Red Fronted Macaw coming home soon

Hi Everyone,
I have not posted anything in quite a while. To refresh everyone I found a RFM macaw breeder over a year ago and have been paying on a baby male for over a year.

We have decided on the name Valentino for him and he is finally paid off. We also were sweating it for a while there because the first clutch was all females and the second clutch hatched only ONE MALE. Needless the male is going to be our bird and the breeder has been calling him Valentino since she had them DNA sexed.

The babies are pulled at a month old so they have been parent raised since hatching until the breeder pulls them. I was very happy to learn that the babies spend their early days with the parents. Needless to say I am very excited for when Valentino is old enough to come home.

I would love to hear from other RFM owners about their birds. Is there a difference in personality in the sexes? For the people who have had their birds decades I would love to learn what diets you feed your macaws and learn the secrets of longevity for the RFM in captivity. Although I have been researching for over a year on the RFM I will never stop learning or update myself on parrot care.

I am going to try to insert a pic of Valentino the breeder sent to me yesterday. He is beautiful.

Noblemacaw

I have had a male and female and red fronts are by far the best bird ever. They aren't too big nor too small, aren't too quiet but definitely aren't too loud. My male was bigger hut also older. He was stuck to me like glue and was my"attack parrot". He was a one person bird and attacked anyone or thing that came near. He loved to eat anything and everything but isn't a yucky messy eater. Loves showers in the sink. Expert climber but never learned to fly. Never screamed unless to annoy my hubby to get him to leave lol. Loved peanuts and sunflower seeds. Picked up my personality very quickly- meaning everything was said witha sarcastic attitude lol great talker and whistles, loves to dance to the radio but has no rhythm. Loves to play chase with me, loves to chase my hubby (not n a playful way lol).

Erin is 2 and a female, she wasn't handled as a baby so she was scared of humans and aggressive when I bought her from a bird store at 1.5 years old. She was cage aggressive so we had to build her a stand which was a lot faster, cheaper and funner than n.a. cage. She is amazing flier sacred fronts are.she can fly with great maneuverability, hover, and fly backwards. She knows many tricks like waving spinnign arojnd bowing, etc. She is a very picky eater so we put her on pellets. She loves the meat in chef boyardee, fish stick breading, vanilla ice cream, chocolate milk, and soda. Most of all she loves pine nuts. She is friendly with everyone and has been handled by strangers ranging from 5 to 60 years old. She is completely pet friendly- dogs, cats, mice, ferrets, hamsters etc. She dosent mind being alone a lot. She hasn't learned a lot of words yet but knows around 5 or so. She's not as clingy as my Elvis was but she won't turn down a cuddle or kiss, but she's not constantly shaking for your attention. She likes showers in the showers and hates the sinks. Loves car rides with the windows Down. Isn't scared of anything but hawks falcons and cranes. Doesn't mind loud noises at all, never bites nor screams. They're amazing. Google them and owners and breeders will tell you nothing hut how amazing they are. I have only heard of one owner with a bad red front and it was old and homed and kissed around a lot- just dealt a bad hand and you can't blame the bird for being aggressive after how he was always treated.

Oh and Elvis wasmvery photo genic while Erin isn't quite up to posing and staring deep into the camera lenses lol

Thank you so much MaraWentz for responding to my post. I cannot wait to get Valentino when he is old enough to come home.

I would love to hear more about your Red Fronts. If you don't mind I would also like to know what happened to Elvis. He sounds like he was an awesome parrot.

Sunday my 17 year old Noble Macaw died so I know the pain you went though, going through with Elvis. I miss Mihijo every second of every day.

