faislaq
I have macaws and don't post enough pictures
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Buzz (12 yr old miligold) came to live with us last Saturday and we noticed a small bare patch on the shoulder/wrist of his left wing. There is no down and there are several pin feathers coming through. He beaks at that area and I assumed it must itch with the new feathers, but then Friday night, I noticed that he had something on his beak and that the area looked wet! 
I was worried that it might be pus, so we lured his head to the right so we could get a better look. We managed to take some pictures, but it was hard to get a clear shot because he was moving. These are the clearest ones:
We have been hands off until he is more comfortable in his new home, so we have no way of getting him to his shower stand yet, so we gave his a heavy misting (which he fluffed up and loved!
) The area stayed clean and dry all day (no signs of 'pus') until last night. Then there was so much goo that he was cleaning off of his wing! 
It slowly dawned on me that, because there was so much where there hadn't been any an hour before, it was possible he had regurgitated on his own wing and was cleaning it off again? Since he was very close to the front bars of his cage I leaned in to smell. It did not smell like anything infected; it had nearly no scent at all, even so close. Maybe a little off-smelling but very faint and nothing off-putting.
I've tried reading on regurgitating behavior, but everything I've found says that a bird will either do this for another bird (baby or mate) or sometimes just into their mouths and then re-eat it, but I haven't found an instance where any parrot has gotten any on themselves, let alone intentionally. If he is doing this, could he be self-soothing to relieve the stress of going to a new home or missing his mom/owner? Or could he be doing it on the area with the itchy pin feathers to help soften them?
I think either way, a proper shower each day would do him some good and help keep the area clean, but I don't know how to get him safely (for both of us) from his cage to the shower perch (or shallow tub if he'd prefer?). We will be taking him to the vet this Tuesday for a checkup anyway and we'll ask them to look at his wing, too, but that worries me that I will have to medicate/collar/apply medicine to a bird that we are not able to handle yet. (Again, we are going at his pace. No worries about getting him into his carrier, at least. I asked his owner how she got him into his carrier if she hadn't handled him in a year and she said, "Oh, he did it himself."
)
We are trying to keep his beak busy with tons of wood (which he faithfully mulches for us
), foraging toys, and lots of healthy foods (fruits, nuts, veggies and birdie bread), we talk to him almost every time we pass his cage (not every time so he isn't overwhelmed), and we mist him daily. I worry that it's not enough, or that it's all too much if his last owner wasn't able to spend much time with him this past year as she'd said. (He only had 2 small toys and 1 perch in his cage! Now he has 4 perches and a boing, toys of all kinds hanging in and out of his cage and a full spectrum bulb over 1 side of his cage.)
Any direction from the seasoned macaw owners on here will be very much appreciated.
I was worried that it might be pus, so we lured his head to the right so we could get a better look. We managed to take some pictures, but it was hard to get a clear shot because he was moving. These are the clearest ones:
We have been hands off until he is more comfortable in his new home, so we have no way of getting him to his shower stand yet, so we gave his a heavy misting (which he fluffed up and loved!
) The area stayed clean and dry all day (no signs of 'pus') until last night. Then there was so much goo that he was cleaning off of his wing! It slowly dawned on me that, because there was so much where there hadn't been any an hour before, it was possible he had regurgitated on his own wing and was cleaning it off again? Since he was very close to the front bars of his cage I leaned in to smell. It did not smell like anything infected; it had nearly no scent at all, even so close. Maybe a little off-smelling but very faint and nothing off-putting. I've tried reading on regurgitating behavior, but everything I've found says that a bird will either do this for another bird (baby or mate) or sometimes just into their mouths and then re-eat it, but I haven't found an instance where any parrot has gotten any on themselves, let alone intentionally. If he is doing this, could he be self-soothing to relieve the stress of going to a new home or missing his mom/owner? Or could he be doing it on the area with the itchy pin feathers to help soften them?
I think either way, a proper shower each day would do him some good and help keep the area clean, but I don't know how to get him safely (for both of us) from his cage to the shower perch (or shallow tub if he'd prefer?). We will be taking him to the vet this Tuesday for a checkup anyway and we'll ask them to look at his wing, too, but that worries me that I will have to medicate/collar/apply medicine to a bird that we are not able to handle yet. (Again, we are going at his pace. No worries about getting him into his carrier, at least. I asked his owner how she got him into his carrier if she hadn't handled him in a year and she said, "Oh, he did it himself."
) We are trying to keep his beak busy with tons of wood (which he faithfully mulches for us
), foraging toys, and lots of healthy foods (fruits, nuts, veggies and birdie bread), we talk to him almost every time we pass his cage (not every time so he isn't overwhelmed), and we mist him daily. I worry that it's not enough, or that it's all too much if his last owner wasn't able to spend much time with him this past year as she'd said. (He only had 2 small toys and 1 perch in his cage! Now he has 4 perches and a boing, toys of all kinds hanging in and out of his cage and a full spectrum bulb over 1 side of his cage.) Any direction from the seasoned macaw owners on here will be very much appreciated.
I just saw him do it. Buzz is regurgitating on his own wing. But why? 
I am so grateful to hear of another bird who does it, too. Makes it more "normal"? Like maybe it'll subside between bouts of hormones. The white over his eye is slightly pink, but I don't think it's the full on blush color I've heard about. Since he's only been with us a week, maybe it's almost over. 
Is it sad that I'm that excited over the possibility of our bird sharing his lunch with a toy? 
I don't care, as long as it replaces his wing as his surrogate mate! Heck, I'll even name it and talk to the darned thing if it helps!
He beaks my fingers and only lets me scritch his head when they are in his mouth, but he is gentle. With our increasing contact and familiarity with him, he has completely stopped regurgitating on his wing and the feathers are starting to grow back in that area. 
He does still regurgitate on his toy, which I switch out for a decoy while I run his "girlfriend" through the dishwasher, but I hope with further interaction he will need to do that less and less. He is just now getting to where I can ask him to step off of my arm onto places other than his cage, but that is slow for now. My aim is to get him to go into his carrier so we can finally get to the vet for a checkup. 
Shame on you! 
So much to be said about poor planning.
