Baby Severe Macaw

I was looking for a new bird for a while, and went into a bird store that opened recently, and found they had a baby severe macaw. Ive always been interested in mini macaws, but had never seen one before. I asked if i could take him out, and pretty much fell in love with him. He was nervous at first, but i spent 5 hours with him yesterday cuddling and singing to him. He climbed up my chest and snuggled under my jaw, made alot of cooing noises and beak grinding. I think he really likes me. I got to feed him, he kept tring to get food out of my nose hahaha. Hes too young to be interested un toys, i was wondering what kind of treats i could bring him at this age? They dont have his exact hatch date, i also wanted to know if simeone could tell his age by the pic. He cant really walk well or hold his head up yet, he reallt likes it when i hold his head and scratch his forehead and beneath his beak.
They want me to work there, but im not sure if i can do it...i would really very much love to be with the babies, but i realized while i was there last night i might not be able to handle the customers. One girl bought a quaker, it climbed on her head...she got really angry about it messing up her hair, it wouldnt let go and she was squeezing and yanking the bird and yelling. She did a couple other things after that, she was mad at it for being itself. I can see this happening alot, and im either gonna end up hating myself for condemning these birds to potentially terrible lives, or getting fired for going off on someone and telling them they shouldnt have a bird. Im think im going to ask if i can just volunteer there feeding and socializing the babies, i have an interview tmrw. Anyway, im really looking foreward to spending more time with him, and any advice would be appreciated.
I know severes are notoriously stubborn and difficult from what ive heard, but that doesnt really bother me too much. Im good with communicating with animals, ill establish boundaries with him, but hell otherwise be free to be himself. I work from home and am only gone 12 hrs a week for school, and dont socialize with humans much, ill beable to give him a good home.
I just thought of another question i had. For the last 2 years, my aunt and uncle in florida have had declining health, and are finally in a nursing home. They had a large macaw, i dont remember the species, but its probably 40 years old. Its been abused all its life by my alcoholic uncle and my horrible cousins. I called animal services, they went over, but didnt want to deal with it, telling me "it wouldnt fit in the van". I tried finding sanctuaries, but they wanted rent paid. One of my awful cousins took over the house now, and i worry alot about the bird. Ive contacted all of them, and none of them care to find out what happened to it. If its still alive, its probably locked in a closet or the garage. I live in new york. I dont know what to do, ive been thinking of going down there and taking it, but have school, work, and pets here that would make a road trip difficult. Maybe someone here might have an idea. They live in Tampa Bay Florida. I thought if someone lived near by, they might beable to go with animal sevices or something, but i dont even know if its still alive. I remember being there as a child having fun talking to that bird, then my uncle banging on its cage yelling for it to shut up. Its something thats been weighing on my mind alot lately. If my cousin is still feeding it, it could be alive and tortured for a very very long time. Thanks for reading my rant, i hope someone has any ideas.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Heres some pics of the baby

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Aww ... the first image melts my heart. ❤️
Enjoy your time volunteering. I’m with you on the clientele or potential owners.
I would think if it’s a reputable establishment they would have rules or guidelines on who they sell to...? I would if I was in the industry.
You should ask on your interview. Find out if it’s okay to suggest to someone they aren’t quite ‘bird owner’ material. IMHO

I’m fairly new to the parrot world, so I can’t advise on your relatives macaw, sorry. Im sure the elders here will have some good advice.

Good Luck & keep us posted on your baby.

Tami2 said:

Aww ... the first image melts my heart. [emoji173]️
Enjoy your time volunteering. I’m with you on the clientele or potential owners.
I would think if it’s a reputable establishment they would have rules or guidelines on who they sell to...? I would if I was in the industry.
You should ask on your interview. Find out if it’s okay to suggest to someone they aren’t quite ‘bird owner’ material. IMHO

I’m fairly new to the parrot world, so I can’t advise on your relatives macaw, sorry. Im sure the elders here will have some good advice.

Good Luck & keep us posted on your baby.

Click to expand...

