# Baby won't eat by himself! Panicked new mum.



## Babyworms (Apr 1, 2013)

Ok, I am bordering on frantic and panic now. Benji just yelled for food for the second time today. He spends so much time playing with all the solid foods I give him, but I have no idea how much of them he's actually ingesting and how much is just being played with. 

He's seven and a half weeks old now, I got him two and a half weeks ago, and when I got him he was "nearly weaned"... I just don't know what to do!! I am so lost and scared and feel completely useless and horrible!! 

HOW CAN I GET HIM EATING PROPERLY ON HIS OWN??

I've tried seeds, chopped up veggies, mashed veggies, food-processor-chopped-small veggies, stick mixer pureed veggies, millet, honey seed sticks, warm food, room temperature food, nuts...

I'm just beside myself with worry now. WHY isn't he eating by himself?? I ONLY feed him when he is absolutely inconsolably squawking for food so I KNOW he's hungry when I feed him...

I've just been in tears to my husband about the whole thing, he asked if I could talk to the breeder, but I told him that I don't trust her for advice about it because it looks like she was force weaning him. 

He did make me hush and listen, and Benji was making his happy beak noise, and Hubby was like "See, he's a happy birdie! That's really important! If he's happy and not losing weight and at least he's eating, then you're doing something right!"

I just... Need advice!

(I haven't tried soaked seeds yet because we went away and I didn't want to leave them while I was gone, I'll be soaking some today.)


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

> I ONLY feed him when he is absolutely inconsolably squawking for food so I KNOW he's hungry when I feed him...


This is why he isn't weaning on his own...you are force weaning him too. Some babies don't wean l 12 weeks old. I had parent raised babies still asking the parents for food at ten weeks old. Its all dependent upon the bird, but you have to hand feed properly for him to wean properly. Put him back on a regular two a day feeding schedule and slowly cut back on the morning feed. Also, do you have a gram scale? You'll need to weigh him daily to make sure he maintains his weight as you wean him. Keep us updated...it does sound like he's really happy, just being a pain lol!


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## Babyworms (Apr 1, 2013)

Thanks  By "Only feeding" I mean I have been trying to cut back the morning feed and encouraging him to eat his other foods instead, but when he stops even picking at them I'll give him his formula. He always gets a night time feed.

How do I cut back the morning feed?

He is 80g, and has been consistently since I've had him


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

It sounds like you are giving in to him and he KNOWS it. Little stinker. I mean you cut back on mL a day til the morning feed is completely gone. Once that's done, you'll start cutting back on the night feed the same way. You weigh him to make sure he's maintaining his weight by eating on his own. And don't give in!!


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## Babyworms (Apr 1, 2013)

He screeches SO LOUD and frantically... and his crop feels pretty empty when he does...


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

You aren't stopping the feed and you aren't waiting for him to eat first. Feed him like you would when he was younger, just feed him less. It'll promote him to eat. Millet is a really good starter food.


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## Erinsmom (Sep 7, 2012)

First and foremost please NO ONE unless experienced should ever buy or take a tiel that isn't weaned. They are known to regress under the best circumstances. i just don't understand how someone can let the baby go like that...now off my box 

You really should get an electronic gram scale. for all you know he is just fighting you trying to force his wean. your not going to know how hes doing unless you can get a weight daily and keep track. I am beside myself that wasn't a requirement of you taking such a young chick that should of still been on 3-4 feeds a day. 

At this age my babies are usually weaned or close to weaned but it sounds as if you in his eyes might have been trying to force it so he is regressing a bit. IMO I would feed him about 7-9 pm 10 ml. That way you know he is going to bed with a nice full crop. start weighing him first thing in the morning before he eats and back off a bit of all the food changes. Also I have noticed when they are young like that they eat better out of small plates. I have sets just for babies that are small and cermanic with a small lip to help keep the food on it. Offer fresh veges cut into seed like sizes in the morning...always have seed and pellets available. By weighing him you may very well find he is doing fine and your worry about nothing....or you may find he needs two feeds a day until he gets better at it. it isn't uncommon for babies to go to 10 weeks still taking formula I am sorry the person you got him from just did everything wrong in my mind anyway. and heres hoping hes worrying you fro nothing!


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## Babyworms (Apr 1, 2013)

He is between 80-82g, I have weighed him every morning since I've had him. He hasn't lost weight. 

I know (NOW) That buying an unweaned bird is a bad thing, rookie mistake, won't make it again.

The thing is I"m struggling so much trying to work out what to do - I don't want to force the wean, but I don't want to give in to him so he is handfeeding too much. And now I'm more confused because both have been suggested as things I'm doing here!!

He was apparently on one feed a day when I got him, which is why it's such a concern, and the breeder is just freaking me out more because she says she has always had her birds weaned by 6 weeks, so she's REALLY making me feel like I'm doing something wrong because I'm still feeding him at 7.


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## Erinsmom (Sep 7, 2012)

Babyworms said:


> He is between 80-82g, I have weighed him every morning since I've had him. He hasn't lost weight.
> 
> I know (NOW) That buying an unweaned bird is a bad thing, rookie mistake, won't make it again.
> 
> ...


Only 1 feed a day how young that bird was when you got him is nuts TO ME and as I said my babies generally wean at 7 weeks which is a bit earlier than the average. If hes maintaining his weight and is almost 8 weeks old I would only give him 1 feed a night right before bed and keep checking his weight. around 8-9 weeks try and skip it and see if he says anything. 

BTW I don't think YOU did a thing wrong getting him that responsibility for knowing better totally goes on the breeder and seeing so many of you being sold birds like that makes me angry really. Not at you who just want to do right by your new babies but by those who should be more responsible to make sure they are fully ready to go to their home. Bringing home your new babies should be a joyful time not a time to worry about if the bird is ok or if your doing something you have never done right. how stressful!!


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## Erinsmom (Sep 7, 2012)

http://www.cockatiel.org/articles/handfeeding.html

This is a chart I used as a basis for feeding my babies. Now iINEVER go over 10 ml's and generally only feed 10% of body weight and until the 1 feed a day I have an extra feed than this chart . The changes I made where given to me by a friend who has for 30 years breed champion show tiels


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I would do as erinsmom suggests and keep monitoring the weight. Since he hasn't lost any, he's obviously not starving. And this was in no way your fault, you got a crummy breeder. But now you know and that's what's important!!


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