Hi Everyone,

I have been spending a lot of time bonding with my baby GIRL. Her hatch date was February 26th so she was 2 months old yesterday.

I am learning how to feed her with the syringe. She is down to 2 feedings a day. I am doing pretty good and I am thinking about bringing her home before she is fully weaned.

I was wondering if anyone has ever done this. Also, I am looking for someone in the South Jersey area that may have some experience with this as well.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated.

I hope you and your Fids are all well.

I brought Ollie home at 8.5 weeks. It wasn't really my choice, her (bad) breeder basically shoved her at me. Had I known all that could go wrong, I never would have brought her home before she was weaned. Of course it was exciting- my baby was home! But Jeez Louise, was she a lot of work!

It wasn't the actual formula feeding that was difficult (although that's where all the potential health issues lie), it was the weaning process. She wouldn't eat anything but formula for the longest time- longer than I thought was normal. It was so stressful. I would just sit there and cry, wondering why my baby wasn't eating big girl food. Of course, she could have just been stubborn, while your baby may wean easily. Personally, I just wouldn't take any chances.

I've heard several stories with not-so-good endings of people bringing their babies home before they were weaned. IMO, handfeeding and weaning is best left to the professional/experienced.

I have NO experience in this area Karol, but I agree with what Camille said. In many states it's illegal to sell an unweaned bird, so I assume it's a law for good reason.

IMO this is a very bad idea.. so many things can go wrong its simply not worth it ...... I dont have a lot of experince in this area but I have read enough to put me off forever ... one of the problems is if the formula isnt the correct tempreture ..if it is even slightly too warm it can result in a burnt crop which can be fatal.

Is your breeder suggesting you bring her home ??? if so that is a bad breeder .... rather leave your baby with the breeder its only another two months and then you can carry on giving her her formula witha teaspoon for one meal a day ... for a baby bird that spoonful of warm nourishing food is like a security blanket for them ...

Im only now beginning to learn how important the correct weaning is , its vital ..... my breeder thank goodness did it properly and the result is a happy confidant TAG .... Phoenix my birdie is adorable he eats like a pig and nothing bugs him at 8 months he still wants his porridge ...

I forgot to add that many people give the reason that they want to carry on with the handfeeding because they feel it will deepen the bond between baby and owner. There are a lot of articles that dispel this. Here is just one explanation in a link that I happen to have saved in my favorites. It's Myth number 3.

Common Parrot Behavioral Myths

I don't feel that Ollie and I have any better of a bond than we would have had I gotten her when she was weaned. Afterall, babies don't really develop their personalities until they're a little older anyways.

IMHO I would be waiting, I know waiting sucks (trust me because I am waiting for Lilly to be fully weaned before she can come home). For me its just not worth the stress and worrying about is she getting enough food, is she weaning properly and how do I know if I am doing it all properly to have her home a week or two earlier. Regular visits and photo's for me more then make up for not having her here, I stress now about getting her diet right, I would be a mess if I had to worry about weaning too lmao!
Good luck Karol, whatever you decide to do I am sure you will be a wonderful birdy parront.

I can't count the amount of times I have been told this by breeders trying to sell me unweaned babes (which is illegal here in Australia anyways).
The way I see it, I have a life time to bond with Lilly, a few weeks isn't going to change much

I was actually thinking about bringing my baby TAG home before she was fully weaned at first. Then I talked to several experts here on the forum and all told me it was a horrible idea. And they told me how difficult it was. Because I dont want to risk my baby's health I'm letting our breeder fully wean our baby before she comes home. It's going to be a tough and long wait, but I know it will be worth it!

I agree with the others.

Even though it should be fine in most cases to wean it yourself (only if ya learned and were taught everything properly and have back-up experienced help should anything go wrong) but still best and safest to leave all that to the professionals and WELL EXPERIENCED. JMO.