoiled brat because you catered to it
when it should have been independent. What do you think happens to birds
that don't wean on time in the wild? They die!!!
There are average weaning ages and times established in
aviculture, these were not made up for the sake of a quick sale, they
are based on observation, experience, and statistics of birds in the
wild as well. I guess if you say your bird was forced to wean before it
was feathered and only about 5 or 6 weeks old, that would be forced
weaning. But don't fall prey to these stories of better bonding and
better personality in a bird that is hand-fed for several extra
months...its all bunk and leads to a neurotic bird that is not normal in
any way.
Do you consider a 2nd or 3rd grader who still sucks the
bottle...normal? A ten year old who isn't potty trained....well
adjusted? It's always better to stick to the norm, the average, the
experience, and take the "exceptional cases" from there.
Sincere Best Wishes...RIck Jordan
Rick Jordan
Layne David Dicker wrote:
>
>
> So it's true that you can't force a bird to wean. But you can,
> essentially, "train" him to eat at an age when it will be harmful to both
> his body and his mind. I'm not pointing any fingers nor do I know enough
> about the case at issue to make any determinations, but it happens all the
> time.
Well Layne, I'll have to agree to disagree. It is my experiecne that you
cannot stop a bird from eating on its own when it reaches a certain
stage in its development. The only way would be to deprive it of normal
foods to eat. The result is often a bird that has "reverted" to begging
for food and will take additional time to wean. This is not normal and
could not possibly lead to a more stable and healthy pet bird.
The argument that the "wild" has a different set of rules for
weaning is not fair (in my opinion). That argument creates a dead end
discussion. Rather, why don't we both seek some research on the effects
of weaning early, late, never, or whatever. Hell I know people who have
been hand-feeding their birds for over a year or so. This is absurd and
all because they have heard you shouldn't force a baby to wean. Like I
said before, do you consider a 5 or 6 year old kid that sucks the
bottle-normal? I know of one example where a woman had the clutchmate to
a bird that I bought. She kept handfeeding that baby for 16 months
because she was afraid to stop or it "might starve". The clutch mate
that I owned laid fertile eggs and raised a family before its sister was
weaned!!! I appeal to your true intellect...can that be considered
normal, or good?
I really don't want to argue about it because there is always
some way to "twist" the situations to meet either of our points. But,
The line has to be defined somewhere. Goffin's cockatoos are "ALWAYS"
weaned at my place by 12 weeks of age. They wean themselves, I dont'
just stop feeding them and shove a bowl under their faces. At a certain
stage, about 7-8 weeks, the babies just dont want to be handfed all the
time. They would prefer to pick at soft foods and play with seeds.This
is the first sign that a baby wants to wean. They don't want to be
dependent on you forever. You can see this isn their behavoir.
In any case, I have plenty of healthy happy baby Goffin's
cockatoos right now. If anyone is interested in them, give me a call...
Eugene Botha
In article <5jjuuc$oef$1...@news8.gte.net> Rick Jordan <RJO...@gte.net> writes:
> Eugene Botha wrote:
> >
> > In article <5j90hr$1...@dfw-ixnews8.ix.netcom.com> ebk...@ix.netcom.com(ellen beth kessler) writes:
> >
> > > From what I understand, goffin's can take up to six-eight months to
> > > wean properly. The last thing in the world you want to do is force-wean your bird, because that will undoubtedly lead to behavioral
> problems in the future, including plucking and screaming.
> >
> > I can agree with this. When we bought out Lesser Sulphur Crested too
> > a while ago. She was sold to us as a "totally weaned" bird. I did
> > not want to go through weaning, largely due to what was said on this
> > new-group. From the time I picked her up to the vet check-up was 6
> > hours. As I did not want to handle her, in fear that she may have
> > some decease, so I just put water and seed in her cage (quite large
> > for a travel cage). I though she was okay, as I could see she took
> > some of the seeds. It later turned out she was just playing with it.
> >
> > When I got to the vet he was furious! This guy has no problem telling
> > you when you have screwed up! She was dehydrated as she still could
> > not drink water by herself! I told us that the bird was very thin and
> > very stressed due to the very early forced weaning. He also told us
> > we had to feed her for at least another 5 months!
