To Handfeed or Not to Handfeed, That is the Questionby Real Macaw Member, Ed Zuzock Jr. I have regular columns in a couple of Newsletters, including the Sussex County Exotic Bird Club and others not related to birds. Last month, The Real Macaw printed one of my columns from the SCEBC Newsletter. Donna had spoken with me about writing for this Newsletter also, and thought I would give it a shot. I enjoy knowing a little bit about the people I read and so believe in putting a little bit of my own biography when I start writing for a different publication. As much as I like to talk about myself, I will try to be brief. I am married to Kathy, who is also a member. By profession, I have worked as a Clinical Psychologist for the past 20 some years and worked in other titles in Mental Health for 5 years or so prior to that. I kind of think the old expression, it takes one to know on, kind of fits. I am also a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Rehabilitation Counselor, Certified Public Manager and a Certified School Psychologist.
When I write, I usually kind of write off the cuff. Sometimes on a specific topic and others times about whatever thoughts I am having at the time. If people agree with me, great and if they don't, that is okay too and I would enjoy having them respond to the Newsletter and perhaps promote a dialogue from which we can all learn something. If the members in The Real Macaw enjoy what I write I will attempt to write As the years have gone by, the knowledge regarding parrots and their various needs has grown in leaps and bounds. I play on the Internet a lot. I enjoy looking at the various breeder websites and I seem to see two contradictory things. On one hand, I see aviaries that are ready to ship babies practically from the egg and very young, to aviaries that will not consider selling an unweaned baby. It seems that the majority of people are more in favor of not selling unweaned babies to the prospective pet owner. I have heard of many horror stories of what happens to unweaned babies, and that is really a terrible thing. I also have read many different authors who state that parrots will bond just as strongly to you if they are acquired weaned and are capable of changing bonds throughout their life. This seems to be a statement of fact. So, I guess now is the time to refer back to the title of this article. Should the pet owner handfeed or not? (I am not referring at all to breeders handfeeding their babies; my discussion here is only related to a pet person bringing home a new baby as a companion bird). As in the article I wrote last month, people have strong opinions about this. I believe that probably the average person who is thinking about becoming an exotic bird owner shouldn't even consider purchasing an unweaned bird. I also believe that a breeder who would sell an unweaned baby to just anyone is really a low person with no integrity. On the other hand, for the most part, I don't believe in absolutes and I think that some pet owners are more than capable of handfeeding a new baby purchased with a goal of it becoming a companion bird. My pet birds range from a wild caught Amazon to weaned babies, to adolescent birds and to two that we handfed from a very young age. We had not really planned on feeding these two from the age that we did. The reasons for this situation occurring are not really relevant here. We did however, plan on feeding from the point that they were at, like two feedings. We value our animals and research everything that we do extensively and we also seek training and advice from our more knowledgeable friends. The first bird that we handfed was a Sun Conure which was to be my wife Kathy's bird. For that reason, she was by far the primary feeder, but I was also part of it as we thought that in the long run would make for the bird being better adjusted in our home. Whether or not there is any scientific validity for those thoughts, I don't know, but it seemed to work out real well and Silly is definitely Kathy's bird, but also likes me a lot too. That was what we had hoped for. Silly was fed using a syringe, as we were shown by the people we acquired the bird from. Silly is now about 15 months old and has turned from a plain baby (and that is a kind statement) to a very beautiful Sun Conure, who seems very well adjusted and a great pet. I think we did good. The second bird is Lucy, our Congo Grey. Lucy was to be my bird and we acquired her at 30 days of age, which was much, much younger than I had planned on. I almost didn't accept her, but I looked at that little featherless body and those big black eyes of this little helpless creature and she came home with us. I really never liked using the syringe and had read about a method of handfeeding using a small paper cup. My intention was to use the cup, or if that didn't seem to work out, to use a spoon. Well by the second feeding, Lucy had the hang of the cup and it worked out very well. As I am writing this in the beginning of September, Lucy is now about 20 weeks old. She is weaned, but I still give her a little formula some nights, as it is kind of a special few moments between us. I also believe in abundance weaning and basically was in no rush to wean her. It was all up to her. We let her fledge and learn to fly before we clipped her, as it seems that this is necessary or at least very