Hi from Texas ^-^

willyFF7

New member
Apr 28, 2021
5
0
Hey all :3 I'm Willy, nice to meet yall :p this seems like a good forum to discuss and enjoy being around.

I'm 28 and I'm getting my first parrot in 3 days, as I write this! Very excited and hyped to see him/her :) I haven't come up with a name, my mom wants to name it Jasper or Sasha but I'm buying the bird and I think I can come up with another good name, we'll see, once I find out its gender maybe on the 30th, I pick it up on the 1st.

Anyway, what I'm getting is a Scarlet Macaw! Very pretty bird, pretty expensive too, it's gonna be trained to fly to its owner once we bond together and whatnot. Here's a picture of.. well, two of them, might be able to choose between one or the other. Another person is reserving a possible male, so if there's a female and male then I'm getting the female, if both are same gender then I might be able to pick one.. so yeah, here they are :)

176190619_3029304577292901_5092041197606544646_n.jpg177748770_3029303663959659_4636933775431164942_n.jpg

cute babies are 3 and a half months old :) I'm also getting another bird, a green winged macaw I ordered first... but that's another story, may arrive within 3-12 months from some website I made a mistake and don't trust.

So yeah.. looking forward to seeing everyone's birds and learning more :3 I've never had a bird of my own until now soon, will have to feed it baby formula for not sure how long.. I've always wanted a parrot, love them cuties. xD

26150d1619633889-hi-texas-176190619_3029304577292901_5092041197606544646_n.jpg


26151d1619633896-hi-texas-177748770_3029303663959659_4636933775431164942_n.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:

WhiteFlight

Member
Parrot of the Month 🏆
Aug 20, 2020
237
28
Dallas, Texas
Parrots
Meisha: Umbrella Cockatoo | Female | 03/09/1989 Hatch Date
Greetings Willy, from Dallas.

Welcome to this rich in resources, forum. Congrats on your endeavor. Flighted is a wonderful experience, never gets old.
 

Scott

Supporting Member
Aug 21, 2010
32,673
9,789
San Diego, California USA, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy
Parrots
Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Welcome aboard Willy, thanks for joining! Beautiful Scarlets, whichever you choose. Generally best to buy a fully weaned bird, though macaws endure a longer process than many avian species. Touch up hand feeding practical when done properly, that includes warming equipment and sensitive thermometer. Please check this thread for insight into what awaits, bear in mind your bird will not be totally helpless and reliant on you for 100% nourishment: http://www.parrotforums.com/breeding-raising-parrots/74363-so-you-bought-unweaned-baby.html

Another great thread with great insight into macaw personalities: http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/56384-big-beak-o-phobes-guide-understanding-macaw-beaks.html

Be aware of endless online parrot scams. Trust your instincts and carefully peruse the site for inconsistencies, Google-sourced images, and most critically, offers to sell fertilized eggs. The last part is huge show-stopper as breeders don't ship viable eggs!

Good luck, feel free to ask questions once your bird comes home!
 

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,702
USA
Parrots
Full house
Congratulations! Very exciting!
I recommend having a digital kitchen scale and weigh your bird when you bring home. And about once a week. Log and track can pay off in picking up issues.

There are lost of non stick snd cooking stuff that emits gasses that kill our birds. So read up.
 
OP
W

willyFF7

New member
Apr 28, 2021
5
0
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #5
Greetings Willy, from Dallas.

Welcome to this rich in resources, forum. Congrats on your endeavor. Flighted is a wonderful experience, never gets old.
Thank you ^-^ I thought maybe this forum might come in handy when I may seek for advice in the future, or just feel eager to show off my bird :3 flighted?

Welcome aboard Willy, thanks for joining! Beautiful Scarlets, whichever you choose. Generally best to buy a fully weaned bird, though macaws endure a longer process than many avian species. Touch up hand feeding practical when done properly, that includes warming equipment and sensitive thermometer. Please check this thread for insight into what awaits, bear in mind your bird will not be totally helpless and reliant on you for 100% nourishment: http://www.parrotforums.com/breeding-raising-parrots/74363-so-you-bought-unweaned-baby.html

Another great thread with great insight into macaw personalities: http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/56384-big-beak-o-phobes-guide-understanding-macaw-beaks.html

Be aware of endless online parrot scams. Trust your instincts and carefully peruse the site for inconsistencies, Google-sourced images, and most critically, offers to sell fertilized eggs. The last part is huge show-stopper as breeders don't ship viable eggs!