Thanks. Maybe they do have rules, ill ask. I cant tolerate seeing people mistreating animals, it makes me go into a rage, it was hard not to say something to that girl last night. When you have a pet, you are potentially taking everything from them, you control their lives and are removing their chance to feel the satisfaction of living in their natural environment, of having a mate, raising offspring, hunting for food, and learning about this world through the perspective of their species. so you damn well better give them something greater in return. Birds are so intelligent and emotional in similar ways to us. The look in that little guys eye when he was trying to get away from her was fear, it made me feel very sad and very angry. I dont think i have it in me to be civil in that situation, i feel so strongly about it. I set boundaries with my pets so they dont hurt me or themselves, but other than that theyre free to do as they please. I treat them as non human people and try to communicate to them in their own language as best i can, and we love and respect eachother. Sometimes they destroy things or poop on stuff or do things that annoy me, but i dont get angry, i let them know i dont like it in the manner a member of their species would, and it works out 99% of the time. Birds will poop everywhere and chew on things and throw food and challenge you and mess up your hair and wake you up at dawn with raucous screaming, but being close friends with a bird has beem the most rewarding and incredible experience of my life. I like people, but much prefer animals and especially birds.
Lol sorry i tend to rant about animal equality, it really gets me stirred up. Ill talk to them about it, im sure i can behave if im in the back with the babies. Thanks for your response. Im gonna go visit the little guy now

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Hi,

I hope the shop does have rules about who can buy from them. Hopefully they care about their birds, which is why they have offered you the chance to work there having seen how good you are with the mini macaw baby.

I would be concerned that they don't know the age of the little one though? I don't know of any shops that don't breed birds themselves, so they would obviously know ages, but in my experience there are nowhere near as many shops selling parrots in the UK as there are in the US so I would imagine buying in babies from breeders isn't unusual at all in your neck of the woods. Even so, they've accepted a baby from a breeder presumably with no information!? Kind of got my alarm bells ringing...

Also, being devils advocate... I can understand your horror and rage at seeing/thinking about birds being mistreated, however, thinking of said "horrible cousins", their experience of owning a bird may be that it's a nightmare, it's boring and you need to shout at it when it makes a noise. If the girl you saw in the store has had the same experience then being bellowed and ranted at about bird abuse is unfair. Some people don't know how to treat animals but for some people they need educating. If you get instantly angry when you see people not treating an animal as they should then pet store work is not for you, but if you can take the time to educate people, then you'd be a fantastic addition to any team I have no doubt.

Of course I'm not talking here about out-right abusive behaviour, just someone being heavy-handed or having unreasonable expectations. I remember the first time a held a chick, I was young and we had no pets at home so I'd never had any interaction with animals. I held it too tightly and would have killed it if the owner hadn't been there to guide me. I'm sure it was scared. Now I'm an adult, I have a cat, a dog, a mynah bird, an alexandrine and 2 snakes who are loved and cared for. I think they love me and live good lives with me (except the snakes who are indifferent!). If I'd been screamed and shouted at for holding that chick wrong I don't know if my life would be so full...

In terms of the macaw you talk about, it's heartbreaking. A lifetime of mistreatment and abuse. They must have an extremely resilient bird to be coping with that. I think if it's on your mind you should find out what the situation is. It might be as bad as you say, but also a Horrible Cousin might have a decent partner who is looking after the bird. They might even have sold it - if they realise how much value it has, in which case it could already be happy in a good home. If they haven't perhaps you could offer to manage it all for them - to save them the trouble - and you could vet potential owners?

Several thoughts, very often, a few well,placed words that aren't condemning, can go a long ways at changing someone! I am a perfect example. The wife's Bongo and I hated each other, so I thought! I was out to prove to this poor little guy who was boss and I bled a lot, but fortunately he was never hurt! A post from MonicaMC changed my entire outlook and I realized Bongo was only trying to hold his own, the only way he knew how! And I was being a jerk!
Tampa-- we have several folks here that live there, I am about 50 miles out. A road trip may be in your future and you may already have a soul that really needs you now!
Once you get a bit more info on him, start a separate thread asking for help/advice/assist in the Tampa Bay Area!

Beautiful little bird.