Elvis passed at 10 years last may. He was my best friend. We took him to the vet because he was acting weird the night before, very dull, but loving as usual, but just like a dim light you could say. So we took 100 dollars or so with US because it was all we had at the time. The emergency visit was 70. We told the vet that 100 was all we had and he definitely used that to his advantage, since the visit needs to be paid in full at the end of the appointment. He wanted to get blood work done on Elvisbecause he had no idea what made him seize and be lethargic, etc. So we agreed and he said he needed to put him underfoot anesthesia and we disagreed because it's just blood work. I offered to restrain him or have a technician restrain him for the blood, and he denied me it, and said that if we didn't do the anesthesia that we can take him else where abducted we told him we couldn't because all our money goes to him for the emergency visit and he just shrugged and said he has to do anesthesia or he won't do it. So we had to let him or we would be bringing Elvis home prob. to watch him die. So we agreed, we weren't told any risks at all. The vet came in 3minutes later and just said "your bird is dead." I laughed thinking he was being an a hole because the vet absolutely hated me (but he was the only avian vet for 1.5 hours). He then said that he aspirated and died. Things got serious then. He explained that while under Elvis regurgitated (as he always does) and choked to death on his vomit. After talking to my new vet and doing tins of research, it turns out that before anesthesia can be done the crop must be emptied or the bird must fast. Also they place a cuff down the throat so if a bird with a full crop ( in an emergency with no time for fasting) were to came in the cuff would should back the vomit to prevent choking. Well there was no fasting or cuff. So the vet ended up killing him. He should've done his job right. He didn't even need the anesthesia in the first place. He asked if I wanted Elvis back, of course, as we were to bury him, and so he said he'd fix him up. After 15minutes he handed him to memin a box saying not to look inside as he was plucked a bit and not the best sight. I didn't think anything into it, I was hysterical. The receptionist said wed get our bill jn the mail. We got a card within Elvis' foot print in it stating their sympathy. Then we got a 600 dollar bill for liver and heart, etc tests. I called up stating that's wasn't ordered and a mistake. Well they told me that my grandfather spoke to them when I was crying ( I had called my grandfather and told him in the midst of it as Elvis was a gift from him) and he ordered all these tests to be done to make sure it wasn't something contagious, as they had 6 otherbirds that lived with Elvis. So not only did he kill Elvis, but he also cut my bird up and didn't even tell me, and charged me for it. I was so mad. They have not received a single payment from me for anything and never will.

He was awesome. I still cry when I think of him. I have his name tattoed on my leg. It was my first tattoo actually. I've never found a species of bird I love more than a redfront. They really become a part of you and they pick up on your emotions so well, and learn off your personality. It's crazy how in tune they are with you. Whether Their a one person bird like Elvis was or friendly like Erin is they seem to always amaze people. My hubby and family loved Elvis. They couldn't handle him, but watching the way he loved me and the way I could cradle him, pet him, snuggling, playing chase, his witty tones, etc. He made others go " I want a bird like that" and then when people meet Erin and they have tiny kids who grab her and dogs that sniff her to death and when everyone crowds around to pet her they're so amazed how well behaved she is and how friendly and they say " I want her" (which is pretty annoying when 5 different people walk up and start offering money on your pet, like it's a diamond ring to be soldmto the highest bidder- I mean hello, this is a living thing, in no way for sale). They just amaze people. It's great to know that theybcan cause so much joy and excitement. You will love yours! I never had a baby red front so you will prob. Have many more stories to tell than me.

hope you enjoy your new friend

MaraWentz: I'm touched and so very saddened by what happened to your Elvis It's absolutely horrible ... thinking about it brings me to tears. I can only imagine the grief and anger you must feel. I'm so sorry.

I had a very similar experience involving a vet and one of my birds. Thankfully, though, death was not the result. It's so important to know a good avian vet who's competent, compassionate, and can be trusted. Sadly, it's not always easy to find one like that.

It's such a great thing that you now have Erin. She sounds like a terrific bird! (but please be careful of the chocolate milk and soda pop).

noblemacaw: your new baby RFM is too cute for words. I think RFMs are awesome birds! Best of luck!

She gets choc. Milk once every 1 to 2 months and only 3 sips but the soda is around 2 times a month and not a lot lol.
And noble I completelying agree with play he is so cute and handsome! You will get to the red appear and watch him grow so big and so handsome- you are so lucky to have a baby! What a joy.

Mara, I am sending you hugs, huge hugs, because as I read your story about Elvis I think of my Noble Macaw Mihijo. Elvis's death touched me so greatly. When you describe him he reminds me of my Illiger's Macaw Diego. He was a one person bird and was very bonded to me. Last summer he had a fatal stroke and even though I was able to get him to the vet still alive (I had to give him mouth to beak breathing) and she performed heroic measures to save him Diego died. I think out of all my loss I took Diego's the hardest because it was so sudden like your Elvis. Diego would of been 10 years old that following May.

Erin reminds me of my Mihijo my Noble Macaw. Everyone loved Mihijo. He was so friendly and wonderful to everyone who met him. I had a man offer me a thousand dollars for him but I told him. "no thank you, would you sell your son or daughter because this parrot is part of my family and my light."

Valentino was decided because after Diego died I was so devastated and grieved so hard for him I had to get counseling and also because my Mihijo was now the only parrot. Valentino represented a fresh beginning and a dream come true because I have wanted a RFM since 1997. Now that Mihijo is gone Valentine will be a lone parrot. Deep down I know I should get another parrot so that the two can keep each other company when I cannot but for now we will welcome Valentino home and raise him into adulthood with lots of love and training. Right now I cannot see another bird living in Mihijo's cage.

Bless you for being strong enough to share you story with me. I know where your words come from because I have experienced them myself. The pain of losing Elvis will never go away but I can tell you the sharpness of it MIGHT lesson over time.

Take care of yourself.