Macaw Adventures 2023

[BrianB]

We managed to get BooBoo in and get his beak and nails done today. Things went far easier than we expected. He was fairly easy to get into the carrier and once he was at the store he was very well-behaved. The groomer expected to have battle scars from the encounter but we were all surprised. We were able to get a weight on him as well. He's just over 1300 grams and falls right in the middle of their weight range. I hadn't been able to weigh him in a long time so I'm happy that he's right where he should be.

If all goes to plan, he will be leaving us on Monday to join a pretty female Buffons and hopefully make some beautiful babies. To make things easier on him we put him in the double macaw cage that Chewy and Poppy were sharing. The cage divider was always in place and they were never together physically unless they were supervised. Chewy holds his own against her, but she's lightning-fast at snatching tail feathers. Poor BooBoo went into the cage and I walked away to fill his food and water dishes. I was gone just a few minutes and when I came back she had pulled out a tail feather and the poor boy was on the other side of the cage as far away from her as possible. She's petite, but her attitude more than makes up for her size. I put a sheet of PVC in the middle to make sure they don't have physical access to each other. They can't even see each other now so she won't be bothering him again.

 

[BrianB]

Update on Chichi. He's grown into a big beautiful boy. He's a year and a half old now. Mom said he's both sweet and a bit of a brat, but everyone loves him.

 

[April]

Update on Chichi. He's grown into a big beautiful boy. He's a year and a half old now. Mom said he's both sweet and a bit of a brat, but everyone loves him.

View attachment 424332

He's absolutely stunning!

 

[BrianB]

Poor Chewy is hormonal and has no idea what to do with himself. I've been seeing signs for the last few weeks and now that it's here the poor boy is so needy and miserable. I've been taking him to work with me for the last week but I decided to leave him at home today. He screamed all day. I would have taken him to work with me but one of the new employees likes to rub her macaw under the wings. We've told her that's not a good idea, but she does it anyway. One of the hyacinths got aggressive and nipped her because of it.

I take Chewy into my office when I get home. He hangs out on his perch. Being close to me he doesn't scream and carry on. He sits there and grinds his beak in between ripping strips of wood off the perch. I had him on the arm of my chair for a while but when he didn't get my full attention he started trying to pull out the hair on my arm. It will pass in time and I'm going to limit the days I take him to the store.

 

[SumitaSinh]

Poor guy! Can't you get any suitable mate for him? It's a pity Poppy doesn't like him! What about Christopher?

 

[BrianB]

Poor guy! Can't you get any suitable mate for him? It's a pity Poppy doesn't like him! What about Christopher?

Chewy is very attached to me and I think putting him into a breeding situation would be bad for him emotionally. Christopher is about 3 1/2 years old so she's still too young, and far too attached to her favorite human to have any desire for a bird companion. When they see each other they flare their wings and go "RAAAA" at each other. It's funny but putting them together would result in bloodshed. It will pass in time. I'm going to take him to work today and I'll just have to keep him away from the girl who likes to scratch birds under their wings. One bite from Chewy would fix that, but it's not the right way to educate her.

 

[Tyrion]

Beautiful pics

 

[BrianB]

The crazy blue & gold that tangled with a hyacinth a few weeks ago has managed to get himself in trouble again. This evening while we were doing our final walk-through before we left he snuck out of his cage. He has figured out how to push his food dish out of the way and get the side door open. I heard all this screaming behind me and there he was on top of a cage that has a large harlequin macaw in it. They were biting each other through the bars and this crazy boy lost a nail. I grabbed him and he landed on the floor. Blood was gushing out of his toe. I had him on the floor screaming, the other macaw screaming, and two employees screaming. I yelled for someone to get me a towel and we got him wrapped up and into my lap. I pinched the toe like a tourniquet and started putting quick-stop on it. Just as I sat down the store owner called and before she said anything I told her we had an injured bird and she needed to get there right away. She was at the grocery store a few blocks away so she came flying into the store a few minutes later. Luckily it had stopped bleeding by then. It doesn't take much blood to look like a lot but it was all over my hands and the towel. She took him and got it cleaned up then sprayed it off with some antibiotic solution. We found the nail in the bottom of the cage he was on. It's unlikely it will grow back. The weekend manager came flying in the door because she saw the commotion on the cameras and wanted to know what was going on. As soon as we unwrapped him he jumped into my lap, said HI really loud, and started rolling his head back and forth. For his safety, we moved his cage into a different room and put magnets on all of the doors in a position where he can't reach them. He won't be able to escape tonight and we'll get him into a new cage tomorrow. I'm glad I was there because most of them are afraid of him. He lunges at people because he knows it scares them, and he will randomly bite if he thinks he can get you. He knows I'm not afraid of him so he doesn't do it to me. I pick him up right around the middle of his body like a chicken and kiss the back of his head. He just laughs at me. I really think he's just mental.

 

[flyzipper]

The timing on all that could have been much worse.
Glad you got things sorted.

