Feeding independently

[Umbrella]

Hey everybody,

How much should my 4,5 months umbrella cockatoo eat on her own to your opinion, in order stop feeding on additional porridge? Please don't give me any advice in matters of weight :( , I would appreciate amounts :) .
Kind regards,
Bas

[Jenny]

Aw, such a cute picture! Is your umbrella weaned??? I'm slightly confused about what you're asking, but do you mean how much she should eat in a day? If you are, then generally feed her in the late morning and afternoon, and whatever she'll eat at once in those time periods is probably the right amount for her. Then, you can give her little healthy treats throughout the day. If you have a weighing scale then you can weigh her weekly and find about her average weight whcih will then allow you to see if she's gained weight or lost it.

[Umbrella]

We are trying to wean her, but she only eats less then 10 pellets by hersfelf per day. She therefore we still give her porridge once a day. We are wondering how many she should eat in order to stop eating porridge. It is a good idea to weigh her regularly.

[Jenny]

It might help if you soften the pellets in baby food, apple juice, water, or something else to make them more the consistency of the porridge. Then, I'd also warm them up a little bit, and put it in a shallow dish. As soon as your bird shows interest in it, put the pan in its cage or wherever and walk away so you don't distract her. Keep doing this each day as well as offering other parrot foods throughout the day, and only feed her yourself in the evening if her crop is still mostly empty. For the evening feeding, gradually decrease the amount you give her by a little each day. Make sure you're watchign very closely so that you don't miss the signs that she's ready to wean. If you can contact her breeder or someone else for more advice that'd be helpful.