Things You'll Need
- Commercial bird formula such as Nutri-Start or Harrison's for Cockatoos
- Bowl
- Bottled water
- Towel
- Bene-Bac for birds
- Syringe without the needle
- Solid bird food
Instructions
Hand Feeding
Purchase a high-quality commercial formula that's specially formulated for baby cockatoos. If the chick was just born, feed it a diluted version for the first three days that consists of 35 cc of bottled water to 1 tbsp. of formula. If the chick is past three days old, use the formula directions for its age.
Put the diluted formula in a bowl, and fill a syringe (without a needle) with the formula. Use the syringe to hand feed the umbrella cockatoo. Set the baby bird on a stable comfortable place such as a table with a towel set under the bird for warmth.
Grasp the umbrella cockatoo gently by its sides to help keep the bird stable. As you insert the syringe into its mouth, gently push the formula out of the syringe a little at a time while allowing the baby to suck the formula from the syringe. According to Dr. April Romangnano, an expert on rearing birds, on day two the baby should also receive on the first feeding of 0.1 cc of bird Bene-Bac. This is a fortified vitamin, and is available over the counter. You can add the Bene-Bac to the formula, and feed it via syringe.
Feed the diluted baby formula to the umbrella cockatoo for the first three days of life. Start with every two hours for the first and second day. On the third day the feeding schedule is every three hours. Do not feed during the night. The crop should be empty, and be allowed to dry out. Dr. Romangnano states that the crop should be completely empty by morning. A good way to accomplish this is to feed sunrise to sunset.
Feed an undiluted formula mixture starting on day four. Follow the directions for your formula brand. Typically, an umbrella cockatoo (depending on its age) will require a starting schedule of three times a day, then two times a day, down to one time a day and eventually to weaning. Follow the syringe feeding directions in Step 3 for these feedings.
Wean the chick from the formula once it becomes of age. Typically this happens once the umbrella cockatoo is 105 days old. Generally, an avian-certified veterinarian should perform a routine checkup of the baby before you decide to wean it off of the formula. You perform the weaning by gradually cutting back on the amount of formula you give the umbrella cockatoo, and replacing the missing formula with hard food such as bird pellets.
Introducing Solid Foods
Introduce fresh bird food daily in addition to the formula. Unfortunately for us, all parrots require that you eat the bird food in front of them to make the transition easier. They generally won't take new food without first seeing their owner eat it. Faking will not work. Parrots, and especially umbrella cockatoos, are too intelligent for this. You must actually consume the new food in front of them, and swallow it. Parrot food is not harmful to humans, but it may taste unpleasant. You need to pretend to enjoy eating it.
Start your newly weaned bird on a pelleted diet that you add to the bird cage. All bird cages come with two feeding cups that attach to the cage bars. Fill one cup daily with fresh cold water, and the other with the pellet diet. You can also add seeds like almonds, Brazil nuts, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower (sparingly), pumpkin and macadamia to the pellet diet. Leave seeds in their shell. Umbrella cockatoos like to open them themselves, and they serve as a natural beak file.
Introduce fresh organic pesticide-free greens such as spinach and other salad varieties daily. Chop up carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, squash or sweet peppers, and insert them onto a bird toy or offer them on a designated plate. Start by offering these items by hand, and then add them to the cage or put them on a designated bird plate on top of the cage.
Feed a daily breakfast before giving the bird its daily bird food. Leave the food in the cage for 30 minutes, take it out, then replace it with bird food. Breakfast foods can include scrambled eggs with the egg shell crumbled into it, whole wheat plain toast, a cubed piece of sharp cheddar cheese, whole wheat macaroni, fish or any bird-safe food.