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 Post subject: Food for weaning babies
PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 2014 9:33 pm 
Cockatiel
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Not weaning yet, but will be soon.
Their parents love seeds. Babies love them too. I was wondering if I should feed the babies pellets because pellets are better. What pellets would you recommend?
What else should be fed? I offer seeds, millets, pellets (I mix them with seeds so I really don't know what they end up eating), green veggies, bread. DO I need to give them eggs? What fruit would they likely eat? nuts? any advice welcome.



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 Post subject: Re: Food for weaning babies
PostPosted: Sun Nov 30, 2014 8:04 am 
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You should offer pellets to the babies so they can learn how to eat them and accept them as food. If the parents are already eating pellets the babies will learn from watching them, and if the parents don't eat pellets they might learn from watching the babies!

Eggs aren't required but you can offer small amounts once or twice a week. Most cockatiels don't like fruit, but if you want to you can offer it and see if they'll eat it.



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 Post subject: Re: Food for weaning babies
PostPosted: Sun Nov 30, 2014 3:14 pm 
Cockatiel
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Thank you. What pellets are good for them?

I have ZuPreem natural (not colored) pellets for smaller birds (parakeets). I also have fruit pellets for medium birds (that mom eats) - the chicks like them when I crush them



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 Post subject: Re: Food for weaning babies
PostPosted: Sun Nov 30, 2014 7:22 pm 
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These pellets are fine. There are some differences in the ingredients between different brands of pellets, but they're all designed to provide complete nutrition. The different pellet sizes of a particular brand are all the same nutritionally - the shape is different but the ingredients are the same. Give the chicks some crushed pellets so they're able to actually eat them, but provide some non-crushed pellets too so they can work on learning how to eat them. Full-sized pellets are one of the most difficult foods for babies to eat, but with practice they'll figure it out.



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 Post subject: Re: Food for weaning babies
PostPosted: Mon Dec 01, 2014 11:23 pm 
Cockatiel
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I just discovered that ZuPreem pellets have sugar!!!!!

What pellet brand would you recommend as safe, nutritional, and delicious?

I have Roudybush high energy breeder pellets that I add to the seed bowl. babies eat from that bowl too, even though the bowl is for the parents. Maybe they just pick out seeds, I don't know. Is it OK if the eat some of that High energy breeder food?



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 Post subject: Re: Food for weaning babies
PostPosted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 11:12 pm 
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Yes, it's fine for them to eat high energy breeder food. They're babies and they're still growing a little bit, so they can use the extra nutrients.

The sugar in Zupreem isn't ideal, but an imperfect pellet that a bird will eat is better than a perfect pellet that the bird won't eat. You can encourage them to eat other brands, but if they're already eating the Zupreem I'd keep giving it to them until you're sure they like the other brand too.



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