 

[BrianB]

The timing on all that could have been much worse.
Glad you got things sorted.

if he had escaped after we left he might have died. He was a companion to the very old blue and gold I spoke about last year. I sometimes wonder if his passing drove this guy over the edge and made him a little more crazy than he was before. I hate to personify him, but I wonder if he’s doing this on purpose to injure himself.

 

[BrianB]

From the picture, you would never know that his toe was gushing blood all over the place just two days ago. I was able to feel it and there is a hard part of the nail still there. He might get lucky and have it grow back. Time will tell. You can see the side of his face where the bite he got from the hyacinth is almost healed. Today he was a complete brat and got one of the other birds to jump down twice by hanging upside down next to her and screaming. I held him for a while this evening before we closed and he is back to his usual silly self. He rolls his head back and forth, screams when I touch him, then bumps my hand so I can scratch his head. He doesn't have a care in the world and always seems to be happy, in a slightly psychotic way. It makes me sad that he's been there for so long and the owners aren't ready to take him home yet.

 

[VanSwss]

Thanks. This is day 4 and I'm still testing positive. It's more annoying than anything. I don't feel bad, just run down and I tire easily. I hate that I need to stay home when there are things I need to do. I can get anything I need delivered, but I would like to get out of the house too.

I was playing with my phone the other day when Chewie was sitting in the living room with me. I'm not sure how I captured this one but here he is in black and white.

View attachment 421998

This is a gorgeous photos.

Can birds get COVID? This might have been answered somewhere else..if so, sorry!

 

[BrianB]

This is a gorgeous photos.

Can birds get COVID? This might have been answered somewhere else..if so, sorry!

From what info we’ve been able to find and talking to our avian vet, we don’t believe so. That doesn’t mean it can’t live for some period of time in the feathers. We just don’t know. At the store we stopped letting people handle birds unless they were willing to use sanitizer on their hands or wash their hands in the bathroom. If they weren’t willing to clean their hands then they can’t handle the bird.

 

[Kassiani]

Is that funny boy owned by the same people who owned that sweet old bird who died not long ago?

 

[BrianB]

Is that funny boy owned by the same people who owned that sweet old bird who died not long ago?

Yes, he is. He's been boarding at the store for almost 3 years. His owner pays for his boarding every month but doesn't spend any time visiting with him. It's so frustrating.

I took him off of his tree yesterday just to spend some time with him. We sat on a chair and he just perched on my leg and talked up a storm. He mumbles so a lot of what he says isn't clear but he had a lot to say. A few times I thought he was going to try to climb up toward my face, but he just pressed himself into my chest while I rubbed his head. The poor guy just wants attention and love so I'm going to try to spend time with him each day that I work. I don't have a lot of free time during the day, but if I can sit with him for 5 minutes it will make a difference for him. Sandy will protest loudly, but she'll have to deal with it.

 

[TikiMyn]

Ahw, what a sad story, especially that the other macaw passed away without his people there Glad you are able to spend a little time with him, small things can make a big difference

 

[Kassiani]

Yes, he is. He's been boarding at the store for almost 3 years. His owner pays for his boarding every month but doesn't spend any time visiting with him. It's so frustrating.

I took him off of his tree yesterday just to spend some time with him. We sat on a chair and he just perched on my leg and talked up a storm. He mumbles so a lot of what he says isn't clear but he had a lot to say. A few times I thought he was going to try to climb up toward my face, but he just pressed himself into my chest while I rubbed his head. The poor guy just wants attention and love so I'm going to try to spend time with him each day that I work. I don't have a lot of free time during the day, but if I can sit with him for 5 minutes it will make a difference for him. Sandy will protest loudly, but she'll have to deal with it.

That's just heartbreaking! I am glad that he is well cared for, though!

 

[BrianB]

Ahw, what a sad story, especially that the other macaw passed away without his people there Glad you are able to spend a little time with him, small things can make a big difference

The other macaw did pass at home with his owners. I admit that it's a struggle not to be judgemental of them, but it's all about how you look at it. With us, the crazy boy is cared for and loved. We make sure he has a clean cage, fresh food and water, new toys, and time out on a stand each day so he can get some socialization and attention. He's recently been moved up to the front of the store because he can't behave himself in the back. The owners pay his bill once a month. That's it.

 

[TikiMyn]

The other macaw did pass at home with his owners. I admit that it's a struggle not to be judgemental of them, but it's all about how you look at it. With us, the crazy boy is cared for and loved. We make sure he has a clean cage, fresh food and water, new toys, and time out on a stand each day so he can get some socialization and attention. He's recently been moved up to the front of the store because he can't behave himself in the back. The owners pay his bill once a month. That's it.

Oh sorry, I misunderstood! Glad he was with his people at least. I understand it is hard not judge, especially when you care for their bird and see how he is affected. They must care about him though boarding him long term instead of selling.

 

[Birdie Mama]

So maybe I’m a bit dense here, but why bother owning him if they obviously don’t want him, otherwise he would be home with them. Why not let get adopted into a home that would actually want him. Or do they travel a lot etc., but same conclusion, why keep him, bragging rights? I own a macaw!

I know i don’t have the facts but that just burns my butt!!