Glad to be here!!

[MikePey0205]

Looking forward to be part of this community!
My family and I live in South Florida. We have 3 girls (16,8, and 7), a dog, 2 cats, and a few birds...
1-Blue and Gold macaw named Cabo
2-M and F cockatoos named Mike and Luna
2-Cockatiels and 3 Parakeets

I have indoor and outdoor cages, and they are super happy!!

Thank you,
Mike

 

[saxguy64]

Welcome to the forums Mike and family! That's quite a flock. Sounds like you have your hands very full And 3 daughters too? Oh my! Deep respect my friend, girls are labor intensive hahaha.

Looking forward to hearing about your adventures!

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[LeaKP]

Love the pic welcome!!!


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[Flboy]

Yahoo, another Floridian! Nice crew! Welcome!

 

[Rozalka]

Welcome to you and your flock!




I hope you are informed macaw lungs are sensitive and cockatoo powder/splash (? sorry, English isn't my native language and I'm not sure how it is called) may get inside macaw causing their slow death. Visually everything may be ok 'cause everything is inside the bird. I'm writting this just for your macaw health - I don't know, maybe you know and the photo was taken when they were together "for a moment". If not maybe somebody who has a macaw and a cockatoo/grey parrot will write something more how to avoid health problems

 

[noodles123]

Welcome, you have a lovely flock! Love the cockatoo's face there ha!

Rozalka is correct-
It is a hypersensitivity to dander in powder down birds (Macaw respiratory hypersensitivity/ macaw asthma) and it is fairly common in B & G macaws especially. Most people advise against housing powder-down birds with non-powder down birds (especially macaws) because of this issue...and cockatoos are the worst offenders (although Greys and cockatiels are also ill-advised). It doesn't impact ALL macaws, but it also can sometimes take time to present (and sometimes isn't so obvious initially), so just be VERY wary of this. I would strongly suggest investing in multiple, very solid/expensive true-hepa air purifiers (non sanitizing, non ionizing, non ozone-producing )...It'll cost you a chunk of change..but it is important for your health and the Macaws. Many macaws are unable to stay in the same house even with filters and separate rooms, but if you have some really nice purifiers and keep them in different rooms for sleeping, hopefully you can at least prevent some of it.
My one umbrella is extremely dusty, despite baths...dusty for me and for herself...let alone a macaw.
I would DEFINITELY not get any more powder-down birds, as even a single cockatiel can lead to issues in some.

Sorry to be a downer-- I love your picture, but honestly, this was the first thing I thought of when I saw it too. I am not saying to get rid of anyone...but it's important to be aware of how serious this can be.

Ps: If money is super tight---in a pinch, you can make a much less-effective purifier with a box fan and a hepa furnace filter, but again, the efficacy won't be as good at all....Even the nice furnace filters don't capture tiny particles like the nice purification systems...and they are loud and produce drafts (unlike the nicer purification systems)...but they are way better than nothing at all!
AlenAir has good purifiers..so does Rabitair

 

[noodles123]

DISCLAIMER-- I DO NOT WORK FOR A PURIFER COMPANY LOL!! I read this and was like dang, sounds like a door-to-door salesperson! haha

I use the 2 white ones in Noodle's sleep room (pictured below) and I actually use both at the same time (AlenAir and Hathaspace). I used to use the black one (Veva) in another area (and originally liked it) but it broke/got sketchy fast and was only good for a really small space (plus, it produced a lot of wind and the number of filters it required to keep up ended up costing as much as a nicer model)...

I also use another purifier (also Hathaspace) in the basement, as that is where the furnace/air run through (and yes-- there is still cockatoo dust and the occasional feather in the actual Hepa furnace filter, despite 3 independent purifiers and a Hepa furnace filter lol!)

Anyway, the air quality is still not that great in the house BUT it is LOADS (AND I MEAN LOADDDDS) better than what it was before (the more birds and bodies you have, the more junk that gets in the air)...and then things like new furniture etc also also decrease that quality...The last person who lived here used Glade plug-ins and I washed EVERYTHING (walls included) and these purifiers/filters are the only things that make the air scentless...

If I had to do it again, I'd save my money to buy additional Alen products or something like RabitAir because the mid-line smaller one pictured (HathaSpace) isn't bad, but it isn't accurate in terms of its indicator lights when compared to the AlenAir and it just can't keep up nearly as well (even though it is okay). The thing if someone walks in with perfume on, the Alen turns yellow or red, but the Hathaspace doesn't (stays green) and even at it's max setting, it just can't filter the same amount of air fast enough....Now...if you fart next to it, it freaks out lol, but that is another story...ANYWAY, although it was a lot cheaper, it isn't nearly as good as its job and in a house with 1 bird, I am running 2 at once just to stay in the "moderate" quality zone. In a house w/ 2 cockatoos (plus kids and a potentially sensitive macaw etc), you need something more serious to really catch all of those particles. If there is an ozone/ion/purifier setting on your machine, as long as it can be shut off at all times and doesn't auto-cycle to on, then it is fine.

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[Scott]

Welcome aboard Mike. You have the ultimate family sized comprehensive menagerie!

 

[Ira7]

Coral Springs in the house!