Ohhh boy

[sssaucey]

So it looks like I may be getting a GW after all. I made a post a while ago about a man that was going to let me get some experience with his birds.(breeding pair of greenwings, their 2 year old baby, a b&g, and a 33 year old cag). He wants to give me his 2 year old greenwing in exchange for help around his house. So if he does end up giving him to me I will have enough to take him to the vet and to get him all the stuff he would need. And I wouldn't have to take him right away because the bird just got checked out 2 months ago(which I will confirm).

I'm going to meet him hopefully on friday, and he told me that I don't have to take him right away so that I can build a relationship before I take him to my house.

and a side not the other GW that I wanted to take out of a bad situation has found a home and the owners actually did something good by interviewing the new owners.

 

[cdog]

Congrats! Make sure you post a lot of pics when you get him. I'm jealous, my dream bird is a green wing.

 

[Sulphiria]

Congrats! Macaws are amazing birds, and soooo smart. I am so glad we added one to our family.

 

[sssaucey]

Oh I will for sure flood the forum with his pictures, I'm excited and I can't wait to meet him and see how he is with me. I'm not gonna expect an instant connection ,but hopefully he doesn't completely dislike me lol.

 

[sssaucey]

In case I need to get him a new cage what would you macaws owners recommend for dimensions? and what name brand would you recommend?

 

[Mike]

I bought a no-name brand cage at the local bird fair. Saved about 25%. It has been great. No regrets. The cage is the second most important piece of furniture. Don't blow all your money on it. The most important piece of furniture will cost a few bills, but will not be as expensive as the cage.

Get the largest cage you can find. Remember that depth is just as important as width. Both are more important than height because the bird will want to stay in the top part of the cage most of the time anyway. My cage is about 48X32X72. I wish it was 48X48X72 instead.

Make sure it is designed for Macaws. It should have 5mm thick bars which are spaced about an inch apart. I got a powder coated iron cage because stainless steel was too expensive. I also don't think a SS cage is very attractive as an indoors piece of furniture.

I like the cage to have a seed guard. Some people do not. Cleaning would be easier without it and the bruises on my shins might eventually go away. But I like the way it keeps the mess from spreading away from the cage.

Place the cage somewhere you can clean all around and beneath without too much difficulty. Put it on a tile or wood floor. Mine is on a carpeted floor and I hate it.

I'm assuming you'll let your bird out of the cage during the day. Make sure the cage is far enough from nearby walls so your bird cannot reach anything hanging on the wall, or if in front of a window, far enough away so the bird cannot climb from the cage to the window sill. The bird will turn your window frame into splinters before you know it. I have about two feet between my cage and the walls/window.

Now for a less than dainty topic--cleaning. Make sure your cage is designed and situated so you can clean it without a lot of fuss. I also recommend you get a grey or light brown colored cage. My black cage shows the feecies too easily. It makes it harder to keep clean looking (I told you this wasn't the dainty part).

Save money on the cage, so you can afford the most important piece of furniture your bird will want--a playground. I bought the biggest I could find on Amazon. It is about 48X24X72. The narrower width is not a problem because the playground has no sides for the bird's tail feathers to brush up against. My bird spends 10X more time on the playground than she does the cage. BTW, I positioned my playground right next to the cage so she can go back and forth. The food is in the cage. I have toys in both, but she prefers toys to be on the playground. Here's the one I got: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Super-Pet-Activity-Center-Playground/dp/B000TZ1XCU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1337131333&sr=8-3"]Amazon.com: Super Pet EZ Care Activity Center Playground for Medium and Large Birds: Pet Supplies[/ame]


BTW, also get a coiled springy rope. Marty loves her's. I have one inside the cage for at night or when she's been bad (and I have to lock her up for five minutes), and another hanging from the draw bridge.

 

[sssaucey]

Thanks for the helpful reply, I love that playstand. I've been looking at bird cages all day lol that they're all starting to look the same

 

[Safira]

For a Green Wing you're going to want the biggest cage you can get. At the very least 46 x 36 or something along those lines, 60+ inches tall. You may also want to consider stainless steel. Green wings have very strong beaks that can work the bars off their cage if they want too.

 

[luvmytooo]

Congratulations ! What goes around , comes around .
Because you volunteered to help this man and his birds , It must mean so much to him
that he would give you one of his babies . He knows a good person , a bird person ,
when he sees one
Can't wait to see your new baby !

 

[sssaucey]

I'm trying to find stainless steel cages but as of now I can only find cages with stainless steel bowls lol

 

[sssaucey]

This is him

 

[Safira]

aww look at those big ol feet. I love, love, love green wings. I want one!

 

[sssaucey]

I know when I looked at them I was like "god he has big feet".
Do you think he over preens his tail?

 

[Safira]

He looks young, it's possible the tail looking like that is due to a mixture of things over preening or clumsyness.

My macaw's tail is shredded and broken, I can't wait till she molts those feathers and tries again.

 

[sssaucey]

He's only 2 so he could just be a clumsy boy, I'm just hoping the first meeting goes well haha

 

[solobaby]

he is seriously adorable - holding thumbs for your first meeting

 

[sssaucey]

Thanks!!! Lets just hope I don't lose a thumb the first time we meet haha

 

[aliray]

he is flat out gorgeous. Do a finger count before and after your first visit. Good luck and I have seen stainless steel cages on the internet but they were quite expensive. and since I have a canary and a quaker it was overkill for me. I finally met a greenwing at a mans home in sarasota fla.where I went to buy a parrot stand for my quaker from craigslist. very impressive bird and the man used to breed parrots in new mexico years ago .he also had 2 cags and a female electus. The colors on the greenwing were incredible. Alison and sweetie pie

 

[sssaucey]

I love his face haha, once he's for sure mine I will take lots of pictures for everyone.

and ya with the stainless steel prices I may have to go a different route

 

[sssaucey]

Here's a pic of him with the blue and gold