New Additions 2022

[BrianB]

The red-fronted macaws have started breeding and exploring the nest box. They normally breed multiple times a day for 2 weeks and then she will go into the box to lay. We have only seen them mating a few times so they are off to a slow start. I think being in the new and bigger cage has thrown them off a little. We'll know when they get serious because they both scream like dragons while it's happening, and it happens 4 or 5 times each day starting just before sunrise.

New babies will be here before we know it.

Chichi will be 5 months old this coming Friday (Jan 28th) He is slightly crazy, but finally maturing emotionally. I think he associated me with the toe amputation, and he's prone to screaming when I handle him. I have to reassure him that he's ok and he's not going to get hurt. Little does he know that he's scheduled for a wellness exam on Thursday and he's getting a microchip at the same time. I'm sure he will completely hate me after that. Raising him has been a completely different experience than we had with Freya. He has never bitten me, were with Freya I had to actively work so she understood I wasn't afraid of her beak. It wasn't intentional, but she made me bleed a few times with that big beak of hers. Chichi is far more emotional than Freya was. She would get frustrated and cranky sometimes, but Chichi is very high-strung and temperamental. I haven't been able to do any flight training with him because he's so hyper and clumsy. A few days ago I heard flapping and a crash. The hallway light is on a motion sensor and it came on just before the crash. I thought maybe Christopher had taken off of her stand, but when I went out there, Chichi was on the floor. He somehow managed to open two doors on his cage and let himself out. There was a trail of droppings all the way across the house and on the floor where he finally landed. The poor boy flew across the house and was so scared that he pooped himself the whole way. He's almost weaned but being so difficult about it. He will eat pellets and a full dish of veggies. He screams for hand feeding, but won't take it and grabs the syringe with his foot and pushes it away. He went two whole days without taking a drop of formula then he took about 90 ml last night and 60 ml this morning. I got him on the scale and he's 1140 grams (2.5 lb)

Here is my baby boy - the day he hatched, August 28th, 2021, and today just after being fed.

 

[April]

The red-fronted macaws have started breeding and exploring the nest box. They normally breed multiple times a day for 2 weeks and then she will go into the box to lay. We have only seen them mating a few times so they are off to a slow start. I think being in the new and bigger cage has thrown them off a little. We'll know when they get serious because they both scream like dragons while it's happening, and it happens 4 or 5 times each day starting just before sunrise.

New babies will be here before we know it.

Chichi will be 5 months old this coming Friday (Jan 28th) He is slightly crazy, but finally maturing emotionally. I think he associated me with the toe amputation, and he's prone to screaming when I handle him. I have to reassure him that he's ok and he's not going to get hurt. Little does he know that he's scheduled for a wellness exam on Thursday and he's getting a microchip at the same time. I'm sure he will completely hate me after that. Raising him has been a completely different experience than we had with Freya. He has never bitten me, were with Freya I had to actively work so she understood I wasn't afraid of her beak. It wasn't intentional, but she made me bleed a few times with that big beak of hers. Chichi is far more emotional than Freya was. She would get frustrated and cranky sometimes, but Chichi is very high-strung and temperamental. I haven't been able to do any flight training with him because he's so hyper and clumsy. A few days ago I heard flapping and a crash. The hallway light is on a motion sensor and it came on just before the crash. I thought maybe Christopher had taken off of her stand, but when I went out there, Chichi was on the floor. He somehow managed to open two doors on his cage and let himself out. There was a trail of droppings all the way across the house and on the floor where he finally landed. The poor boy flew across the house and was so scared that he pooped himself the whole way. He's almost weaned but being so difficult about it. He will eat pellets and a full dish of veggies. He screams for hand feeding, but won't take it and grabs the syringe with his foot and pushes it away. He went two whole days without taking a drop of formula then he took about 90 ml last night and 60 ml this morning. I got him on the scale and he's 1140 grams (2.5 lb)

Here is my baby boy - the day he hatched, August 28th, 2021, and today just after being fed.

View attachment 401563 View attachment 401564

I just can't get over how absolutely stunning he is!

 

[Hahns0hmy]

The red-fronted macaws have started breeding and exploring the nest box. They normally breed multiple times a day for 2 weeks and then she will go into the box to lay. We have only seen them mating a few times so they are off to a slow start. I think being in the new and bigger cage has thrown them off a little. We'll know when they get serious because they both scream like dragons while it's happening, and it happens 4 or 5 times each day starting just before sunrise.

New babies will be here before we know it.