Good luck, feel free to ask questions once your bird comes home!
Thank you scott ^-^ fully weaned bird? what's that? i just googled.. a bird that already had its baby food stage done? well, if I wait any longer to pick it up, someone else will take it, so I gotta get it now and I should be doing okay feeding it. I'll check out those threads you showed :)
As for the bird scams, yeah, I'm aware, except when I bought the first bird, all I did was search on google something around the lines of... parrot for sale, and this site called "the finch farm" came up... saw their green winged macaw I really liked, and stupid me instead of looking at other websites instead, I just went and ordered it there. They might be trustworthy, but apparently their delivery times are 3-12 months which is way too long... don't know why, but yeah.. they aren't even responding to my messages. and yeah if I ever need questions I might ask here :)


Congratulations! Very exciting!
I recommend having a digital kitchen scale and weigh your bird when you bring home. And about once a week. Log and track can pay off in picking up issues.

There are lost of non stick snd cooking stuff that emits gasses that kill our birds. So read up.

thanks c: yeah very exciting lol. I see, why do I have to weigh my bird? too heavy not good for some reason? well, I'll consider getting a scale but I need more info on this, never seen anyone scale their birds.
 

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,702
USA
Parrots
Full house
To make sure your burd is gaining if its unweaned. Many things go south quickly with unweaned burds. It's stressful to change to a new home and a new person feeding. Many times they will drop weight. Weaning and post weaning is one of the most critical times in a parrots life. A great deal of behavior issues stem from mistakes made during this time.

More importantly birds hide being sick. They evolved this way and its hardwired into them. By the time the show symptoms they are critical, and have been sick for awhile.

Nearly all sick birds will loose weight, as it takes 3 times their normal calories to fight an infections. Even when eating they dont keep up. Buy catching a problem early by weigh loss you can save their lives. Its much easier for them to recover. Sometimes weight loss is the only symptom. Or if a female is carrying eggs you will pick up the rapid weight gain. 3-5% body weight lost see a vet. More than 5% you have a very sick bird.

Its a very easy thing to do, and so worth it.

As I well know. I just finished 4 months of treatment for a flock of 7 with psittacosis. If I hadn't known my burds normal weights, if I hadn't been monitoring, I likely would have had dead birds.
 
Last edited:

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,702
USA
Parrots
Full house
https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/
The following is from the above great article.
" Hunger = Anxiety = Stress
One of the most powerful tools for reducing stress in a young parrot is to feed him warm, soft, nutritious food from a spoon at least once every day. Most hand-reared parrots were never spoon fed when young, since the practice of using a syringe is so popular, but they can learn to enjoy this if the owner is willing to be persistent about offering it on a nightly basis.

The majority of parrots reared for sale by breeders or pet stores are weaned too early, in addition to being deprived of the fledging experience. Early weaning helps to insure an early sale, which maximizes profits. In order to accomplish this, the hand-feeder eliminates feedings according to an arbitrary schedule that will insure that the young parrot is weaned as early as possible. The huge problem with this practice is that hunger and anxiety become closely linked in the minds of baby parrots.

In the wild, no adult parrot wants a chick to be calling for food because this elicits the attention of predators. Babies are fed constantly, rarely ever wanting for food for long. Further, as more breeders allow their pairs to raise their young through weaning and fledging, observations accumulate that prove what we long suspected … that adult parrots will continue to feed their chicks even after they are weaned, apparently to provide reassurance or nurturing if the chick encounters a frightening experience as it becomes more independent. The chick not only does not experience hunger, but it receives feedings even when it only needs to be nurtured or reassured.

Contrast this reality with the common rearing practice of eliminating feedings according to a schedule, which can leave a parrot chick hungry for hours at a time, as he learns to manipulate food in order to feed himself. Further, to compound the anxiety caused by the hunger that he instinctively understands to be unnatural, he also receives no feedings simply for the purpose of reassurance as he meets the challenges of life in a pet store or new home. Thus, hunger and anxiety become inextricably and forever linked in the mind of the parrot.

