POOP

Question
Hi Maggi,  I have a 7week old African
Grey baby and was one of the people conned into getting him before he is properly weened.  I live in south african so alot of the pellets that is mentioned on the website do not exist in south africa.. we have a hand rearing parrot formula much like pronutro cereal and it is called Premium. I wanted to start weaning MIKKO onto a few different fruits and vegetables. I understand now that i must keep giving him formula as well as trying out different fruits and veggetables.  My question is more along the lines of the poop at present.. it is more watery and not solid as such ...now i know he is still a baby and we are feeding formula at present but should it not be more of a stable stool....? or am i overreacting... how do i know if the formula i am giving him is not sour... ? thanks

Answer
Hi,

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you (I am in the process of moving).

About your bird's droppings- It could be that his poop is more watery because he is eating a diet with high water content. However, make sure that you are mixing the formula correctly (as directed), because if it is thick enough (but not too thick of course)... his poop should be pretty solid. Sometimes stress can also cause poop to be less solid. And weaning (and changing homes) can be a very stressful experience for birds.

Hopefully these articles below can give you some more information on weaning baby birds and general bird care:

http://www.parrothouse.com/pamelaclark/index.html

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww4e.htm

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww5eii.htm

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww6e.htm

I hope this helps.

-Maggie