Video Macaw constantly squawking

[htee]

Hey guys. So my macaw is now 1 year and 3 months old. He constantly does a squawking sound and it gets pretty irritating. I heard from someone that it might be because he wants to still be fed by its parents. Im not sure though. He does it CONSTANTLY when hes with us. He hardly does it when hes in his cage alone. Ill show some videos of him off youtube link doing the sound.

I met a 9 month old macaw today and he was suuper quiet. All he did was a low deep mumbling sound that macaws usually do. Mine actually used to do that when I first got him but all of a sudden he stopped and he started to do that squawking sound more frequently. Ive also heard that apparently when you buy weaned macaws, they can sometimes go back to acting unweaned. Could that be why hes making that sound? Because he wants to be fed by parents?

Ive tried to teach him to be quiet by rewarding him when he dosnt make a sound but he just does it again a few seconds later. It dosnt work. This is literally the only sound he makes and i cant even have him on me for long periods of time because it drives me insane. Is this just his personality?

 

[Macawnutz]

Your video did not link properly.

 

[Hankmacaw]

First thing to do is try hand feeding him some formula to see if that shuts him up. Some macaws will not wean until past one year old. Also, he just may be uneasy and need comforting. @Macawnutz is very good on baby macaws and she will be back as soon as you can get your video to work.

What kind of macaw is he. What's his name? How long have you had him?

Welcome to AA.

 

[EkkieLu]

Welcome Aboard! I'm so glad you're here!

 

[htee]

Your video did not link properly.

Sorry ill relink

 

[htee]

Also, thanks guys . Ive posted on here before but it was a while ago. Good to be back! Hes a blue and gold macaw and his name is Nova. Ive had him when he was 6 months or so. So ive probabaly had him for 10 months ish.

I really do hope its because hes still not weaned. Im starting to think that it may just be his personality and i have to deal with it lol xD. He does the squawking constantly even when he plays with his toys.. i mean.. he can’t possibly be asking for food at the same time while
Playing with toys right?

 

[htee]

Are the links working now?

 

[Fia Baby]

Those all look like comfort-seeking behaviors to me. I'd feed him something warm and mushy from my fingers or from a spoon if I were you. Try mashing up some yams, applesauce, and a little almond butter, warming it and feeding it to him. He may need you to do this a couple times a day while you continue to offer him "adult" food and eat it with him.

 

[Fia Baby]

Those look like "baby" behaviors to me; I thought I even saw the slow head-bob they do when they're begging for food. If he doesn't settle with some additional hand-feeding you should take him to a vet for a thorough exam. Did you hand-feed him when you first got him? How long has he been doing this? Are you weighing him? Track his weight, and tell us what he currently weighs.

 

[Macawnutz]

Yes, your sweetie is hungry. You need to get some handfeeding formula until he is eating better on his own.

Also, your sweetie has rough feather condition for you owning him as long as you have. I assume he has not molted? What is his routine diet like for the last few months?

 

[Hankmacaw]

Yes, he does look like he has baby like actions - not terribly pronounced, but there none the less. Like Sarah says his feathering does not look as advanced as a 1 year old. Are you absolutely sure he is a year old.

He needs to be fed and comforted.
This is normal feathering for a one year old B&G.

 

[htee]

Hes actually been like this for a very long time.. i just never knew it was abnormal. I thought it was their breed to be naturally noisy like that.. i feel awful. I got him when he was fully weaned so no, i didnt hand feed him when i got him. I was told he was already on solid food and he can start eating fruit and pellets like adults.


What are some formula recipes? I would like a few so i have a few options incase he dosnt like one

Also, yes. I have a certificate. His hatch date is 2nd of febuary 2018.

I give him peas and corn everyday, sometimes pears apples and pellets everyday. I havnt been giving him seeds at all because i heard they were bad. He has a lot of spiny feathers at the moment that havnt fully come out yet. I heard that showering him can help loosen up the spiny feathers but ive tried spraying him with a spray bottle and bringing him in the shower with me and he absoloutely hates the water. He dosnt want anything to do with water.

 

[htee]

Can i put him on a normal human scale? Will that be accurate? Because i dont have a bird scale. Also how much should he be weighing now?

 

[Hankmacaw]

This is the most commonly used baby bird formula and can be bought at most bird stores and always at Amazon.
Amazon.com : Kaytee Exact Hand Feeding For Baby Birds, 18 Oz : Kaytee Baby Bird Food : Pet Supplies

Please buy a scale and weigh him every day right after his big morning poop. You need to keep track of his weight. They are really cheap - you will need one that weighs in grams and weighs up to 5 lb.

One like this would be fine. Amazon.com: Ozeri ZK14-T Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen and Food Scale, Teal Blue: Kitchen & Dining

Have a variety of foods available to him - small chunks seem to be the best. Things like peas, cooked sweet potatoes, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower. Corn is not really all that good - too hard to digest. I'm sure others can recommend other foods. It also would not hurt to get him some pellets - I recommend Harrison's (small high potency). You can try him with pellets soaked in water or juice and graduate him to the dry pellets. Nope, don't give him seeds.

 

[Fia Baby]

If you can get a baby scale, that would be great. It really needs to weigh in grams, accurately, so an adult scale won't be very helpful. You don't need a hand-feeding formula, just some home-made goodies - scrambled eggs mixed in the mix I mentioned above will be a great addition - lots of protein and fat. Yams/sweet potatoes make a good base - you can add mashed bananas, applesauce, nut butter, eggs, cooked oatmeal, chia seeds, hemp hearts, etc. Make sure it's warm, about 105 F, he'll love it. Give him this, as much as he wants, every time he asks, while continuing to offer his adult food. I don't give mine seeds either, but they do need nuts everyday - walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, brazil nuts... He'll need you to crack the shells and show him at first, but he'll catch on. He should have several everyday (I give 5/day, but others may have differing opinions). Offering him a wider variety of fresh food is also a good long-term goal: red peppers, carrots, kale, swiss chard, parsnips (mine loves these!!), red beets (she loves these too!!), melons, mangos, etc. He doesn't need to have everything every day, that's just a list for you to rotate through. Cooked pasta would be a good addition right now as well, when you're trying to increase his independence and weight. You can get him through this, and don't beat yourself up; if you didn't know a lot about macaw behavior, you wouldn't know what you were looking at. At some point each of us knew nothing about macaw behavior.

 

[Macawnutz]

I'm going to work but want to give you a lengthy reply. I will when I get home.

Just breath, don't get upset or panic. I like the zupreem formula, you can buy it at any pet food store.

We can fix this... getting him full and on a good diet, he will molt and his feathers will be shiny and new. Just listen to hankmacaw and fia baby on what to purchase.

Give him love! Soak his pellets in warm water until they are smushy and rewarm them in warm water for a start.

 

[Fia Baby]

Hand feeding formula won't hurt, of course. You can feed it with a spoon as well, and add other things into it.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Your baby should weigh about 900 grams (I think) I can't find the information right now. Sarah has a good chart of weights at age points.

Oh yeah, like Sarah said, be sure to give your baby lots of love and lots of playing with and talk to him all of the time. Most important - lots of love.

 

[htee]

How about a kitchen scale? Will that work too? Im trying to find baby scales at the general shops here but all i can find are kitchen scales or scales with bowls

 

[Hankmacaw]

The kitchen scale is what most of us have. It needs to weigh in grams and it will need to weigh up to 5 pounds. Also, make sure it has a top that your bird can stand on.