new bird owner!

[Hankmacaw]

I just want to reinforce that with the two fires your macaws were in they very likely have some damage to their lungs and airsacs. Adding a cockatoo to the mix might just tip one or both over the edge.

One year when I was traveling in my motorhome with Hank and Jasper, I put a pork chop into the microwave to thaw. I inadvertently put it on 100% instead of 10%, I went outside to set up the barbeque and looked around after a few minutes and smoke was boiling out of the door. I got them out and into the fresh air within 4-5 minutes, but it was too late. Their lungs and airsacs were damaged and no amount of vet bills can fix that. I kick myself to this day about that and the damage has caused problems with both birds.

The birds are the ones that would suffer - not you.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I just want to reinforce that with the two fires your macaws were in they very likely have some damage to their lungs and airsacs. Adding a cockatoo to the mix might just tip one or both over the edge.

One year when I was traveling in my motorhome with Hank and Jasper, I put a pork chop into the microwave to thaw. I inadvertently put it on 100% instead of 10%, I went outside to set up the barbeque and looked around after a few minutes and smoke was boiling out of the door. I got them out and into the fresh air within 4-5 minutes, but it was too late. Their lungs and airsacs were damaged and no amount of vet bills can fix that. I kick myself to this day about that and the damage has caused problems with both birds.

The birds are the ones that would suffer - not you.

Oh my!

 

[LunaLovebird]

I'm gonna answer your questions when I can I'm at work right now but I'm kinda thrown off on the dust from the cockatoos the reason being that the place where we adopted them they have like this front office where you go in and it's not a huge room by any means but it's probably a little bigger then your average main bedroom and they have cages that full the room up with mostly cockatoos and macaws and there pretty close together although they have the macaws line up next to each other and the cockatoos lined up next to each other but there all in the same room so to hear that about the dust is kind of shocking

My experience in listening to people on this forum who want or have both is that they either don't know about it or don't take it seriously enough to care. I'm sure there are plenty of cases where dusty birds and macaws live together fine, but the respiratory disease mentioned is very real and not a risk worth taking, IMO.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I'm so glad you took these two birds into your home, I can't believe what they and their poor owner had to go through with two fires! I just wanted to point out that rescues are very overcrowded like you mentioned, and they often just do the best they can with the amount of space they have. Frequently they put the bigger birds together seperate from the smaller birds, or maybe they are just not aware of the risks, but old world parrots and new world parrots should not be housed together unless the upmost care is taken to clean and purify the air. The dust can also negatively effect humans too.

 

[Smattext]

Well my next question was going to be I have a spare bedroom on the opposite side of the house that i could put one in but it doesn't sound like that is an option kinda bums me out

 

[Hankmacaw]

Sometimes just because we want something doesn't mean we should have it. I'm sure their are many other rescues out there who would be compatible with your macaws and that you would love just as much.

 

[aooratrix]

There is no way to tell if one or both are susceptible, until it's far too late. And then, your vet will tell you that your cockatoo is the cause and you could've prevented it. This is why I rehomd my beloved cockatoo. Some do keep both with no apparent problems, but who knows what will happen in the future? And I hear people contend that it only affects b&gs; however, that's probably because they are more common. I know of other macaws that have succumbed in homes and facilities with quality air cleaners/filters. It's ultimately up to you, but it's a gamble with potentially fatal consequences.

As for treats, I have yet to meet the macaw that can resist a pine nut...but it may be out there. I train my birds with pine nuts for treats with some success. And I NEVER withhold food. IMO, that's both unnecessary and cruel. Try attaching a small spoon to a chopstick or something similar for safe, hands free treat delivery. And be patient: as you said, your birds have been through a lot and will need time to adjust to your home. Thanks for taking them in!

As for another bird, my suggestion is, once you've got a handle on these two, find/adopt a macaw that's more open to relationships with people.

 

[Smattext]

I have pine nuts and use them half the time they eat them and half the time they spit them out and you can relax I'm not going to get a cockatoo I did not know this but that's the reason I joined the forum to get as much information as I could do you can stop beating me up. I'm glad I asked this before doing anything cause the foundation was trying to talk us in to adopting two cockatoos that were friends I just don't get it

 

[LunaLovebird]

I have pine nuts and use them half the time they eat them and half the time they spit them out and you can relax I'm not going to get a cockatoo I did not know this but that's the reason I joined the forum to get as much information as I could do you can stop beating me up. I'm glad I asked this before doing anything cause the foundation was trying to talk us in to adopting two cockatoos that were friends I just don't get it

I don't think anyone is trying to beat you up. It's advice from a good place, honestly. We get a fair few people come through here who just won't accept that they can't have both regardless of what you tell them, and I think people like @Hankmacaw are just trying to do their best to make sure the point gets across. I'm sure it's nothing personal.

 

[Smattext]

I get that but on this end that's what it feels like when all im trying to do is get good advice wich I believe I am but there's other ways to get your point across and I certainly didn't adopt birds just to put their health at risk

 

[Tiel Feathers]

It is apparent that you are being a very responsible bird owner gathering as much information as possible to give your macaws the best home you can, and I think most people on this forum think the same thing. Sorry if anything was taken the wrong way. Sometimes it's hard to get the right tone to come through when typing! We all love birds just so much!

