Getting my BG accustomed to his cage?

[ydeerod]

Maybe I'm seeking help prematurely and there's nothing I can do except let time run its course. But we just recently got a baby (6 mos.) B&G and we've been trying to get him accustomed to his cage. We both work full time and during the day, he needs to be in it, but when we get home and let him out, he's super cranky! Won't let us touch him right away, flaps his wings and screams (not constantly). He's got a nice cage with plenty of food and water and we leave the TV on so he can watch and distract himself. I'm not sure if there's anything else we can try but I'd really like to feel like he doesn't completely hate his cage (and us for keeping him in there). Any suggestions, advice, stories, anecdotes, etc. would help! Thanks!

 

[JerseyWendy]

At 6 months he IS still a baby. How big of a cage do you have him in? Hopefully it's a HUGE one, especially since he's confined to it the majority of the day.

How long have you had him? Has he always been in a bad mood when you come home from work, or is it something new? My guess is that he's a wee bit ticked off at you for being left home alone, and he's letting you know his displeasure.

Please make sure and spend LOTS and lots of time with him outside of his cage when you are home. Macaws are such social animals.

You could also record your voice and make a CD for him to listen to during the day. Or a video of you - that would be even better, just make sure it replays.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Excuse my manners.

WELCOME to the forum.

 

[plax]

I agree with all that JerseyWendy said. In addition, hopefully he has a fair number of safe toys to play with during your absence.

 

[ydeerod]

Yeah, his cage is 3 feet by 2.5 feet and its 5 feet tall. So it's pretty spacious for him. He has toys. We've had him not even for a week yet (he was sent from the breeder last thursday). So I understand if he's still getting used to things and our routines. I just don't want him to be unhappy But I don't want to spoil him either. In the mornings when we wake up we feed him in his cage and after he eats he begins climbing around the cage and dancing to get out. We talk to him and everything while we're getting ready to head out. When we leave we give him a treat and tell him he's a good boy. As far as we know, he's very quiet and fine when no one's home. When we get home he starts his let me out dance again in which we do let him out and then he's edgy for a while. Thanks for the input Anything helps.

Thanks for the welcome too!

 

[horsesculpter]

Think of it this way. In the wild your macaw would get up with the flock and spend the day with them, foraging, preening, napping, etc. he would be busy all day. This is a time when your baby is learning how to be a macaw and he looks to his flock to show him. How boring it must be for your baby to sit all day waiting for you to come home. He wants to be with you. Couldn't you take him out in the morning and let him sit on a t stand or something wherever you are so he can feel a part of what you are doing? Also let him share breakfast with you. Macaws love to chew and destroy stuff so make sure the toys you provide satisfy this. My macaw will turn her nose up at toys she can't destroy. When you get home take him out and let him be where ever you are until bedtime. This isn't spoiling, it is teaching him how to be a loving family member. He probably is just overwhelmed after waiting all day for you and doesn't know how to behave. There may have been all day activity at the breeders that he watched. If we have to leave Sunny for the day, she gets very excited when we get home and if it has been a long day she can be grumpy and vocal about what she apparently considers poor treatment. She gives us quite a dressing down, but then all is well. Happy Macaws are a huge time investment.

 

[plax]

As Wendy and horsesculpter pointed out, he's still just a baby. And he's a baby who's been hurled into a whole new world where he's forced to spend much of his awake, active time all alone. Macaws are extremely social creatres. Baby Macaws, especially, need to be allowed to develop dependency bonds with family members whom they feel protected and loved by, and who are able to provide adequate attention to them on a consistent basis. At 6 months of age I wouldn't be too concerned about "spoiling" your Macaw. I'd be mainly concerned about giving him enough attention, showing him enough love, and making him feel secure. I understand that such things can be difficult to deliver when all of a home's caregivers have to work during the day. But emotionally, leaving a very young Macaw alone for the greater portion of each day is not unlike leaving a young human child alone for much of each day.

I realize that I haven't given you much in the way of solutions here. However, as I see it, the first important step is to understand the scope of the issues concerning your new baby Macaw's needs and behaviors. The sweetest, most well-adjusted Macaws are the ones who were given plenty of attention and had plenty of company during their first year of life.

 

[JJones1719]

Your Bay needs to be in a much bigger cage. Should be atleast 6-7 feet high. atleast 3-4 feet deep, atleast 5-6 feet wide. See King cages for more details. Thanks Joe

 

[horsesculpter]

Joe is right. Your bird is probably around thirty inches long ( Sunny is thirty three and a female) and has a wingspan of around three and a half feet. That cage means he can't fully extend his wings and every time he turns around he is going to bump his tail feathers. Our avian vet told us he has seen parrots who's wing muscles atrophied from lack of use from too small cages. Sunny's traveling cage is way too small but she is only in it to sleep and a few hours a day at most. My manners too. Welcome to the forum.