I believe this is why so many adult parrots do not eat well when feeling anxious. In more consulting cases than I care to count, close questioning reveals a pattern of eating that results in a hungry bird. An anxious young parrot will eat enough to keep himself alive and maintain his weight, but will not eat enough to reach satiety, the point that usually brings a greater sense of relaxation. In many cases, a young bird weaned through deprivation weaning techniques will become food independent, but will have a permanent behavioral disability as a result."
 
Last edited:
OP
W

willyFF7

New member
Apr 28, 2021
5
0
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #8
I see, it's a lot to sink in from everything you said >.< but what I kinda got from it is, losing weight may be a sign of sickness, and it's very good to feed the parrot warm soft nutritious food handfeeding with a spoon every day.. I'll keep that in mind c: I'm not sure until how old they stop eating baby formula, but.. I got these snacks online I might use later when it becomes an adult, maybe they're okay when it's young too? not sure

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007IWO5GI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CCJOAM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

No images of what the food looks like, but the cakes are some squared things I think, and the nutri berries were some little balls, both with seeds/bird feed I believe.. they look delicious lol, the bird may be too young for them, but I'll be getting it a variety of foods/toys the breeder may offer when I'm there.
 

wrench13

Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Parrot of the Month 🏆
Nov 22, 2015
11,383
Media
14
Albums
2
12,567
Isle of Long, NY
Parrots
Yellow Shoulder Amazon, Salty
Welcome and be welcomed.

You are getting great advice from some of our most senior, experienced and knowledgeable members! I will only add or amplify some of the points. Let your parrot determine when its time to stop offering soft mushy foods and baby parrot formula. He will simply refuse a feeding or taper themselves off when they are good and ready. THis is called abundance weaning. You can offer veggies and good quality pellets the whole time, and your baby will play with or just nibble on those and when he/she is ready they will consume more and more. However - it is a great idea to keep some of the powdered baby formula on hand and occasionally offer some to you parrot. Why? Because there will come a time when you need to administer medicine to your bird, and they all are notorious for spiting it out, or only actually getting some of the medicine in them. If you mix the meds with a small amount of baby formula and the parrot is used to getting this occasionally, they will get all of the dose prescribed.
 

Flboy

Well-known member
Dec 28, 2014
12,598
4,101
Greater Orlando area, Florida
Parrots
JoJo, 'Special' GCC, Bongo, Cinnamon GCC(wife's)

noodles123

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2018
8,145
472
Parrots
Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
Here is a copy and paste of mine for people living with birds:
You can't use scented products or chemicals/fumes in your home (even things that smell nice to us(smoke, perfumes, air freshener, standard cleaners, vaping, burning food, incense, cigs, glue, paint, window sealing kits, polishes, aerosol sprays etc can harm your bird's sensitive respiratory system ( dif from mammals'). Using products that heat or are heated which contain Teflon/PTFE/PFCs = very very dangerous. These off-gas and can kill a bird in under 5 minutes. Teflon/PTFE/PFOA/PFCs are found in the kitchen (pots, pans, cookie sheets, drip trays, air fryers, popcorn poppers, baking mats, crock pots, toasters, toaster ovens, popcorn poppers, waffle irons, electric skillets etc. They can also be found in space-heaters, curling irons, blow-dryers, straighteners, heat lamps, heat guns, irons, ironing board covers etc. These fumes have killed birds through closed doors and on separate floors, so you should replace your cookware with stainless steel, cast iron or ceramic. You may be thinking-- well, I have used them before and my bird is fine, but they kill very inconsistently and it depends on what you are cooking, the age of the pot/pan, the specific bird etc. There was a member who lost many of her birds from a pan she had literally used for years...then one day, her husband cooked an egg (without burning or overheating) and many of them died, while the rest showed signs of respiratory distress.

You will need an avian-safe cleaner to use within your home (both on the bird cage, but also, around the house). Again, chemical cleaners cannot be used in the home unless avian safe. F10 SC (the yellow/clear concentrate) is a great, avian-safe disinfectant. Other (less effective) options include products such as "poop-off", white vinegar + water, grapefruit seed extract + water, baking soda etc. Peroxide is also fairly safe for disinfecting places like your bathroom, but you do not want your bird to come into contact with it.

Some foods are toxic to them--avocado, coffee (even decaf), caffeine, rhubarb, alcohol, onions/garlic/leeks/chives, mushrooms etc. Salt is also very bad for them, as is most human food. They love it, but it's not healthy.

