Severe Macaw Diet

[JewelsinMo]

Hello All, I have posted once before however I am fairly new here. I have a 9 month old Severe Macaw who is just a love! His name is Marty and he is doing very well in our home. He's lovable, interactive, and wants to be with us always. My questions center around his weight and diet primarily, but also grooming.

Currently Marty is weighting between 331 and 346 grams, depending on time of day and when he's eaten. I have read that their "normal" minimum weight should be between 300 and 360 grams -no two sites have given the same minimums or maximums which is very confusing. I am preparing his meals 3 times per day and have been leaving pellets and a small amount of seed mix in his cage all day, however he wants none of it now, where as before he ate pellets and seeds routinely. He was on seed mix and fruity colored pellets when we got him and I moved him to pellets which he seemed to like for a small while - until I started offering chop and quinoa and beans.

He now has some type of grain such as oatmeal, cream of wheat, quinoa or brown rice or something similar in the mornings with fruit, such as banana, strawberries, kiwi or grated apple in the mornings. At about noon or one he gets chop with various veggies, but no grains, a few pomegranate seeds a day-which he LOVES, 2-3 nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachio, etc.). For dinner, at 6:00-6:30 he gets a grain such as quinoa, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, etc. with some 12 bean mix.

He will no longer eat his pellets or seed mix. This has me concerned, as I continually read his diet should be 60-70% pellets! Worrying about this I started yesterday grinding the pellets in a new coffee grinder and sprinkling over his meals.

I believe we have spoiled him, as his preferred eating station is on the end of the kitchen counter with people around. He will eat on his cage top or play stand, but prefers the counter where he doesn't have to bend over. He has no problem going into his cage at night or when we leave, but will not just go in on his own throughout the day.

My question is - is he getting a proper diet and should I continue grinding the pellets to put on his other food? Is he getting too much human food? And if so, how can I get him back to pellets and still get the veggies and fruit down him? Should mention here that his stool is fairly consistent. At times, once or twice a day there will be no green in the stool, just clear and white substances, but generally there are all parts.

Another question I have is on preening. He doesn't do much. I have sprayed him with the spray bottle a few times, but he doesn't much like water. Should I do this more, and if so, how often? Even after being sprayed, he doesn't do much preening. Is this normal? He has tons of toys and plays ok, but would much rather be walking around or with one of us.

I have begun some target training and he is learning to turn around and really has grasped the idea quickly.

I apologize for the length of this post, however I very much appreciate any advice or opinions. We are just loving this little guy and I believe he is adjusting well and is happy. Should I have left something out or you need additional info, pls let me know!

Sincerely,
JewelsinMo

 

[Birdman666]

If he's eating normal foods, then he's probably getting enough nutrition.

Honestly, those guidelines were made in large part to warn people not to feed their birds a seed diet.

Fresh foods and veggies, are better than pellets, if you can get them to eat it.

Some people can't get them to eat it.

I wouldn't worry since his weight is in the normal range, and he appears healthy.

For that matter, most severe's have "fingers" in their diet, so the fact that you have "one of those" severe's is a blessing. The biggest thing with severe's is their tendency to bond with only one person, and then bite everyone else. Sounds to me like you are doing everything right with this bird!

 

[JewelsinMo]

Thank you Birman666! Not sure i am doing everything correctly tho. He is my first and you are right as my husband is his preferred flock mate! When he's around I am little more than chief cook and poop cleaner!

When you say "fingers" in his diet can I ask what you mean? I am feeding chop, but he really prefers small pieces of the veggies such as broccoli, small carrots and green beans (steamed). He loves smashed baked sweet potato. The fruits are a bit more of a challenge. If mashed and in with a grain he does ok.

I am continuing to grind the pellets and sprinkle them in as I am afraid his diet may not me "enough" of those item with vitamins and minerals required. I just want to ensure that I am not giving too much, or can you give too much?

Your response was appreciated! Do you have a Severe? They are really delightful little rascals and I can definitely make the correlation between Marty and a two year old! Very interesting to see them develop!

Take care and thanks again!
JewelsinMo

 

[Birdman666]

It was kind of meant as a joke...

I'm saying I have four stitches in my left thumb from a "not so happy to be rehomed" severe macaw that took it down to the bone... beak like a scapel! He didn't like me, and I took my eyes off him for a fraction of a second. NAILED ME! Severe's have always been one of my least favorite macaws to work with because they are lightning quick, less likely to warn, and they tend to have overbonding issues... and the overbonded ones were often the ones that get dumped.

"Here, this bird hates everyone but me... you deal with him!" I think I've rehabbed around 6-8 of them. Absolutely adored ONE of them.

So, diet seems fine to me, but the number one issue with these guys is to have them handled by multiple people from a young age. Do that, and they should be fine.
The sweet ones are priceless. The ones that don't get handled enough, end up being difficult to handle. Just a heads up! These are generalizations, of course, they are individuals. But it is a "breed tendency" with these guys.

ANY PAIR BOND BIRD HAS THE POTENTIAL TO OVERBOND. They are not unique in this respect. Just prone to it.

 

[Birdman666]

T I am feeding chop, but he really prefers small pieces of the veggies such as broccoli, small carrots and green beans (steamed). He loves smashed baked sweet potato. The fruits are a bit more of a challenge. If mashed and in with a grain he does ok.

I am continuing to grind the pellets and sprinkle them in as I am afraid his diet may not me "enough" of those item with vitamins and minerals required. I just want to ensure that I am not giving too much, or can you give too much?

Some people add too much in the way of vitamins on top of the pellets, and that isn't advisable.

