Blue & Gold ~ Macaw

[MikeyTN]

Why would you want a female? I prefer male birds. I have some girls , I love them but I prefer boys. I'm terrified of egg binding.....I lost too many girls because of egg binding....

 

[Cecilia]

What's egg binding?

 

[merlinsmom13]

Bad word, petshops. I held a pair of b&g's yesterday. Babies, I was told they were siblings, a boy & a girl. I don't know exactly how old they were. Very sweet, I was very tempted. They are big clowns & very clumsy. I always loved macaws, a friend had one growing up & he said they could bite a broom stick in half. That helps me w/the temptation.

 

[Cecilia]

@ Merlinsmom... That's too funny. Hey whatever works for ya right?

@ Mike... I suppose I don't need a female and a male would be okay but I don't know... EVERYONE IN MY HOUSE IS A BOY!!!!!!

 

[MikeyTN]

Haha! Too many boys...

Egg binding is when a female bird can't pass a egg, if it breaks inside her or if she can't pass it, she dies. I've lost 3 females to egg binding in the past 15 years. One of the girls I have now almost died from egg binding 3 months ago and I was able to save her just in time. You have to be gentle in helping them pass the egg, there's different methods.

 

[Cecilia]

Boy it is!

 

[merlinsmom13]

Does this egg binding happen alot? Is there something they lack in their diet that wild birds know to eat to prevent this? That would put me off of girls also. I've always had girl everythings until Merlin. I agree cecila, you need some estrogen in your house!

 

[Cecilia]

LOL Thanks Merlinsmom... I have my Husband, 4yr old son, 7mo old son... Male dog, cat, could only assume male fish... (no babies in 4yrs.. LOL) and Kix we wont know till next week... So it's me and my unborn daughter against the boys... LMAO although my youngest is a Mama's boy! lol My oldest is so attached to his dad. LOL

 

[MikeyTN]

During laying period you must provide extra calcium. But sometimes that isn't enough, especially with the chronic egg layers, the Karariki I used to own was a chronic egg layer and that is what killed her. I covered her up, ignored her, don't play with her, separated her, nothing worked....I still have to give her water and food, that was enough to keep her going to lay more eggs..... We would get to a point she would quit for a couple of weeks then she goes right back at it again....Same thing with Mallory my girl Cockatiel, she was a chronic egg layer as well. By me going to clean her cage, feed, water, etc was good enough for her to keep going, I love her dearly and it was hurting me to watch her doing so. I provided everything she needs. After it happened to her, she did push it out on her own but part of her insides fell out too and I noticed it when I saw blood everywhere. I cleaned it up and pushed it back in and that is what saved her. She hasn't lay anymore since then. The vet seem to think what happened to her might of done it. She may not be able to lay eggs ever again, which that is fine by me!

 

[Cecilia]

One of my mothers Tiels growing up was a chronic egg layer.. or was it one of my love birds... either way.. My moms dumb butt never rigged the cages so they couldn't escape... so ... yeah.. Needless to say no more birds for her... I hated when she would try and clean my birds cage.. that's how I always lost my bird.. It's so great to be an adult and on your own.. You do things your own way. I have such a supportive husband that it works out great! We both give 110% and we are very happy! =D I go through these mood swings where I'm so hyped about doing something and I spend months preparing then one slight downfall and I give up and say never mind I don't want it.. (NOT AFTER I get something.. always before!) but yeah that's also part of pregnancy... LOL

 

[Lesleybird]

Haha! Too many boys...

Egg binding is when a female bird can't pass a egg, if it breaks inside her or if she can't pass it, she dies. I've lost 3 females to egg binding in the past 15 years. One of the girls I have now almost died from egg binding 3 months ago and I was able to save her just in time. You have to be gentle in helping them pass the egg, there's different methods.

