First macaw

[foxmacaw]

Hi all! The Fox family just welcomed our first baby (6mo) blue and gold macaw. We have been raising and training Golden Retrievers for years and are very familiar with the highs and lows of pet ownership and the responsibility it requires.

We've been researching, reading, watching videos. The store where we got our baby has WONDERFUL, very knowledgeable and caring owners and staff.

Waiting on DNA test for gender, so we're using Baby Bird as a placeholder name. Baby is settling in very well and is quite social and cuddly already. I've got a few questions though.

First - How do people walk around with birds? Is poop on your shoulder/shoe/floor a completely normal, unavoidable thing, or are there strategies to avoid it?

My husband walked the baby around this morning on his arm and his shoe was pooped on. Baby bird had just pooped in the cage, so he thought it would be a safe time to do a little exploring.

 

[saxguy64]

Welcome to you and Baby! So glad you're here.

Well, as they say, poop happens. As you get to know Baby and his/her mannerisms, you'll be able to recognize the signs that it's coming, but that's not always 100%. Some folks have great success with potty training, however you have to be careful and not cause him to hold it if he can't get to the designated pooping place, as that's unhealthy for the bird. My Amazon is a holder, not potty trained, just likes to hold it, and been that way since before I adopted her. She goes twice a day, maybe more depending on what and how much she ate recently. It's not pretty, but I accept it for what it is.

Anyway, good luck with your new baby and her poops, and if you wish to share, we love pictures here! (hint, hint )

 

[foxmacaw]

Welcome to you and Baby! So glad you're here.

Well, as they say, poop happens. As you get to know Baby and his/her mannerisms, you'll be able to recognize the signs that it's coming, but that's not always 100%. Some folks have great success with potty training, however you have to be careful and not cause him to hold it if he can't get to the designated pooping place, as that's unhealthy for the bird. My Amazon is a holder, not potty trained, just likes to hold it, and been that way since before I adopted her. She goes twice a day, maybe more depending on what and how much she ate recently. It's not pretty, but I accept it for what it is.

Anyway, good luck with your new baby and her poops, and if you wish to share, we love pictures here! (hint, hint )

Ah! The picture didn't upload correctly the first time. I just added it. This baby is such a sweet tropical chicken.

Oh wow! Two poops?! Little bird poops dozens of times a day. Still weaning though, so we're syringe feeding three times a day and offering solids and fruit. Maybe the frequency will decrease a bit once fully weaned?

I appreciate the kind welcome. Golden Retriever forums are pretty notorious for being catty and exclusive.

 

[wrench13]

Congrats on the new addition. Re Poops: the axiom holds true - the bigger the bird the bigger the poops. Pays to always have a paper towel handy. Parrot poops wipe up easily if done right away. If left to harden and "cure" , like cement. Some folks have select parrot shirts for handling their parrots, me I just carry the towels.

 

[Flboy]

Welcome to you!

 

[HeatherG]

I have trained my Quakers to go potty on paper, garbage can, etc. and can usually figure Ive got xxx minutes after each potty for my shoulder to be poop free. (This caused an important warranty to get pooped not long ago. But he tried.). So, if your bird starts to understand that you don’t care to be pooped on but you will tell him how amazingly smart he is if he goes when you set him back on his perch, you have a working system.

I’m sure my bird thinks I’m weird when he ‘goes’ in his basket and I tell him what a good smart bird he is.

I used to be able to take my bird in stores and know I had 10-15 minutes without a poop. I would carry a newspaper for quick poop interventions.

With a macaw, you would have a lot longer between poops. Of course, if they get scared, there’s the “poop and then leap into the air and fly” response. And there are stress poops…it’s all negotiable. You can always carry a newspaper and get really quick about shoving it under the bird’s back end.

 

[Cindylynn]

Pancho seems to try to hang his bottom over whatever he is on so that the poop falls away from him to the floor, so poop on clothes isn't usually an issue with my little guy. I keep a tub of Clorox wipes out to clean up poop off floor quickly and easily.

 

[foxmacaw]

Pancho seems to try to hang his bottom over whatever he is on so that the poop falls away from him to the floor, so poop on clothes isn't usually an issue with my little guy. I keep a tub of Clorox wipes out to clean up poop off floor quickly and easily.

Well that's good! I guess our main problem is that we have rugs over 80% of the floor. Trying to protect the hardwood from dog claws. Liquid poops are so much easier to clean off hard flooring! Hubs has been using a squirt of the Nature's Miracle bird formula and paper towels on rugs, but it's a lot of cleaning so far.

I have noticed that it's almost like a "set up" and a walk around the house stimulates baby bird to poop. Multiple times. Maybe that will lessen as it ages?

 

[StormyPica]

Welcome!!1

 

[Cindylynn]

Well that's good! I guess our main problem is that we have rugs over 80% of the floor. Trying to protect the hardwood from dog claws. Liquid poops are so much easier to clean off hard flooring! Hubs has been using a squirt of the Nature's Miracle bird formula and paper towels on rugs, but it's a lot of cleaning so far.

I have noticed that it's almost like a "set up" and a walk around the house stimulates baby bird to poop. Multiple times. Maybe that will lessen as it ages?

Hopefully it's will lessen too, as he gets more comfortable. Mine seems to nervous poop also.

 

[HeatherG]

Well that's good! I guess our main problem is that we have rugs over 80% of the floor. Trying to protect the hardwood from dog claws. Liquid poops are so much easier to clean off hard flooring! Hubs has been using a squirt of the Nature's Miracle bird formula and paper towels on rugs, but it's a lot of cleaning so far.

I have noticed that it's almost like a "set up" and a walk around the house stimulates baby bird to poop. Multiple times. Maybe that will lessen as it ages?

I think that travel sets off the need to poop. Kind of like, “let’s lose some weight so we can lift off better?”

I have an enzymatic bird poop cleaner also. I had plastic Eames chairs that just wiped clean, but I changed my living room recently.