12 week old GW coming home in two days.... Advice welcomed!

I've kept a GW before, but he was an older rescue that I fostered... This is a new baby and any problems will be my fault, so I need to do this right. We ordered the Kings Cages SLT 6430 Xl "gorilla" cage for it... Any random bit of wisdom is welcomed!

Please don't bring home a macaw at 12 weeks. At that age the baby is either unweaned or force weaned (extremely cruel and damaging practice) and you will be starting out with a barrel of problems instead of starting with a clean slate. Please find a breeder who abundance weans and fully fledged their babies before sale


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Hello and welcome!! I highly recommend you check out Birdman666's posts and threads about macaws. Read every single post in the macaw forum.

Kings cages are great. They're sturdy and last a long time. What are you planning on feeding your new Greenwing? Parrots do well on a varied diet, including fresh fruits and veggies, and many people will add pellets as a base to this. Seeds can be offered but should not be used as their primary source of nutrition. Nuts of different kinds can be used as treats and for training.

At this age when you get your baby, you should allow them to settle in and work on building trust. Don't handle her right away, especially if there is lunging or defensive behavior. Wait for her to settle, and offer her treats through the bars of the cage. Eventually you'll want to work on bite-pressure training, target training, recall, and of course, socialization with other people and animals is very important for young macaws.

Honestly, at that age, you should still give the baby formula from a spoon or syringe 2 times a day .

I'm surprised the breeder is letting you take him before he's been weaned. Macaws are notorious for taking a long time to wean. Mine wasn't fully weaned until he was 6 months old. The decision as to when a bird should be weaned must be made by the bird. If you are definitely bringing him home, then plan on at least twice a day formula feedings for now.