waiting for my b and g

[dbullmc]

he is just now three weeks old and just starting to get small blue, gold, and black feathers. breeder wont let me hold him/her yet but we go and see him every week. we live in the country and she is sixty miles away. we have a cockatoo and a cag already but we fell in love with him the minute we saw him. we feed fresh fruit and a good pellet mix to the birds that we have already but wondering if i should do anything more for the macaw, have read a ton of books that i could get hold of on the net, but nothing beats experience, so just thought i would ask. and how big should the cage be because i hear all different things, thinking it should at least be 48 wide 36 deep?

 

[Mike]

A Blue and Gold? They're my second favorite Macaw. If I ever break down and get another bird, a B&G is what it will very likely be. They're beautiful.

Maybe it's me. But don't Macaws look kinda like Pterodactyls until they get their feathers in? Nevermind. It was over a year ago since Mardy started growing in her feathers. Maybe my memory is clouded.

As for cage size, it depends on how you're going to keep your bird. If the cage is only for sleeping at night then a typical 42X32X72 inch cage is probably ok. That's what I have, but my bird is let out of her cage at 9am and not put back into her cage until 9pm. Her food and water are inside the cage, but most of her day is spent on a 24X40X72 inch playground which sits right next to her cage. She's back and forth between the two environments throughout the day.

Remember that a Macaw's wingspan is between three and four feet wide, and their height is between two and a half, and three feet tall. If you're planning to keep your bird in the cage the bulk of it's day then I would say an 80X40X72 or larger would be more appropriate. These are big, majestic birds which demand serious respect and consideration. Don't short change them in the space of their living quarters. You wouldn't be your best if you were contained in a cramped cell all your days. Neither will they. And believe me, with a bird that has a beak capable of snapping a broom stick and a screech capable of deafening a person for five minutes, you want to make sure your Macaw has the space it needs.

 

[dbullmc]

my wife and i thought the same thing when we first saw the baby, about being a small prehistoric kind of animal with no feathers.lol, and yes he will bed out of his cage from the morning until it is bedtime. we also have a congo african grey named dexter, after her fav. show.hehe and we have a moluccan cockatoo that was a rescue bird, she is 14 years old and was beaten badly to where one of her wings hangs slightly out to the side. she will never fly again, her beak had grown all the way into her neck, and all her nails were curled to where she could hardly walk. she was a mess, she had to turn her head sideways to eat anything, her owner should have been put down if u ask me. she can be very loud but we love her just the same. we plan on making an outdoor aviary maybe this next summer if budget will allow so. but we are in the process of making one of the rooms just for the birds, is there certain nuts that i should give her for daily treats i know that peanuts are not good and no apple seeds plus the reg no avacado, choclate caffiene alcoholk ect. any words will help thanks

 

[Mike]

Your wife's favorite program is Dexter? My wife's is Forensic Files. Kind of makes you wonder if they're building up the skills to do something maybe we'd rather not know about. Doesn't it?

Mardy loves cashews and pistachios. I buy them unsalted and use them as treats. I also keep grapes on hand for a treat. I've tried a number of other fruits like strawberries, cherries (without the pits), and blackberries, but she slings them around the room and they stain the walls and furniture, so I don't offer them anymore--except if she's outside on the screened in porch. I do occasionally give her cantelope, water mellon, and pineapple, but she can take them or leave them. I give her pecans, brazil nuts, and walnuts whenever I can get them still in the shell. The mix I give her contains a number of various nuts, dried fruit, seeds, and pellets.

The thing she loves best is whatever I'm eating. She's especially fond of chicken, bread, beef, pasta, pizza, and ice cream. She laps the ice cream up with her tongue like a cat laps up milk, all the while pining her eyes. I think it's the sweet/cold combination that really gets her going.

I'm getting ready to try out some of the birdie bread recipes to see if any of them strike her fancy. I'm not much of a cook and I don't expect my wife to take care of Mardy except when I'm traveling, so the birdie bread thing will probably not become a major part of Mardy's diet.

Hmm, Dexter? Have you checked inside the window air conditioner to see if she's begun collecting any souvenirs?