>
> Well, isn't that interesting...a vet with poor advice...IN the United
> States there are probably only 10 vets that have even weaned one bird,
> let alone could speak to the issue with authority. If your vet is
> not a bird breeder, they often don't give the proper breeder
I take it then that you are a vet? And one with only good advice?
Even without seeing the bird in question?
> advice...There is no cockatoo on the face of the earth that takes 5
> months to wean properly and with a healthy body and attitude. Simply
> because you like to feed a bird and don't want to give up the "baby
> stage" does not mean it is normal for that bird. Like I said, there is
> no such thing as forced weaning...the proof is in the fact that your
> bird was dehydrated and sickly. So called "Forced weaning" would result
> in death...on the other hand, hand-feeding a bird for too long after its
> "normal" weaning time results in an overly dependent bird that will
> probably become a screamer and spoiled brat because you catered to it
> when it should have been independent. What do you think happens to birds
> that don't wean on time in the wild? They die!!!
Yes, he was very afraid that she would die! The bird simply could not
eat by herself. And was probably left like that for more that a day
before we got her. The bird was not "sickly", just dehydrated and
thin. Okay, no "forced weaning" just "left to die". This is not the
wild, nor can any breeder refer too much to the wild! Does any
breeder keep a whole flock where the birds can select with whom to
breed? Are the weak continuously killed like in the wild? How much
inbreeding are there, specially when the numbers are so low? Captive
breeding of any animal lead to poorer stock, even if in large numbers,
just look at dogs. She is probable not good breeding stock, but then
we just bought her as friend to our lonely male 'too. We could not
let her die simple because she would have died in the wild. She is
small for her species and still too thin, but never since we got her
did she lose any weight. In hindsight, I do not believe she was 3
months old at the time we bought her (the vet did not think so).
She is a well behaved, independent, and very inquisitive bird. More
so than her mate, who is 5 years older, in all 3 categories! She
loves to play by herself, in fact she would go the cage and play there
when ever she feels she gave us enough attention! Somewhat upsetting
when you made time to play with them. But then, our birds do get a
lot of attention, about 5 hours for the two of them per day.
> There are average weaning ages and times established in
> aviculture, these were not made up for the sake of a quick sale, they
> are based on observation, experience, and statistics of birds in the
> wild as well. I guess if you say your bird was forced to wean before it
> was feathered and only about 5 or 6 weeks old, that would be forced
> weaning. But don't fall prey to these stories of better bonding and
> better personality in a bird that is hand-fed for several extra
> months...its all bunk and leads to a neurotic bird that is not normal in
> any way.
Yes, well the only other Lesser Sulphur Crested too female I could get
in the 9 months I spend looking for one, was a "weaned" 6 week old
baby. When I saw this little one, I asked the guy if it was not to
young to be weaned. He then told me it may need a "few" more
feedings. Now if that was not for the sake of a quick sale... I
decided not to go back there again. Getting these kinds of birds
where I live is very difficult. I asked for only weaned birds, and
believe me, I looked every where... one breeder was 1400km away from
home.
If you read my post properly you would have seen that I did not want a
unweaned bird, I did not fall prey to the "better bonding" stories. I
accepted the bird because 3 months old seemed a reasonable time to be
weaned.
> Do you consider a 2nd or 3rd grader who still sucks the
> bottle...normal? A ten year old who isn't potty trained....well
> adjusted? It's always better to stick to the norm, the average, the
> experience, and take the "exceptional cases" from there.
If a human child feeds some extra feeding (vitamin supplement) in the
morning or evening to keep him alive/well I'd say give it to him.
Just because a bird is out of the nest does not mean the parents does
not feed it from time to time. On this newsgroup there has been talk
of macaws feeding yearlings in the wild.
The little bridie was potty trained in the three months. She learned
very fast (less that a month) to "go potty" when she was playing on us.
The only problem was that by the time she started played on the perch
and wanted to go, she'd get right of, walk over to one of us, "go
potty" and go right back to the perch! It took another couple of
months to learn her not to do that.
> Sincere Best Wishes...RIck Jordan
Thanks, we're doing find. I just miss them and the wife... have not
seem them for a few weeks. :-(
Back to larking ....
Cheers,