Large Macaw & Mini Macaw compatibility?

[BirdyMomma]

Well, we did it. Considering that I am still deeply mourning the loss of our baby amazon, Bacci, I am a little embarrassed to declare, that we have welcomed another bird into the family. I do not want anyone to feel that we take our role as parents, caretakers and providers lightly. That is not the case. We love parrots so much, and on a recent trip to the breeders for toys, my boyfriend and a three month old Military Macaw fell in love with one another.

He is a beautiful, sweet, BIG baby. In contrast to Loki, our Yellow Collared Macaw, he looks alarmingly TREMENDOUS. He is very gentle, and loves to lick my face (weirdo?).

We are keeping them separated, for obvious reasons. My question, for all of you more experienced bird owners is, should we NEVER let them get near each other. Will the fact that they are both Macaws mean anything in terms of how they relate/communicate? The size difference has made me very wary of ever allowing them to be near each other. Although he seems gentle, one bite from him could kill her.

Any advice, experience and opinion will be greatly appreciated.

 

[JerseyWendy]

You forgot to tell us WHAT type of big mac you welcomed into your home. Many congrats, and no, nobody will think you take your role as a parront lightly, I assure you.

I know how deeply upset you are about the loss of your Bacci. HUGS!!!

Is this new baby the Military you spoke of not long ago??

There is no way of telling if your 2 will ever be friends. It's possible, but not guaranteed, even though they are both macaws.

My big macs only want to do one thing to my Amazons...and it's the opposite of "play". :54:

 

[BirdyMomma]

Yes, he is a Military. I was talking about him, when I asked about the clicking noise, which has greatly subsided.

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

I hope Birdman comments here. He stated that Military Macaws can be nippy, so he may change as he gets older. I assume with proper training, he will be gentle, but I'm not a macaw expert.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Yes, he is a Military. I was talking about him, when I asked about the clicking noise, which has greatly subsided.

Oh that is just TOO awesome!!! Got any pics for us....please??????

 

[Terry57]

So happy for you that you have welcomed a new bird to your family. I think that is a testament to how you loved Bacci that you allowed another in to love. I don't have any advice, but just wanted to say how thrilled I am for you

 

[getwozzy]

I don't have advice regarding your question, but I wanted to say congratulations on your new baby and I don't think you should feel embarassed by bringing in another fid into your family- there are no rules stating anything is "too soon" or "not soon enough"....when the time is right, it's right...and you're the only one who determines when that is.

 

[GaryBV]

I want to offer my congrats also on your new baby I also hope that they do learn to be friends with each other, that just makes life easier. As other's have already stated, we'd love to see a pic - I wonder why they call them 'military'? lol

 

[thekarens]

I have a soft spot for militaries. Congrats!

 

[BirdyMomma]

Thank you so much, everyone, for your supportive comments. After Bacci's death, included in the horrible sequence of emotions was embarrassment. I will always hold myself responsible for the series of events which lead to the accident. I was, and still am dealing with feelings of guilt. I did not want the parrot parent community to think I was irresponsible, or an unfit parent. I have accepted responsibility for what happened, and I deal with it on a daily basis. His tragic passing has made me a more cautious parent.
I will include photos of our big fella ASAP. We have not thought of an appropriate name as of yet, and no one will let me name him GENERAL MACAWTHUR, which I think is an awesome name for a military macaw!!!

 

[thekarens]

I literally burst out laughing reading the name and my partner and I both think the name is perfect. It's clever and cute. You could call him Mac for short.

 

[MikeyTN]

I'm like you, holding myself responsible for Cracker's death but you loved Bacci and it was just an accident. I had to tell myself that countless times. Just go love on your new baby and give all the love you have to give. I know Bacci will always be in the back of your mind no matter what you do, cause Cracker is in the back of my mind always. But your other babies needs you. Be happy again, I know it's not easy, it took me a long long time....Let your new baby bring you some joy once again!!!!

 

[GaryBV]

hmmm names for a military macaw: Top Gun, Pilot, Sonic, Radar, Captain, Admiral, Epaulete, Siren, Skipper, Topper, Buttons, Braveheart, Centurion, Warrior, Charger, Inca, Maya, Ammo, Sailor, Copa, Chile, Chilli, ok i'm having a brain freeze lol

 

[BirdyMomma]

I like AMMO!!!

 

[GaryBV]

Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!

 

[JadeC]

I thought military macaws were small like hahns lol see how much I know about macaws!!!! My dad really wants a macaw his whole life, he even has a macaw tattoo!!!

 

[Birdman666]

Okay, he came from a breeder. Did the breeder use proper hygiene, and are any of his birds infected? If so, then there is the source of the exposure. If not, THERE IS NO SOURCE OF EXPOSURE THERE.

He came directly to your home. There isn't any source of exposure in your place.

I'd cross examine the breeder. If there's no source for exposure, I'm STILL thinking the lab screwed this one up!

 

[Birdman666]

READ THIS, I PULLED IT FROM A LEADING VET PERIODICAL:

"Since the virus is thought to be spread by feather dander, fecal matter and other secretions from infected birds, chances were, the other neonates in the nursery were all exposed. Blood was drawn from all of the baby birds and tested for the presence of the PBFD virus. Out of the twelve babies in the nursery (the timneh was isolated), ten tested positive. But, the good news is that many exposed babies will mount an effective immune response and should not be euthanized based on one positive test. An environmental swab was also taken, of window sills, floorboards and walls to test for the presence of contamination with PBFD virus. The birds with feather lesions underwent diagnostic biopsy of affected feathers and follicles, as well, to confirm the disease.

Any birds that test positive, but have no feather lesions, should be re-tested in 90 days, and that is what we did in this case. A negative test in 90 days indicates that the bird has eliminated the virus from the bloodstream, which is what happened in ten of the babies in this case. The two babies that still tested positive were latently infected and eventually broke with clinical PBFD, but the other eight were basically self-vaccinated and should be considered immune to the virus. The environmental swab tested positive, meaning that the owners needed to perform a thorough cleaning even though many commonly used disinfectants are ineffective in killing this stable virus.

Today, most responsible aviaries have had all susceptible larger breeders tested for the PBFD virus, and have culled positive birds from their breeding programs. Unfortunately, many backyard breeders and many breeders of the smaller birds, such as lovebirds and budgies, have not had their birds tested for PBFD. So, today in the United States, we usually only see PBFD in the smaller birds.

It is thought that, based on the results of antibody titers, that many birds of susceptible species have some detectable anti-PBFD virus antibodies, indicating previous exposure to the virus. Antibody titer surveys in the United States suggest that most birds of susceptible larger species are exposed to the virus at some time in their lives but are able to mount an effective immune response. This is considered natural vaccination, just like the baby birds in the nursery who were all exposed to the virus, tested positive and then later tested negative. Those birds would likely be immune to the PBFD virus for life.

Since there is no preventative vaccine against PBFD at this time, our methods for controlling the disease involve testing susceptible birds and culling any that test positive twice, 90 days apart, if they have no lesions of PBFD. Any birds that test positive that have feather lesions should be considered to be infected. Birds that test positive twice, yet show no signs, should be considered to be infected, and will most likely break with the disease at a later date. This is often what we used to see with pets and breeders. A long time pet or breeder would suddenly develop feather lesions and become ill. A positive test result would result in heartbreaking news for owners, such as the gentleman who cared for BJ. Since a positive diagnosis was a virtual death sentence, as we could not treat the primary viral infection, but only the secondary fungal, bacterial, mycoplasmal, chlamydial or protozoal infections. In spite of our best efforts, birds would eventually develop a debilitating illness from which there was no recovery."