 

[dbullmc]

looking inside the a/c units have crossed my mind, but she would probably use the oleander plant that is in the back yard.lol. we had plans to build a 60 ft by 30 ft outside aviary but like i said dont think its in the budget till next summer. i looked at the 80 by 40 by 76 cage that u suggested, and really like them but thats quite a hefty price tag with it. i know we are gone to shell out some money for a cage but geez. we are in the midst of making the middle bedroom into a bird room for the three of them, any suggestions? i would like to make a couple of t stands so that i can take outside for training sessions, how old do u think the b and g has to be before training starts? dexter on the other hand is a whole different ball of wax, being a momma s boy but will tolerate me because he has too. as far as the nuts go , around the holidays when the mix nuts in shell are out how long can u freeze them and they still have all their nutritional value that they need? i appreciate all your answers, thanks

 

[Mike]

I found a farmers market that carries mixed nuts still in the shell. I refrigerate them. I haven't tried freezing them.

Since you're not planning to restrict your birds to staying inside their cages the 80X40 would not be worthwhile. Better to spend your money on playgrounds. Here's a link to the playground I bought: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Super-Pet-Activity-Center-Playground/dp/B000TZ1XCU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338216455&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: Super Pet EZ Care Activity Center Playground for Medium and Large Birds: Pet Supplies[/ame]. The climbing steps are easy to replace with dowels when she works her way through them. I also replaced the two horizontal perches with dowels wrapped in sandpaper. The sandpaper comes in four inch wide rolls and has glue on the back. I trim the width to fit the circumference of the dowel and peel the back off and stick them to the dowel. I never have to trim Mardy's nails now. I also put a dowel on the top most toy holder. Mardy always climbs to the highest spot on the playground so I figured I'd put a perch up there to make it easier for her. Same sandpaper covering.

I suggest you paint the bird room with something that can be washed. I occasionally have to remove little pieces of fruit sticking to my walls and ceiling. Mardy slings the pieces off her beak when she can't wipe them off rubbing against something. I also suggest that if the bird room has large windows that you get some birdie silhouette stickers: Bird Silhouette Sticker Car Window Vinyl Laptop Decal Cute Wall Art Decor Fly S1 on eBay!. Last thing about the bird room might seem obvious, but it is sometimes overlooked. No open ceiling fans.

I was originally planning to put an outdoor aviary in the backyard too, but when I realized I could only safely use it if I were outside keeping away local predators (hawks and opposums) from going after the bird's legs while they cling to the side walls, and that I'd have to put screening material around the outside to keep out the mosquitoes (west nile virus), I decided instead to put up a steel mesh on the inside of my screened in porch.

Never too early to start training. Once you've identified the reward treat you can begin. I bought a course from birdtricks.com. Another good source is goodbirdinc.com.

 

[dbullmc]

hey mike, thats a pretty nice playstation. have you ever tried to make one out of pvc, i have heard from some that it is bad for the birds and some say that it is just fine. thanks for the tips on the bird room, our cag is constantly slinging food and sometimes hard to get off the walls. never thought about putting stickers on the window good idea. would contact paper hurt if they were to get hold of that? havent been able to find those nuts any where around here but we live in the sticks lol. my wife says they should get together and compare notes haha. anyway thanks

 

[Safira]

Haha.. boy talk.

Anyways. While an 80x40x72 cage would be GREAT... I don't have one for my Macaw. I have the huge A & E corner cage, and I have a 40x30 for an outside cage. I think its too small for a perminant cage. I would look into the 46x36x72 ones too.

 

[RescueMe]

The one thing you need to consider is that macaws often have issues with their respiratory systems when they are housed with toos and greys because of their powder feathers. You should invest in really good air filters for your new baby. Congrats on your new baby!

 

[Rio Mom]

Congrats on the new baby! Would love to see pictures!

 

[dbullmc]

im so sorry for your loss, i have had one of my own like i said it took me forever just to say his name without crying much less to look at another cag but with time wounds heal but never go away. dexter our cag is his mommas love but will tolerate me lol

 

[Mike]

Mardy's shower perch is made from PVC. I've seen a number of perches on this forum made from PVC. I've seen small perches at the local bird fair made from PVC, but never a big one. I suspect that PVC with the diameter you need for your bird's feet is too flexible when you cut it the length you need for a playground.