 

[Fia Baby]

For what's it's worth, I have both a cockatoo and a macaw. I have them both in a large, open dining room/living room/kitchen, at opposite ends from each other. I vacuum/dust/sweep all the time, and they both get baths a lot. I hope to never find out that I've caused Fia any harm, so I keep cleanliness and distance priorities. And I air out the room with open windows whenever the weather permits it.

 

[Smattext]

thank you for that information both me and my wife have been researching this and we have not found any information that backs up what they are claiming my wife did find on another blog some guy who claimed he was a bird trainer and bird behavioralist he said that this is absolutly untrue but you never know if the guy is foreal but so far thats all the information i have found on this subject

 

[Fia Baby]

I'm not meaning to deny the possibility of respiratory disease - it is real. Just to say that I do have both, and that Fia (my macaw) is healthy thus far, but that I do take some extra precautions to safe guard her health. The rescue you got yours from certainly sounds as if they are in over their heads. Before I added any other birds, regardless of species, to your flock, I'd have yours completely vetted, to safe guard in both directions. Good luck with your macaws - you guys certainly went "big" for your first parrot experience!

 

[Smattext]

I understand your not denying what they are claiming and for what it's worth the foundation where we adopted the birds from always send the birds to the vet for a complete work up before they send them home with their new family they told us they were completely healthy no problems with them

 

[Jaguar]

http://forums.avianavenue.com/index...d-thoughts-and-prayers-needed-for-zoe.145993/

Give this thread a read. Please.

 

[TWR]

Hi and welcome. Thank you for welcoming these birds into your home. I'm sorry that you feel bashed. I am positive that's not the intention, but it's hard to convey emotion in posts. It's information, not bashing which is the intent.

thank you for that information both me and my wife have been researching this and we have not found any information that backs up what they are claiming my wife did find on another blog some guy who claimed he was a bird trainer and bird behavioralist he said that this is absolutly untrue but you never know if the guy is foreal but so far thats all the information i have found on this subject

Thanks for taking the time to research - its the only way to go. Be sure to also read all the links provided in this thread and in the sad thread about Zoe's passing in the thread linked by @Jaguar. Maybe not all Macaws will be affected to the same extent. Like Zoe's avian vet said, some macaws are more sensitive than others. It's just that we don't know which ones are the more susceptible ones until it's too late. Maybe also talk to your own avian vet as part of your research. BTW, it should be an avian vet, as a normal vet may not necessarily be up to date with bird stuff. I didn't even realise that such a thing as an avian certified vet existed until 6 months into a plucking issue with my lorikeet. After 6 months, my vet referred me to an avian vet and that was the first time I even realised they existed. I wasted 6 months of vet visits when I should have been consulting with an avian vet from the first instance. Wish I'd known that sooner.

Please stay with us on AA and keep us updated on progress with your beauties.

 

[TWR]

Also, just a little related comment from my avian vet (AV) a week or so ago. My Hahns Macaw (Hannah) needed a visit and as my usual vet clinic was closed for the holidays, this was a new clinic for me. For that reason, the AV was asking the usual new bird questions about environment and nutrition etc. She asked if I had any dusty birds. I said that I didn't, but then the conversation turned to our possible renovation planned potentially for later this year. She said that since Macaws were sensitive to dust (including building dust), that ideally I should remove her from the house while works are on. I don't really think I have anywhere else to send her, so we discussed that since she is at the opposite end of the house with several closed doors between her and the works, it should be ok - but that I also should put towels around all gaps in the door to the birdroom and make sure the birdroom has good outside ventilation. Not even sure the renovation will happen (probably won't) but I know that I will need to take good precautions for her health if it does.

 

[Monica]

Some people who keep macaws with dusty birds invest in HEPA air cleaners (*NOT* ionizers!) to help remove dust from the air.



There are several people who feed food twice a day, or even three times a day, to their flock, and the birds are healthy and happy. "The Parrot Wizard" is an amateur with a lot to learn. There are things I don't agree with him on many points... although he may have some good advice, I don't recommend him. We also have "Bird Tricks". These people are not trainers with an understanding of behavior, they are sales people. That's not to say that they don't enjoy helping people working with their birds and learning to train them, just, they don't have a complete understanding of how to train themselves. Their newer videos are far better than their old ones, but still have a ways to go.



There's a lot of information I've gathered together here! I may not agree with everything from one of the trainers, but everyone here has more understanding of behaviors, training and parrots in general!

Free Training Resources | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[Fia Baby]

That's a good resource. I had mentioned Sally Blanchard too, but really, she's all about sales. And if you buy one thing, you basically bought all she has to offer, as most of her stuff is just repackaging for additional sales. And sometimes she'll stop a publication, then offer the rest of her stock at a ridiculously high price, claiming that it now has "rare" status. Pretty unethical to me.