adding a 2nd macaw

[parrotlover618]

We have a 9yr old female B&G who is trying to bond with us as a mate and has laid eggs and everything so we have decided to get a mate for her what advice would you suggest in finding her a mate she laid her first clutch of 5 in April and is hormonal again also will cuttleb bones be a sufficient source of calcium she's on zupreem natural pellets and we offer fruits and almonds

 

[JerseyWendy]

Please reconsider your decision. Just because 'you' pick a male for your girl, absolutely does NOT guarantee that she will/would (ever) accept him.

She's hormonal, so what? Birds go through that phase, many of them do, but that does not mean they need to be paired up so they can / should breed. What are you doing with the eggs she's laying? I'd recommend you leave them alone, let her sit on them for a month, then remove them. Or you can replace with dummy eggs. Re-arrange her cage, give her new toys, perhaps that will snap her out of the breeding mode.

I'm not meaning to sound harsh, but too many folks think they 'can' be breeders, when in fact they shouldn't. There are too many unwanted birds to begin with. It takes a whole lot of work, dedication and 'know-hows' to properly set up big macs to breed successfully. I won't even begin to address what all is involved in raising healthy, well socialized chicks.

 

[amjokai]

Ok, so I'm gonna write a huge reply and address everything I can think of.... I'm not saying all of this to TALK you out of it, but if you're going to make that decision you need to know what you are getting yourself into!

When Parrots are on the nest they do not stay sweet! They get territorial and aggressive... Your bird is not afraid of you like most breeder birds would be, which means she won't fly away, she will attack.... Your sweet baby bird will probably turn evil.... for like 8 months... not just the 21-25 days that she would be sitting on infertile eggs and then get bored.... If you want to keep your bird as a pet, Control her hormones. Some ways are 12 straight hours of pitch darkness so she can sleep, make sure she isn't bonding and laying for her toys... if she falls in love with a toy, take it away, rearrange her cage, move her cage to a new room. Getting her a mate doesn't mean she won't continue to lay infertile eggs.... especially if the mate is also tame (he probably won't know how to do the deed.... ) Don't get another bird because you think she wants one, get one because you want one....

Birds that lay eggs can die from egg binding, have nutritional deficiencies from constant laying and die sooner because it takes so much out of them.

Then there is the issue of, if she doesn't like the male you choose for her, she might kill him... if he wants to mate and she refuses.... he might kill her...... can you watch them 24/7 for the rest of their lives to make sure they don't fight? Or will you build them an outdoor aviary and lose your baby because she goes wild and bonds with the male and just wants to breed?

If you decide to proceed:
Have you studied genetics in macaws so you know what you should look for in a mate for her?

What body type will compliment your bird so that the babies are healthiest you can make them?

What size nestbox/shape nest box do you need?

Do you know how long she should sit the eggs?

Have you learned to candle eggs to make sure there is nothing wrong?

Have you studied egg photos during candling to know the incubation and hatching process?

Will you know when they pip?

If something goes wrong; do you even know what assist hatching is and how to do it?

Have you studied the effects of bacteria and yeast on growing babies?

How are you going to get the babies out of the nest box? My cockatiels and green cheeks try to eat me when I go into their boxes a macaw actually could! Imagine a macaw sized bird PISSED OFF SNAPPING AT YOUR FACE OR ARMS BECAUSE YOURE TRYING TO CHECK ITS NEST.

Speaking of checking the nest
You will have to check the nest TWICE a day during breeding season to make sure the eggs are okay and then that there are no problems with the babies.

Have you been taught when to pull/why to pull and what to do if you have to pull babies?
Do you know how to handfeed? It is so very easy to kill them. Trust me I know! There is a HUGE learning curve, there is so much more to know than let me stick a syringe in their mouth and squirt formula in there.

Have you studied how to socialiZe the babies?
Macaws who aren't raised correctly develop serious behavior and psychological problems; do you know how to avoid messing up their little brains?

Do you know the difference between force weaning and abundance weaning? Do you understand why force weaning is dangerous?


Please please find a REALLY good mentor because it is not easy, in fact it is down right HARD heartbreaking, exhausting, crazy! I have no life during breeding season! NONE of i miss a feeding my babies die or can have nutritional deficiencies. They are so very fragile.

Even baby macaws bite. They don't know how to control those big beaks yet. I'm convinced my baby macaw bites harder than some of the adult macaws I've met because he is trying to learn what is acceptable.... Do you know how to control that and train it out?



Please think about the commitment you are making in deciding to breed your bird.... Think long and hard about the reasons you want to do this. Make sure you are wanting to do it for the right reasons....
They are expensive so I hope it is not for the money because the more expensive the bird the more expensive the upkeep and the more time effort and level of difficulty they are to breed and raise. This isn't something you just wake up one morning and decide to do...


To put it into perspective. Most parrots are rehomed the first time by the time they are two...
Then most will be rehomed 5-8 times in their lifetime.
I have a parrot who was rehomed 6 times in his life before he came to me. HE IS ONLY TWO?!
How are you going to feel if your baby macaws are rehomed like that? What if they have to be rehomed like that because YOU didn't raise and socialize them correctly?

I just hope you take all of this to heart and really research and find a breeding mentor to really teach you.
But make sure it's a breeding mentor who is ethical and does things correctly.

Do you know what it would take for it to be done correctly so that when you choose your mentor you aren't choosing a bird mill?
If not I suggest you start researching what you should look for in a breeder, then research the psychological ramifications of force weaning and look at pictures of crop burns and read about what can happen if they are handfed wrong.

Bad handfeeding KILLS babies in a split second!!!!!!!

Anyone have anything to add? lol