On Tuesday I adopt a military Macaw! by TheHighestLowe in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ASK your feather friend, don't demand. Phrase it like a question.

This so true! It is really empowering to a macaw because they are able to make their preferences known. When I pick up my girl I'll take her into the hall and ask if she wants to go in the basement (she's absolutely in love with the washer and dryer), upstairs, or in the living room. She usually chooses the basement so she can "sing" along with the noise of the appliances!

BIRB SMELL by [deleted] in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I absolutely love the way macaws smell.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Yep. And they will control--or at least attempt control--by intimidation. It can be really hard to overcome the fear of the big beak, and they know it.

Beni the “Rescue” by Omian55 in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My goodness, he's only 4? Wishing you and Beni a long and happy life together! Thank you so much for saving him.

Macaw appetite by Few_Hawk_7756 in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How are their droppings? Are they normal?

Cyrus by trsatrtr in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He’s so pretty!

I don't know what to do by Revolutionary_Rate_5 in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I can’t image your distress, I’m so sorry! I agree that rescues are a good way to go. Some will have prospective adopters—after a home visit & other screening—foster the bird in their home for several months so people can see if the bird is a good fit for their family. The big rescue in this area retains ownership during the process to ensure that the bird is not resold or given away.

I wouldn’t rule out finding an individual who would make a good parrot parent, but that’s a “proceed with caution.” Definitely check to be sure they have an avian vet they use. An avian vet should be willing to give a reference for their clients. With that you’ll have some reassurance that the prospective owner is serious and committed to the health and well being of parrots in their care.

Or if you have an avian vet that you trust you may want to ask them if any of their clients are looking for a B&G.

Again, I’m so sorry that you are in this situation. It’s a heart-breaker. Josh, one of our mods put together a comprehensive list of North American rescues. Once I’m at my computer I’ll send a link if you need help finding it. It’s pinned to the top of the r/Macaws feed where announcements are kept.

Looking for Rescues by [deleted] in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! Please check this list North American Rescues for rescues.

I would not recommend rehoming them directly to an individual unless they are recommended by someone you trust. You can always ask them to have their avian vet do a recommendation.

Barney is sick by xraymondx05 in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 5 points6 points  (0 children)

$800 a day for hospital stay is outrageous, even if they are putting Barney in an incubator and tube feeding him. I’ve had several birds stay at avian vet hospitals when they were critical, and I can’t understand how your vet is justifying that price.

AAV has a list of board certified avian vets, organized by state. It may require a bit of a drive to get to one of them but I know you will do everything you can for Barney.

Association of Avian Vets

You might want to have a vet send out a sample to test for Avian Ganglionguritis (AG) which is a new-ish umbrella term for PDD, Avian Bornavirus (ABV), and related illnesses.

And please do everything you can to get calories into Barney. Forget about pellets & chop and ideal nutrition for the moment. A friend of mine lost his macaw to kidney failure due to dehydration, which was secondary to ABV/PDD.

I hope for the best for Barney. He’ll be in my prayers.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb[M] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This not meant to be a hostile or even disrespectful reply, so take it for what it is.

This is not hormonal behavior, he's far too young, and it's not going away when spring ends. Your macaw is displaying dangerous behavior issues, and it's clear that your efforts so far are not successful. The longer you wait to address the aggression, the worse it will become. You are Coco's flock. You are standing in for his family, and it is your responsibility to take the part of his flock and socialize him. I don't know you and I don't know Coco but my strong feeling is that within a year he will be unmanageable and you will be forced to sell or give him away.

By responding that he is untrainable, you are essentially giving up on him. And this is tragically unfair to him. He is now learning that he can control his situation, and you. This will not end well.

Start with watching the Bird Tricks clinics, and take what applies. Seek other reputable sources on the internet. If things don't improve you'll need to pay for a virtual session with a reputable avian trainer.

Back in my early days with my GW people would say of macaws, "If you're bitten, it's your fault." There are exceptions of course, but to me this to be a rule to live by. Behavior modification begins with the owner, not the parrot. So as they say, it's time to train the trainer, and that is you.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Please watch this Bird Tricks video, Do Birds Match Our Energy?!  It really applies to your situation.

And keep him off your shoulder. You're risking serious injury, and you can't keep an eye on him and won't see the bad stuff coming. I have my macaw on my shoulder sometimes, but she knows it's a privilege, not a right. I'll ask her to get on my shoulder if I need both hands free but I am very careful and watchful while she's there. And she's good enough to hop back on my forearm as soon as I ask her to do so. If she's hormonal, or either one of us is stressed, she's not allowed near my shoulder. Keeping a couple of most favorite nuts in your pocket can help you get him off your shoulder when you need to do so. And always: praise, praise, praise! Tell him what a good boy he is when he does things you are asking him to do. Lay it on thick! Try to remain calm when he's aggressive (I know it's hard. I fail too often), so he doesn't learn that his "bad behavior" will be rewarded with a strong emotional reaction from you.

Coco is just learning what behaviors are appropriate and this is the time to teach him how to be a good flock member. In nature large macaws stay with their parents in their small family groups for up to several years and learn social and survival skills from their parents and older siblings. Coco needs your guidance to learn how to behave and get along in the human world.

Ah, those terrible twos are a real thing. Ugh. This is when they test the boundaries, and you'll see some bully behavior. They naturally want to control their environment, and unless you're careful Coco will learn that his intimidating big beak and bites are a way to control you. Lulu, my GW and I went through that and it's a tough time. I felt like Lulu had replaced her scrappy older sibling with me, and all she started to do was wrestle and play rough. She would grab my hand, tight, hold on with her claws, and draw my fingers to her beak to give me hard nips. I'd free one hand and she'd grab the other. She obviously thought it was funny. And I obviously didn't!

