I have an 8 week old cockatiel that parents are not (and have not been) feeding. I’m giving Higgins Intune formula 3x Daily and he has a good blend of seed and pellet mix, but he’s not really picking at. He only weighs 72gm and I can’t get him to gain any weight. I took him to the vet and was given probiotics and told to keep doing what I’m doing. He seems active and alert but not gaining any weight at all. Any advice?
Hi,
At 8 weeks, that sounds like a healthy weight to me. Did the Vet have any concerns about the weight? They do level off around this time, because a wild chick would be perfecting his flying skills. Cockatiels vary a lot in size, so the normal range starts at about 70 grams. Some sources say 80, but with all of the new mutations, there tends to be a lot of inbreeding, and the size of the average bird is smaller these days. I show quality cockatiel will be larger and heavier. But the average pet quality cockatiel is not as big. Cockatiels continue to fill out and develop physically and emotionally until they are about 2 years old.
Most breeders would have this bird fully weaned at 8 weeks. I don’t agree with weaning a bird by force. Some need more time than others, and force weaning a bird can cause food anxiety. The best weaning method is called abundance weaning. This is where you offer a wide variety of foods in the cage, along with fresh water, for the bird to explore. But he’s not going to explore when he’s still being fed 3 times a day. He should be down to two feedings a day by now. Before you hand feed each time, put some warm soft food in the cage – cooked brown rice with some mixed veggies, and a small dish of formula mixed on the thick side. Also offer some pellets, fruit and fresh water. Seeds are not a good idea unless you are offering our foraging diets. Leave the room and make sure he can’t see or hear you. Once he is alone and hungry, he will start picking at foods. Wait at least an hour before you go back and hand feed him. Do not stuff him – you want him to get hungry later and try more foods on his own. Repeat before every feeding, waiting an hour to feed him each time. Leave the foods in the cage all day, refreshing them as needed. He will gradually eat more and more on his own and be less interested in the formula until he rejects it.
Since cockatiels are granivores in the wild – seed eaters – it is best for them to have some whole seeds. But the loose seeds do not meet their nutritional requirements, so they tend to overeat to feel satisfied. Loose seeds are usually not fresh enough to retain their nutrients, and any added vitamins are lost when the bird removes the hull. Our seeds are fresh, human grade with the hulls removed. They are coated with a nutritious binder so he gets complete nutrition in every bite. All of our foraging diets – Nutri-Berries, Avi-Cakes and Pellet-Berries – are nutritionally balanced as a complete diet, just like a pellet, but the ingredients are not ground up. They can be fed instead of or along with pellets. We do offer a Foraging Fun pack which is a great way for him to try 4 of our most popular diets. You get 4 products for one low price. Here is the link for more information.
https://lafeber.com/pet-food/bird-food/foraging-fun-pack/?v=7516fd43adaa
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
