from cockatoo to B&G

Ok. I came here as I was going to get my first cockatoo. Well now that has flipped to me getting a baby blue and gold. He is currently not weaned all the way yet and he is being raised by the parents. I have heard mixed reviews that babies raised by parents are hard to tame down and others say it isn't because they are so young. I asked the owner to try and start to handie him and she said she would so I'll guess we shall see. Any ifno is welcome! I have decided to name him rosco.

That's quite a jump...from baby cockatoo to a baby macaw & apparently with no research, but we old members like to help out our new members, as best we can so:

The blue & gold macaw is large (approximately 33 inches from head to tail), with a head, back, and wings in a blue-green color, and frontal body plumage in yellow. The blue and gold has a whitish skin face mask.

Blue & gold macaws can be trained to talk, but they are not good at mimicking, like many other parrots.....they need lots of space given their large size to move around and exercise...their wing span is approximately three and a half feet and they have an average lifespan, like most macaws, of between 30 & 50 years. They breed readily in captivity and they are popular in the pet trade. Their approx breeding age is as young as three years. When the bird reaches sexual maturity you will need to watch aggression level during mating season in early spring. (usually lasts 6 weeks)

Blue and gold macaws can inflict serious bites and they do not make good dorm or apartment pets as they are very noisy and very messy like most large birds are. Unless you plan on keeping your new macaw caged all the time, you need to think about getting a strong, sturdy play stand of a pretty good size for your macaw to play on.....toys should be strong, as it will probably destroy them no matter what you buy. Wooden toys usually work best.

Here are some diet links:

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/39712-show-off-your-birdy-buffet.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/34367-blue-gold-diet.html

Here are a couple of links for first time macaw owners: http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/49099-what-your-tips-first-time-macaw-owner.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/48978-new-b-g-owner-looking-advice.html

Blue and Gold Macaws are one of the most stunning parrots out there (IMO) and are one of my favorites!

They have this buffing stage where they can and will test you with their large beaks, so you can't be intimidated by anything. If they realize the power they have over you they will use it to their advantage and can pretty much terrorize you. When they come home, it's like they have to be trained immediately for their later development. It's tempting, but you can't spend more time with them as a baby than when they get older. It'll cause some bad behavior issues leaving you both frustrated.
As Weco said, they are LOUD. Birds you can hear from blocks away. Without proper training you'll find yourself with excessive screaming. It's important to teach yours how to self entertain to avoid this issue by having them play with toys while your'e gone. When you're home, they should be out for almost all the time your'e up to keep them mentally stimulated.

There's so many members here with Macaws of all subspecies that could offer you some personal tips, tricks, and advice .

I have owned a scarlet macaw in the past for a couple years when my brother was away. I loved her. My brother still has her. I haven't ever dealt with baby birds. My brother got his at 9 years old. My main question is if it not being hand fed is going to be an issue? I plan on taking him to work with me once he is bonded with me and trained well. I work in an office alone all day. So he will be with me pretty much all the time. I am really excited about rosco. I will be feeding pellets along with fruits and veggies. We just got an excellent bird store in town so I'm excited to go shopping there lol.

No.

It should not be an issue.

Will the breeder allow the parents to do the feeding and weaning job all the way, or are they planning on eventually pulling your baby from the nest?

Are the parents 'wild'? Are they accustomed to human interaction?

I was assuming they would pull them and finish handfeeding themselves after awhile, which is normally how it's done.

My interpretation was that the baby will be 100% parent raised. Is that right? If so of course you'll have a wild birdie. :52:

At work? If you do have a tame baby, I assume it's an "office" set up where this is feasible, as most people with office jobs could only wish! If you use the phone at work, I could only imagine if the bird screamed loud while you were on the phone!

Birdman666 said:

I was assuming they would pull them and finish handfeeding themselves after awhile, which is normally how it's done.

Click to expand...

Yes, 'usually'....but....

RavensGryf said:

My interpretation was that the baby will be 100% parent raised. Is that right? If so of course you'll have a wild birdie. :52:

At work? If you do have a tame baby, I assume it's an "office" set up where this is feasible, as most people with office jobs could only wish! If you use the phone at work, I could only imagine if the bird screamed loud while you were on the phone!

Click to expand...

I also interpreted it like Julie, and then the bird WILL be (sort of) 'wild'. Not saying the bird can't learn to trust and bond with humans then, but it will be quite a different ball game than when pulling a chick and finishing off the rearing process.

Well she said he would be fully weaned from the parents. The parents are tame but she said they are defensive over their babies. He is already 3 months old. I have a mentor here who raises a lot of birds and she told me to go ahead and get him this weekend and we will take overy hand feeding. Which she is going to help me with ofcourse. And my office setting is very boring. I have an office in the back and we have a receptionist at the front to answer phones. My hardly ever rings haha.

No, rypie, if the breeder pulls the baby now at 3 months, then you (or whoever else does it) will finish the hand rearing process, and not the parents of baby.

Please be aware that at 3 months, baby's eyes are wide open, and they are quite mobile. If he hasn't been handled up to this point, it will most likely be a challenge to get him to take food from a human, as he will undoubtedly be quite scared for a while.

HMM... which ever way you go hand feeding now or training once weened it will be a challenge unless you have alot of experence with large birds/training technics.

There are plenty of hand raised babies out there, you dont have to buy the first bird available.
Good luck with your decision

Well I have committed to this bird. So he is the one I will be getting. I am not afraid of the challenge and I have a very experienced friend who is going to help me out. I am not the type to just give up. Lol I received a few pictures of him if I can figure out how to upload I will lol. My friend said it will be hard to get him to hand feed at first but he will get use to it after a while. I thank you all for your input and I will update you! Plus my friend Jacqui said the cage loOKs rusted and he doesn't seem to be in a great home so I should just rescue him and she will help me with his care.