BibaDiba
Moving in
- Joined
- 5/10/22
- Messages
- 8
- Real Name
- Brit
I have never had a macaw before, I do have experience with a lot of smaller birds, cockatiels, budgies, lovebirds and have been really wanting a macaw for several years. So I did loads of research, watched many videos, until we found the most beautiful baby macaw and decided that he's the one. We definitely weren't going to get a smaller "practice bird" first as this seemed unfair, to get a bird we didn't really want in the first place just so we could get used to bigger birds that we do want
On May 7th I finally got my baby bg macaw at 11 weeks old.
The breeder told us to feed him about 90 - 100 cc twice a day (morning and evening) , at first he didn't seem too interested in the feeding but now he's taking it like a champ. This might be because the breeder just forced him to eat? He seems much more comfortable eating now. He isn't quite interested in actually consuming big bird food just yet but likes to nibble and play with chop and pellets.
His weight is quite steady around the 1200, this was quite a shock to me because it seems like a lot? However he seems to be in great shape and it might just be baby fat.
He isn't quite handy yet because he was in a dog crate at the breeder's, just now he's learning to climb, perch properly and play with different textures in his cage. He does sometimes fall over when trying to turn on his perch but also immediately gets up and tries again.
He's also not quite comfortable with hands which is a shame, he will lunge but not bite hard, and I don't quite know how to go around and teach him that's not what he's supposed to do. I want to give him time to adapt but at the same time I want to weigh him and make sure his crop is empty or full enough before and after feedings. For now I distract him with some playtime to feel his crop.
He doesn't take treats yet so training is still quite off the list, he doesn't seem to be amazingly interested in anything award like. For now most of our interactions are feeding, playing around with paper or wood, giving stuff to nibble on, or just sitting by the cage talking to him.
Anyone have any advice on how to make interactions more fun for him? How we should go around rewarding good behavior when he is not yet interested in treats or anything hands on?
On May 7th I finally got my baby bg macaw at 11 weeks old.
The breeder told us to feed him about 90 - 100 cc twice a day (morning and evening) , at first he didn't seem too interested in the feeding but now he's taking it like a champ. This might be because the breeder just forced him to eat? He seems much more comfortable eating now. He isn't quite interested in actually consuming big bird food just yet but likes to nibble and play with chop and pellets.
His weight is quite steady around the 1200, this was quite a shock to me because it seems like a lot? However he seems to be in great shape and it might just be baby fat.
He isn't quite handy yet because he was in a dog crate at the breeder's, just now he's learning to climb, perch properly and play with different textures in his cage. He does sometimes fall over when trying to turn on his perch but also immediately gets up and tries again.
He's also not quite comfortable with hands which is a shame, he will lunge but not bite hard, and I don't quite know how to go around and teach him that's not what he's supposed to do. I want to give him time to adapt but at the same time I want to weigh him and make sure his crop is empty or full enough before and after feedings. For now I distract him with some playtime to feel his crop.
He doesn't take treats yet so training is still quite off the list, he doesn't seem to be amazingly interested in anything award like. For now most of our interactions are feeding, playing around with paper or wood, giving stuff to nibble on, or just sitting by the cage talking to him.
Anyone have any advice on how to make interactions more fun for him? How we should go around rewarding good behavior when he is not yet interested in treats or anything hands on?