 

[brianlinkles]

Welcome to the forum! I totally agree with Wendy, I would wake up a little earlier to give your baby time to spend some of the morning with you. I also have a baby macaw a greenwing, if he had his way he would be with me or on me every minute of the day. Now obviously this isn't possible, however I do allow him to be out of the cage alot of the time. I allow him time on top of the cage, as well as time on the tree. He also spends time with me cuddling and playing. I would make sure that every morning you feed him his breakfast outside of the cage, I would try and spend time either eating with him or at least bringing him where you are getting ready. I would keep a constant rotation of toys that he can play with. I keep a bunch of toys and try and change them out several times a week. Sometimes just one toy sometimes all of them. It is crucial that you keep your bird entertained or at least give him things to entertain himself. The minimum cage for macaws is 30" x 40", this is if you give him lots of out of cage time. If I had a macaw that was going to be in the cage most of the day I would get a far larger one than this. I hate to sound negative but I think it is vital to give him lots of space and toys during the day!

 

[Remy]

Welcome to the forum! Congratulations on your new baby!

I would second what the others said about having a larger cage, since he spends so much time in it. That way he will be able to be more free and active during the day when you are gone.

 

[Remy]

If money is an issue, there are often amazing cages for amazing prices on Craigslist.

 

[horsesculpter]

Plax is very right about the analogy to a small child. I think if you left a child sitting in a closet sized space with a TV every day you would not raise a very, happy well rounded kid. At this point in your birds life he is processing huge amounts of new information including learning to handle his own body. Young Macaws are clumsy little fellows and he needs a much larger cage to encourage him to climb about and get some excersise. Ideally He should have several perches at different levels and toys spread about the cage so he is busy scrambling around playing with them. Now that we all have thoroughly scared you welcome to macaw ownership. They are wonderful birds.

 

[plax]

Ideally He should have several perches at different levels and toys spread about the cage so he is busy scrambling around playing with them.

Absolutely! Just make sure that among those toys there's nothing he can get tangled in or that might get wrapped around his neck during play activity. You have to be especially careful about this since there's no one home to rescue him much of the time! And I'm also in agreement with the comments here from others about cage size. In my opinion his cage should be at least 40 inches wide by 30 inches deep by about 5 feet tall or so.

And, yes, welcome to the wonderful world of Macaws (and to this forum) from me as well

 

[MacawGuy]

my cage is 40x30x6 foot tall

 

[ydeerod]

Wow! Thank you for all the welcomes and help. Like some of you said, his cage is the 30" x 40" x 5' if we can get our hands on a larger one we would use it, we are looking for one. Atlas has about half a dozen different toys that we cycle in and out of his cage, always making sure he has room to move between them. We also make toys for him out of safe materials. He has a couple of perches and a ladder in his cage so he can play on different levels. When either of us gets home from work/school he comes out of the cage and usually stays out until we feed him dinner and go to bed. We almost always give him a small bit of what we're eating at breakfast and dinner, but haven't fed him outside of the cage like someone suggested. After reading your help here's a couple things we will be changing to help our baby Atlas:

We're going to wake up at least a half hour earlier and dedicate that time to him.
We're going to feed him breakfast outside of the cage with him and continue to give him a small bit of what ever we're eating (what's safe for him to eat at least).
We'll continue to look for a bigger cage.

I'm sure I've missed at least one thing so I'll re read the thread, but be sure I've considered everyone's advice. We did a healthy amount of research before getting our Atlas (my husband has wanted a macaw since he was 12!) and were pretty well prepared, but some stuff you don't find in the books, sometimes a place like this is the best place to get information from people who know from experience and can display the information in a way that connects with you.

Thanks again and I'm sure we'll make great use of your website and your knowledge.

 

[horsesculpter]

Because of your desire to learn and provide the best for Atlas, you are going to be great macaw parents. He should reward you with a lifetime of wonderful companionship. Macaws are bold, inquisitive birds with a great sense of humor and lovingly raised they will look forward to each grand new adventure. Sunny loves to go anywhere, whether it is a local garage sale or a thousand mile trip. She loves to tell jokes ( can't understand most of it) but she roars with laughter at them, which in turn makes us laugh and her think she is a great comedian. She has been canoeing with us to see the water birds and delight the early morning fishermen. She always has an appropriate comment to add to a family discussion. The best I can wish you is that you wind up with a bird you love as much as we love Sunny. She has brightened our lives beyond measure.