Nest box size

[BrianB]

I need to order a nestbox for my severe macaws. The previous owner said they would not go into a plain metal box. He thinks I might be able to entice them by putting a piece of wood with a small opening in front of it so they have to chew their way inside. He also suggests putting some plain chunks of pine at the bottom to give them something to chew on once they get there. This has worked for him in the past when switching a pair from a wooden to a metal box. I've found a metal one that's 24x24x12

Suggestions?

 

[Zara]

 

[JLcribber]

Why are you trying to breed them? You obviously don’t have any skill or experience doing this.

 

[BrianB]

Why are you trying to breed them? You obviously don’t have any skill or experience doing this.

Ive been breeding birds for the last few years, including other macaws. These are a new species for me. Thanks. We can always count on you for wisdom and encouragement.

 

[melissasparrots]

24x24 seems like it might be a bit large. If you don't get other advice, you might try two different boxes. 24x24 and a slightly smaller one. The one I used for my 400-500g amazons was 12"x12"x24" tall. I don't know how macaws feel about the grandfather style nest box. However, I did have a pair of quakers nest in an older cardboard pepsi 12 pack box after finding an egg at the bottom of the cage and needing something to put it in as an emergency. I guess they like what they like. I always chose wood boxes as its not a huge hassle to replace them every few years when they get too nasty to be cleaned. I let them chew to their heart's content. You might try tossing in some smaller wood blocks from a toy to get them started inside the box. I have no macaw breeding experience. You might try someone from the ASA or AFA. I know there is an old yahoo group still running for ASA. Facebook might be a good place to find them and then try to private message someone for a severe macaw breeder that might be willing to talk with you.

 

[BrianB]

I talked to a few people locally and this is what I ended up with. It's 24 inches top to bottom, and 24 inches left to right at the bottom. It's 12 inches from front to back. I'm going to put some aspen at the bottom as well as some chunks of wood for them to chew on, and a thin piece of wood with a small hole over the opening. My hope is that it will entice them to chew their way in and investigate. If this works for them, I may switch my red-fronted macaws to this style box, but a larger size. The one they have is massive but has design flaws I didn't know about until I got it home and hanging on the side of the cage.

 

[BrianB]

I know this is a bit old now, but I think we're making progress. I put the nest box on, but it seems like they've ignored it. I put some nuts in the gap between the entrance and the side of the cage to tempt them to it. They would crawl over and look inside but not do anything aside from taking the nuts and eat them. I had some monkey biscuits that they seemed to enjoy so I threw a few of them in their food dish and then dropped the rest down into the nest box. They disappeared. A few days later I dropped some almonds in and they have disappeared as well. It sounds like they are going in when the lights go out. I need to move the camera to a different position so I can see in there at night. Maybe i'll get lucky with some chicks this year.