Meet Paulie. Newest addition to the family

[bubmarley]

Hi guys. This is Paulie, an illiger's macaw. I just got him on Saturday and figured I should share him with you guys.

I have a question though and any advice would be much appreciated. I was initially going to get a Timneh but when I went to visit the breeder she showed me the Illiger's and this particular one bonded with me immediately. He literally didn't want to leave me so I just had to take him.

Firstly, he seems to be extremely brave. He's only 5 weeks old and currently on 3 feeds a day. He wants to climb his all the time even though he's still struggling due to how small he is but he's intent on on getting it right. It's very cute but I'm a bit fearful if he falls down. Can he injure himself badly or should I just let him be? In other words am I panicking too much. Compared to our Congo who we also got around the same time, she was a lot more fearful and meticulous when she started climbing. She would literally plan out in her mind exactly where she wants to go and how she wants to get there. Paulie though just wants to climb.

He's an absolute delight though and I can't believe how much he's actually bonded with me in just 2 days.

 

[JerseyWendy]

AAAWWW!!! Congrats on your new baby, Paulie. He is ADORABLE!

Wow, only 5 weeks old and already trying to climb everywhere. He truly IS a brave young lad.

I'd be a bit concerned if he's climbing and then falls right after feeding him.

What you could try is put a piece of very thin wood midway in his cage, and layer it towels and paper towels on top. I did this for my Amazon, who came home when he was 8 weeks. He could still climb a little, but the fall was never very deep. I'll see if I can dig up a picture for you.

 

[bubmarley]

Thanks for that advice and it seems like a good idea. I'll have to check out at home if I can do anything about it.

Your cage seems to be a lot taller than mine though if my eyes are not deceiving me. It looks the same width but definitely not as tall so the drop wouldn't be as severe. I was also thinking maybe I should just drop his perches a bit lower because it seems he wants to sit on them. The problem is he sees the other bird next door to him climbing high all over her cage and he just wants to be like her.

 

[wenz2712]

He is adorable

Do you have a travel cage that you could keep him in for now? This would stop him from being able to climb and hurt himself.

 

[Thingamagigs]

HE'S GORGEOUS!!!

He's way too young to be in a cage I wouldnt just think about doing it, I would do JerseyWendys suggestion. At that age I would still have bubs in a tub, coming out to socialise and move about but back into a large tub for safety. They are too clumsy and a broken wing or leg or worse is not something I was ever willing to risk.

 

[bubmarley]

He is adorable

Do you have a travel cage that you could keep him in for now? This would stop him from being able to climb and hurt himself.

I wouldn't call it a cage, but rather a travel box which is just way too dark to leave him. It has openings but still I can't do that to him.

 

[bubmarley]

HE'S GORGEOUS!!!

He's way too young to be in a cage I wouldnt just think about doing it, I would do JerseyWendys suggestion. At that age I would still have bubs in a tub, coming out to socialise and move about but back into a large tub for safety. They are too clumsy and a broken wing or leg or worse is not something I was ever willing to risk.

Okay, I will have to see what I can do though when I get home.

The funny thing is my wife says he climbed even faster up today with less struggling but yeah, like you said it's still not worth the risk. He seems to be a real warrior though, hehe.

 

[bubmarley]

My wife just sent me this picture now.

Look at this little rascal. He's intent on climbing.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Gosh, look at him...I just want to snuggle that cute little face!

If you can somehow make the cage shorter, you'll worry much less about possible falls.

I don't think it's visible in my picture, but I used long, thin pieces of wood first, going all they way through the bars from left to right, and then rested the big piece on top of those. It's really simple. As he gets older, you can slowly lower that "shelf" bit by bit...week by week.

 

[Thingamagigs]

Oh my cage has those dangerous bowl holders as well LOL I put toys along mine so my birds head doesnt get stuck :/

 

[008kenichijouji]

AW! Paulie parrot! Cute name for a cute birdie! Congratulations!

 

[JJones1719]

Paulie is very cute. Yes you should take every precausion to avoid a fall but another thing concerns me more. In one of photos, you show an African Grey next to Paulie's cage.
This is very dangerous, Macaws are very sensitive to dander or the powder the African Grey gives off and can be extremely harmful to your baby Macaw.
If Paulie is near the African Grey, I would seperate them ASAP. Even if you have to place one bird in one room and another bird in another room.
Best of luck with Paulie. Thanks Joe