How do i convert baby parrot to eat solid food

Answer:

Hi Emma,

Weaning is a very important stage in his life. In the wild, he would be weaned slowly by the parents, while he learns what foods are safe to eat and how to forage for them. In captivity, the preferred weaning style is known as abundance weaning. This is basically just having a lot of different foods available to him so that he can explore different tastes and textures and learn to eat on his own. You will waste a lot of food during this time, but it is important for him to feel secure and never feel starved or deprived of food or water. While he may appear to be spitting all of the food out, he probably is eating some of it. Parrots take a bite out of food and use their tongue & beak to separate the bits they want to eat. The tongue pushes the chosen bits to the back of his throat and he swallows it, while the part left in his beak may get discarded.

Weaning chicks do well with warm soft foods. You can cook some brown rice and add some mixed veggies to it. Serve this to him first thing in the morning, warmed but not hot, while you prepare his formula. Leave him alone with this warm food for about an hour before you return and hand feed him. Repeat this before each normal feeding time. This way, he is more likely to explore and eat foods because he is hungrier. You can also mix his formula thick, and offer that in a dish for him to eat by himself. In addition, have his daily diet – pellets or one of our foraging diets – chopped fruits and veggies, multi grain bread, and plenty of fresh water available at all times. Offer these in dishes closest to where he spends most of his time – a favorite perch or even the floor of the cage. Don’t rush him – he will eventually prefer eating on his own to being hand fed. He just needs time to learn and shouldn’t be forced or rushed into weaning.

Here is a link to our feeding guide:

Bird Food Guide

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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