8 months B&G macaw help

[nutszy]

hi guys,
i'm new to the forum, and a new B&G mummy. I've only had him for about ten days and as a new mum am overly cautious.

He has been pooping alot in the last day or two, with quite a bit of liquid in his poop, but still lots of solid poop in that.

He has also been puffing up his face alot in the evening. He also makes a sort of hissing sound while perched inside at the top of his cage watching us, and bobbing his head. I have a sun conure and she also poofs up when she is tired and going to sleep, but i'm not sure if this is normal behaviour for B&Gs.

I'm also concerned about what and how much to feed him. So far i've been feeding him a handful of seed/fruit/nut/pellet mix (petstore bought), with some fresh apple or pear. I've also tried steamed veg (carrot, broccoli, corn), and banana which he didn't seem to like. What else can i try? And what is a no no?

any advise will be appreciated!
Thx

 

[weco]

Welcome to the forums, glad you stopped by.....is your new friend bathing or showering, that can cause watery poops as can juicy fruits.....

Here is a link to an older thread on macaw foods, if you search the forum's arcives, using the search tool, there may be other threads also.....

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/47328-organic.html


Good luck.....

 

[SilverSage]

I don't suggest mixing pellets with seeds because in my experience you just end up with a bird who ignores the pellets and eats the seeds, but you still pay for both. Sprouting a large hook ill mix would be best as a base diet (peanuts removed) or chop mix with mostly veggies. Being that he is such a large bird, the chop is most likely the best option but may take him a little while to really start liking. Early on it is ok to add quite a bit more fruit, just to get him to eat it, and then cut all or most of the fruit slowly until it is all or mostly veggies. Seeds are basically the burgers and fries of the bird world, and while fruit is great, it is also very high in sugar and not as nutrient dense as veggies. Try chopping the veggies up into little tiny pieces, no larger than a pea.

No avocado, onions, dairy, salt, refined sugar, or oils.

The behavior your are describing sounds to me like begging, are you sure he is 8 months? This could be a sign that he was not weaned correctly, so he is still begging for food. Oooooor, it could be a macaw specific behavior that I am just not familiar with. There are a lot of owners here with macaws who can give a lot more help than I can

 

[Allee]

Hello and welcome to the forums! Glad you joined us.

There are so many diets available commercially and so many differing opinions it's hard to know what's the best choice for your bird. You didn't say how old your B&G is, if he's a baby he will be more willing to try new foods than an adult would be. Ten days isn't very long, some birds need more time to adjust. If your bird is an adult, it could take a while before he is ready to try unfamiliar foods, keep offering vegetables and fruits, and if you want to change him over to pellets, introduce them but keep feeding him his regular diet until you know he is eating enough of his new food to keep him healthy.

Parrot Food, Recipes and Diet - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

There is a complete list of toxic foods in the Parrot Food, Recipes and Diet subforum as well as recipes and general diet information. Also great tips on changing a bird's diet.

I wish you the best. We'd love to see photos of your birds.

 

[thekarens]

If you haven't already I'd recommend getting a well bird visit from an avian vet just to be on the safe side.

My BTM, who is 17 months old also puffs up and hisses. For her it's a I'm being sweet/baby, give me scritches.

 

[nutszy]

Hi there everyone, wow this is great feedback thank you! Thank you all for your help and ideas.
Allee, unfortunately id have to take him accross the border to see an avian vet as we don't have one here in Swaziland. But there is one just across the border in case of emegency.
And to answer Weco, he hasnt showered yet. He doesn't seem to know about water, it may be because he is still settling down in his new home? I did try getting a tub outside and coaxing him into the shower. My conure loves her bath times and I believe all parrots and birds love it to. I did manage to just spritz him a little bit, but we arre still to have a shower 

oh the petstore said he is about 8months.
And he's adorable! Will try upload some pics soon [emoji4]

 

[nutszy]

Oh I forgot to ask SilverSage about the dairy. Some sites say a bit of dairy is ok. Do you know if dairy would make him sick at all? For instance both of them seem to like trying my yogurt in the morning. Very very small amounts, like a bite size for them I guess. Should I stop them from doing that? Thx!

 

[JerseyWendy]

... Very very small amounts, like a bite size for them I guess. Should I stop them from doing that? Thx!

No, a bite of it isn't going to harm them.

 

[nutszy]

Thx[emoji4]

 

[SilverSage]

In tiny tiny amounts it seems to be fine, just don't go giving him a spoon full of yogurt or a slice of cheese

 

[Birdman666]

My BTM, who is 17 months old also puffs up and hisses. For her it's a I'm being sweet/baby, give me scritches.

My LCA does that one as well. Hissing is one of her happy noises. With her it's a poof-hiss-happy head bob-eye pin combination... usually she's begging for something, either pick me up, or give me some of what ever it is I see you eating.

(It's not the same as "cat" or "snake." That would be something else entirely...