Hahns Macaw - I think i’m doing it all wrong :(

[Fiona951]

Hi all,

This is my first post here and i’m desperately after advice. Ive has my Hahns macaw for a while now and I love him to bits. He gets spoiled pretty often and he’s good out of the cage with me and my partner (very friendly and pretty gentle).

BUT...

I think his beak is starting to look a little overgrown, and his claws. I feel like I’ve maybe neglected those things and I feel awful now... not sure what to do. Is there anything I can buy him that will help him? I’ve tried the rough perches but it doesn’t seem to do anything?

I’d also like to try and improve his diet. Right now he’s on a typical parrot mix with fruit and veg thrown in and obviously he pretty much eats whatever I eat as well on the odd occasion. What are some of the best foods out there for him?

Sorry for asking all the questions. I feel like a really bad owner at the moment so would appreciate all the help.

Thanks in advance.

 

[wrench13]

Hi and welcome. Don't beat yourself up, it's not helpful to either you or your Hanhs.
The sand or cement perches do work, but they take time and need to be the correct diameter for your parrot. What diameter is his "rough" perch now?

Beaks - parrot beaks contain a lot of nerve endings, one reason they are so handy with it. If your Hahns is provided with enough wooden toys and other chewing toys, his beak should not require any sort of trimming. A cuttle bone also helps and provides needed calcium. Beak trimming should only be done in extreme cases where there is deformed or other physical issues.

 

[Gemster]

The best thing to do is clip overgrow nails. You can clip his nails yourself but if the nail wasn’t clipped for a while the quick (a vein in the nail) could’ve grown so then that would be best if you would take him to an avian vet for the nails to be clipped.
Your bird should have plenty of destroyable toys for his beak to trim down. If he doesn’t like to break toys then you can drill holes it toys and stick his favourite treats in there. Make sure that his favoured treats are not in his daily diet, that way he will be motivated to break down that (wood for example) for food. If your macaw still isn’t motivated to destroy toys you can ask your vet to trim his beak down for you.
In my opinion birds should receive vegetables in the morning and high quality pellet in the evening but everyone has different thoughts.
My birds receive their fruits, nuts and seeds through training, flight, and foraging.

 

[dhraiden]

Welcome Fiona and hello. See if you can take some pictures. This dremel tool is what we use on Mango. It can be used on the beak, too, if your bird will allow it. In a way easier and safer than using clippers. Gemster's advice is great - specialized "gritty surface" perches and lots of chew-able toys will all help with keeping nails and beak neat as well.