6 month harlequin baby

[Chopin]

Help
I have had Prada about a month now. when she came home I put her in a 36x24x5’ cage (which she has settled into). Until her large cage arrived 36x48x6’ Kings cage. I have been introducing her to larger cage. When she is in it she spends most of her time at the bottom. I have put food and water on cage floor and she has finally eaten there. She does climb the walls and uses various perches, but seems to spend a lot of time on cage floor. Is this normal for a baby?
when she is in smaller cage she does sit/sleep high. (when I first brought her home she did spend time on bottom also). I am thinking this can be her sleeping cage. (to small?)
she is bonded to me, trusts me. Will lay on her back, I can touch her entire body. Have clipped her nails while she lays on her back.
I had a B&G and 2 goldens until Feb of this year. Lost them in a house fire. so, I am somewhat familiar with Macaws, although Calypso was not this young when I brought him home.
birdman666

 

[Ria.345]

Hello,
Props to you for getting a larger cage for your new macaw and slowly introducing him to it. That's a really important step I think anyone must take to make the transition for the parrot a lot easier.
To answer your question, since your parrot is about 6 months old, (which is most likely around the time they are just weaned off), the reason he may be on the cage floor a lot is because he simply has not acquired the right amount of balance to be able to perch up top. At a certain age, it takes larger parrots like macaws a little longer to be able to perch with balance and coordination, while smaller parrots may take less time to do so.
Assuming he just got weaned off, this may be a potential reason to consider. However there could be other factors at play as to why he spends most of his time on the floor.
But you would need to provide a little more information on your part such as possibly mentioning his previous lifestyle with his previous owner? Contacting the previous owner or the breeder may be the best bet to be able to fully understand why he may do what he does.
Good luck to you and Prada!

 

[Chopin]

Hello,
Props to you for getting a larger cage for your new macaw and slowly introducing him to it. That's a really important step I think anyone must take to make the transition for the parrot a lot easier.
To answer your question, since your parrot is about 6 months old, (which is most likely around the time they are just weaned off), the reason he may be on the cage floor a lot is because he simply has not acquired the right amount of balance to be able to perch up top. At a certain age, it takes larger parrots like macaws a little longer to be able to perch with balance and coordination, while smaller parrots may take less time to do so.
Assuming he just got weaned off, this may be a potential reason to consider. However there could be other factors at play as to why he spends most of his time on the floor.
But you would need to provide a little more information on your part such as possibly mentioning his previous lifestyle with his previous owner? Contacting the previous owner or the breeder may be the best bet to be able to fully understand why he may do what he does.
Good luck to you and Prada!

Yes, she has been weaned for about a month. she is eating well. Harrisons, tops, and fresh fruits, veggies and a variety of nuts as treats. When she is in smaller cage she does perch high. her balance seems to be fairly good as she does jump around and lands on a “rope perch” that stretches/twists across her cage. I did contact gentleman who weaned/raised her. His only response was that he did feed at bottom of cage.
my question is that she seems to regress when in larger cage? Could this just be from not accepting of it 100%? just needs more time? She is very comfortable in the small cage and would choose that one if given choice

 

[Ria.345]

Yes, she has been weaned for about a month. she is eating well. Harrisons, tops, and fresh fruits, veggies and a variety of nuts as treats. When she is in smaller cage she does perch high. her balance seems to be fairly good as she does jump around and lands on a “rope perch” that stretches/twists across her cage. I did contact gentleman who weaned/raised her. His only response was that he did feed at bottom of cage.
my question is that she seems to regress when in larger cage? Could this just be from not accepting of it 100%? just needs more time? She is very comfortable in the small cage and would choose that one if given choice

I think personally that Prada just needs a little more time to be acclimated to her new cage and seeing that she has been fed on the bottom of her cage by her previous owner, this could also be another reason since she probably got used to being down there for awhile now.
Solution? Try to wait it out the best you can. And if she still seems to be staying at the bottom, try gradually getting her used to perching by taking a perch and placing it near the bottom of the cage floor since that's where she is most used to. Then slowly as the days progress, place that perch that she sits on, higher and higher so that she is not on the floor anymore.
You can even move the food up higher and higher (her bowl) with a bowl holder near the side of the cage as you continue moving the perch up higher. That way she still has access to food right near her perch that you're moving.
Hope this helps!

 

[Chopin]

I think personally that Prada just needs a little more time to be acclimated to her new cage and seeing that she has been fed on the bottom of her cage by her previous owner, this could also be another reason since she probably got used to being down there for awhile now.
Solution? Try to wait it out the best you can. And if she still seems to be staying at the bottom, try gradually getting her used to perching by taking a perch and placing it near the bottom of the cage floor since that's where she is most used to. Then slowly as the days progress, place that perch that she sits on, higher and higher so that she is not on the floor anymore.
You can even move the food up higher and higher (her bowl) with a bowl holder near the side of the cage as you continue moving the perch up higher. That way she still has access to food right near her perch that you're moving.
Hope this helps!

Thank you! I have put a perch and her bowls slightly raised. just did that yesterday. I am just a nervous new momma. 🥰