Macaw is off balance.

[Keentah]

Hello. I’ve made this account to help address some concerns I have with my new B&G Macaw, Boo. I bought her from, in my eyes, a very abusive pet shop. Most birds there were pluckers..they all looked miserable.
Boo is a wonderful bird, about two now. It’s now been about a week since I’ve had her, and I’m starting to notice a problem. Since I’ve had her, I’ve noticed that she seems to be extremely off balance. The petshop owners cut down all her tail feathers significantly to the point that they’re all even straight across.. I asked why they did this and they said: “she kept breaking them all so we cut ‘em.”
Would this be a reason why she’s wobbly and off balance? I don’t believe she’s sick, she eats and drinks extremely well. Although, when eating food she has been using her wings to help her balance and when walking she’ll fall over a little and use her wing to catch herself. Her feet look fine, all toes grip good and her feet work as they should. Is it just the tail or do you guys think this is something more serious?

I have tried booking a vet, however, they said that it’ll take a week or so to even see her. I should get a call back tomorrow to see if they have any sooner dates than that.

thanks.

 

[Scott]

Welcome to you and Boo! Thanks for rescuing her from what sounds like a nightmare.

It is possible her cut feathers are contributing to balance issues, but wouldn't assume this to be the case. I'd recommend a vet visit, preferably with one avian certified.


Birds, as creatures of prey, do their best to hide illnesses until they are often advanced. Hopefully this is not the case, but an exam should identify serious issues.

 

[Keentah]

Welcome to you and Boo! Thanks for rescuing her from what sounds like a nightmare.

It is possible her cut feathers are contributing to balance issues, but wouldn't assume this to be the case. I'd recommend a vet visit, preferably with one avian certified.


Birds, as creatures of prey, do their best to hide illnesses until they are often advanced. Hopefully this is not the case, but an exam should identify serious issues.

Thank you very much. I really do hope this isn't something serious, she's so young. Hopefully soon I'll hear back from the vet. Apparently the reason it's taking so long is because the avian vet only comes in every few days.

 

[SailBoat]

Welcome to the Parrot Forums!

Regarding the Tail Feathers. Size of Cage and whether the Parrot is in the cage all day or not can result in Tail Feather Damage. Cutting them in a Square (straight) line is the quick and simple way of removing the damaged Feather ends, but not very appealing regarding the overall Appearance of the Parrot. The common practice would be to simply leave them 'as is' and with time, they will molt and be replaced by a new Tail Feathers. As a general statement, young Macs tend to be very hard on their Tail Feathers.

Mac's being wobbly and off-balance can again be an issue regarding an under-sided cage and /or under-sized perches. Macs should be on a minimum 2.5" (63mm) to 3" (75mm) or larger diameter perch made from natural branches and not dowels.

Non-emergency Avian Vet visits are commonly about a week or more from the time you call. So, I would not be overly upset with that kind of wait. Assure that you ask for a New Parrot, Examination with full blood screen and gram stain testing, which is common with New Parrot visits. Also, you may need to have your girl's nails trimmed depending on how long they may be. By telling them that your Mac is wobbly and off-balance, your Avian Vet will target in on specific causes. Understand, this may include an X-ray.

NOTE: Larger Parrots commonly mean larger Vet Bills. This first Vet visit could be in the 500+ USD range.

Working with a new Parrot requires your understanding that they connect into our emotions quickly. If you are fearful, they can also be. So, be mindful of you emotions.

There is a ton of Mac Specific information in the MAC Forums. Take the time to read back into the older Threads as you will likely find Gold and that you are not alone.

Pet Stores and Plucking Macs tend to be fairly common. Mac's are highly sensitive and it is not uncommon for a Pet Store to have lots of 'rehomed' Mac's.


Please keep us updated with your new girl and the upcoming Vet visit.

 

[EllenD]

Poor guy, thank you for taking him in...I've heard of people trimming tail feathers on larger parrots because they keep breaking them on the cage bars, however, this should be an indication that the cage is far too small and the bird needs a much larger cage!!!

