Plan on the neglected macaw (project parrot)

So I think I will tread lightly, I really appreciate everyone who took the time to reply to the last post and gave really helpful advice.

I think what Ill do is offer to help with him "for bird experience" and because I really like the bird.

It definitely needs a new cage because the one he is in now is literally unclean-able. there is several years for of poop piled on the bottom. Donations would be really helpful. If you know anyone in Florida let me know.

Once hes in a better cage I'll work on keeping it clean, with clean water and healthy food instead of human cheese crackers and regular seed.

this bird only plays with beer boxes and no toys because that's all he has ever played with any tips on really good shreddable long lasting ish toys?

I want to make it clear though, because a lot of user's question or advise me against taking on a macaw and it's big responsibility, just because I am New to this, and my only little bird is PJ the parakeet, does not mean that I'm going to stay new. I plan on volunteering at a local rescue and maybe the place that has tons of birds over the bridge where I live. I don't plan on staying the uneducated bird owner or the one that gives up a bird when it hits puberty. I love the challenge and the all the work it takes to make an animal happy. It is very fulfilling. so please do not discourage me, encourage me and give me all the advice you can

I want to thank you for stepping in to help this macaw. This sounds like a good option, though you may be hard-pressed to get the owners of the mac to buy a new cage for him, a good sturdy one will be around a couple hundred dollars at least but you could look for deals on craigslist (especially in Florida you could find some great deals) on slightly used cages.

Getting him on a good diet would be the next step. But again it will be an added cost to the owners and to you. They thrive on fruits and vegetables, they aren't too expensive individually but on a daily basis it can really add up. A good, healthy pellet would also be good to get him on to get his diet more well-balanced.

Toys next. The thing about most parrots like macs is they LOVE to chew. Some toys can last a little while but others will be quickly destroyed. If you ask a mac owner, they'll tell that it's just another monthly expense -- they can go through several hundred dollars in toys a month, anywhere really from $50 - $200. If you know of a supply of wood somewhere (like a hardware store), they also enjoy just chewing plain wood boards! Nuts, too, are a way to give them something to do for a couple minutes.

I so look forward to hearing more about this mac as you become more involved with helping take care of him. Thank you for reaching out and for wanting to provide a better life for your friend's macaw.

thank you so much for the advice and encouragement. I will be using my own money for a cage, hopefully this will motivate my friend to put it on a better diet instead of cheese crackers. this poor feathered fellow . im going to start a go fund me and raise some money. Hes almost completley naked from all the feather pulling and leg bitting

Katie.K said:

thank you so much for the advice and encouragement. I will be using my own money for a cage, hopefully this will motivate my friend to put it on a better diet instead of cheese crackers. this poor feathered fellow . im going to start a go fund me and raise some money. Hes almost completley naked from all the feather pulling and leg bitting

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I hate to hear that he is plucking and biting his leg. I don't suppose he's been to a vet in a while? If he's biting at his legs it could be a sign of a medical issue besides boredom. If anything, before a new cage I would recommend he see an avian vet.

I wish you the best of luck!

If he is pulling feathers, there could be an underlying medical reason (poor nutrition, mites, illness, feather disease) or it could be stress or boredom. For sure, if you ever do happen to bring him home, he needs to be quarantined from all other birds until he gets a clean bill of health.

You might see if a local avian vet would be willing to see him at a discount. He's probably never been. Craig's List is a great place to look for a used cage, as is FaceBook Marketplace, NextDoor, LetGo, etc. The cage should be large enough for him to spread his wings, so that's pretty big when you are talking macaw. And the bars need to be fairly sturdy or he might bite through them! If you find a cage, it must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Seriously disinfected, as the reason the cage is for sale might be that the prior occupant died of an infectious disease. There are some good threads here about doing that.

Beer boxes aren't the best toys, because the inks used to print them are often toxic - for example, green often has chromium in it. A great, cheap option is paper bags, phone books, any kind of (unprinted) cardboard box. Hardware stores often have waste bins of wood "off-cuts" - pieces trimmed from two by fours, for example - that make great chew toys. Just make sure it isn't pressure treated wood (usually green or yellowish) or plywood - those contain toxic chemicals.

Good luck, and I wish you well. If you can find a local parrot rescue, they might be able to point you to some local resources which would help you out.

