[superluvrgurl]

I have a baby tiel. Its about 8 weeks old. I am hand feeding him. When I brought him home eariler last week, the breeder told me he was eating finch and parakeet seeds on his own but sent me with some baby-bird-food just incase he decided to stop eating. Well he did. Monday I hand fed him when he started calling for food. Id check his crop to make sure he was hungry. I did the same tues and wed. Thursday I noticed him picking at seeds I had scattered on the bottom of his cage (as I read that babies will eat seeds on the ground sooner than ones in a bowl.) I also saw him drinking water on his own, so I started only feeding him twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night. Since he is 8 weeks, I assumed that he is close to weaning. He's already flapping his wings about as though he wants to fly and he has all his feathers... or most all of them anyways.

Yet any time he sees me, he starts making that static noise and begging me for food. I know he's eating seeds, I see him do it, should I still be hand-feeding him? Or should I ignore the begging so that he will eat seeds and pellets and veggies rather than the baby formula? Its making it hard to socialize him cause when I come close to him he makes the static noise and will not stop till I either feed him, or put him in the cage and move to where he cannot see me. I dont know how long I should continue to feed him, does he still need the baby formula?
any help would be greatly appriciated.

~Rissa~

 

[sweetrsue]

They play with seeds well before they have figured out how to hull them to get enough to eat. I would feed him as much as he will eat. He's going to lose wieght when he fledges so you don't want him starting out skinny. If you feel his brest bone sticking out and becomming prominant then he's not getting enough to eat.

 

[superluvrgurl]

how often should I be feeding a almost 9 week old chick? Is there an age that he should be eating all on his own? I feel so lost at this and I tried to contact the breeder but she works all day now and is not home till late at night when I am in bed

 

[sweetrsue]

Three X a day should be more than enough. I would offer it as long as he wants it tho. Breakfast lunch and dinner. No worries at night.

 

[atvchick95]

my oldest 2 hand fed tiels were born on June 18th and June 19th so that makes them almost 3 months old - They still eat hand feeding formula 2-3 times a day ( i can't run water with out them coming to the kitchen thinking its time for them to eat crying to be fed, I walk in with a bowl and they dive bomb me EVEN if its My food and not theirs), they eat seed/ pellets/ fresh veggies Normally they don't wean until they're 10 weeks old some take longer, Some are shorter time period - you can't make them wean they need to do it on thier own

I also have 3 younger ones i'm hand feeding (If the older ones already ate thier formula i have to cage them up until i'm done other wise they dive bomb the babies and steal thiers and peck at them (not hurting them) to steal their food)

they were born on Aug. 8th and 9th (those 2 are related) then the one who isn't related to them was born on July 30th - She/he already flies I know when she's full she'll fly off around the living room and make me chase her down they eat 3 times a day Morning, Noon and before bed

They all flap their wings wildly in their brooder and I've got a small ceramic crock (its a cat bowl actually) in thier brooder with them with millet crumbs, Seed, and pellet and they eat out of it all the time as well as eat the Formula

 

[superluvrgurl]

Well, its good to know that my baby is not abnormal. I just cant wait till he/she is weaned. It will be nice to cuddle him, or even just come within eye sight of him and not have him screaming radio static in my ear. lol

 

[elijahfan]

i played that game when i got him he made that noise, he doesnt doit anymore, but he was fully weaned when i got him, if was mainly when i went near him,

they normally grow out of it

 

[Danielle]

I spent most of the first week with my tiel worrying every time he made his little static cries, but I weighed him every day and found that after the first two days he gained a little weight and has now maintained it.

When I got Harl, he was 9 weeks old and fully weaned, but he still makes the static noise (albeit in a much lower tone than young chicks). He doesn't make it just when he's hungry - he does it when he's annoyed, or when he wants attention, or when he just plain wants to make noise.
I know he's not hungry when he makes the static sound because most of the time if I offer him food he turns it down, only to gorge on it later when he's completely silent.

I'm not questioning that your little guy has reverted and needs feeding, but I can definitely attest that weaned babies still love to make that noise. The best advice I can offer is to weigh him. When he's eating his own food and sustaining his weight you know he's eating properly. I believe tiels can stand to lose about 10% of their bodyweight before it becomes dangerous.

 

[Aderyn]

I know the static becomes really annoying because it just seems to increase in volume. Murdock is almost six weeks old now and he starts screaming the minute he sees me or my mom. He's got his set feeding times, but he still screams inbetween. I also think it's a way of asking for attention. When he does that and it's not feeding time, I take him out of his box and cuddle with him, talk to him and just generally tune out the screaming. it takes him about 10 minutes to get the idea and then he snuggles into me and makes soft, contented peeping noises. Occasionally when he refuses to stop, I'll take a little hand towel and wrap him loosely in it and within a few minutes he nods off to sleep. Of course he's a lot younger than your babies. Oh and trying to get him to sleep at night without his teddy does NOT work. He screams until he gets it back and then he snuggles into it.