Should I be concerned?

Found this Mac posted for sale, and she is still available. Though from pics her feathers appear to be in some what poor state. Is this just molting, could it be nutritional? Haven't seen her in person, but want to know if its something I should be concerned about and ask specific questions about. Thanks for the wonderful advice you guys always provide.

Oh no, this is not 'just' molting. It looks like the poor bird hasn't seen water on her plumage in years. Definitely in very poor feathers. It also appears as though she's not preening herself properly. The feathers look dry and brittle, with no shine.

IF you decide to get her, I'd have her vet checked much sooner than later to rule out any possible nasties. And yes, nutrition plays a huge part in feather condition as well.

My regular vet is also an avian vet. Any bird I got I would get in to see him asap. He is already aware that I have been looking..lol Will most likely go to see her next weekend as thing are a bit hectic with Easter. Her cage makes me want to cry, it looks sufficient size in the pics, but she appears to have only 2 or 3 toys and I didn't see any wooden ones. I will further assess as I am there. I have been researching macs for months, but this is the first one thats been a possibility for me to get at this time. Is there anything I should look out for, questions I should ask?

The pic where she is on the floor she also looks rather thin. It could be the angle but with those feathers I would bet she has not been given the proper amount of fatty nuts in her diet. Macaws do need pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, macadamia and Brazil nuts in their diet (no peanuts imo they are not worth the risk).

Things to ask...age, has she/he ever seen an avian vet that they know of, number of homes, sex if known, diet, does she get any fresh foods, behavior issues, bite pressure trained or any other training?

It is clear from her appearance that she is not getting the proper care. You may have a long road ahead getting her to peak condition and breaking any bad habits they more than likely caused or reinforced but if she/he likes you when you meet that is a great beginning!

Keep us posted.

Please save that Mac. She needs you and your love.

Awww...she looks like she will be a beautiful mac with proper care. If you have other fids I would definitely set up a quarantine for her and like you said, get her into the vet asap. Can't wait to hear updates!

I think Labell points out all the questions!
I'd add about her bathing routine, how long and often she gets out, past illnesses, and socialization. And not to be nosy, pay attention to the type of environment she's in. Like if the water is clean, the cage lining and bars are kept clean, if theres anyone smoking inside the house, people yelling, that kind of stuff. Again not to be nosy, but it's good to know if there might be issues with her lungs, loud screaming from a loud house so you have a few things to expect.
Good luck on your decision! Keep us posted on your visit with her!

She is 10 yrs old. Has been in this house for 5 yrs, got rehomed last year but was returned. She mentioned several time that she bites really hard and screams when she's in a bad mood, almost sounds like the owner is afraid of her even though she didn't say it. She is cuddly when she's in a good mood and not being forced to step up. She eats fresh fruits and veggies well, her fav nuts are walnuts. Owner said she was a picky eater and refused to eat the seed diets purchased for her from a pet store(thank god). She didn't mention anything about pellets, so I don't think they're part of her diet. Likes to go outside on nice days. Though the owner didn't know what I meant when I asked if she had ever been flighted. She says she's been clipped the entire she's owned her. I don't have other birds at the moment. I will make sure to ask some of these questions. I AM NOT worried about being "nosy" lol. I have worked with many animal rescues and had to evaluate animals and homes. This would be my first large parrot, and as much as I would love to get her out of this situation, I don't want to get in over my head either. Will see how it goes when I meet her. If she's friendly with me and not completely psycho it will probably work out, but if she tries to kill me or can't calm down I wouldn't feel comfortable taking her with my lack of Mac experience.

This is her current set up.

Oh my gosh! Poor girl!! Literally NOTHING for her to do.

And how 'thoughtful' for the owner to put a kitty litter box (????) right next to her.

JerseyWendy said:

Oh my gosh! Poor girl!! Literally NOTHING for her to do.

And how 'thoughtful' for the owner to put a kitty litter box (????) right next to her.

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EXACTLY my thoughts as well Wendy!

It is good that you are keeping it open and going to assess if she is the right bird for you. Many times it's easy to fall into the trap of wanting to "rescue" a bird that is not a good fit just to get them out of their current situation then the bird is moved yet again, not ideal imo. It is VERY hard to walk away in these situations but sometimes it is the right thing to do. We can't save them all or we would all be hoarders! Macaw's are one of the species of parrot that really reads a person and will sense fear and respond to it. Either by bluffing or outright aggression.

I didn't even see the kitty box at first...but I saw what looks like plastic in the bottom of the cage. Eewww.

I would get her....She just needs a proper diet and a few baths and lot's of love. She'll then be a beautiful and very happy bird.

No wonder she screams and bites....she's probably bored and itchy! Poor girl just needs some T.L.C. and I'm sure she'll come around. Not sure where you are from but maybe find some others that are equally concerned in your area if she isn't a good fit for you. I would hate to see a beautiful baby like that go to another uncaring home.

Bandespresso, I'm in KS. I don't know anyone around this area with bird experience, let alone the money for her "rehoming" fee. The nearest bird rescue is 200 miles away, and the are not accepting any other birds because they are full. If its not a good fit, then I'll post and ask if anyone in here lives in the area and would be interested in her, but we will cross that bridge if it comes. Will hopefully have some more info next weekend after I meet her. Just found out she's afraid of water bottles because that was a previous form of punishment for her.

Cats are a sport to a macaw....

How much fun would it be for that bird to "scare the poop" out of the cat...

Kitty's got no choice. She's got to run the gauntlet to do his/her business.

That's just evil with my flock! The cat would never get to go to the bathroom in peace...

In fact, I could see Maggie or Tusk sitting in wait.

As soon as kitty goes into the box we sneak down and take a strategic position to "trap" kitty in the box... and spook the holy hell out of the cat!

Oh, wait, Tusk already did that to my sister's cat! Only it was a macaw cage...

solo said:

just found out she's afraid of water bottles because that was a previous form of punishment for her.

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why do these idiots do things like that to a bird?!

It doesn't work...

Solo said:

She is 10 yrs old. Has been in this house for 5 yrs, got rehomed last year but was returned. She mentioned several time that she bites really hard and screams when she's in a bad mood, almost sounds like the owner is afraid of her even though she didn't say it.

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That seems to be a universal macaw truth...

They don't bother to bite pressure train. Then the bird bites once or twice. They become afraid of the bird. So the bird gets locked up.

The locked up bird then gets angry and starts screaming... And an angry mac is gonna lash out at the person who pissed him/her off first chance that bird gets. You can pretty much set your watch by it.

So now the bird doesn't get handled. And a bird that doesn't get handled doesn't stay tame... So now he CAN'T be handled until he's retrained from start to finish.

And we enter a downward spiral. That's the old familiar macaw pattern.

Stop me if you've heard this one before! LIKE TEN MILLION TIMES!!!

Idiots!

I only have experience with kakarikis, but Kirby goes through really bad molts. He looks very raggly! This looks like molting to me, but hopefully someone who knows more can tell you for sure.

No, happycat, a big mac does not look like he's been in a 'cat fight' when molting. Even when my B&G goes through a heavy molt (which is once a year), his feathers never look like someone combed them in the opposite direction. :32:

Solo, I see most folks are encouraging you to go ahead and take this girl. Please, don't decide to make a 'pity purchase'. See if you even click/connect with her. I don't know how much big mac experience you have, but this girl may need some serious rehabilitation after living in those conditions. Not meaning to sound discouraging, only speaking the truth.