Chichi will be 5 months old this coming Friday (Jan 28th) He is slightly crazy, but finally maturing emotionally. I think he associated me with the toe amputation, and he's prone to screaming when I handle him. I have to reassure him that he's ok and he's not going to get hurt. Little does he know that he's scheduled for a wellness exam on Thursday and he's getting a microchip at the same time. I'm sure he will completely hate me after that. Raising him has been a completely different experience than we had with Freya. He has never bitten me, were with Freya I had to actively work so she understood I wasn't afraid of her beak. It wasn't intentional, but she made me bleed a few times with that big beak of hers. Chichi is far more emotional than Freya was. She would get frustrated and cranky sometimes, but Chichi is very high-strung and temperamental. I haven't been able to do any flight training with him because he's so hyper and clumsy. A few days ago I heard flapping and a crash. The hallway light is on a motion sensor and it came on just before the crash. I thought maybe Christopher had taken off of her stand, but when I went out there, Chichi was on the floor. He somehow managed to open two doors on his cage and let himself out. There was a trail of droppings all the way across the house and on the floor where he finally landed. The poor boy flew across the house and was so scared that he pooped himself the whole way. He's almost weaned but being so difficult about it. He will eat pellets and a full dish of veggies. He screams for hand feeding, but won't take it and grabs the syringe with his foot and pushes it away. He went two whole days without taking a drop of formula then he took about 90 ml last night and 60 ml this morning. I got him on the scale and he's 1140 grams (2.5 lb)

Here is my baby boy - the day he hatched, August 28th, 2021, and today just after being fed.

View attachment 401563 View attachment 401564

that color is so

The red-fronted macaws have started breeding and exploring the nest box. They normally breed multiple times a day for 2 weeks and then she will go into the box to lay. We have only seen them mating a few times so they are off to a slow start. I think being in the new and bigger cage has thrown them off a little. We'll know when they get serious because they both scream like dragons while it's happening, and it happens 4 or 5 times each day starting just before sunrise.

New babies will be here before we know it.

Chichi will be 5 months old this coming Friday (Jan 28th) He is slightly crazy, but finally maturing emotionally. I think he associated me with the toe amputation, and he's prone to screaming when I handle him. I have to reassure him that he's ok and he's not going to get hurt. Little does he know that he's scheduled for a wellness exam on Thursday and he's getting a microchip at the same time. I'm sure he will completely hate me after that. Raising him has been a completely different experience than we had with Freya. He has never bitten me, were with Freya I had to actively work so she understood I wasn't afraid of her beak. It wasn't intentional, but she made me bleed a few times with that big beak of hers. Chichi is far more emotional than Freya was. She would get frustrated and cranky sometimes, but Chichi is very high-strung and temperamental. I haven't been able to do any flight training with him because he's so hyper and clumsy. A few days ago I heard flapping and a crash. The hallway light is on a motion sensor and it came on just before the crash. I thought maybe Christopher had taken off of her stand, but when I went out there, Chichi was on the floor. He somehow managed to open two doors on his cage and let himself out. There was a trail of droppings all the way across the house and on the floor where he finally landed. The poor boy flew across the house and was so scared that he pooped himself the whole way. He's almost weaned but being so difficult about it. He will eat pellets and a full dish of veggies. He screams for hand feeding, but won't take it and grabs the syringe with his foot and pushes it away. He went two whole days without taking a drop of formula then he took about 90 ml last night and 60 ml this morning. I got him on the scale and he's 1140 grams (2.5 lb)

Here is my baby boy - the day he hatched, August 28th, 2021, and today just after being fed.

View attachment 401563 View attachment 401564

wow @ the size difference and color is amazing, very vibrant.

 

[BrianB]

Chichi had his wellness exam today. I made sure he saw the same Dr that did the toe amputation. She said he's a big beautiful boy and she's really happy with his progress. He didn't make a sound when he got the microchip implanted. When he came back to the exam room he had a lot to say to me. A few months ago she asked if I had pictures of him being hand-fed. They were working on a document about hand-feeding parrots for the Association of Avian Vets. I sent her a few pictures but the one that ended up in the document is of Freya being hand-fed. Oh well. At least one of my babies is published somewhere.

 

[BrianB]

I think I've found the right person for Chichi. I put a posting on Facebook saying that he was available and I was concerned that I was a little too strong with it. Twice we've had people fall through, and one of them just ghosted us after spending quite some time with him. It's so unfair to him so I laid out some requirements they have to meet before he can go home with them.

Someone responded to the post and we spoke on the phone this evening. She's willing to come from California multiple times and put in the work to see if she can bond with him. She asked me a lot of really good questions about his behavior and experiences so far. I have a good feeling so far.

We're going to try another day or two of hand feeding, then I'm going to cut him off and tell him that he's weaned. He's either going to be angry about it, or happy that I'm not trying to shove it in his face anymore.

