My new baby blue-throated Macaw!

[Mmock4]

Hello everyone,

I am very glad to say I am the proud companion of a new 5 week old blue-throated macaw! This is a dream come true to me, as I’ve always wanted to have a large parrot, specifically a macaw since I was knee-high. I feel especially privileged that he/she is a blue-throat!

I have experience with various smaller species, this will be my first time having a “large” parrot of my own, I hope to use this thread to document his/her development, solicit advice, and maybe even serve as a helpful resource to others that have decided to commit themselves to these gorgeous birds.

 

[Ellie777Australia]

Hi Mark, it was a good move to establish the ongoing thread here. This way you are able to 'attract the attention' of experienced Macaw owners if you need specific expert advice. I'll still be watching for those pics though...and to find out the name of your precious baby LOL...

 

[Mmock4]

Hi Mark, it was a good move to establish the ongoing thread here. This way you are able to 'attract the attention' of experienced Macaw owners if you need specific expert advice. I'll still be watching for those pics though...and to find out the name of your precious baby LOL...

Thanks Ellie, where is a good site to host image for use here, without having to pay a subscription fee and put big watermarks on photos?

As of right now, we will refer to him/her as him because I’ve read that up to 80% of chicks hatched end up being males, we’ll have him DNA’d by feather when he actually has some. LOL

For those that might be curious he’s going to be abundance weaned, he gets his formula 3-4 times daily, with his crop allowed to completely empty overnight. He mostly stays in his baby tub, on pine pellets and sleeps the day away. I reach in and give him scratches and pets periodically throughout the day. You can tell there’s only ONE thing on his mind though, and that is food! Even with a full crop he will squawk for more, he doesn’t seem to understand his crop can hold only hold so much. LOL

 

[itzjbean]

Hi Mark, it was a good move to establish the ongoing thread here. This way you are able to 'attract the attention' of experienced Macaw owners if you need specific expert advice. I'll still be watching for those pics though...and to find out the name of your precious baby LOL...

Thanks Ellie, where is a good site to host image for use here, without having to pay a subscription fee and put big watermarks on photos?

As of right now, we will refer to him/her as him because I’ve read that up to 80% of chicks hatched end up being males, we’ll have him DNA’d by feather when he actually has some. LOL

For those that might be curious he’s going to be abundance weaned, he gets his formula 3-4 times daily, with his crop allowed to completely empty overnight. He mostly stays in his baby tub, on pine pellets and sleeps the day away. I reach in and give him scratches and pets periodically throughout the day. You can tell there’s only ONE thing on his mind though, and that is food! Even with a full crop he will squawk for more, he doesn’t seem to understand his crop can hold only hold so much. LOL

I use Imgur or Flickr and post them here that way. Sounds like you know what you're doing with feeding him. I've heard blue throats are notorious escape artists so you want to make sure to get a really good well made stainless steel cage that he can't escape from!

 

[Squeekmouse]

Wow! I'm so jealous! My husband and I fell in love with a little blue-throated macaw we visited here in Illinois. I wish we could have added him to our flock, but we've got our hands full with Yoda and Trigger. So I'll just have to live vicariously through you.

You can also post some pictures through this site, in your profile gallery. That's how I do it because I'm clueless about any other options.

Congratulations!

 

[Flynhigh]

Tapatalk works great , and right from your smartphone. Also free . Oh and no water marks.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

 

[Mmock4]

Thanks for the tips guys, I’m going to try Imgur, here’s a shot that shows his “beard” feathers. In Spanish they call them barba azul or “blue beards” these feathers seem to have grown overnight! Literally hidden one day and there the next!

 

[Flboy]

For a long running thread, this sub forum works well!
Incredible Journeys; Bird Stories For Bird Lovers - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

 

[Ellie777Australia]

LOL...a blue bearded butter ball...say this very quickly several times ..


He's adorable Mark.

 

[Flynhigh]

Congratulations , Beautiful baby!!

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

 

[wrench13]

Congrats! I love blue throat macs, they are the mechanics of the parrot world. You will see when he gets big - the cage better be a welded one, cuz any one that is screwed together will quickly be dis-assembled. And creatively closed cage doors will be a must.

