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How to Hand Feed & Wean a Moluccan Cockatoo

The Moluccan cockatoo, or Cacatua moluccensis, is a heavily plumed member of the boisterous cockatoo family of birds. It is the largest of the white cockatoos. Bird enthusiasts recommend that only fully weaned and trained cockatoos be purchased for proper acclimation to a home aviary, but that doesn't mean you can't learn how to hand-feed and wean them yourself after an initial period with its mother. Though your bird may miss out on some of the training it would have received from a trained breeder, you may benefit from a more obedient bird who views you as a protector.

Things You'll Need

Commercial hydration solution like lactated ringers
Lactobacillus supplement
Hand-rearing formula
Sterilized plastic syringe or large spoon
Clean towel
Double boiler or stove pot
Probe thermometer

Instructions

- 1
  Start weaning your Moluccan cockatoo as early as 12 hours after hatching. Administer a hydration solution and lactobacillus at this young age. After a day or two, you can switch to the hand-feeding formula. Some breeders recommend about two weeks of sole nurturing from the parents before weaning, but others start as early as 12 hours old.
- 2
  Wash your hands with warm water and antibacterial soap.
- 3
  Mix your hydration solution or hand-feeding bird formula according to manufacturer's suggestions -- a fresh batch every time to avoid bacterial infection. For the first day of the feeding formula, getting as little as 10 percent protein and 90 percent water is sufficient, though you should increase proteins about 2 percent a day until you reach about 25 percent protein and 75 percent water by the second week of hand-feeding.
- 4
  Warm your formula or hydration solution (for the very youngest cockatoos) until it reaches between 100 and 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a double boiler or pot of water instead of the microwave, which heats unevenly. Mix in the formula before ensuring the proper temperature; the temperature will change.
- 5
  Remove your Moluccan cockatoo from its aviary nesting box when mother and father are out exercising, for at least two feedings a day. Lay a towel over your legs or a flat surface.
- 6
  Hold your Moluccan cockatoo by the back of the head. Reach around and support her lower beak with one of the fingers on the same hand.
- 7
  Insert the syringe slightly into the side of your bird's mouth, not directly from the front, or hold the spoon beside its beak. Gently press the syringe or pour from the spoon into your cockatoo's mouth, which should impel its feeding instinct.
- 8
  Feed young birds as often as every three or four hours, but at least twice a day. Shift your Moluccan cockatoos to their parents' balanced diet of seeds, nuts, fruits and vegetables. Use fresh produce regularly along with store-bought seed and nut bars.

Animals & Science