feeding problems

Question
My 30 day old baby cocktiel is not wanting to eat formula, it wants to eat seeds but it doesn't know how to keep the seeds in its mouth.  I tried to feed my bird the formula but it move all over the place it seems like it just doesn't want to eat.  I don't know what to do Im a full time student and can't afford to take my bird to the vet.  What do you suggest?

Answer
Hi, Elizabeth.  Thanks for posting.  Sorry I haven't responded sooner...I've been ill.

At a month old, your tiel is likely starting to wean itself.  I start the weaning process on baby tiels at 30 days of age.  Don't force the formula on your baby tiel if s/he doesn't want it.  Allow s/he to eat the seed in order to have some type of food since s/he won't eat the formula.  However, I recommend you wean your tiel to pelleted food for tiels and a soft food mix.  Seed has little to no nutritional value, so it's important s/he wean to nutritional foods.  Try offering spray millet instead of seed...it's more nutritious and softer for your baby tiel to eat.  A baby parrot's beak is still not hard enough to hull some types of seed.  

I'm curious about your comment that "it doesn't know how to keep the seeds in it's mouth."  Are you aware that parrots hull seeds, i.e., they take off the seed hull and eat the inside of the seed only (and the hull falls to the ground)?  I'm wondering if this is what you're referring to?  It's unlikely your baby tiel doesn't know how to hull seed, although there's a learning process involved.  It could be the seed is too hard for s/he to hull with the beak still fairly soft.  You need to ensure your baby tiel is nourished through the weaning process.  Try offering your baby tiel formula a couple times per day...when s/he is hungry, s/he will accept the formula.  When s/he gets hungry, s/he will eat whatever you offer, provided the baby recognizes what you offer as food.  This is an important time in your baby tiel's life, i.e., this is the time when you can introduce various types of nutritional foods to your tiel and get s/he off on the right foot nutritionally.  Regardless, you need to ensure there is some type of food available to your baby tiel during the time s/he is awake.  It's also important you provide drinking water at this time, preferably via a water bottle.  Since you are this baby's "parents," you may have to help s/he learn to eat what's good and how to drink out of a water bottle/dish, etc.  Visit my website for more information on what to feed, etc.
http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html

Come back if you need to.

Chrys