important for a baby. If the bird is allowed to learn to fly, it tends to be a more self-confident bird, based on my readings and this seems to have held true. Lucy went on vacation with us while she was handfeeding and has met many different people. Her toys are many and they were and are changed almost daily from the time we first brought her home. This was also to have her used to change from the time she really had any awareness, as Greys are known for being very sensitive to change. In terms of food, she was offered pellets, fruits, vegetables, crackers, rice cakes, bread, pasta, baby food and seed, as well as others from the time she was a tiny baby. This was also so she would be open to many different types of food and not stuck on one or two items. Even in terms of pellets, for Lucy and all of our birds, we rotate brands and styles so they don't get too set in their ways and preferences. Lucy is still just a baby, but I am very thrilled about her development and adjustment so far. I can't guarantee that she will never develop any problems, but I believe that we are off to a very good start. Again, she is still just a baby, but I think that she may have Cockatoo blood, as she is a little love sponge at this point. Where am I going with this? Okay, my experience handfeeding Lucy from this tiny baby to the beautiful, seemingly well adjusted older baby she is now, has been so very rewarding and special for me and I think for her. I love all of my birds and they are all special for different reasons. There is something really exceptional though, about the relationship Lucy and I have. I think that it is different and perhaps in some ways more intense and I like it, a lot. The people who I am acquiring my Green Wing from do not sell unweaned babies, but have agreed to allow me to come and help feed her, and provided that I prove myself to them, will allow me to bring her home at two feedings, which is what I want to do. I believe the breeder is acting reasonably and so am I. I wouldn't bring this new baby home if I didn't feel fairly sure that I would be capable of doing things right. This breeder will not let me take the baby at two feedings, unless they feel the same. My limited knowledge doesn't guarantee that something unforeseen couldn't happen, but I am not so egotistical that I wouldn't seek help immediately if there was a problem. After my experience with Lucy, I don't believe that I would ever intentionally get another bird specifically as a pet that I didn't have some part in the handfeeding process. I don't mean that I wouldn't take an adoption bird, or never take a bird that was weaned, just that I would greatly prefer being part of the feeding process. So in conclusion, I guess that what I am saying is that I believe that any reputable breeder will be very careful about who they are selling unweaned babies to. It scares me when I look at the various ads on the Internet and I wonder how many babies are doomed to an agonizing death. I also believe that breeders have every right not to sell any unweaned babies, as I guess if they are doing it right, there are far less chances for problems occurring. I also believe though, that the handfeeding process and the bonding thing that occurs is a truly wonderful thing and can be so very rewarding. The person who is willing to take on that responsibility should not take it lightly, as that little life is in their hands. They need to research, learn and be taught. They need to have people available to them if a problem arises. If those conditions are met and the person is truly committed, I highly recommend the experience. Till next time. Ed
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My career goals at this point are a little uncertain, but I am looking into retirement and hoping to do some private practice in the Counseling/Stress Management areas, so keep me in mind. My other primary interest besides animals is motorcycles and I have been involved for about 35 years or so as a racer, many pounds ago, and a road rider. I have loved animals my entire life and for the most part, was given a lot of freedom in this area by my parents growing up. I love all kinds of animals and will always have dogs, but my interests have always been focused on animals that are often termed exotics. I will just mention my experience with birds here. As a kid we had Parakeets (Budgies) and a Cockatiel, as well as some chickens and ducks at different periods. My first real parrot was a Half Moon Conure which had an untimely death after a collision with a mirror many years ago. I have kept parrots continuously for the last 23 years and my Green Cheek Amazon, Siggy, who I got at that time the day he came out of Quarantine, is still with me and doing great, in spite of the lack of knowledge in terms of nutrition etc., back in those days. At present, we have English Budgies, Conures, Amazons, a Senegal, a Congo Grey, a Blue and Gold, and a Green Wing Macaw on the way. We are hoping to try our hand at breeding a pair of Sun Conures and White Fronted Amazons as well as the Budgies, if things work out. I belong to the AFA, The Real Macaw, Sussex County Exotic Bird Club and the Central Jersey Bird Club. I in no way claim to be an expert on anything. I am however, a well read novice who is like a leach in extracting information and learning from my more knowledgeable peers.