Is she old enough to come home?

[RBlass]

We bought this CAG from a breeder at around 2 weeks old. We've been visiting it since -- It's now 14.5 weeks.

It's memorial day weekend, and we want to bring it home now so we'll have an extra day with it!

But the breeder says she's still on 2 feedings a day.

..But the thing is, she was only on 1 comfort feeding a day 2 weeks ago.

 

Do you think I should just tell the breeder to give it to us, or what?

[Elvenking]

Here is the deal with this as far as I see it. It will be worth it to let your breeder fully wean them if you can wait. I got my baby at about 9 weeks because I had a strong desire to do some of the feeding and abundance weaning. I so wanted to take part in that process and loved every moment of it. I would not make the decision just to have your baby for an extra day. It sounds like your breeder is pretty responsible. Mine was too but I begged and wanted to hand feed. So it really depends. If you do decide to take him\her home...I would suggest getting very good lessons on how to hand feed and really stick 100% to professional guidence. It's no joke and can be easily messed up. Everything has to go just so. If any of that scares you...let the breeder wean yer baby. Just make a preference for flighted or not...cause most breeders will try to clip without a very stern request to not. My 2 cents.

[Streetwise]

My quick answer. Trust the breeder get the bird when its ready. You will bond the same.

[judygram]

Leave the handfeeding and weaning to the breeder for they know what they are doing, there is not a set age or time for this to happen, your breeder knows best so trust their judgment, you won't be sorry, besides what is one day when you will have the rest of his/her life to spend with.

[Luvparrots]

Let the breeder wean the baby why take any chances with your new friend's life. I got my Ana Grey fully weaned in fact the breeder, Millie, refuses to release her babies until fully weaned and eating by themselves for at least a week. Ana Grey is totally bonded to me, and she trusts me as if I were her real mom. Poppycock to any need to "get involved" its what you do when your baby comes to its forever home that counts. Gain your baby's trust and you are bonded forever.

[Birdnut]

I agree with the others. Be patient.

 

It's not uncommon for weaning babies to vacillate between wanting more or less feeding as they go through the weaning process.

[reggieroo]

I agree with what has been said 100% leave the bird with the breeder till they are ready & fully weaned. I had Murphy at 12 weeks old & wish I had left him there a few weeks longer. I was told by the breeder that he was fully weaned at 11 weeks & I'm not saying she lied to me but I think a few more weeks would of been better for him. As soon as I got him home he was crying like a baby for a feed, I had no idea what to do or that was even what he wanted until I called the breeder panicking about what was wrong with him. She then told me that he must have regressed, his sister had also been taken the same day so she thought that may have had an impact on him. Regardless of what caused it, it did happen to a fully weaned baby grey. I honestly believe if I had left him there for just few weeks longer it would have been better for him mentally.

 

I then had to go through the process of weaning him again with no experience of what I was doing, I had to give him spoon feeds three times a day for weeks. Something I was not prepared for & didn't really want to have to do. I'm sure it has had an impact on him as he seems a little too depended on me still & he can't bear to be in his cage without me standing right next to him. Something I'm currently working on right now, is trying to help him be a little more independent & enjoy some cage time. Bonding with them is not something to worry about as they will bond with you as long as you show them lot's of love, care & attention.

 

So a little patience at this stage will go a long way & it is something you need to learn with owning a grey, as I have learnt along the way.

Edited January 16, 2011 by reggieroo

[danmcq]

Ditto to all other replies. Let the expert determine when the time is right. Most would not let you take it home anyway before they know the baby is ready. I know your feelings and I think we all wanted our greys home sooner as we visited them constantly until they were ready. One thing our breeder did do, was let us take our grey home for 4 to 8 hours and interact with him, get him used to his soon to be new cage, home and people on weekends staring from week 12 to week 15. Perhaps your will opt to do that as well.

[rbpittman]

Having had two who came to me still being hand fed I advise STRONGLY against taking that task on just to have one additional day home with your baby. If you've never hand fed one you can do much more damage to your bird and their health than you will gain with an additional couple of weeks with them at a younger age. Beau was still being hand fed one feeding per day because of illness. He needed the additional time and patience I could give him he couldn't get at the pet store. Morgan was given up because he was still being hand fed and the owner didn't have a clue on what to do. Twice a day feedings are easy in your mind, they are difficult if you have an aggressive feeder and a bird who doesn't know you. It can be worse, you have an aggressive hand feeder with an inexperienced parront! Unless you've been doing this for an extended period of time, leave the baby with the breeder; it can be 12 weeks, 14 weeks, 16 weeks before they are ready to be weaned and they are all different.

[Lambert58]

Yup. All of the above. We got Leo at 8 weeks. He spent the next three in our bedroom in a small cage being hand fed. I managed to fashion a hand-feeding spoon with an acetylene torch and a pair of pliers (dang fine job, IMO!) with which we hand fed him during that period.

 

Our case was unique: we were basically rescuing him from a really crappy pet store. If you have a breeder that knows what they're doing, let them do it. Bonding won't be an issue.