Single B&G Macaw...nesting

[JenD]

Our female B&G, who we rescued from the shelter I work at in May seems to be nesting. We were told they knew she was female because she'd laid eggs, so we've sort of been expecting this to happen. However, kinda clueless on what to expect, how to handle. I've tried to read up online and have heard mixed opinions, some say to just let her do her thing, others say to discourage it. She doesn't have any toy she's super connected to, so there's nothing to remove that is encouraging this behavior. For about 2 days she has been spending most of her time shredding paper and hanging at the bottom of her cage. She gets aggressive to everyone except my husband, and sometimes me. She charges the cage at my kids, she's fine with me as long as I don't try to touch her. My husband can pet her and even move the newspaper around, I assume she sees him as her mate (she adores him). I've read about getting "dummy eggs" so she can sit on them until she gets bored, I've read if she does lay an egg to keep it in there....looking for someone with actual experience with single macaws. She is eating and drinking normal, but I am afraid of egg binding, plucking, consistent laying, etc. Just basically looking for advice. I've included a pic of her yesterday. Thank you in advance

 

[plumsmum2005]

Have you searched for Birdman666, his posts are good and I can remember reading about giving his GW a telephone directory to shred.

Hope some expertise arrives soon for you?

Thank you for giving a needy bird a loving home. She is lovely.

 

[JenD]

I did just put our brand new 2017 phone book in her cage yesterday! I think bird owners are probably the only people left in this country who get excited for phone book deliveries!

 

[plumsmum2005]

Yes you could be right on that LOL.

 

[LordTriggs]

good on you for bringing her into your home, she's a very pretty bird

I'm no Mac expert but what I see is to let them sit on the eggs until bored, then removing them. The reason being they're more likely to chronically lay if they're removed. Up her calcium intake by scraping a cuttle bone over her food, mashing some baked eggshell into her food or if you want to go extra special getting some calcium powder and sprinkling on the food that way she has that extra bit for making eggs and being healthy.

changing the cage layout around should help and of course limiting light to 12 hours a day max should let her know it's not a good time to breed

keep an eye out for birdman 666, he seems to know all there is about the big macs

 

[gemma23426]

No doubt it's a nice blue gold macaw. Is it her first time?

 

[JenD]

It is her first time since we've had her, but we were told she had laid eggs in the past which is how they knew she was female. It is comforting knowing she likely knows what she's doing. I miss her sweetness and hope this passes soon.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Are you reducing daylight hours and ensuring she gets approx. 12 hours sleep (darkness) per night and avoid warm mushy and high fat/protein foods? Birds and animals want to breed when food is plentiful.

Keep her busy with toys and telephone directories, chewing it up is Ok, building the nest is not. Load her cage up with things to do, even foraging for treats and hope this passes very soon.

Take care stroking inappropriately and giving her the green light.

If she is harness trained why not take her out and about if at all possible it is really great for them to socialise, give her something else to focus on.

 

[JenD]

She does get at least 12 hours of total darkness. I work 2nd shift and my husband first, normally she spends the mornings out of the cage with me or on her perch in the common room, then back in her cage when I go to work, then back out again when my husband gets home until bedtime. She has a variety of different toys but she prefers to tear up books that we have hanging in her cage, she has never touched anything else. LOL. However now all she wants to do is hang on the bottom in that protective stance. She will come up to eat, but she's not hanging on her favorite perch like normal. She comes up to eat/drink and then back down....she did come out of the cage for awhile with my husband yesterday but first chance she had she ran back to her room to assume her nesting stance. Should we remove the paper/nest, or leave it?

 

[plumsmum2005]

I would give her cage a shake up when it is safe to do so, move stuff about and remove the nest so she has to concentrate on starting over, may make her bad tempered LOL. It would me LOL but if it avoids eggs so much the better IMO.

You could make it so that she has to work harder for her supper - what is more important to any living being before reproduction - FOOD!

 

[Cas27]

Wow guys that is amazing the females do that. I have an 8 yr old male b@ g and a 10 yr old female green wing I hope she don't do that.

 

[JenD]

Update....my husband had her out with the family this evening for a few hours (while I was at work). They removed all the nesting...when I got home she was being super sweet and excited to see me (like normal). Well took her back to her cage for bed where she immediately went to the bottom and was walking around whimpering. It was so sad....she climbed out on the door ledge and my husband picked her up. He handed her to me and walked away...she lunged and it my lip quite bad. I am going to call her vet on Monday and see if they will give me some advice over the phone. She's never but like that before. I feel sad and foolish.

 

[plumsmum2005]

I am sorry to hear she lunged at your lip. Nice to hear she was super sweet during the evening, restores some faith doesn't it? Good re calling her AV for help, let us know how you get on.

PS Maybe if your husband had pacified her a little on return to her cage when she found her nest gone she may have been better? Have you invested in any new toys for her lately? Bought or home made, no difference?

My worry is she has an egg on its way. With this in mind full spectrum sunlight is necessary for your bird’s calcium metabolism and can be provided by unfiltered sunlight or by a full spectrum fluorescent bulb.

One more thing is to change her cage location, if she is tucked away slightly, bring her into a more high traffic area, more going on. Does she like the TV?

 

[Birdman666]

My red front laid a bunch of eggs this year. First time ever. She was very nesty. I just let her shred her phone books and sit in it. When the eggs didn't hatch she lost interest...

She was territorial with other birds/my daughter around the nest. I could still walk up to her and love on her... everyone else it wasn't a good idea...

Season's over. Back to her old self.

My thing is to just let them be when they are super hormonal. They don't want that right now.

 

[JenD]

Thanks for all your replies. She is still super hormonal and "nesting". She will come out of her cage for my husband but no one else, and is territorial in the room her cage is located, however pretty sweet away from the cage, but given the chance she will make a run for her cage to resume. Her vet said if it doesn't stop In 3-4 weeks to bring her in and see if there is something else going on. Do you recall, how long was your gal's hormonal/nesting phase?