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New Macaw Mommy

RFMmommy

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Hi everyone,

I am a new red fronted macaw mommy! This is the first forum I have ever joined and I'm hoping it will help expand my knowledge. I received my red fronted macaw as a gift, I only have experience with a Moluccan Cockatoo, so I am hoping someone that has experience with macaws will be able to help.

I have had Luci for less than a month. She is a baby and I received her right after she was weened. I am having trouble with her eating anything other than seeds. I have been told they need a good amount of veggies but I can only get her to pick at her veggies and not actually eat them...She still eats plenty of seeds but is not gaining weight like I'd like her to.

I am also having trouble with cage aggression. She used to be very gentle with me and very cuddly. After spending two weeks with me she met my husband and after a day she wanted nothing to do with me and LOVES my husband. After meeting my husband she just wants to bite me and doesn't want me to touch her while she is in her cage. She is okay with sitting on my shoulder and cuddling when my husband is not home, if she comes out of the cage for me....

I like to give Luci lots of toys in her cage to play with, how do I know if her cage is too cluttered?

TIA!
 

Hankmacaw

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Many times when a baby macaw is taken to a new home right after (maybe, maybe not ) weaning they revert to wanting hand feedings. Does your baby nod it's head and flip it's wings and make strange noises?

It's way too early for you to worry about her behavior - she's a baby. Right now the most important thing is her eating properly and thriving. They can go downhill very, very quickly.
 

Tiel Feathers

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:welave: I hope you can get her to eat properly. We would love see pictures of your new baby!
 

Cynthia & Percy

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welcome
 

sunnysmom

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:welcomeavenue:
 

RFMmommy

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Hey everyone, my baby is less than 6 months old. I feed her seeds, corn, peas, oatmeal, grits, spinach, green beans, pears, strawberries, apple, eggs, peppers, and mor . Obviously she gets more seeds and veggies than fruit but prefers just the seeds. She weighs about 375 grams. When I first got her she weighed over 400 grams. She has been maintaining her weight but not gaining any and barely eats any veggies because she prefers the seeds. She still acts happy and has high energy but I also want her to be healthy.

She does bob her head up and down and flap her wings like she's happy. She makes loud noises in the morning when I uncover her, when I put her to bed, and when she wants to come out and play during the day.


@Macawnutz @Hankmacaw @macawpower58 @aooratrix @Holiday @tielfeathers @janicedyh @iamwhoiam
 

Macawnutz

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Of course she prefers seeds, they are macaw chocolate. ;)

Do you have any pellet available?
 

Hankmacaw

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She's young and much easier to change now rather than later in her life - so completely cut out the seeds and replace them with pellets. Harrison's. Rowdybush, and Zupreem (naturals - not fruity) are considered the best pellets. To help switching her to pellets you can get some Nutriberries - almost all birds like them and they are good food.

If she is bobbing her head and flapping, she probably needs at least one hand feeding per day. Most baby birds regress when they go to a new home and the hand feeding is a comfort to them. She obviously needs a feeding per day (maybe two) because she has lost weight. She will wean when she is ready and you should not make he wean before she wants to.
 

Tiel Feathers

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I would definitely try to get her to start eating some pellets, and Nutribberries can help as @Hankmacaw said. You can also try pretending to eat (or actually eat, like I did!) the pellets yourself so she knows they're food. Try feeding her some by hand too. Once she eats a few and knows they are food, you can slowly give her more pellets and less seeds. You can also do this with veggies. It's also easier to get them to try new foods when they are a bit hungry, like first thing in the morning. Just be persistent, she's young, so it should work after a while.
 

expressmailtome

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When my blue throated macaw was young, I would eat vegetables out of a bowl in front of him while he had a bowl of the same foods in front of him. He soon began copying me and eating the vegetables that he saw me eat. This can be helpful for birds, especially when they are young.
 

RFMmommy

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Thanks for the help! Where can I get these pellets? Do i need to order them online or can I get them at the local pet store? I live in California. In the meantime I'll mix her veggies, fruits, oats and girts together with her seeds and hopefully she will eat more than just her seeds.

 

Hankmacaw

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There are many vendors here on AA that carry those products. Your vet may carry some of them, but the price will be very high. I buy most of my stuff at www.wingedvictory.com or The Birdsafe store. I find Winged Victory almost always has the best prices.
 

janicedyh

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There are many vendors here on AA that carry those products. Your vet may carry some of them, but the price will be very high. I buy most of my stuff at www.wingedvictory.com or The Birdsafe store. I find Winged Victory almost always has the best prices.
I was going to try looking at the prices on the site you posted the link for and it takes me to some student ticket thingy.
 

Holiday

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If she is bobbing her head and flapping, she probably needs at least one hand feeding per day. Most baby birds regress when they go to a new home and the hand feeding is a comfort to them. She obviously needs a feeding per day (maybe two) because she has lost weight. She will wean when she is ready and you should not make he wean before she wants to.


Yes, I totally agree with this. And, 375 is very light for an RFM, especially if she weighed more when you first got her. When I got Chloe, she weighed 405. I immediately started to try to get weight on her, as I regarded that as underweight. She now weighs a much healthier and species-typical 455.

If you don't know how to hand-feed, you can still feed warm, soft mashed sweet potato with Harrison's mash mixed in. :)
 
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