upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

I just got a new B & G macaw who acts like a baby when I hold him. He makes baby noises and tries to handfeed on my fingers. He will be a year old in May. Could this be because he was improperly weaned? I have raised a scarlet and weaned her very slowly and she stopped the baby act after about 6 months, but my new bird Eddie is puzzling me. I have thought about hand feeding him for a little while as a comfort to see if this would help, but I am not sure if that is the right thing to do. I do not know how he was weaned by his original hand feeder, but I know the person I bought him from was holding him and he acted the same way. He also appears to have been picked on by another bird or something as he had broken wing feathers which my vet removed. Does anyone have any suggestions? He is very sweet and friendly but the baby squawk and attempts to hand feed on my fingers is a little annoying after about 3 hours of the behavior. Thanks!

That's a common reaction by such a young bird to rehoming, called regression. The emotion is insecurity, and wanting comforting and reassurance. Plus, the woman you bought him from comforted him this way, so he's very accustomed to it. Just as a child might want a hug. Feeding him some comfort food is an excellent idea! It will do him no harm, only good. He'll still be eating independently, but will be comforted by your hand feeding. Let Eddie tell you when he wants it and how much. Don't go beyond what he wants and keep it healthy. The squawk and begging should not last long. No matter how annoying, remember that it's comforting he needs, so please be patient and respond lovingly.

Your baby sounds like mine. Josie is 3 now and everyonce a while she will come to me to cuddle and she sucks on my finger and bobs her he like she is feeding. In the wild babys stay with there parents for four years. She acted like yours when she was younger but less as she gets older. The big macaws live longer and mature slower than the smaller birds. I wouldnt restart hand feeding your bird. If you have more questions I will be around. Mark

I agree with the others, may be a good idea to offer handfeedings... and in the evening, feeding baby food.... either cooked sweet potato with some cooked carrots and some peanut butter mixed in together, fed warm.... or getting some Gerber Baby food, no zinc, veggies of some sort, and feed that warm, as well.

That with maybe some handfeeding formula, and he'll probably feel quite comfy!

I wouldnt restart handfeeding . If the baby is eating on his own and his weight is good . When the parent s stop feeding to wein them the babys will follow and bag.If you start fandfeeding your bird it may be over a yearold and you will still be handfeeding.

On the other hand, it's always good for a bird to be accustomed to eating out of a syringe, in the case that the bird may need to be medicated.... the bird may more readily accept meds if it knows what a syringe is....

marky wrote:Your baby sounds like mine. Josie is 3 now and everyonce a while she will come to me to cuddle and she sucks on my finger and bobs her head like she is feeding.

My B & G does the same thing he will get my finger in his beak softly and then bob his head like hes throwing up.

MFids wrote:On the other hand, it's always good for a bird to be accustomed to eating out of a syringe, in the case that the bird may need to be medicated.... the bird may more readily accept meds if it knows what a syringe is....

I have to agree here. Have you ever tried to give meds to a macaw that doesn't want a syringe
There is absolutely no harm that can come to your macaw by giving a comfort feeding after it is weaned.

Jewel is 11 months and every so often at night when she's cuddling she'll hold one of our fingers in her mouth and lick it. Sometimes she'll bob and make baby noises. We were told when we bought her to expect her to act like a baby sometimes for at least a year, even up to two. As she's gotten older it's getting more and more rare that she'll act like a baby. We asked our vet and the place she was weaned and they said she's just getting comforted. Enjoy your baby loving on you! It won't last forever... I have a feeling we'll miss it when she becomes a teenage birdie... lol.

I would check first in your bird's crop. If this bird is still storing food there (using his/her crop) then comfort feedings are ok, but only 15-20cc's max!

But in my experience your bird is trying to gain your affection and doing so Macaw-way. In their world they feed each other to show affection and this is what your bird is doing to YOU! This is in no way a bad behavior. Your Scarlet seems to me to be very independent (like most are) and therefore this behavior to you is not normal. Trust me, feed your bird like you have been doing and do not alter any of your methods.

I do not like to have people syringe feed any bird that does not use their crop on account of the sterility maintained in there. Besides this form of feeding is for accomplished aviculturists only. The care and requisite sterilization technique is not for the occasional feeding. You might wind up with more than your bargaining for. As other's mentioned in the future if your bird is sick and needs this type of care, I recommend taking it to a vet.