by patdbunny » Mon Apr 04, 2011 1:50 pm
No, don't hurry it. Bird's aren't like cats, dogs, horse where you "wean" them at X age by taking them away from their mother and they're just fine. Baby birds if force weaned or go home too early sometimes revert and "forget" how to eat. They don't really forget, but they get super emotionally needy and won't eat. I don't send home a baby until it's been eating solidly by itself for 2 weeks with no handfeeding.
With that said, you're not going to psychologically hurt or hurry the baby if you finger feed the warm softened pellets. Finger feeding right now might be a good idea as a transition so when it gets to your home it's familiar with you finger feeding and you can easily introduce new foods by finger feeding when you get the baby home.
Keep in mind - it's normal for the baby to get to its new home and start "begging" or baby whining. It will outgrow that in a few weeks to a month. Watch it and make sure it's eating and drinking. So long as the begging and whining noise is not really fast and desperate sounding the baby's ok. I know that's going to be hard for you to tell if you haven't heard a bunch of babies crying. But the next time you go in and play with the baby observe its begging - when you're playing with it or after handfeeding it, it may have a slow, "ah, ah, ah" begging sound. Then take notice of right when you bring the handfeeding formula to it and start handfeeding the formula, the begging noises become louder and more frantic - that loud frantic is what you really don't want to hear when you get the baby home - a few seconds maybe - but not continuous loud frantic once the baby's home with you.
No covered feeding bowls for the first month. I suggest putting food and water bowls on the bottom of the cage so it's really easy to find. Newly weaned babies are not rocket scientists and may not go climbing around the cage looking for the food and water. You can also have fresh foods in your hand when you play with the new baby when it's begging and start encouraging exploration of new and different foods.
Roz
There are in nature neither rewards nor punishments — there are only consequences. Robert G. Ingersoll