Buddy...The Macaw

[punkpoppyparrot]

I am very new to this forum and also very very new to Parrot ownership. I recently acquired a Blue and Gold Macaw named Buddy. He is a 6 year old male and is from what I have seen not very tame.

He has had two previous owners. The last not being very good for him at all. When I arrived at this persons home. He was in the kitchen in a corner with no windows, and no interaction at all. There was bird droppings piled at last a foot and a half high in his cage. (Its took me 3 hours to clean his cage and perches when I got him home). I just couldn't leave him there, I just couldn't.

The only thing he was eating in his former home was peanuts and banana chips, mixed with sunflower seeds. Is this the reason his feathers look bad? He's started preening himself the last two days, and we can see a very noticeable difference already, especially in his head feathers and down his back. He came to us with his tail feathers covered in, well, poop. He has since started pulling these nasty feathers out. (It was only two.) He has had a variety of foods and treats since he's been with us...we are trying to find out what he likes. I know we have to give him a base mix of pellets, seeds and such, but as far as treats, we have discovered he LOVES popcorn and blueberries.

I do have a few questions. As far as bathing. I can't handle him yet. I don't want to cause any further mental damage by trying to bathe him through his cage. Is there anyway I can get him clean? I have him set up for a vet visit this coming week. I worry over his feathers looking the way they do and what he was previously fed and his nails/beak/wings need to be done as well.

He doesn't scream but he squawks. He does honk a lot and will hang upside down from his beak at the top of his cage. He seems more taken with my partner then myself. He will take treats from my hand and does so ever so gently. I think he is going to be a fabulous bird.

So I am asking for any advice. handling, cleaning, feeding etc. When can I let him explore? How do I know when he is ready? I have done lots of reading but it doesn't prepare you quite like experiencing it does. The pic below is the day we brought him home and like I mentioned above he looks a little rough. I put him and his cage in a central location. Right in the living room so he can be around all the noise and goings on in the house. He seems to love it!

 

[Abzeez]

Oh he is LUCKY to have you!!!!!!! As far as bathing have you tried misting him with a water bottle. It can be messy. You'll have to dry the cage and walls afterwards, but it might work since you can't handle him at the moment.

Open his cage door and invite him out. Maybe sit next to his cage and just talk with him. He is probably cage bound after being stuck in it for so long. It could take him months to trust you, but just keep trying.

 

[birdmama61]

What concerns me is the rust on that cage , that bird could have metal poisoning too I would have him in another cage and towel him if you have too and get him in a new or newer cage that this one . Then I would get him to a vet and they will handle him and get a blood test and make sure to find out what test they do to see if he has metal poisoning , rust can kill a bird quick . Get him on a good diet . Thank god you found him . How old is he ? I would get him out of that rat trap rusty thing that used to be called a cage . Im sorry but Im frantic about rust . Good luck to him and you .

 

[punkpoppyparrot]

What concerns me is the rust on that cage , that bird could have metal poisoning too I would have him in another cage and towel him if you have too and get him in a new or newer cage that this one . Then I would get him to a vet and they will handle him and get a blood test and make sure to find out what test they do to see if he has metal poisoning , rust can kill a bird quick . Get him on a good diet . Thank god you found him . How old is he ? I would get him out of that rat trap rusty thing that used to be called a cage . Im sorry but Im frantic about rust . Good luck to him and you .

No need to apologize. I am new to this, like I stated. I am looking at getting him a new cage anyways. A brand new one with the perch on the top. She told me he was 6 but honestly he could be any age. The lady certainly wasn't the sharpest tack in the box. You think the Vet could give me an estimate on his age? I'll have to ask. He goes Wednesday and boy do I have lots of questions!

 

[mele]

Thank you for taking him in and giving him a chance at a happy life. I just dont understand why someone would buy such an amazing animal to just toss them in a corner and forget about them. I still get mad when I think about my Scarlets previous owners. They bought him as a breeder but he turned out to be a he and they tossed him aside. His cage was so caked with poo he had sores on his feet I tried misting him because he was still alittle agressive for me to be comfortable taking him to the shower. He loved it right away. It was almost like a big -THANK YOU! I needed that!

Good luck,

 

[kerry]

See how he responds to a light spray with slightly warm water from a bottle that has only held water. If it freaks him out, then stop, sometimes people use water spray as a punishment, that is why I am saying to watch him closely for his reaction. If he likes it which most parrots do it could really help his cleanliness & his feathers. It will take more than 1 shower to really get him looking good, it is a process as are so many things in life. I have showered parrots who haven't been used to showers & they look much better almost right away, but even better after more showers. Feeding him pellets & more fresh fruit & vegetables will help his feathers look better over time. How was he transported from where he lived to your house? Did the owner get him out of the cage? Has he been handled at all? I am guessing not judging from the pile of poop in the cage. Best of luck with him.

