New macaw.

[Angieb]

Hello. I probably need to relax a little (I hope) This day has been a long time coming. I have always wanted a parrot, I’ve done loads of research over the years, although maybe a macaw was not at the top of my list as he will be my first bird. I have waited for the time to be right time and was in the process of looking at rescues. My children have grown up and I’m home most of the day now.

I have acquired a blue and gold macaw. This poor boy (not tested) has had 2 different homes in the last week 😢 A friend of mine messaged me as they knew I was in the process of looking. I do feel like I will give him my all and I will carry on learning and do the best for him. The person I collected him from had him for 2 days and his dogs apparently didn’t like him. I couldn’t leave him there. He definitely needs stability.

He is a lovely friendly little guy. I just need some reassurance on if I’m doing the right things to start with.
I have a house that has a dog and a cat.
My plan has always been to have the bird in the living room all day and the spare room over night as it’s a busy house till quite late. (Teenagers)
I’ve brought him home about 8pm and just gone straight to the spare room with him. As I want to keep him as calm as possible. He seems ok, pacing his cage a little but following me and climbing his bars quite a bit. I stayed and talked calmly for a while and he ate and had a good drink.
Then as I decided to leave I covered his cage slightly and turned the light off. (Around 10pm)
As I was leaving the room I suddenly thought, the central heating boiler is in there! Will this be ok? We have it serviced every year. It is quite a big airy room.
I’m hoping I’m just flapping as it’s all moved so quickly. I would have much rather it be more relaxed and I had more time.

Thank you for any advice or reassurance 😬

 

[Jcas]

I’ve never heard of boiler heat being a problem for birds ( so long as it’s not too noisy?) As far as everything else, it sounds like you do have a good plan in place even if things seem to be moving quickly. The only advice I have to add is to be very patient with your new bird as it can take them many weeks, even months, to truly settle in. You are very kind to give this bird a home and I hope everything works out well ❤️

 

[Jexnell]

Welcome to the feathered family!

 

[Angieb]

I’ve never heard of boiler heat being a problem for birds ( so long as it’s not too noisy?) As far as everything else, it sounds like you do have a good plan in place even if things seem to be moving quickly. The only advice I have to add is to be very patient with your new bird as it can take them many weeks, even months, to truly settle in. You are very kind to give this bird a home and I hope everything works out well ❤️

Thank you for the reply. The boiler makes a humming sound. I wouldn’t say it was noisy. I did peep in on him once and he was sleeping. My plan is to get a really large cage in there for when I’m out.

So overnight I’ve hardly slept as my mind is racing. Later today I will feel so much calmer once I have things in place as it all happened quickly.

The cage he has come with isn’t the best. I’ll look for a much better one over the coming days. My friend has an African grey and said I can use her old cage as a stop gap for night time as I can’t move his cage back to the spare room at night. Hers is slightly smaller than the one he is in.

My plan for today is to introduce him to the living room. I’m thinking use the smaller one for his sleep and the one he’s in to put that in the living room. Till I sort out better cages for him.

Then I’ll go shopping for some fresh foods for him as I don’t think he’s had anything fresh over the last week at least. He came with a small bag of food, my friend is going to bring some of her parrots food for me and I’ll order some of that today aswel.

I’m looking forward to getting to know him and hopefully we will be in a routine in no time.

He is called Rocco and is 14 months old.

 

[Angieb]

Welcome to the feathered family!

Thank you!

 

[ShirleyJean1966]

Welcome to the feathered family... You have a good start and it takes time to bond with your Macaw. My Scooter used to talk, hang out with me and my dogs. She loves McDonald's French Fries and would say Mmmm when she ate them. Macaws are amazing animals and love attention. You will do great. Best wishes to you and your new friend. God bless you and your new family member.

 

[Mya the ringneck]

I worked with a blue and gold macaw that went from family to family a lot, around eight to nine different families owned this poor bird, and when she came to us she was almost fully plucked on the legs and breast, but I did not care. I worked with her for awhile in the pet shop i work at which is a smaller family owned pet shop. The owner tasked me and another employee with working to get this bird into good tip-top shape, which we did but it did take some time. She eventually went to a really good home with a friend of mine that i know will take care of her.

With all of my birds i cover them slightly with a light blanket or sheet when it is bed time(around 10pm) and they seem to do great. As long as he is getting the attention and right treatment he should be perfectly fine in the new home. With your new boy, i think you will do great with him.

There is a concern with a macaw as the first parrot. But you seem to have actually done a lot of the research(which a lot of people don't) and I think you will do great. I hope for the best with you and your new boy.

 

[kme3388]

Hi there, and congratulations on your new feathered friend. It is overwhelming when you first get a parrot isn’t it? It takes awhile for things to fall into place. You’ll learn Rocco’s likes/dislikes as times goes by. I see that some parrots are put up for adoption around the time they hit puberty. Things can be a little different once a parrot hits puberty, and becomes hormonal. Spring is another time that parrots can be hormonal. The hormonal behaviors vary upon the specific parrot. All 3 of my parrots tend to be snippier when they are hormonal. When I see pin feathers (molting) coming in I know my parrots can be a little more sensitive to the touch. If I accidentally bump a pin feather I am 100% without a doubt getting bit by all 3 of my parrots. I’m very careful with them around this time. This again will vary upon parrot. Spending time with your parrot, and just constant interactions will help you develop a lifelong bond. It takes a little time. All 3 of my parrots didn’t instantly like me like my puppies have. It was more of an earned relationship, and trust. It took me some time to read my parrots body language. Once I was able to get to know my parrots I can tell when they are mad. Their different calls make it obvious. There’s the I want out of my cage scream, and then there’s the scream that I always notice when a stranger is over (anyone who doesn’t regularly interact with my parrots is a stranger). My conures will dive bomb strangers if they come near their cages. You will learn all of this as time passes, and you get to know your macaw. You just know if something is wrong! It’s kind of like having a child.

I hope something in here helps you. These are just some of the struggles I had.