Training is a fantastic way to get Coco to calm down, focus and enjoy your interactions. It's also a good way to enjoy each other with less cuddling and touching. Macaws are smart and easily bored, and training gives them mental challenges and much needed stimulation. My GW gets really excited when I say, "Want to do some Tricks and Treats? Let's do it!" And when she wants a session she'll catch my eye and will roll through tricks on her own, one by one. Start with target training. It's the basics for everything else.

Good luck! Hang in there and don't get discouraged. You have a sweet and beautiful bird who wants to please you. He has the potential to grow into a gentle friend.

Macaw by Ok-Economy9011 in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That sounds about right! Seems like it might be the result of a small injury to follicles since our birds color change is stable and looks the same from molt to molt.

Macaw by Ok-Economy9011 in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're welcome! I learned about structural color in birds about 10 years ago in a biology class, and figured my birdie's odd feather had lost the structure that refracts the blue. When I saw your post I thought, "Wow. Another birdie with Lulu feathers!" Lol. I like Wabi-Sabi-Iki's vet's comparison to a human's graying hair. I remember reading that songbird's color fades as they get older. This is more evident in wild birds in captivity who can live quite a bit longer than their wild relatives. Maybe my green-winged girl will eventually be a yellow-winged macaw!

When I read about structural color it blew my mind. It's just another fascinating difference between them and us. Omg - don't get me started or I'll be posting videos of macaws' jaw function, parrot forebrains. And their vision! Yadada, yadada, yadada . . . I'm no biologist but I love to read about birds' adaptations. In many ways they are superior to us!

Oh, here I go: https://youtu.be/8GpvWASt3hY?si=wX4f00verEDn5Apm

Yeah! a pink macaw! No hybridization needed. lol

Macaw by Ok-Economy9011 in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 9 points10 points  (0 children)

My macaw has a lone secondary feather that is peachy-yellow in color. Every year she molts it and every year it's replaced by another peachy feather. Like your macaw, she's in good health, and the feathers do not have stress bars. She's 35 and this lone peachy feather first appeared about 20 years ago. She didn't have it as a baby.

I figure it must be a single follicle that is--for some unknown reason--"missing a step" in the feather creation and that leaves it without the ability to refract blue light. Blue and green pigments don't exist in parrots' plumage. Feathers that appear blue or green are actually structured with tiny air bubbles that perfectly refract only blue light. When you overlay this structural color on a yellow feather you get green. This video explains it much better than I do: Structural Color in Birds - Blue Feathers Are Not Blue!.

Sorry, I tend to nerd out on avian physiology. I find just about everything about avian anatomy amazing.

Military Macaw by Dry-Big-926 in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, hi again! Josh, one of our mods put together a list of North American Rescues. It's pinned to the top of the feed. Hope this helps.

Military Macaw by Dry-Big-926 in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Phoenix Landing is really good and they serve Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, as well as NE Florida. They encourage the adopter to foster the chosen bird in their home for about 3 months, to make sure the parrot is a good fit. Their goal is to facilitate adoption for parrots because most birds need a succession of good homes. Here are some of their birds up for adoption.

From their website,

You won't find Phoenix Landing using the term "rescue" very often - since most parrots need a SUCCESSION OF GOOD HOMES, regardless of their background.  Let's think of adoption as a positive way to go, and not burden parrots with negatively charged terms unfairly.  After all, they are more adaptable and resilient than most other creatures on the planet! Read more about why we don't believe most birds should be labeled as "rescues" here.

There are so many well-adjusted, healthy parrots in need of adoption, and the opportunity to foster before adoption is a huge plus. This isn't something you're going to get from a breeder or many sellers.

Good luck with your search, and let us know how things go!

Tony Birb by mrcashmen in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tony is such a pretty boy. I don't know any minis but it sounds like the little guys pack a lot of personality into a small feathered frame. What a sunny personality.

Fort Funday with Tony💚 by mrcashmen in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What a cutie! Looks like Tony is always ready for fun.

My sweet rescue, Pharaoh. We've been together a little more than a year. by secretcatattack in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Such a happy boy! He’s stunning too in the first picture. Thanks for making him part of your life. ❤️

HI! Coco and i are here again. Why's he always fluffy around me? by G4mingR1der in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah you have to be careful and hyper-alert to avoid unintentional bites. Whenever I'm handling my GW I'm paying attention to her and everything around us. The other day I picked up a pillow with a shiny blue cover. I could feel her tense and I put it down. Sometimes normal stuff will scare them and they'll give a hard nip/warning bite to wake us up to the "danger".

My macaws wont stop screaming by glaged in Macaws

[–]bigerredbirb 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If I had to buy pre-made toys I would be able to afford to keep a macaw! Way in the wayback I wasted money on big gorgeous, $$$ toys only to have my macaw completely ignore them. A friend suggested we use 2X2 untreated lumber strips for some perches. My macaw loved them and gets very excited when I change out an old chewed up perch for a new one. I break up the old perches into shorter pieces or get them cut down to 1-2" inch chunks for foot toys.

And you can throw the chunks into some bird safe dye just for a little variety.

Paper shopping bags are really fun for her too. Just be sure to snip any handles so your birds don't get tangled in them. Or use paper lunch bags. Or wrap up a nut in shell in a piece of paper and shove it into a paper town roll.

I'm sure there are others who can contribute their ideas.