bfriendjr
New member
- Aug 22, 2014
- 6
- 0
- Parrots
- Umbrella Cockatoo (15-years old), Baby Blue & Gold Macaw (Hatch 7/7/14)
Our baby B&G Macaw is now 14-weeks-old. Over the past week and half or so, I have noticed quite a bit of change with him. I think what I am experiencing is normal, but I thought I would reach out just to see what you have to say. It all started around the time we switched him to a larger cage because he was quickly out growing the Rubbermaid tub that we were originally keeping him in.
* His activity level has definitely increased, it seems as if he is playing a lot more.
* His under body went from just a few strips of needle feathers, to being almost completely covered in beautiful gold feathers. At his current rate he will probably be fully feathered within the next week or so.
* His climbing skills have dramatically improved. He has gone from barely hanging on to side to being able to navigate just about every inch of his cage. He is even going as far as hanging upside down from 1 toe and even hanging from the ceiling by his break.
* He is becoming much more vocal in terms of volume, different types of sounds and responding back to us.
* He also has a constant access to a bowl of softened food since he was 8-weeks old. It wasn’t until we moved him into his new cage that he was introduced to and been supplied a bowl of water and a water bottle. (Softened Food Mixture - Fruit Blend Pellets, Broccoli, Peas, Green Beans, Carrots, Corn, Cheerios and sometime a little scrambled eggs)
* He has taken a number of small flights (4-5ft) and constantly using his wings to assist with hopping, climbing and maintaining balance. He even climbs our staircase with the help of lift from his wings and will not hesitate when wanting to jump off of something.
* My concerns are related to his hand feeding. It has definitely became a lot more difficult feeding him and I am cleaning up and wasting a lot more formula. Since this is my first time hand-feeding, I am unsure if this is normal.
I am not seeing and signs of fatigue or illness, so I am wondering if this is just normal if the baby is weaning himself. I also appears to have gone thru a growth spurt, but I am not seeing too much change in his weight the past week. He seems to be fluctuating between 860-875 grams. His stool appears to be normal and plenty of signs of moisture.
If it is around his normal feeding time, he is active and vocal at that moment, I have no problem getting 85-90ml into him. If he is quite and just perching around his feeding time, I am lucky if I can now get 40-60 ml into him before he stops bobbing and rejects the syringe.
At point when he decides he is done, he will stop bobbing, squawks at me, and does everything in his power to escape and run off. I will then bring him back and he will show no interest in the syringe.
I do see him eating out of the bowl quite often and I have even witnessed him drinking out of the bowl and his hanging bottle a number of times, I am just not sure how much he is taking in. It is also quite common to find food in is water bowl, so I wonder if he is soaking his food like our Umbrella Cockatoo does.
Thanks for everyone’s time.
* His activity level has definitely increased, it seems as if he is playing a lot more.
* His under body went from just a few strips of needle feathers, to being almost completely covered in beautiful gold feathers. At his current rate he will probably be fully feathered within the next week or so.
* His climbing skills have dramatically improved. He has gone from barely hanging on to side to being able to navigate just about every inch of his cage. He is even going as far as hanging upside down from 1 toe and even hanging from the ceiling by his break.
* He is becoming much more vocal in terms of volume, different types of sounds and responding back to us.
* He also has a constant access to a bowl of softened food since he was 8-weeks old. It wasn’t until we moved him into his new cage that he was introduced to and been supplied a bowl of water and a water bottle. (Softened Food Mixture - Fruit Blend Pellets, Broccoli, Peas, Green Beans, Carrots, Corn, Cheerios and sometime a little scrambled eggs)
* He has taken a number of small flights (4-5ft) and constantly using his wings to assist with hopping, climbing and maintaining balance. He even climbs our staircase with the help of lift from his wings and will not hesitate when wanting to jump off of something.
* My concerns are related to his hand feeding. It has definitely became a lot more difficult feeding him and I am cleaning up and wasting a lot more formula. Since this is my first time hand-feeding, I am unsure if this is normal.
I am not seeing and signs of fatigue or illness, so I am wondering if this is just normal if the baby is weaning himself. I also appears to have gone thru a growth spurt, but I am not seeing too much change in his weight the past week. He seems to be fluctuating between 860-875 grams. His stool appears to be normal and plenty of signs of moisture.
If it is around his normal feeding time, he is active and vocal at that moment, I have no problem getting 85-90ml into him. If he is quite and just perching around his feeding time, I am lucky if I can now get 40-60 ml into him before he stops bobbing and rejects the syringe.
At point when he decides he is done, he will stop bobbing, squawks at me, and does everything in his power to escape and run off. I will then bring him back and he will show no interest in the syringe.
I do see him eating out of the bowl quite often and I have even witnessed him drinking out of the bowl and his hanging bottle a number of times, I am just not sure how much he is taking in. It is also quite common to find food in is water bowl, so I wonder if he is soaking his food like our Umbrella Cockatoo does.
Thanks for everyone’s time.
