Macaw Chores...BIG mess-makers

[JerseyWendy]

For the past 2 days I've been shooting some footage of Macaw maintenance.

As much fun as these big guys/gals are, they DO require quite some maintenance.

Please excuse my German accent. I would make a LOUSY public speaker, that's for sure.

I hope I get these in the right order, I've uploaded so many of them.

Here we go:
Mess Makers Part 1

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_1bf1tAAF4[/COLOR][/U][URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHSV410y***"]"]2013 01 30 Mac Mess 001 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[JerseyWendy]

Mess Makers Part 2
The amount of wood and toys they go through is truly remarkable.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=889il8_cUSA"]2013 01 29 Mac Messes 006 - YouTube[/ame]

How the cages look every morning, BEFORE cleaning. I start at 8AM sharp every day.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_1bf1tAAF4"]2013 01 30 Mac Mess 001 - YouTube[/ame]

AFTER cleaning and my kitchen WHILE I was cleaning.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_lJ9OnnUpU"]2013 01 30 Mac Mess 002 - YouTube[/ame]

10AM...Birdy chores are done....INCLUDING cleaning Play Stand/Java Trees
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiPxZwqQF1k"]2013 01 30 Mac Mess 004 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[JerseyWendy]

...and then there is Play Time. Niko first...until we get interrupted by the lovely sound of Ripley sounding off. :11:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uR0HLOYQug"]2013 01 30 PlayTime 002 - YouTube[/ame]

Ripley finally calmed down.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KjJWTTE06M"]2013 01 30 PlayTime 003 - YouTube[/ame]

So...in a couple of hours I'll be cleaning ALL over again. My kitchen stays clean for as long as the fids are in their cages, and not a second longer. :30:

 

[birdbrainzz4me]

holy mackerel! and i am looking into a gw. :O all of a sudden, i don't know if i can afford their play habits. maybe it will have to be a dream bird. but at least i am realizing this now and not after i get one. maybe i should look into something a little less destructive. until i know for sure i can handle one of these guys. for the birds sake.

 

[Cami]

These are fantastic! I give you credit, I dont know how you do it. I feel like I have to clean something constantly everytime I get up and you have a much larger flock then I.

 

[aliray]

All I can say is God Bless you:21:. I think I will stick to my flock. Those playstands are incredible, I don't think they could ever be bored. Have you thought about buying shares in a lumber mill?

 

[JerseyWendy]

holy mackerel! and i am looking into a gw. :O all of a sudden, i don't know if i can afford their play habits. maybe it will have to be a dream bird. but at least i am realizing this now and not after i get one. maybe i should look into something a little less destructive. until i know for sure i can handle one of these guys. for the birds sake.

Heather, I don't mean to sound discouraging in any way, shape, or form. Please remember that Ripley has only been with me for a VERY short amount of time. I NEVER heard a peep out of him at the store (other than the sound he makes that he DOES NOT want to be picked up ). Perhaps it's his new found freedom that is sending him into the hollering frenzies...I honestly don't know. As for being destructive....OMG! At first he wanted nothing to do with colorful things (I know you remember THAT thread) and now it doesn't matter WHAT I hand over to him..he WILL destroy it in a matter of minutes, sometimes even seconds. :11:

Please don't give up on your dream bird on my account.

I just gave a VERY small example of what my daily chores look like. Hey, he may mellow out...when he's 20 or so. :32:

 

[JerseyWendy]

These are fantastic! I give you credit, I dont know how you do it. I feel like I have to clean something constantly everytime I get up and you have a much larger flock then I.

Thank you VERY much! I tell you something: I "thought" I knew what I was in store for....but I was wrong. There is NO comparison between Niko and Ripley at all. And my Amazons...they are SOOOO easy compared to the Big Macs. Hey, at least I can now skip the gym a few times a week without much guilt. I am definately getting a workout here. Much of it is while on my hands and knees.

 

[JerseyWendy]

All I can say is God Bless you:21:. I think I will stick to my flock. Those playstands are incredible, I don't think they could ever be bored. Have you thought about buying shares in a lumber mill?

