Wean a Baby Parrot - Begin the weaning process by offering the young parrot soft foods such as fruits, vegetables, bread, soaked pellets and sprouted seeds. These foods spoil quickly and should be replaced every few hours to prevent illness. Continue to handfeed the parrot chick as usual and do not reduce feeding frequency yet.
Observe the baby parrot to determine whether it is eating the food. At first, most young birds will play with the food and hold it in their beak without actually swallowing. Wait until a significant amount of food is being consumed before proceeding to the next step.
Wean a Baby Parrot
Begin to offer transitional foods, such as unsweetened dry cereal, weaning pellets and millet spray. Continue to offer soft foods as well, especially fruits and vegetables.
Gradually decrease the frequency of feedings and the amount of formula fed. Be sure to weigh the baby parrot each day. Some weight loss is normal during weaning, but the bird should not lose more than 10 percent of its total weight during the entire weaning process. If the chick loses too much weight, temporarily increase the frequency of handfeeding.
Eliminate the last feeding when the baby parrot is eating plenty of food on its own. Many birds will lose interest in handfeeding at this point, in which case they should not be force-fed.
Before going to a new home, handfed baby parrots must learn to eat independently. The weaning process usually takes several weeks, during which the young bird first begins mouthing food, learns to eat soft weaning foods and eventually transitions to an adult diet. In general, a baby parrot is ready to begin weaning when it is being handfed two to three times daily, is mostly feathered, and no longer requires supplemental heat. Parrots should be allowed to wean naturally at their own pace to avoid excess weight loss and regression to begging behaviors. - by eHow
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