Old Macaw, new tricks

[Alwese]

Doogie is my Catalina Macaw hybrid and is my first of three macaws. I got him when he was 4 and he is now 20. Doog Monster is my smartest and most powerful bird. He has long known how to open two latches on his baby gate door and push the door open against a heavy oak chair with repeated shoves with his head. This past week I found him out several times and I had not let him out. I keep his door latch shut with a bungee cord as well. He has learned to pull the bungee off and let it snap and then reach through and pull the two step latch to open the door! Yesterday he added to that one by climbing atop the shop-vac I keep in his room and turning on the switch! I heard it whurr and knew my wife was not home.... sure enough, Doog figured out how to do it himself! Now that he knows exactly how to open the door, he will do it and let himself out in 3 minutes or less. Once a macaw learns how to do something you will never unlearn him of that.

 

[JerseyWendy]

What a great story! Doogie is SO very clever!! I think I personally would have had a coronary if the shop vac was to turn on with nobody else in the house.

Do the other macs take note on what Doogie is doing? I know Ripley learnt from Niko on how to open his food doors, and until I modified everything, they would both make it a game on who would open what food door and spill the most. :21:

 

[Alwese]

My "birdroom" has a refrigerator and an old mechanic's toolbox for dry food storage. I can't put anything in the drawers because all three birds know how to open them. The big magnetic cabinet door they haven't discovered how to open (yet). Their birdroom fridge has the freezer on the bottom. Doogie dearly loves frozen peas and knows that the peas are in there. Several times he defrosted meats in the freezer because he pried open the freezer door to get to his beloved peas. I had to crimp his snacking efforts by putting a locking hasp on the door and since then I haven't lost any meat. He watches what you do and figures out how to do it himself.

 

[MomtoPercy]

Wow, that is one smart bird!! Gorgeous too...I bet you can't stay mad at him

 

[labell]

Do you think he was trying to help with house cleaning chores as thank you for all the love you obviously heap on him? LOL

 

[Alwese]

Here in Jacksonville Florida we have had our share of nasty weather recently. We just finished four days of record cold and rain which provided plenty of one on one time for all three of my birds. Last night Doog was on my right wrist for an hour while I watched TV and I groomed for his pins. Clifford and Kayko get to spend their time one on each knee with simultaneous head scritches. Prior to this cold wave, we had one very nice 84 degree day (last Sunday) and I took these two out to the Town Center Mall to see people and pose for cell phone pictures. I set a new personal record for unsolicited tips of $54. in two hours with Kayko. Two of those tips were $20. People are grateful for that once in a lifetime opportunity to have a picture with a B&G on their or their children's arm. For those of you with an extremely sociable macaw that would not think of biting anyone, may I suggest this method of meeting new people and providing financial reward to assist in care. Tips nearly double when you hand out molted feathers.