ROFLMBO. Nah, but you all may want to consider investing in it, as I'm sure I'm contributing BIG time.

Thanks so much!!! I LOVE my Java trees. But you know what? So does Ripley. And he doesn't just love hanging out on it either. That wood must be mighty tasty. :53:

After he literally took down an ENTIRE branch yesterday, I couldn't lift my jaw off the floor for quite some time. :11:

 

[birdbrainzz4me]

oh no wendy, you're not playing any part in discouraging me from my dream bird at all. don't worry about that. i have a few other concerns on my mind about the macs i was going to post a thread on here but i like to read every body's first. in order to maintain enough toys for a gw i think i would have to see if there were discounted lumber due to being defected or ruined during shipping. i will soon have my house paid off though so hopefully that won't be an issue. and supplying enough toys should be fairly manageable. expensive but not out of reach. i was talking to my friend yesterday about their b&g to get more of their point of view with him. and i still keep what i have read from other parronts in the back of my mind. i just can't help but to still worry about the what if's.

 

[wenz2712]

Holy Moses Wendy :11: You certainly have your work cut out LOL

I love their Playstands

Ripley seems to have settled in really well and has made himself quite at Home

Brilliant Video's

 

[JerseyWendy]

Holy Moses Wendy :11: You certainly have your work cut out LOL

I love their Playstands

Ripley seems to have settled in really well and has made himself quite at Home

Brilliant Video's

Thanks a bunch, Wendy. Oh yes, he's settled in well...honeymoon period is definitely over. He still required LOADS of work. He prefers cuddling while I stand up. He becomes nervous and uncomfortable when I sit on the couch with him, but he's getting better with that daily.

I keep the sessions with him short, but we have MANY sessions. I ALWAYS end them on a positive note, too.

Today he allowed me to touch UNDER his wing for the first time, which send chills of joy through my body.

He DID cause me to bruise already, but it wasn't intentional, I'm sure. When he gets "carried away" and does his play lunging, he's grabbed skin twice...and no...it didn't feel good. :52:

 

[Karigan]

Wow this is amazing information, thank you very much!

 

[sonja]

Great thread! Where's the video of poop on the walls?? That's my GW's specialty.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Great thread! Where's the video of poop on the walls?? That's my GW's specialty.

HAHAHAHA!!!! I should have taken a "closer" up, I guess.

I DID forget to mention that my daily cleaning routines are rather "quick." My walls get cleaned weekly, the grates get removed weekly, and the entire cages are cleaned quite thoroughly weekly.

I will actually NEVER know HOW they do it, but yes, poop DOES end up on the walls, as does TONS of fresh fruit and veggies. :54:

Oh, and if my grouting in the kitchen seems "sparse" it's because it IS. My K9s wear it down quicker than you can apply it and let it cure.

 

[Sherry]

Awesome video! I do feel your pain though. Having my birds in my home business I HAVE to keep them clean ALL the time. It is a chore but for me it's kind of like second nature at this point. I don't even think about how much work it really is. I also have an advantage as I have my employees share in the work load throughout the day, haha.

 

[Sherry]

Oh, and your flock looks beautiful!!!!!

 

[JerseyWendy]

. I also have an advantage as I have my employees share in the work load throughout the day, haha.

Thanks so much, Sherry! Give your employees my address....please....:54: Just kidding! So far so good. It DOES keep me on my tippy toes, but it's DEFINITELY worth every single minute of it.

 

[blackhawk007]

This has been a very helpful thread. I am interested in getting a Macaw and its good to see the other side of things. Thank you for the videos.

 

[Turquoise]

Loved everyone of your videos Wendy! I can imagine it was a shock when Ripley took off a good chunk of change when he chewed that Java tree limb.Those trees are not cheap!

Like Wendy has mentioned before, if you own a macaw you'd better be ready to make your own toys. They do love to chew!

Given the chance Roscoe would dismantle my house when he is out.