They should not just eat seed--you will want to feed lots of washed fresh vegetables. Fruit is fine in moderation, but too much can lead to obesity and behavioral issues due to sugar. I feed my bird a mix of high-quality seed (no sunflowers, no peanuts) and pellets (in addition to fruit/veg). ECCLECTUS PARROTS SHOULD NOT EAT PELLETS. Fruit pits are toxic, as are apple seeds. Corn cob and certain nut shells (if swallowed in big pieces) can cause blockages, so you should be very cautious if you give your bird nuts in the shell. Peanuts can harbor aspergillosis, and should be avoided altogether (even they you often see them marketed towards parrots).

It is important to make sure that your bird's toys and cage are made of safe metals. Stainless steel is safest. They can get metal poisoning from playing with or mouthing objects made of unsafe metals.

They need a set amount of sleep each night (at least 10 hours) and the largest cage you can manage with lots of different perches. You want to avoid the totally smooth/round ones as they can lead to a condition called bumblefoot. Never place a cage near drafts and never allow cool air to blow on a bird. They are sensitive to drafts and any temperature shift greater than 10 degrees can cause a shock to their system.

They need lots of safe toys and safe wood to chew. Not all wood is safe, so don't just assume you can give them any kind you want. Pressure blasted or chemically treated wood (e.g., lumber and many other types of wood from the hardware contains toxic chemicals or are cut from trees that are naturally toxic.

They hide illness and so you have to watch them to make sure they are eating normally and pooping normally etc. You should try to find an avian vet (certified avian) if at all possible and take your bird AT LEAST 1 x yearly for an exam. An avian vet is NOT the same as an exotics vet who sees birds--- so if a certified avian vet is available within a few hours of where you live, you will want to set up care.

All parrots can easily confuse the relationship with their human for a sexual one. You don't want this to happen, even though it seems sweet at first. Stick to petting on the head and neck only (the rest is sexual) and do not allow your bird to play in shadowy places, like boxes or under furniture, as these spaces are similar nesting sites and are hormonal triggers. NO SNUGGLE HUTS/TENTS!

Food and water should be replaced daily--- wash the containers daily. Never leave wet food out for more than a few hours (as it can lead to bacterial growth). Never try to medicate a bird via drinking water and never add vitamins to water. Vitamins can be over-dosed easily and harm a bird. Plus, when you add things to water, it makes it impossible to know how much they have gotten and it also encourages bacterial growth. Sometimes it can prevent them from drinking adequately if they don't like the flavor of whatever it is you added. Citrus and fruits high in vitamin C should be given in extreme moderation because they can cause "Iron Storage Disease" (for a cockatoo, 1 small tangerine slice 1-2 times a week was okay, according to my vet).

These birds have the intelligence of 3-4-year-old human, but they are wild animals (not domesticated like dogs). This means that they see the world (and humans) in a very unique way and so you must learn about their behavior in order to prevent problems (screaming, plucking etc). They need lots of time out of their cage daily and a lot of interaction (at least a few hours). At the same time, you don't want to spend TOO much time with a bird of they will become overly dependent and not know what to do with themselves when you go to work etc.

Finally, baby birds are ALWAYS sweet compared to adult birds. When your bird hits puberty, expect that it will exhibit some annoying and problematic behaviors (much like a teen). A through knowledge of behavior and setting expectations at an early age will make your life easier when that time comes, but do prepare yourself and expect that things will not always be so smooth-sailing. Think about a baby human compared to a teen...

I am sure there is more...but that is a basic overview of caring for birds.

Here is an excerpt from another post (which you may want to reference when shopping/ calling about Teflon:
The most insidious is the Teflon/ptfe/pfoa/pfcs because you have to call the company to verify that anything that heats or is intended to be heated does not contain these substances ("PTFE free" doesn't mean PFC free and so there are a lot of marketing gimmicks out there to make people buy what seems like healthier cook-ware, even though it still contains a version of the same chemicals). Also-- these chemicals can be woven into fabric, mixed into metal during the moulding process, applied as a powder, applied as a clear-coat, or mixed with a colored coating. You cannot assume that you will be able to identify them visually, so, when you call, you must provide all abbreviations and full names + spellings of each chemical compound (and then they usually give you "the run around" for a week or so IF they ever answer your questions at all---because sometimes it's a "trade secret"). It's all very sketchy and DuPont (manufacturer of Teflon) claims that off-gassing only occurs at really high temperatures, but there have been numerous documented/scientific and anecdotal reports of birds passing away at temperatures in the 300 F range (and again, it kills through closed doors and on different floors).
FYI- Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
A perfluorinated compound (PFC)
Teflon (a common brand-name of non-stick cookware containing these chemicals)

10- 12 hours nightly for sleep, so if you get up at 6 and make a bunch of noise, you will wake the bird up (even if they are still covered). If they wake up at 6, bed should be between 6-8. You want to keep it around the same time if possible (because that's how it is in nature).


