double yellow head

Question
ok well i have a 13 week old baby i am told i should only be feeding her once a day. So i went from two feedings a day to one at night ,the problem is that she cries all day for food.I feel so bad like i am starving her.there is pellets in her cage as well as water,she does not like corn i tired. what should i do please help.thanks so much.


        renee

Answer
Hi, Renee.  Thanks for posting your questions/concerns.

If your DYH recently moved to your home, it may be that she has regressed some (which is common with these birds when they are moved) and you might need to handfeed her more than once per day at first.  It doesn't hurt them to be handfed at any age, as long as your schedule allows it, until she settles in to her new surroundings.  However, also be aware that baby parrots that are being weaned will cry to be handfed as long as they can see a human and when their human leaves the room, they quiet down.  

You need to offer your baby DYH more variety of food....not just keeping pellets and water in the cage at all times.  She is probably hungry if she is only being handfed once per day and only has pellets (the pellets may be too hard for her to eat at her age...their beaks take time to harden).  If she is weaning, she needs lots of food in order to keep her weight up and keep her healthy (she's growing fast and needs nutrition).  These large parrots need to be eating raw vegetables and fruits, whole grain breads, and anything else nutritious you can get them to eat.  Keep seed to an absolute minimum because amazon parrots are prone to obesity, but nuts are OK in moderation (when her beak gets hard enough that she can crack them).  You should be offering your baby as much food as often as possible during the day until she's able to eat enough on her own.  My parrots love corn bread and you can bake other types of food right in with the corn bread (this is particularly good for baby birds).  Warm, baked potatoes are also good for young babies who are used to having warm food (as in the handfeeding formula).  Broccolli, apple chunks, pineapple chunks, cantelope/watermelon, pomegrantes, etc., etc., are all good foods for parrots (the list is endless).  Cut them to a size she can handle with her beak.

DYH as adults can be mean if not handled enough.  Therefore, keep this baby as tame as possible by interacting with her every day.  Handfeeding her some of the food you are trying to get her to eat will help keep her tame and also get her used to eating the new foods.

You have to remember that birds will not eat anything that they don't recognize as food.  This is probably why your baby wouldn't eat the corn...she doesn't recognize the corn as food.  You have to keep offering food until they try what you offer.  It helps sometimes if they see you eating the food first (sit her at the dinner table with you)...then they know it's OK for them to eat.  You might even have to put some of the food into the DYH's mouth and/or push it's beak gently down into the food so she can get a taste.  After a while of this, you won't be able to keep her away from food!  It's very important that you get a handle on this babies food intake so she will grow to be the parrot you want her to be.  At her young age, she susceptible to illness, so the (nutritious) food intake is very important.  

If you have additional questions, please come back.  

Chrys