I found a large cage on Walmart.com and it was amazing 299.00 + 1.99 shipping and they literately delivered it the next day. I don’t work nor really like them but much like you, my rescue needed a new one. Whatever you get, be watchful of the door. I required a large door because my bird was territorial and I needed him to not be scared of the doorway every time he went in and out. The perches are junk too by the way.
My bird did not have any toys either so it doesn’t matter what kind you start with they may not know what to do with them. Mine didn’t.
They love paper, popsicle sticks (wood), cardboard, anything they can shred.
I’ve been using small cardboard boxes filled it’s corn husk leaves and whole nuts and that party paper from the craft store for my bird to shred into and he loves it. Just be sure he sees you putting nuts into them, that way he gets the picture. They sell some stainless steel cage toys that you can stuff with paper and nuts to encourage foraging. Old toilet paper rolls stuffed with paper and nuts work too.
You can make your own cardboard box. Just be sure it’s clean and free of glue. Think origami.
My cage was a hexagon shape but you get the idea.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Bi...at-Cage-Bird-Toy-Small-Multi-Colored/45069072
My bird only uses his cage as a sleeping area.
Good luck!

Katie.K said:

thank you so much for the advice and encouragement. I will be using my own money for a cage, hopefully this will motivate my friend to put it on a better diet instead of cheese crackers. this poor feathered fellow . im going to start a go fund me and raise some money. Hes almost completley naked from all the feather pulling and leg bitting

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Hi,
Congrats and good for you taking on a rescue macaw. Macaws need a nice big chew toy made from blocks of wood in their cage and you can buy most for 60 dollars and it will last way longer than a month it’s not 200 dollars a month for toys.
Good food is going too be most expensive and getting him the biggest cage you can get. I missed what kind of macaw are you getting ? Having a good size space for him too be out of his cage earning his trust is going too take some time but we’ll worth it when he trust you.

Good for you! Helping out a bird that sounds like he needs some assistance.

Great advice above! I just wanted to share an idea for wood toys. I do volunteer at a rescue and the big beaks definitely go through wood chews like crazy. One inexpensive way that we provide wood to chew on is to cut 2x4 (untreated, like mentioned above) into 4” lengths and drill holes through the center of the 4x4 squares. Then we put a stack of them on a long stainless skewer like this one and they turn lumber into a pile of toothpicks . It has the benefit of being narrow/vertical so it doesn’t take up a large amount of cage space. https://www.petsmart.com/bird/toys-.../all-living-things-skewer-bird-toy-48555.html (I’d get rid of the tiny carabiner and replace it with a sturdy stainless one).

Get a kit from avian biotech and have this macaw tested before you do anything with a rescue. Do NOT expose a rescue to potential disease. Some of the diseases can shut down a rescue until everything has been retested and proven clean. Which means nothing in or out. No surrenders no adoptions. No anything to keep the diseases from spreading. Some of the diseases are an automatic death sentence since we have to put it down because there is no cure or preventing the spread. So do everyone a favor and get the relatively inexpensive kit and test the bird. You only need a poop sample to get it done. A combination kit would be your best bet.
Avian Services Center: DNA sexing and disease testing for all species of birds.

Unless you have a major wood shredder on your hands the toy costs aren’t that bad if you are smart about it. The dollar store and thrift store can get you a lot of toys. If you ask local construction companies you can often get the long cardboard tubes that they love shredding and the companies throw out. Most have no problem with you coming and taking their trash.

By the way a new cage is not treading lightly. Most people would be offended that you think they can’t afford a cage or that what they have is inadequate. The truth will mean nothing. I would go with cleaning it and outfitting it with some new toys/perches slowly. It will be nasty to clean it I’m sure, I’ve done surrenders that weren’t fun, but if you want to tread lightly that’s the path I would go. Of course if your friend likes free stuff then it might be fine.

itzjbean said:

Katie.K said:

thank you so much for the advice and encouragement. I will be using my own money for a cage, hopefully this will motivate my friend to put it on a better diet instead of cheese crackers. this poor feathered fellow . im going to start a go fund me and raise some money. Hes almost completley naked from all the feather pulling and leg bitting

Click to expand...

I hate to hear that he is plucking and biting his leg. I don't suppose he's been to a vet in a while? If he's biting at his legs it could be a sign of a medical issue besides boredom. If anything, before a new cage I would recommend he see an avian vet.

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I know a B&G who bites at his leg when he's stressed. In his case, he's cage aggressive and doesn't like women, so if one gets too close while he's in his cage, he does a little leg bite (lightly, and likely out of displacement).

I had people tell me the same thing. "You don't have experience with large parrots so you have no business getting a macaw".

Everyone started out as a novice. You have to start somewhere, and while I wish going to a rescue and getting experience was possible, given the 4 hour distance from me and the fact that I'm disabled, it wasn't a viable option for me. I knew I could do it, and I dedicated as much time as I could to learning about them and their care. My only other parrots were budgies when I was much younger, and some work with conures.

Only YOU know what you're capable of taking on and whether or not you have the time to donate to this bird in need. Other people can say what they want, but the reality of owning a parrot for me is 10% experience and 90% effort. As long as you try hard and care about this macaw, you can absolutely make it work and get that experience as things move along.