How about searching for bird sanctuaries, rescues and such in Florida? If you could somehow hook one of them up with a phone or address, I wonder if they'd follow up?

I should have cooled down a bit before writing, i was still pretty angry from seeing that yesterday. She squeezed the bird pretty hard and whipped it around, it was screaming. I dont like making inflamatory posts on forums, it gets everyones temper up and arguing, and i apologize.
Im gonna volunteer with the babies, and do hvac and electrical for them, maybe if i find i can calmly adress people that are treating birds poorly ill work there, but i dont really need the job as much as i just would like to be around the birds.
I tried talking to a couple relatives about the bird in florida again, they said theyd get back to me...the cousin that took over the house is doing alot of illegal things there and is difficult to contact. I did contact a couple macaw sanctuaries, and they wanted 2-500 dollars a month for rent, which i was kinda taken aback by, maybe some of you know a place that doesnt need rent or another solution, but im still just trying to find out if the bird is there and still alive. I know it was still there last year. Its really hard to get to the bottom of whats happening, my cousins wont cooperate and its a 3 day drive down and 3 back which i cant make right now. Its been bothering me for a long time. Im going to keep trying.

I spent 6 hrs with the baby yesterday, hes completely amazing, we snuggled for most of the time. He got up and tried to walk around, but hes still very clumsy. I got to see his reaction when he looked out the window for the first time, it was hilarious and endearing, he stretched his neck up and his eyes went wide, and he started making a different calling noise. He kept looking at me, then looking outside, and when a car would drive by his head followed it. Then a crow flew by the window and he said "meep!", ducked down and went back to cudding. Their iris opens and contracts faster than any other animal ive observed, its pretty interesting.
The store owner wasnt there again, so i still dont know his age and other info. Hell be there on monday and ill figure it out.
What can i bring in for him as a treat? Hes very hungry, hes always trying to get food out of my nose.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Heres a couple more pics

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Absolutely adorable, I can see how you are so taken with him. :heart:

I want to clarify my comment on rules or a policy for whom to sell to ....
I’ve had Labrador Retrievers for almost 30 years. If you weren’t worthy & didn’t past the smell test there was No Way a reputable breeder would sell you one of their puppies. This was their policy and IMHO a good one. So, based on my experience, I believe a potential buyer/owner should meet a certain criteria. And again, In my humble opinion.

I haven't read the entire thread, so maybe this has already been suggested, but have you simply offered to buy the macaw from your cousins and pay to have him shipped up to you? Money motivates all kinds of people. Seriously, they could have that "annoying bird" they seem to hate so much out of their hair for good, earn some extra cash and all they'd need to do is drop him off at the local airport at a predetermined time. You handle everything else. Have a airline approved carrier to put him in shipped to them, pay for and book his flight, all the hard stuff they probably can't be bothered with. Payment for the bird could be held pending his safe arrival at your local airport. Just get him out of there!

The new baby is adorable! You must be over the moon about that sweet little one

Kiwibird said:

I haven't read the entire thread, so maybe this has already been suggested, but have you simply offered to buy the macaw from your cousins and pay to have him shipped up to you? Money motivates all kinds of people. Seriously, they could have that "annoying bird" they seem to hate so much out of their hair for good, earn some extra cash and all they'd need to do is drop him off at the local airport at a predetermined time. You handle everything else. Have a airline approved carrier to put him in shipped to them, pay for and book his flight, all the hard stuff they probably can't be bothered with. Payment for the bird could be held pending his safe arrival at your local airport. Just get him out of there!

The new baby is adorable! You must be over the moon about that sweet little one

Click to expand...

Thats actually a great idea, i hadnt thought of that. I still have to get in contact with her, she keeps the phone off, but if she heard i had money shed jump at the chance. I wouldnt trust her to ship it, and its probly very aggressive now. If i can ascertain where and whether its alive, im willing to make the trip, i just can go down there to try to track it down. Thanks! Weird it didnt occur to me

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Food out of your nose!!!? Gross and cute at the same time. I think that could be the title of most parrot autobiographies!

I know exactly what you mean about the ranty post, and to be fair you did warn us!