Fruits are mainly sugars, so if he eats less of that and more of the veggies, he's golden. Mashed sweet potato is a favorite around here to, as is warm oatmeal. And that alone has enough of the stuff they normally don't get...
As I said, a lot of people don't give their birds enough fresh.

 

[RavensGryf]

My husband (who is NOT an experienced bird person) desperately wants a Severe down the road. I have encountered several and have read enough people's personal accounts with their sexually mature Severe's that I can honesy say this isn't the right match to fit with us and our life. Honesty ANY Macaw I tend to think the same thing about when thinking personally about our family, daily lives, and particulars. Then when I see how Severe's (commonly) are even more of a handful personality wise (generally speaking of course), truthfully it is not something I want to deal with.

I guess you can say I've had enough bird experience that I know what I can't handle and where my boundaries lie in terms of what I'm WILLING to handle or learn to take on. My dh has not reached that point of realization yet, and is like SO many other people, that just HAVE TO HAVE a larger bird regardless of the consequences, and an 'advanced' one at that. Ugh.

Sorry for the rant... Congratulations on your baby!! He seems like a great bird. I do think Severe's are BEAUTIFUL birds especially seeing them in person

 

[MonicaMc]

If you are concerned about diet, you can get blood work done to determine if he's eating healthy or not.


I have come across a few people who *DO NOT* feed pellets *OR* seeds. They might feed sprouted seeds, but otherwise the diet is made up of fresh and cooked foods. As long as the birds are getting the required nutrients, that's ok!

Pellets are kind of like dog food. Wolves eat fresh meat but most of our dogs eat kibble. You can feed a dog a raw food diet, but it can potentially be messy, expensive and a potential for illness. (re: raw meat) Manufactured dog food is anywhere from dirt cheap to 'my wallet is crying!'. It's a convenience factor and you don't have to worry about whether or not your dog is getting enough nutrients from his food because dog food is supposed to be a "complete diet".


Seeds for birds is like table scraps to dogs! Unhealthy!

Pellets for birds is like dog food. Convenient and easy to feed! Potentially even less messier, too!

Fresh/cooked food diet for birds is kind of like a raw diet for dogs. It can be expensive or cheap, have live enzymes and be full of nutrients! But just because you feed it doesn't necessarily mean that your bird will eat it.



I feed all three! I have two birds who typically don't get seeds in their diet right now unless it's sprouted seeds. The rest of my birds get seeds and pellets, and all get a 'mash' diet. (includes grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits - sometimes sprouts, spices or supplements!)

 

[Birdman666]

My husband (who is NOT an experienced bird person) desperately wants a Severe down the road. I have encountered several and have read enough people's personal accounts with their sexually mature Severe's that I can honesy say this isn't the right match to fit with us and our life. Honesty ANY Macaw I tend to think the same thing about when thinking personally about our family, daily lives, and particulars. Then when I see how Severe's (commonly) are even more of a handful personality wise (generally speaking of course), truthfully it is not something I want to deal with.

I guess you can say I've had enough bird experience that I know what I can't handle and where my boundaries lie in terms of what I'm WILLING to handle or learn to take on. My dh has not reached that point of realization yet, and is like SO many other people, that just HAVE TO HAVE a larger bird regardless of the consequences, and an 'advanced' one at that. Ugh.

See, I think macaws are the goofiest, biggest personality, most toddler like, and most fun loving of the bunch... For me, it has nothing to do with size or status, and everything to do with huge personalities...

A lot of folks feel the same way about amazons, given how "hormonally challenged" they can be at time.

But those are my favorites... Gimme the goofball birds!

 

[RavensGryf]

Birdman... You ARE Macawman! My husband I fear is NOT Macawman material. I wish you lived next door to us so you could either teach him or tell him they aren't part time birds even if you work full time and are too tired, frustrated and feel like being by yourself, busy, etc...

Some small and medium size birds especially like the species I have, while every bit as intelligent and engaging as their larger cousins, are definitely more "forgiving" and not as tenaciously persistent to getting their way - if an odd day or week happens where you might have something serious going on or family emergency, or whatever, and just don't have as much time for them as you normally do, they might call for a bit then if you don't come, they'll say 'oh well, next time' and forget about it and go play with a toy or eat or nap instead.

Most Poicephalus and many Pionus are like this... Not AS noisy, attention demanding, messy or destructive and all over the place like many other species. YES, I'm CRAZY about my birds! I absolutely LOVE them! But their personality and characteristics I find are just PERFECT for ME and our household

Not saying higher maintenance, larger, or more persistent birds are bad, NO, not at all! In fact they're wonderful companions to those (like Birman and all you large bird people), who have the temperament and lifestyle to cater to these beautiful birds! What's bad, is when we get larger more demanding and less forgiving species THINKING it's a good match when it's not.
I just realized I had a little rant there lol.

 

[Birdman666]

Well, Low maintenance they are not... they are one step below large toos... but it's a pretty small step.

Pionus, I always called Amazon-Lite... very similar in a lot of ways. I honestly can't remember working with Poi's... I may have. God only knows, in those days 350 birds, more or less, coming and going... it's all a blur.

If I lived next door, you could send him over to play with my two. Then you wouldn't need a big mac, and I'd get a break from it every now and again!

 

[RavensGryf]

Pionus, I always called Amazon-Lite... very similar in a lot of ways.

I've heard Pionus and Amazons are very closely related. They both have that musty smell they puff out at will, they are said to not have an oil preen gland(?), they're easy to read and flare and strut much like a zon, can be moody and typically don't like a lot of hands on them like most zons, same body shape. Amazon-lite LOL!