New Additions 2022

[Birdie Mama]

Congrats on the new human addition!!!!

 

[BirdyDarby]

Poor Chewie! Hopefully those hormones stop bothering him soon. Congrats on the new addition to the family!

 

[Sodapop&Co.]

Congratulations on the baby!!

 

[aooratrix]

Congratulations! A day 1 baby for you to handfeed, LOL.

 

[BrianB]

Congratulations! A day 1 baby for you to handfeed, LOL.

I’ll get to feed him and then give him back to his parents when I’m done

 

[rocky'smom]

Congratulations on the new grand baby.

 

[LovieLouie]

Congrats!!

 

[BrianB]

We are home safe and sound. I'm exhausted and so ready to sleep in my own bed.

Christopher was not happy to see me and I had to have a talk with her about being overly aggressive and how I don't really appreciate her turning playtime into mauling Brian. I'm not her chosen human and I understand my place, but I have to remind her that she is not on the list of people in charge in this house. I spoke to her calmly and then sternly when she bit my hand as I was putting her food dish back. She eventually got herself straightened out and let me scratch her head... briefly. I had the same conversation with Chewie. He was thrilled to death to see me when I came in. So happy that he picked up his water bowl and threw it. He did not want to step up, well, he did, but wouldn't actually do it. I could see it in his eyes that he was so excited he wasn't sure what he wanted to do so he stood there. I need to get new perches for him because he's now destroyed three manzanita perches. Maybe dragon wood will last longer. He finally stepped up and then got upset because I blocked him from going to my shoulder. That's the last place I want him to be when he's excited. I gave him some head scratches and then he tried to stick his business in my face again. I can't wait for the hormones to settle down. Felix walked by and Chewie lunged at home with the intent to make him bleed. I had to take him over to a chair where I made him sit on my knee and I had the same conversation about who is in charge here. Biting Felix is not acceptable and just because Felix is afraid of him isn't a good excuse. Now that we've been home for a few hours everyone is calm and relaxed again.

I'm having a quandary with my brother-in-law. He has two macaws that he wants to breed, but he has no clue what he's doing. I spent some time watching the birds and it's clear to me that the birds aren't bonded, and put up with each other because they share a cage. They have no toys so they aren't getting any stimulation. They have plucked each other and don't have tails. His partner just wants to throw a nest box in there with the expectation that they will start producing babies because they are adult birds. That is unlikely to happen in their current condition. I made him buy some toys and get bigger food dishes for them. His mother has taken over their care and she just doesn't understand. They get one small serving of food each day and the water gets refilled. I got him to purchase two very large stone dishes that they can't throw and helped his mother understand that they aren't like dogs. They don't get managed or scheduled feedings. Those dishes must have food and water in them all day. They need stimulation and entertainment so they aren't plucking at each other. They need more food than they are getting. I suggested things like whole coconuts that they can tear apart. Whole pomegranates that they can chew up and play with. They need far more than they are getting. I suggested that if they can't provide them with what they need and get them to improve, then they need to find them a better home. My suggestions didn't go over well...and I don't care.

In other news - the baby is beautiful, and we had a great time visiting. All of the kids and grandchildren were there last night, as well as some aunts and uncles from both sides. I held him for a few hours and he slept through all the chaos. I'm never going to be able to retire. Five of the six have their birthdays between March 15th and April 6th.

 

[WikiWaz]

Likes crunching thumbs...

That sounds terrifying. I think my GCC bites hard....

 

[SumitaSinh]

We are home safe and sound. I'm exhausted and so ready to sleep in my own bed.

Christopher was not happy to see me and I had to have a talk with her about being overly aggressive and how I don't really appreciate her turning playtime into mauling Brian. I'm not her chosen human and I understand my place, but I have to remind her that she is not on the list of people in charge in this house. I spoke to her calmly and then sternly when she bit my hand as I was putting her food dish back. She eventually got herself straightened out and let me scratch her head... briefly. I had the same conversation with Chewie. He was thrilled to death to see me when I came in. So happy that he picked up his water bowl and threw it. He did not want to step up, well, he did, but wouldn't actually do it. I could see it in his eyes that he was so excited he wasn't sure what he wanted to do so he stood there. I need to get new perches for him because he's now destroyed three manzanita perches. Maybe dragon wood will last longer. He finally stepped up and then got upset because I blocked him from going to my shoulder. That's the last place I want him to be when he's excited. I gave him some head scratches and then he tried to stick his business in my face again. I can't wait for the hormones to settle down. Felix walked by and Chewie lunged at home with the intent to make him bleed. I had to take him over to a chair where I made him sit on my knee and I had the same conversation about who is in charge here. Biting Felix is not acceptable and just because Felix is afraid of him isn't a good excuse. Now that we've been home for a few hours everyone is calm and relaxed again.

I'm having a quandary with my brother-in-law. He has two macaws that he wants to breed, but he has no clue what he's doing. I spent some time watching the birds and it's clear to me that the birds aren't bonded, and put up with each other because they share a cage. They have no toys so they aren't getting any stimulation. They have plucked each other and don't have tails. His partner just wants to throw a nest box in there with the expectation that they will start producing babies because they are adult birds. That is unlikely to happen in their current condition. I made him buy some toys and get bigger food dishes for them. His mother has taken over their care and she just doesn't understand. They get one small serving of food each day and the water gets refilled. I got him to purchase two very large stone dishes that they can't throw and helped his mother understand that they aren't like dogs. They don't get managed or scheduled feedings. Those dishes must have food and water in them all day. They need stimulation and entertainment so they aren't plucking at each other. They need more food than they are getting. I suggested things like whole coconuts that they can tear apart. Whole pomegranates that they can chew up and play with. They need far more than they are getting. I suggested that if they can't provide them with what they need and get them to improve, then they need to find them a better home. My suggestions didn't go over well...and I don't care.