 

[Mmock4]

Congrats! I love blue throat macs, they are the mechanics of the parrot world. You will see when he gets big - the cage better be a welded one, cuz any one that is screwed together will quickly be dis-assembled. And creatively closed cage doors will be a must.

Copy that, if it ain’t welded I will make sure it is!(Welder by trade) I look forward to making puzzling toys for him, sounds like just the parrot for me!

He’s getting a very noticeable blue caste to him this morning! He’s going to need a larger baby tub pretty soon, lol. This guy is a full body eater, when the syringe touches the corner of his mouth the wings flap, the legs move, the head bobs, the most herky-jerky feeding response I’ve ever seen. Lol

 

[Allee]

He is so adorable! Congratulations!

 

[Mmock4]

He is so adorable! Congratulations!

Thank you Allee, and he really is!

Just got the book “Barron’s Guide to a Well behaved Parrot” if there are other resources that you guys feel are awesome please share them, especially if it pertain to larger macaws in particular. I really want to raise him right, prevent and mitigate any behavioral problems, and foster a strong bonded and trusting companion. I really want to dive into clicker training, and use his intellect to the max too, I can’t wait till we’re at the stage of learning tricks!

 

[Mmock4]

Woo! That beard is coming in strong now, and we’ve got some yellow starting to appear. This bird grows a better beard than I do! Lol

 

[Mmock4]

A little observation tonight, he’s become a bit talkative!

Whenever he hears my voice or moderate level conversation in the room, he’ll chime in with a few small squawks and squeaks of his own, definitely different from his “Feed me!” Call. He’ll make a double “squawk squawk” and peep when talking. Where as his food call is a very loud “QUUAAACK!!”

He sometimes chirps and peeps while sleeping as well, it’s pretty cute!

 

[Laurasea]

It's amazing that his blue throat is coming in first. So cute

 

[wrench13]

So you want to go to our macaw sub forum, and read the stickies at the top. Also any and all threads started by birdman666, one of our resident macaw expeorts; the man is impressively informed about macaws ( yoou share a first name too). Trick training can wait til he is fully fledged and has learned the basics, step up, step down, no bite and so forth. Enjoy his babyhood, before you know it he'll be a rambunctuous yearling.

The "I love Amazons" stickie in the Amazon sub forum also has mucho mucho good info on many aspects of caring for not only Amazons, but pretty much all parrots - you won't regret the read. Read them all out loud to your BT Macaw, hewill love you for it.

 

[Mmock4]

So you want to go to our macaw sub forum, and read the stickies at the top. Also any and all threads started by birdman666, one of our resident macaw expeorts; the man is impressively informed about macaws ( yoou share a first name too). Trick training can wait til he is fully fledged and has learned the basics, step up, step down, no bite and so forth. Enjoy his babyhood, before you know it he'll be a rambunctuous yearling.

The "I love Amazons" stickie in the Amazon sub forum also has mucho mucho good info on many aspects of caring for not only Amazons, but pretty much all parrots - you won't regret the read. Read them all out loud to your BT Macaw, hewill love you for it.

Thanks Al, before committing I did read Birdman666’s thread and stickies, and various publications online, and watched lots of YouTube videos, since it’s been a childhood dream of mine to have a macaw as a companion I’ve done lots of reading about them through the years, but there’s always room to expand that knowledge.

Yes definitely basics first, step up, no bite, beak pressure, go potty, socializing all that good stuff before trick training, but that part I’m very excited about!

I’m loving watching him grow everyday, I know the large majority of folks here have a deep disdain for purchasing unweaned parrots, and indeed I would feel a great deal of remorse if something were to happen to him under my care. But the experience of raising him by hand is truly magical, and having hand raised smaller species I haven’t had a situation that has made me regret it.

He’s mostly down and pin feathers now, growing everyday!

 

[cnidarian]

Congrats on your little baby!! He's adorable!! And I hope you keep the pictures coming!!

If you're looking for more books, I found "Birds for Dummies" to be pretty up-to-date and just enjoyable to read.

I wish I had a recommendation for a big bird specific book, but the only one I have is horribly dated :/