Hi, I have a female umbrella cockatoo that is 16 years old for the last 10 years, and a female amazon....both do not have mates and they think that I am their mate and even though they sit and cluck and do the mating clucking and shaking behavior neither has ever laid an egg. Isn't egg binding mainly a problem for female birds that have a male bird and a nest and are trying to lay eggs? I also have an amazon couple that lay eggs every year and have never had any egg binding. I always give her a calcium block during breeding season, don't know if it helps to prevent the egg binding? I have found that my female birds are not as aggressive as the males but are more likely to pluck a little. I only have six parrots so I know this is not enough to make a judgement call about the behavior of a specific sex. I would wait until the bird is older nearly weaned so that you can choose the one with the most compatible personality for you.

Why are you so set on getting the bird before weaning? Also, I think making a cage out of acrylic is a bad idea because birds that are cage bound like to climb on the bars and need circulation. The acrylic for a big cage is going to have to be thick and will be very expensive. Big birds don't want to be in acrylic, it is not a fish! Also be careful because baby parrots cannot move away from the heating lamp or pad if it gets too hot and can be burned. You also have to worry about the temperature of the formula because if too hot it can cause crop burn, too cold and it moves too slowly through the digestive track. Not the proper amount of water in the formula for the age of the bird they get dehydrated, get food down the wrong hole and food in their wind pipe and they aspirate and can die. Better to let someone who does it for a living do it. When they are 6 weeks old you need to feed every 4 hours. What if you need to go somewhere for the day. Also, small children are not safe with a large Macaw. A big macaw can injure a baby or a small child, they can bite off a small finger. Why don't you wait until your youngest child is 9 or 10 years old? This is just my opinion, I know that it is very opinionated and maybe not what you want to hear, but this is what I believe after being around large parrots for the last 20 years. I hand fed my male moluccan cockatoo when he was down to 2 feedings a day and was about 3 months old. Used a syringe and a soft rubber tube down the crop. The breeder showed me once and I hand feed him with out problems, but I had a book on hand feeding and I am a quick study because I am a nurse in a hospital. I am used to putting tubes in humans so the bird feeding was easy for me. He was fully feathered when I got him so I just put him in a large cage with clean towels on the bottom of the cage. Kept the room at 75 and he did not need extra heat. Had to teach him how to eat and swallow too after tube feeding.

I was talking about this post to my husband and he said "I feel sorry for the bird". How are you going to take care of two infant humans and a 5 year old, keep up the house, take the babies to their doctors, shop for food, change diapers, toys, feed everybody, go to nursing school and give attention to your husband and feed the cat, the dog, and now a large parrot? My husband and I think that this is not fair to the bird. We have a new Harlequin macaw female named Marley. She takes a lot of attention and time to train her. We both have jobs but don't have any children and are past the age to have kids. When you get your nursing training and go to work?? Are you thinking of the future? Why are you not really into your human babies enough to fill your needs for love and taking care of something. Why don't you wait until your children are older. Have you thought of how much more time and energy are going to be needed for your new infant baby on the way???

I think that it is great that you want a parrot, and I hope that you get one some day, but it would be better to wait until your human nest is empty so that you can devote your time and money to the kids, and your time to your schooling and your children's schooling. Our new Macaw goes through at least a hundred dollars worth of toys in a month because they chuck wood all day long for entertainment. Better to save all your money, love and attention for your children at this stage in your life. You have too much on your plate now. Lesley

 

[tonyared]

Hi I am new on here. I have a blue and gold mackaw and she has sap on her head. Can anyone give me some advice on how to get it off without harming her? Please help..

 

[plax]

Hi I am new on here. I have a blue and gold mackaw and she has sap on her head. Can anyone give me some advice on how to get it off without harming her? Please help..

Tree sap can be very difficult to remove from skin, let alone feathers. I really can't think of an effective way to remove it that I would consider safe for your Macaw. The particular type of tree sap is also a factor. Some saps are more difficult to break down than others. I have a feeling that something like Dawn in warm water wouldn't do a very good job. Dawn is typically good to break down oily substances, not tree sap (which more resembles a resin glue).

How much sap is on your bird? Which part of her head is it on and is it only on her feathers, or is it on her skin as well?

If I were you I would contact an avian vet for advice. Depending upon how badly your Macaw is coated with the sap, the best course may be to bring her to an avian vet clinic for safe removal of the substance.