 

[BrianB]

Meet Chewie

Chewie is the hybrid that we were told was Ruby that was a Scarlet / Greenwing / Scarlet hybrid. It turns out he came from our store originally and he's just a Ruby. The owner called us and asked if we would take him in because he had a horrible case of covid and nearly died. Having two large macaws was just too much for him during his recovery and it sounds like he had some permanent long-term issues from it.

We're pretty sure he has a scarlet for a father because he doesn't have a greenwing face. He also has the tangerine patched on his face just like Poppy does. He is a BIG boy. He's got to weigh close to 4 pounds. At least as much as my Buffons does. He gets a wellness check next week so we'll see exactly how big he is. When we went to pick him up we were warned that he's a biter so we needed to bring big towels and a carrier with us. The other guy that came with me is a groomer so he was ready with a towel and I had the carrier. When he went to pick Chewie up, he jumped off of the cage and flew right into the carrier. We just stood there and laughed but no birds caused bloodshed that day. I managed to scrape my hand on the cage, but that's what it is.

Chewie may be coming home with me after his health check-up. We're still trying to work out the details. I'm the only one he responds to and due to his size, some of the others are afraid of him.

 

[April]

Meet Chewie

Chewie is the hybrid that we were told was Ruby that was a Scarlet / Greenwing / Scarlet hybrid. It turns out he came from our store originally and he's just a Ruby. The owner called us and asked if we would take him in because he had a horrible case of covid and nearly died. Having two large macaws was just too much for him during his recovery and it sounds like he had some permanent long-term issues from it.

We're pretty sure he has a scarlet for a father because he doesn't have a greenwing face. He also has the tangerine patched on his face just like Poppy does. He is a BIG boy. He's got to weigh close to 4 pounds. At least as much as my Buffons does. He gets a wellness check next week so we'll see exactly how big he is. When we went to pick him up we were warned that he's a biter so we needed to bring big towels and a carrier with us. The other guy that came with me is a groomer so he was ready with a towel and I had the carrier. When he went to pick Chewie up, he jumped off of the cage and flew right into the carrier. We just stood there and laughed but no birds caused bloodshed that day. I managed to scrape my hand on the cage, but that's what it is.

Chewie may be coming home with me after his health check-up. We're still trying to work out the details. I'm the only one he responds to and due to his size, some of the others are afraid of him.

View attachment 401942

Oh my goodness! He's absolutely stunning!!

 

[aooratrix]

It can be hard to tell size in a picture, but he looks HUGE.

 

[BrianB]

I managed to get him on a scale this afternoon. He's 1452 grams. I'm pretty convinced that his father was the scarlet. He certainly has the attitude, but I see bits of the green wing sweetness show through. We've been taking him out of the cage and putting him on a tree near the front of the store during the day. This keeps them physically isolated from other birds, but still gives them some open space and lets people see them. Since we do grooming on Saturdays and the grooming area is where we put their trees, both Chewie and Mosey stayed in their cages most of the day. (Mosey is the blue & gold that came in with him. Originally named Moses, but it turns out to be a girl, so we've started calling her Mosey.) Once the front of the store was cleaned and the other birds were put away, we brought the two big birds out. Chewie climbed up on a hanging rope and played with a toy, while Mosey just crawled around and flapped a bit. Each time I went over to see Chewie he would squawk but then offer his foot to step up for me. So a bit of that scarlet defiance and then the green wing compliance. He stepped onto my arm and then let me scratch his head a bit. Eventually, he lifted a wing and let me scratch under it. If I moved him to the other arm, he would lift the other wing for me to scratch under. I wonder if he's starved for physical affection. He's a heavy bird, but his body is well proportioned. We'll see if the Dr says he's overweight, but I really doubt it. Having him on my arm feels like I'm holding a hyacinth. His feet aren't that big, but his weight distribution feels the same. He just feels very dense.

 

[BrianB]

Here is a better picture for scale. He’s a big boy.

 

[April]

Here is a better picture for scale. He’s a big boy.

View attachment 402058

Oh wow. He's absolutely gorgeous! And he does seem massive.

 

[SumitaSinh]

Wow!! What a gorgeous boy!! Brian, you're both lucky and brave that you can handle these magnificent birds.

 

[BrianB]

Wow!! What a gorgeous boy!! Brian, you're both lucky and brave that you can handle these magnificent birds.