OH-- something I didn't mention in my last post-- stainless steel is really one of the only safe metals for them. Research the heck out of your cage and make sure that if it uses a powder-coating it is truly non-toxic. Birds can get metal poisoning from playing with sketchy toys (many made in China do not adhere to best practices) and just mouthing things like money, bolts, locks etc can cause toxic impacts...A man I know allowed his bird to play with un-used toothbrushes and (unbeknownst to him) there were small copper bits that held the bristles in place-- this nearly killed his bird even though the bird didn't actually swallow the pieces. Copper, zinc, nickel, some iron, lead etc are all toxic. Chicken wire and most screens= bad news.
 

noodles123

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2018
8,145
472
Parrots
Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
Yes, weight loss is a sign of illness. Birds are super sensitive and hide illness far better than any other "pet" out there, so you need to be SUPER aware of even tiny changes, because what may seem like an overreaction to a dog/cat person is actually appropriate for parrots when it comes to veterinary care. Please find an avian certified vet-- especially because you are diving into a fairly complicated situation as a 1st-time parrot owner.
 

Scott

Supporting Member
Aug 21, 2010
32,673
9,789
San Diego, California USA, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy
Parrots
Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
OP
W

willyFF7

New member
Apr 28, 2021
5
0
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #14
Welcome and be welcomed.

You are getting great advice from some of our most senior, experienced and knowledgeable members! I will only add or amplify some of the points. Let your parrot determine when its time to stop offering soft mushy foods and baby parrot formula. He will simply refuse a feeding or taper themselves off when they are good and ready. THis is called abundance weaning. You can offer veggies and good quality pellets the whole time, and your baby will play with or just nibble on those and when he/she is ready they will consume more and more. However - it is a great idea to keep some of the powdered baby formula on hand and occasionally offer some to you parrot. Why? Because there will come a time when you need to administer medicine to your bird, and they all are notorious for spiting it out, or only actually getting some of the medicine in them. If you mix the meds with a small amount of baby formula and the parrot is used to getting this occasionally, they will get all of the dose prescribed.
Thank you ^^ I see, good to know. I wonder what age they become adults, it may not be a baby now, but still very young 3 1/2 months old. I feel pretty welcomed in here and good to know I have a place to seek advice and knowledge ^^


Welcome to you! Apparently, The Finch Farm, out of Washington, is a broker! You buy the bird, then they find it! You need to slow down a little before you jump! In the same Google search, a bunch of red flags came up! You probably will get this second bird, but when!
https://www.bbb.org/us/wa/vancouver/profile/farm/the-finch-farmcom-inc-1296-1000048622/complaints

Thanks :D a broker? Don't know what that means, but.. I see, so.. they just look anywhere for it? I was wondering where their birds even come from.. and I don't know what you mean by slowing down before I jump? xD well, i'm glad to hear I will get the second bird. It doesn't matter when now that i'm glad I'm at least getting one bird very soon, I've wanted a parrot for a long time, I didn't consider about getting a macaw, but I got an inheritance so I was able to afford it. It'll be awesome to have a green winged and a scarlet, and if they're opposite genders, maybe I could breed them, that would be amazing lol, I'm not expecting to, but it would be something wonderful to breed hybrid macaws.
 

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,702
USA
Parrots
Full house
I suggests , print, and make a file and 3 ring binder of all the replies and linked articles.

A lot goes into have a happy, healthy and well adjusted companion parrot who will live over 50 years. Everyone started out not knowing what they need to know. It can be a big learning curve. Most of us actively keep trying to learn more, and better our parrots lives. Things change a lot as a baby grows up goes through puberty and hits adulthood and the twice yearly hormonal surge. A good foundation will help you and your Parrot manage this. I think for macaws the hard times are around five years old, many are given up at that age.