I really hope you are able to offer the severe a home.

wow, I'm guessing you're a bit further up north considering there's an actual bird store! None down here in the southern parts of this island nation apart from one which I would have no quarrel taking all the birds then burning the building to ash

I myself would love to open a store/rescue/sanctuary in the future but the odds of it happening are low. When I've been in places where you can interact with a bird with younger humanoids I think it's best to walk through everything with them. I remember a pet shop my grandmother used to go to to get her cat's food and the owner had their CAG come with them, he was a very opinionated 40 year old who was also prone to his moody days, but I loved saying hello to him. One day the owner asked if I'd like to hold him, naturally I jumped at the chance, she ran through with me all the way how to offer my arm and not to be scared of him and not to be upset if he didn't want to step up. He didn't but did rub his beak against my arm then gave me an exuberant "hi" to let me know I was approved but not trusted enough to be used as a perch yet.

Long story short I think a store owner selling parrots should spend that couple of minutes talking to someone about the parrot, go through step by step. Let them know they may bite, they do shriek and they will almost certainly run to your head. Now to a girl of the Instagram generation you may as well say the bird has a gun to her head with that final option but knowing should help them be prepared for their hair to be messed up. Also to know that parrot ownership is asking as opposed to telling is a big eye-opener for many people.

for the moment spending some time with the parrots sounds like an awesome way to spend some time, then maybe you can move on to helping out around the store, educating people about how to own a parrot. Yeah you get "those" people but they appear in every aspect of retail. You just need to remember you reserve the right to refuse sale to people and with a living creature it goes double

LordTriggs said:

wow, I'm guessing you're a bit further up north considering there's an actual bird store! None down here in the southern parts of this island nation apart from one which I would have no quarrel taking all the birds then burning the building to ash

I myself would love to open a store/rescue/sanctuary in the future but the odds of it happening are low. When I've been in places where you can interact with a bird with younger humanoids I think it's best to walk through everything with them. I remember a pet shop my grandmother used to go to to get her cat's food and the owner had their CAG come with them, he was a very opinionated 40 year old who was also prone to his moody days, but I loved saying hello to him. One day the owner asked if I'd like to hold him, naturally I jumped at the chance, she ran through with me all the way how to offer my arm and not to be scared of him and not to be upset if he didn't want to step up. He didn't but did rub his beak against my arm then gave me an exuberant "hi" to let me know I was approved but not trusted enough to be used as a perch yet.

Long story short I think a store owner selling parrots should spend that couple of minutes talking to someone about the parrot, go through step by step. Let them know they may bite, they do shriek and they will almost certainly run to your head. Now to a girl of the Instagram generation you may as well say the bird has a gun to her head with that final option but knowing should help them be prepared for their hair to be messed up. Also to know that parrot ownership is asking as opposed to telling is a big eye-opener for many people.

for the moment spending some time with the parrots sounds like an awesome way to spend some time, then maybe you can move on to helping out around the store, educating people about how to own a parrot. Yeah you get "those" people but they appear in every aspect of retail. You just need to remember you reserve the right to refuse sale to people and with a living creature it goes double

Click to expand...

