Eating Habits

[OutlawedSpirit]

I have a question about the general feeding habits of a big MAC. A couple days ago I took in a foster scarlet macaw, Cookie. She has been eating some, although it seems like not a whole lot. She tends to nibble on food here and there. I am not sure if she is just still trying to settle in, or if this is pretty common among MACs. It's possible that I am just so used to my piggy Ekkies that devour anything put in front of them that I'm not used to a large bird not inhaling their food. She has just about everything in her bowl, from her junk seed that she's used to, to pellets, nutriberries, and dried fruit. She will wander over to her bowl every once in a while, take a bite or two, then she's done. Her crop looks like she's eating. It's pretty easy to see since she's a poor naked bird. Maybe I'm just worrying too much because she is a new baby, so hopefully someone will put my mind to rest.

 

[GaleriaGila]

I'll await the Mac experts, but just a few days for a new, naked, probably shell-shocked birdy... I feel it is probably good that she's eating at all.
Do you plan on trying to convert her to pellets? Or is she already trying them?

 

[OutlawedSpirit]

No, I'm trying to convert her. I'll be more "aggressive" trying to convert her later, but for now I figured I'd throw a little of pretty much everything in her bowl, so hopefully she at least eats something. She's been eating seed for pretty much all her life so far, and it's not even a quality seed. She's 11 or 12 years old, so I don't plan on her being easy to convert, but I figure it doesn't hurt to offer her a few for now, in case she decides she likes them.

 

[SailBoat]

I have a question about the general feeding habits of a big MAC. A couple days ago I took in a foster scarlet macaw, Cookie. She has been eating some, although it seems like not a whole lot. She tends to nibble on food here and there. I am not sure if she is just still trying to settle in, or if this is pretty common among MACs. It's possible that I am just so used to my piggy Ekkies that devour anything put in front of them that I'm not used to a large bird not inhaling their food. She has just about everything in her bowl, from her junk seed that she's used to, to pellets, nutriberries, and dried fruit. She will wander over to her bowl every once in a while, take a bite or two, then she's done. Her crop looks like she's eating. It's pretty easy to see since she's a poor naked bird. Maybe I'm just worrying too much because she is a new baby, so hopefully someone will put my mind to rest.

Take care what you ask about! In a few short weeks, you'll likely be back asking for donations to the "This MAC is Eating Me Out of House and Home - Literally" Charity!!!

 

[OutlawedSpirit]

It won't be that bad, the ekkies already do that. If I let her, I think Chicken would literally eat until she exploded. Every time she gets a new bowl of food, she acts like she hasn't eaten in a week.

 

[SilleIN]

My B&G doesn't eat a whole lot at a time. He will every once in a while (2-3 times a day) go to one of his food bowls and eat something. It doesn't seem like much for such a large bird, but he has been keeping a steady weight. He never attacks food. If he does anything with passion regarding food, it's flinging it on the floor for the dogs