I have a distinct feeling that this poor, young macaw has been forced to stay cooped-up in a cage that is much too small for him for most of his life, probably since he weaned, and he most likely has little to no experience or practice walking around, as the cage wouldn't allow much movement at all, just small steps back and forth. He most likely was not allowed out to fly, let alone walk around, climb, sit on a free-standing perch, be on shoulders, etc. So his balance issue may be simply a lack of experience having to balance due to a lack of movement, which is just sad. It may simply improve the more he walks around, climbs, flies, etc.

By all means please get him to a Certified Avian Vet with macaw experience ASAP, as there are several health issues that can cause this as well, but my guess is that it's not a health problem and rather a new experience for this sweetie, simply having to balance himself. It's the same concept as birds kept in tiny cages for years and who are then let out cannot fly anymore because they don't realize that they are able to fly. It's a horrible thing to do to a bird or any animal.

Be sure to watch for any other signs/symptoms of illness, such as constant fluffing-up, lethargy, excess sleeping, lack of appetite or thirst, vomiting, loose stools, blood in the stools, etc. If you start to see any of these things develop in addition to the balance problem, then you need to take him to an emergency animal hospital, as he may have some kind of infection that is worsening, or it could also be related to having 2 years of very poor nutrition...Do you know what they were feeding him daily, and what you are feeding him daily? In neglected/abused birds you often also see malnutrition and the health issues/syndromes that come along with it...

 

[Keentah]

Welcome to the Parrot Forums!

Regarding the Tail Feathers. Size of Cage and whether the Parrot is in the cage all day or not can result in Tail Feather Damage. Cutting them in a Square (straight) line is the quick and simple way of removing the damaged Feather ends, but not very appealing regarding the overall Appearance of the Parrot. The common practice would be to simply leave them 'as is' and with time, they will molt and be replaced by a new Tail Feathers. As a general statement, young Macs tend to be very hard on their Tail Feathers.

Mac's being wobbly and off-balance can again be an issue regarding an under-sided cage and /or under-sized perches. Macs should be on a minimum 2.5" (63mm) to 3" (75mm) or larger diameter perch made from natural branches and not dowels.

Non-emergency Avian Vet visits are commonly about a week or more from the time you call. So, I would not be overly upset with that kind of wait. Assure that you ask for a New Parrot, Examination with full blood screen and gram stain testing, which is common with New Parrot visits. Also, you may need to have your girl's nails trimmed depending on how long they may be. By telling them that your Mac is wobbly and off-balance, your Avian Vet will target in on specific causes. Understand, this may include an X-ray.

NOTE: Larger Parrots commonly mean larger Vet Bills. This first Vet visit could be in the 500+ USD range.

Working with a new Parrot requires your understanding that they connect into our emotions quickly. If you are fearful, they can also be. So, be mindful of you emotions.

There is a ton of Mac Specific information in the MAC Forums. Take the time to read back into the older Threads as you will likely find Gold and that you are not alone.

Pet Stores and Plucking Macs tend to be fairly common. Mac's are highly sensitive and it is not uncommon for a Pet Store to have lots of 'rehomed' Mac's.


Please keep us updated with your new girl and the upcoming Vet visit.

She has never been in a cage. In the pet shop, they kept her on a small display stand. Even now, I don’t have a cage for her, yet. As of now, I have an entire room just for her and a soon to be outside avairy. The custom built perch takes up the majority of the space, allowing her plenty of room to perch, play and stretch her wings. I am also in the process of teaching her to fly. (when she gets stronger and healthy, of course)
However, I do plan on getting an overnight cage so she can stay there while she sleeps.

She is a sweetheart, even after what she’s been through. She let me pet her on the first day I got her. She’s even let me help her get a few pin feathers on top of her head. She still acts very much like a baby. She knows the step-up command and does it extremely well! She’s never lunged or tried to bite as many macaws would do to test you. I am not afraid of her.

I am not worried about the money. I knew what I was getting into.

I am checking with the vet- thank you though!