Ive always dreamed of maintaining an animal sanctuary. Ive recued alot of animals, most i cant keep. Im saving up for a hunting lodge, they cost less than a small house. Im looking at one with 20 acres, and a small one story house with plumbing and electric for 60k. I guess theyre cheap because theyre so far outside of society, but thats what i prefer. Ill beable to take in rescues and give them as good a life possible. I can make an aviary building for birds, and let cats, dogs, and other animals that can handle the new york climate be free. Ill have to make fences and theres alot to do, but i dont want a family and am dedicated to animals, itll be a lifetime project.
I think that girl is looking for something more like a little dog thats cute and will obey her. Birds dont do what you want like dogs will, we havent domesticated them for obedience. At least her boyfriend seemed to love and know how to handle the little guy, id imagine hell probably end up being its keeper.
Still no word from my cousins. This may be impossible. They did nothing when they found their sister had locked my aunt and uncle with alzheimers in a dark basement and ran drugs out of the house, i doubt they will care at all about the bird. They cant even be bothered to respond. I doubt the bird is still alive, i was talking to my dad about it, she let the other pets starved to death, 2 dogs and 3 cats. My dads friend has a winter house down there which hes leaving for soon, im going to ask him if hell go over there.
Im going to visit the baby in a couple hours, and find out what my volunteering will entail. It looks like The building has to be almost completely re wired, that will be quite a project, i have to diagnose it and replace a few burnt outlets today. Ill probably do it cheap or for free bird toys, i dont care about the money, those birds just need to be safe. I think i can give people guidance and advice about birds pretty well, i just cant tolerate seeing them hurt, i lose it and cant control myself. Im not a violent or angry person, animal cruelty is really the only thing that makes me angry, and it becomes rage.
Maybe hell be walking more today, i have to give some thought to things we can do together, hes still to young to walk much or hold his head up. He mostly just likes cuddling with me. I dont train the birds to do tricks or anything, but try to find things they enjoy and build on that. He probably just wants to snuggle and eat and sqwawk at this age, but id really appreciate it if anyone has baby activity ideas. I also dont know what to name him. I dont always name pets, sometimes a name will come to me, but sometimes i just call them by a noise they make and respond to. Id like him to have a name though. Maybe ill look at a thesaurus and find a name based on a word describing his behavior after i spend more time getting to know him.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

yeah. Living in southern UK there's nice farmland around here, If I could do a sanctuary based entirely round my dream I would use the place behind where my grandparents lived when they were alive. Nice farm house with loads of land. already know exactly where the aviary would be but buying a home of that size in one of the most expensive locales in the UK may be a bit out of my price range!

I agree with you on abuse. Of course intent is the main thing to watch for, accidents do happen and people will cause harm when not meaning to. We've all done it and many of use learnt the hard way what we did. I learnt I was being mean to my childhood dog when he bit me. My mum told me I made him angry and that's what happens when you annoy a dog. Never annoyed an animal since!

The issue with Severe's is OVERBONDING!!!

These are pair bond birds. If they are allowed to overbond with one person, they will... problem being they then tend to bite anyone who is NOT their person.

SEVERE MACAWS NEED EXTRA SOCIALIZATION. WHEN THEY GET IT THEY TEND TO BE GOOD BIRDS. WHEN THEY DON'T GET IT, THEY USUALLY BECOME "ONE PERSON" BIRDS... AND BITE.

Know that going in, and train this bird correctly from birth, and it shouldn't be an issue.

Birdman666 said:

The issue with Severe's is OVERBONDING!!!

These are pair bond birds. If they are allowed to overbond with one person, they will... problem being they then tend to bite anyone who is NOT their person.

SEVERE MACAWS NEED EXTRA SOCIALIZATION. WHEN THEY GET IT THEY TEND TO BE GOOD BIRDS. WHEN THEY DON'T GET IT, THEY USUALLY BECOME "ONE PERSON" BIRDS... AND BITE.

Know that going in, and train this bird correctly from birth, and it shouldn't be an issue.

Click to expand...

My conure was overbonded, it wasnt a problem, i kinda liked it. Sometimes he had sex with my arm, it didnt really make me uncomfortable and he was happy. Im not a social person and dont have people over. Ive been spending all my free time at the store with him, 4-8 hours a day, every day. other people handle him too.
Can you give me some tips on training him now at this age? Theyre hiring a trainer soon, but you seem to have alot of experience.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Royalroacho said:

...but you seem to have alot of experience.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Yep. Heed him. More than you know.

chris-md said:

Royalroacho said:

...but you seem to have alot of experience.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Yep. Heed him. More than you know.

Click to expand...

Yeah i looked him up and saw some of his posts, ill do what he says.
Im volunteering there socializing birds, there is a pair of large macaws, a ruby and harlequin that are to be pets, that are bonding together. The harlequin is dominant and protects thr ruby aggresively. The ruby is interested in humans but the harlequin drives me away, theyre both cage aggresive. Im trying to get them used to me sitting next me and my hand on the cage. I sit there with the baby severe and sing to them. What else should i do?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk