Handfeeding Parrots pt. 2

Hey ya'll 

I wasn't going to update on the Yoshi situation so quickly but I am honestly quite shocked at how quickly he is developing both mentally and physically. I've so far been feeding Yoshi and average of 26 tubes of formula a day but as of yesterday his appetite seems to have expanded by leaps and bounds. Yoshi took a total amount of 31 tubes yesterday and woke up around 1am demanding another feeding. I did not want to pamper him but upon inspection I noticed that his crop had fully emptied out so I decided to give him a small feeding of 4 tubes. I fed him again this morning at 9.30 and though he seemed quite distracted at first, and hell bent on crawling under the sofa and into small dark crevices as part of his "exploration" I eventually managed to settle him down enough to commence feeding where he surprised me by taking 12 tubes of formula in one sitting! I haven't had the opportunity to weigh him yet as the conventional weighing scale we have at home does not seem sensitive enough to accurately weigh a baby bird's weight but I can tell from "feel" that he is getting heavier. His muscles also seem to be getting a lot stronger as he is growing bolder in terms of climbing objects to try and access higher locations, and is able to stand upright, adopting an adult bird's posture, for longer periods and unassisted. As per my measurements, his tail feathers have lengthened by a whole inch. ALL this development from just 4 days of hand feeding (going into the 5th which is today).  

Standing proud and tall!

From the second day that I brought him home, the moment he acclimated to his new surroundings, Yoshi exhibited a very inquisitive and curious personality. I noticed today that  after I was done feeding him that Yoshi was picking at the spilled formula that had soaked into the nappy sheet. On a hunch I grabbed a banana out of the refrigerator and heated it in a warm water bath. When I was satisfied that it had been heated all the way through, I cut off a small portion and presented it to Yoshi. True to form he started nibbling on it and I can tell from the way he lapped at it again and again with his tongue that he was surprised that it tasted so sweet. He did not swallow the banana as expected and spat it out but when I offered him a second, larger, piece, he took it without hesitation and repeated the same actions again. I must say that all the fears I had about Yoshi being a difficult bird to wean were dispelled at this point. I think Yoshi's behavior is more symptomatic of "playtime" than actual weaning but I'm positive that if anything this natural born inquisitiveness has given me a head start on things, which should make weaning a significantly easier process given enough patience and positive reinforcement.

Nibbling on some banana

Another thing you may have noticed in these set of recent photographs is the bright orange and yellow that is appearing on Yoshi's belly and sides quite beautifully. This is not the typical coloration of a gc and I am quite confident, coupled with the light colored beak (again not typical gc coloration) and a small "halo" of yellow/orange on the edge of his red tail feathers, that he comes from either the pineapple or yellow sided mutation stock. That certainly came to me as a pleasant surprise and will be something I look forward to witnessing as Yoshi blossoms into a healthy, beautiful adult bird. 

Light and Love Blessings
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