It's all about how you present yourself to them. If you approach them and you're nervous, they will pick up on it. If they think they can get one over on you, they will take every opportunity you give them. In some ways, I think of macaws as defiant teenagers. They will push you at every opportunity just to see what they can get away with and once you establish a boundary they will push you a little more just to make sure you're serious. Give them an inch and they will take a mile. I work with the staff at the store to make sure they approach the birds with the right body posture and tone of voice. Chewie can be intimidating and one of the guys went to his cage and softly said "come on buddy, step up, let's go" and Chewie tried to bite him. I told him to straighten his posture and deepen his voice. Don't ask him what you want him to do, tell him. He squared himself off, stuck his arm out, and said "Step up!" in a commanding tone and Chewie did exactly that. When Chewie realized he was serious he stopped his own posturing and complied. No one is being mean to them, but it's about letting them know you aren't afraid of them. Once they understand that it's so easy to h handle them.

 

[Birdie Mama]

I will take your word for it.

i have grown very attached to my fingers over the years and really do not want to share with those big beaks! I’d rather take on a horse!!

i must say though, I envy you your job, but then I would be taking all of them home, they could have the house and I’d live in the tent trailer...

 

[BrianB]

I still get bit but it’s far less often then when I started here.

 

[BrianB]

These aren't all mine and not all are macaws, but this is my typical day at the store. Well, not a typical day for me since it's my regular day off. I was asked to open the store this morning because 2 people called off. Lando, the greater sulfur crested cockatoo doesn't like me. He loves one of the other managers, and while I make an attempt to socialize with him, he just doesn't care for me. He is so in tune with the other manager that he knows something is up if she isn't there when she's supposed to be. Normally I just open his day cage and then open the night cage and tell him to go to his other cage. He will jump out and strut through the kitchen, then fly to his cage and climb in. This morning he stepped up for me and let me take him to his day cage. He's obviously not happy, but he didn't try to beat me to death with his wings and he didn't try to bite me. I call that progress.

Next up is the hyacinth. He's a fickle one. Sometimes he steps up, sometimes he doesn't. I really think it depends on who he sees in the morning. The owner wasn't there yet so he was willing to step up for me. Sometimes he's a complete cuddle bug with me, and sometimes he's just rude. Today he was cuddly and that makes it all worthwhile. I have another picture of him leaning up against me with his head under my chin.

Then we have Chewie the rainbow chicken. His vet check is tomorrow so he will come home sometime in the next week. I took Poppy to the store with me this morning since I was only going to be there a few hours. She was very rude and bit me twice between the cage and the car. Since she was so rude, I made her ride in the back seat instead of in the front with me. I put her on a tree next to Chewie and she immediately started flirting with him. I think Chewie is going to be a bit of a challenge for me because he's so big and that scarlet attitude is very dominant in his personality.

All of the birds seemed agitated today. Even the boss said her birds were in a mood at home. Maybe it's the weather. Who knows.

 

[Sparkles!]

I know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but I’ve always resonated very well with scarlets. Less so with B&G and GWs. I think, as with dogs (or any other critter) some breeds/varieties just “get you” and you them.

Chewie is beautiful, and I hope you tell him so!

 

[BrianB]

Chewie and Mosey are going to the vet tomorrow for their wellness check. If I'm the one that takes them, one of two things will happen. Either they blame me for it and hold it against me, or they turn to me for comfort and I get to cuddle them after the vet gives them an exam. Usually, the amazons and greys blame me and hate me forever, and the macaws give me the cuddles. We had one B&G that was very emotional and more than once this bird just threw himself up against me and let me comfort him when he was stressed out. It's sad that such a beautiful bird had no self-confidence and was so easily upset, but I love it when they turn to me for comfort and reassurance. Hopefully, Chewie and Mosey will see me as the good guy in all of this.

 

[BrianB]

Chewie and Mosey had their vet visits on Friday. Chewie started the day out by being very rude and giving me a bite on my thumb. Luckily I went to the vet with statistics from the store. The vet tech wouldn't take him out of the carrier, but I was able to give her a recent weight which was acceptable. He was a complete monster to the vet. Mosey sat on my arm, or knee while we waited. Eventually, she claimed up onto the back of the chair next to me and sat quietly while I scratched her head. She was just fine with the vet and very easy to handle. Chewie screamed the entire time and was very difficult. I guess he was having a bad day because he was fine on Saturday. Mosey was very sweet and we introduced her to another B&G named Spike. She was very interested, Spike, not so much. Chewie will probably come home someday this coming week. After feeding and cleaning this morning, neither one of us feel like doing much else, so moving cages around probably won't happen today.

Here is Rubie. She's visiting Uncle Brian for a bit. She was a baby at the bird store and went home with one of the employees after she was weaned. Her mom no longer works there, but she reached out and asked if I could take Rubie in for a week or so while she focuses on her health and wellbeing. Rubie has known me all of her life so she's not stressed out by being away from her family.

 

[Sparkles99]

Lando is adorable!