Thank you for reaching out to Ask Lafeber.
Cockatiel babies should be fully weaned around 8 weeks old. If he’s still willing to eat formula, I need to ask what brand of handfeeding formula are you feeding him and what’s the consistency? As baby birds get older, it’s okay to thicken the formula, so the intake of calories is higher, as long as the baby is foraging other food and is drinking on its own. The normal consistency of handfeeding formula should be the same as apple sauce. Since he’s not crying for food, I’m guessing the consistency is okay. As for his weight, it’s difficult to tell if he’s under-weight just by the weight alone. Genetics play a large part in how large a bird will be built, just like humans. If a human is 6 feet tall and weighs 150 pounds is a lot different than a person weighing 150 pounds, that’s only 5 feet tall. I’ve known cockatiels that weigh as much as 138 grams and that is usually an adult female and does not carry heavy mutated genes. I’ve also known males that weigh as much as your bird is now that are perfectly healthy as an adult. It all depends on the bird’s body score. It’s more beneficial to know the body score to get an accurate idea if he’s under-weight or not. Feel the keel bone and if it feels sharp to the touch, it’s an indication he’s too thin. If you cannot see or feel the keel bone, it would mean the bird is overweight. It’s highly unlikely that your bird is overweight at this age. If he does have a sharp keel bone, you may want to consult an avian vet to see if he could possibly have a yeast infection or a mild bacterial infection. Either one of these will delay a baby from weaning
I suggest eliminating the millet and seeds from his diet because they are empty in calories and do not add any benefit to his weaning. I suggest calling the Lafeber customer service number and order some Classic Nutri Berries as well as the Cockatiel sized Avi Cakes. Crumble up the Nutri Berries and tear apart the Avi Cakes because both products are a well-balanced diet and will contribute to his overall good health. Seeds and Millet are just not healthy for a bird to eat, As for fruit, cockatiels usually are not big fruit eaters, but they will eat green and yellow veggies, such as kale, different squashes that are shredded up, frozen peas as well as chopped broccoli and shredded carrots. Do not ever offer your bird spinach since it binds calcium, and a bird can develop metabolic bone disease, meaning his bones will become soft.
As for a weaning program, I suggest offering a better quality of food for him to choose from, so the calories he’s eating actually contribute to him developing the appropriate fat and muscle mass. Also weigh him every morning before feeding him and keep a daily record of his weight. Keep in mind all baby birds will normally loose approximately 10% of their body weight while weaning. It’s because they are learning how to fly which burns calories as well as figuring out how to eat on their own, and they are not quite as efficient at it as an adult bird would be. Also, the amount you feed him at night is too much. If a baby bird weighs 75 grams, he should only be fed 10% of his body weight and that would be 7.5 ccs of formula per feeding. If you feed him too much food, it can stretch out his crop, and it will not empty efficiently.
When you do feed him, is he anxious to be fed or are you having to coax him? If you’re having to coax him, then I would stop that particular feeding. Baby cockatiels will usually start to reject their morning feeding and are hungrier at night.
One rule of thumb when feeding baby birds at weaning time they will cry for food when hungry and your baby is at the proper weaning age now. I would only hand feed him if he’s crying to be fed. But first provide him with an abundance of good nutritious food and, as I said previously, eliminate the millet and seeds. Have several dishes with a small amount of food in different places in his cage. If you get him eating healthy food now, you won’t have to worry about weaning him off the seeds and millet and on to a healthier diet later. Once you have the other food, I mentioned you can start backing off the hand feeding. I would start reducing formula 1 cc at a time.
I would like to encourage you to reach back to customer service to not only order food, but if you have additional questions, I can walk you through this critical weaning process.
Kind regards,
Debbie