In other news - the baby is beautiful, and we had a great time visiting. All of the kids and grandchildren were there last night, as well as some aunts and uncles from both sides. I held him for a few hours and he slept through all the chaos. I'm never going to be able to retire. Five of the six have their birthdays between March 15th and April 6th.

Brian, can you advice me what other measures to be taken for a successful breeding of hahns macaw. My breeder friend has a pair of hahns, they feed each other but not mated yet. They were plucking, but thankfully it has stopped. I told him to put toys in their set up... Anything more, please advice. Those macaws get good quantity and quality of food.
P. S. Successful breeding of this pair is very important to me as I am hoping to get a baby hahns from them... I am just keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[BrianB]

Brian, can you advice me what other measures to be taken for a successful breeding of hahns macaw. My breeder friend has a pair of hahns, they feed each other but not mated yet. They were plucking, but thankfully it has stopped. I told him to put toys in their set up... Anything more, please advice. Those macaws get good quantity and quality of food.
P. S. Successful breeding of this pair is very important to me as I am hoping to get a baby hahns from them... I am just keeping my fingers crossed.

Hi Sumita. I don't have a lot of experience with the mini macaws, but I believe the same should hold true. Appropriate age, good diet, mental stimulation, a sense of security and safety, as well as a good partner bond are the basics for most successful matings. I would review their diet and make sure it meets their nutritional requirements. Are they getting enough food, but not enough protein, or are they getting too much? Overweight birds are less inclined to breed. I would also look at the surrounding area and see if there is anything that might be a distraction for them. Nearby birds might not be good neighbors. My red-fronted macaws are within visual range of my African greys and seemed to be constantly agitated even though the Greys ignored them. I hung a sunscreen along one side of the red-fronted flight cage and within a few minutes, they quieted down. A week later and they are more relaxed and displaying a lot less aggression. If all of this is taken care of, and they don't breed, then I would have them examined by a vet to see if there is a medical issue going on. Perhaps one or the other of the birds isn't fertile and they just don't have the drive to mate.

 

[BirdyDarby]

Glad to hear you had a good time with your new grandbaby! The situation with your brother-in-law is definitely a pickle, I feel so bad for those poor macaws. I’ve noticed that a lot of people in the pet hobby, whether it be a dog, horse, or bird, have trouble separating their pride from their care; I feel like that’s where resistant reactions to suggestions tend to stem from! No one likes being told that what they’re doing is wrong, but in order to be a good pet-parent, you need to push your pride aside and listen to recommendations with a clean ear. So many folks just don’t do that, and their pet ends up suffering since the owner has come to believe that there’s “nothing wrong with their care, so why change it?”. I hope those macaws start getting the care they deserve!

 

[SumitaSinh]

Hi Sumita. I don't have a lot of experience with the mini macaws, but I believe the same should hold true. Appropriate age, good diet, mental stimulation, a sense of security and safety, as well as a good partner bond are the basics for most successful matings. I would review their diet and make sure it meets their nutritional requirements. Are they getting enough food, but not enough protein, or are they getting too much? Overweight birds are less inclined to breed. I would also look at the surrounding area and see if there is anything that might be a distraction for them. Nearby birds might not be good neighbors. My red-fronted macaws are within visual range of my African greys and seemed to be constantly agitated even though the Greys ignored them. I hung a sunscreen along one side of the red-fronted flight cage and within a few minutes, they quieted down. A week later and they are more relaxed and displaying a lot less aggression. If all of this is taken care of, and they don't breed, then I would have them examined by a vet to see if there is a medical issue going on. Perhaps one or the other of the birds isn't fertile and they just don't have the drive to mate.

Thanks so much, Brian... I'll pass the information.

 

[BrianB]

Chewie is at work with me today. I’m hoping this will be a distraction from his hormones. He’s started picking at his right leg a little out of frustration.

 

[Tyrion]

Beautiful feathered babies

 

[BirdyDarby]

Poor guy! Still as handsome as ever.

 

[aooratrix]

A change can't hurt. I'll bet it will work at least for a few days, seeing new people, stands, birds, toys, etc.

 

[BrianB]

Christopher is a mess. She's going through a really heavy molt and I keep telling her she looks like she had a fight with a lawnmower. She's lost two really long feathers from her tail and the rest of them look ragged. She's got pin feathers all over but like Poppy, she won't let me work on them at all. I keep telling her I'm going to take her into the shower if she doesn't get herself cleaned up.

I hired one of the guys from the store to clean cages for me once a week. We do regular cleaning during the week, but him helping out frees up one day a week for me to actually have time to take care of other things. It works out well for both of us. Chewie adores him and is always being silly to him when he's cleaning. Christopher has taken a different stance. From where her stand is inside the house, she can see him cleaning cages through the kitchen window, but she has to lean out past the wall that is there. He said every time he looks in, he can see her hear poking around the corner watching him. He calls her our state-of-the-art surveillance system, and she doesn't miss anything. He comes inside and she makes really weird sounds at him when he walks by. She can be so strange sometimes.

 

[BrianB]

We're having some work done on the house and Chewie was screaming up a storm because people were walking through the living room. I took him out of his cage and sat at the table with him for a while. He kept trying to get down so I put him in the middle of the table. It's a glass top table with a metal center support and Chewie was freaked out by it. He stood right in the middle of the table and wouldn't move. Chichi didn't seem to care and walked all over the table, but it was a very different experience for Chewie.

Chewie on the table, and below is Chichi enjoying a sunny day in California. His momma says he is enjoying everything life has to offer him.

 

[BirdyDarby]

I’d be concerned too if someone set me on a metal stand with an invisible force field! Poor Chewie.
Glad to see Chichi is doing well.