# How do you wean them?



## Prizm (Jun 28, 2006)

My nearly adult juvenile "Target" is still peeping for food and refusing to swallow seeds. He is able to eat large puppy chow chunks, but he will only eat them provided they are soaked for a few minutes in warm water--They needn't be soft, just warm and moist, lol. He won't eat them once they cool, even if his crop is completely empty. Today, I bought a seed mixture and tried to fool him by putting the warm puppy chow pieces in the seed dish in order that seeds would stick to the puppy food. Well, he reminded me of a two year old picking peas off a plate. He ate a little more than half of his normal food. The uneaten portion was flung from his mouth each time he realized some tiny seeds were stuck to it, lol. Seriously though, I'm not sure what to do. I think other birds his age are eating on their own--he can fly now and hover weightlessly above my hand when he goes into a flapping frenzy  which I think is endlessly cute. His poops are a bit runny but he seems healthy otherwise. He pecks scattered seeds but doesn't swallow them (at least not enough to constitute a meal). Is this normal or should I do anything to help him along?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, it's always hard if you've spoiled them rotten (and you know you have). Essentially, you have to let them starve and keep pointing at the seeds, pecking with your fingers.

Pidgey


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

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Is he drinking on his own? Have you tipped his head down ( just the beak is covered not the nostrils) into a bowl of water to see if he will drink? If he is drinking he should be ready for a seed diet.

He only needs about a tablepoon of seed per serving, if he is actually 4 weeks and older, but that would be about three or four times a day. He should also poop a raisen size poop every hour if he is eating enough.

Give him a dose of probiotics and that will also generate an appetite as well as get him ready to change to a seed diet. Soemtimes its tough loving that gets them to eat seeds, or watching other pigeons eating.


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## Prizm (Jun 28, 2006)

Yep--spoiled  He's been drinking on his own for over two weeks now. I gave him a heaping bowl of seed last night and scattered some on the cage floor and I'm happy to say he was pecking at the specks and swallowing quite a few--Just not enough to fill his crop.What about grit? I forgot to buy some yesterday when I purchased the seeds. Could he choak without it/should I grab some pebbles from outside? Or will he be fine until tomorrow evening when I can purchase some?


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## mountainstorm (May 3, 2006)

I asked about grit the other day, and the baby will be fine without grit for a while. You can't feed grit while giving certain antibiotics, because of the calcium, which neutralizes some antibiotics.

Rach


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## Prizm (Jun 28, 2006)

Whew! Thanks a lot!  It's really a relief because my little trick of putting his puppy chow dipped in seed is working so well that he's pecking away at it and eating quite a bit! He's trying out his wings, too! ...LOL the poor cat. Now that they are getting along, Target has taken to landing on the furry Leonid (We closely supervise though). Leonid is an amazing cat, though, and even plays with the bird by batting a ball at him and then backing away to watch him peck at it!  It's so cute


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