 

[punkpoppyparrot]

I transported him in a smaller cage so I could put him in my car. She couldn't get him out, so I did. I just went right in with a blanket. He didn't like it but he was fine once I had him out into the other one. I had never in my life seen such a mess. We had African Greys growing up and my mother would never let a cage be like that or allow a bird to become so isolated.

Tomorrow will be a week I have had him. He is becoming more and more vocal. He loves his fruit and veggies which I give him first thing in the morning. Pellets I leave for him to pick at all day. I tried the water bottle and he didn't freak out but he wouldn't stay still either. I think it may have been used as a punishment. He is preening all the time now, where as he's previous owner stated he never did this. I can already tell a difference in just this short amount of time. Vet visit Wednesday so I will let everyone know how it goes.



Thanks so much everyone!

 

[Printer bird]

Good luck with your new guy! I also rescued a GCC with a poop-caked cage that was inadequate. He's a much happier, funny guy although has picked up a feather chewing habit. Possibly Buddy has chewed his too, out of boredom and maybe will now stop. Be sure to get him some toys and introduce him to them slowly (near the cage, then outside the cage, then in the cage). He may not play at first but will eventually. And with a macaw, they will destroy them! Sounds like you are doing all the right things. A vet visit is a great idea, our little Charlie got extremely sick after we adopted him, we think because of his old, gross environment but has since rebounded. Hope all goes well!

 

[merlinsmom13]

I'm happy he found you. Its amazing how people will treat animals. He is probably very grateful. Good luck @ the vets.

 

[Remy]

His coloring is sooo pretty! I'm glad you're giving him a better home!

 

[Riio]

Wow! Poor Buddy...and yet...Lucky Buddy! Im so glad you took him and are giving him a great new life! I am fairly new to the bird world myself and have just one lil Green Cheek Conure who loves to bathe! I do know that I have read that some people say their birds hate water bottles that you squeeze the trigger to spray, but do well with the misting bottles that give a continous spray (I think you pump air into it to make it spray like this, all I can think to compare it to is the kind of sprayer that exterminators use to spray around houses) So maybe if you get one of those he will do ok with it, even if the past owners used a spray 'squirt' bottle as punishment. Good Luck, please keep us posted on your progress with your new baby! He is so very lucky to have a loving family in his life.

 

[little1al]

I am a fairly new parrot owner & my first parrot is a B&G macaw. I adopted George 3 months ago and he is 9 today. I let George out of the cage after the first few days but this was too early. He got scared by something and flew off to the window sill. He wouldn't let me near him and then ended up flying to the other side of the room and clinging to some net curtains and got tangled. He still wouldn't let me near him so I had to get his previous owner round to get him down. The trust just wasn't there yet so it was definately too early to let him out. I left it another couple of weeks before I let him out again so that we had some time to build a bit of a reltationship. Everything was fine then but that maybe just because he didn't fly off his cage again for a while.

With regards to bathing - George likes to try & bath himself. He didn't do it for the first week or two that he was with me but suddenly one day as I was hoovering he started to do some cleaning as well. He perches on the side of his water bowl and tries to throw water over himself. Most of the water goes on the walls, sofa, floor etc. but at least he is letting me know he wants cleaning. I then stand on a chair next to his cage and spray water from a bottle down at him. He never used to like it when I sprayed from the side so someone advised me to do it from above so it was more like a shower. He still sqwauks at me sometimes as I'm doing it but he doesn't move away & I know his prvious owners used to bath him like this.

Hope this helps. Keep us updated with how you get on.

 

[JJones1719]

Thank you for taking this wonderful B&G home. As time goes by, Buddy will bond to you and your Family. Try to include him in everything your doing, placing his cage in the center of the room will make him feel like he is part of the flock (your Family). Eat by him and share your food with him. For now, you can place a large bowl or old pan with water in the bottom of his cage and let him soak himself.
They do make shower perches that I use with both my Boys and I take showers with my Boys, they love it. Once you are able to handle him, I would advise you to take a shower with him.
The more you do with him, the faster he will bond and gain your trust. Giving fresh fruit and fresh veg is very important here, not only for his feathers but for his health as well. Cut down on seeds and nuts, give them just a few times per week. Place him on a good pellet like, Color Zupreme, Roudy bush, pretty bird pellet hi-energy. this too will help. Give almonds as treats and use them for training.
keep us posted on your progress. Thanks Joe