Read all these unwraned bsby parrots in trouble threads and print that info to.
 
Last edited:
OP
W

willyFF7

New member
Apr 28, 2021
5
0
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #16
Here is a copy and paste of mine for people living with birds:

Hey thanks for all that info ^^ good to know a lot of this stuff.

You got me concerned about the cage.. cause I don't think mine is stainless steel, so.. I hope it doesn't get metal poisoning ever.. can't say how to prevent this. This is the cage I bought, I just happened to search for the biggest cage is all.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0186M2OGQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

175573252_986423818763263_372338882828533068_n.jpg
26158d1619722675-hi-texas-175573252_986423818763263_372338882828533068_n.jpg


I heard about only petting them in the neck/head only cause they can get their relationship confused with a sexual one otherwise.. that's crazy xD and they're soooo smart even with the age of a 3-4 year old human, that's pretty intelligent, I'm guessing african greys have the intelligence of an even older human? cause they say a lot of words and sure seem very smart. I sometimes feel like I should've got an african grey instead but I'm happy with my decision.
 

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,702
USA
Parrots
Full house
Looks like a great cage. You will need some large perches, burd safe wood logs lol.
Macaws are known to love to chew stuff to bits. Often you will want to DIY. Teaching foraging pays off.
[ame="https://youtu.be/aXqS6qk7qDI"]Easy Foraging Tips and Toys For ALL Parrots 101 - YouTube[/ame]
 
Last edited:

noodles123

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2018
8,145
472
Parrots
Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
they mature sexually around 3 or 4, but even when they are young, you don't want to start them on things that you can't sustain because then, as adults, it will be inappropriate but they won't understand what changed.



Make sure you replace that dowel perches in the cage with natural (bird-safe) perches from dragon wood or manzanita. Dowel perches can cause bumblefoot. Here is a sizing guide for diameters-- you don't want anything totally uniform, but 2-31/2" diameter at various points. If you want a cross-cage perch that fills the same slot as that one, you can purchase nice custom perches from parrotwizard.com https://parrotwizard.com/Custom_Perch/


Make sure to pay super close attention to making sure you do not use non bird-safe cleaners and scented producst in your home. Even essential oils are unsafe to diffuse around them because a) they get into their blood stream (like they do ours) but also because oil particles are not safe for them to inhale. Teflon/ptfe/pfoa/pfcs are even worse and should not be used in the same house at all (period). While a bird may die immediately, some have survived it, but the damage done never goes away.



10 hours sleep each night on a schedule (like a toddler) is massively important too--- so you need a space for your bird to sleep. I would suggest devoting a room in your house for this is you are able, that way, you have a place for your bird to sleep where your activity won't keep interrupting it.



You should get a tree-stand or something too, because you need places for your bird to hang out with you and play without having to risk them chewing furniture or ingesting lead paint etc.


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNBALAF3U5E&t=445s"]Are You Making These 10 Common Bird Care MISTAKES? - YouTube[/ame]




here is another video of her critiquing cages (she ALWAYS finds something positive to say, even for the bad ones lol)
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNDyy3B-34c"]Reacting to My Subscribers’ Bird Cages! | Pt. 2 - YouTube[/ame]
 
Last edited:

noodles123

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2018
8,145
472
Parrots
Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
Welcome and be welcomed.

You are getting great advice from some of our most senior, experienced and knowledgeable members! I will only add or amplify some of the points. Let your parrot determine when its time to stop offering soft mushy foods and baby parrot formula. He will simply refuse a feeding or taper themselves off when they are good and ready. THis is called abundance weaning. You can offer veggies and good quality pellets the whole time, and your baby will play with or just nibble on those and when he/she is ready they will consume more and more. However - it is a great idea to keep some of the powdered baby formula on hand and occasionally offer some to you parrot. Why? Because there will come a time when you need to administer medicine to your bird, and they all are notorious for spiting it out, or only actually getting some of the medicine in them. If you mix the meds with a small amount of baby formula and the parrot is used to getting this occasionally, they will get all of the dose prescribed.
Thank you ^^ I see, good to know. I wonder what age they become adults, it may not be a baby now, but still very young 3 1/2 months old. I feel pretty welcomed in here and good to know I have a place to seek advice and knowledge ^^


Welcome to you! Apparently, The Finch Farm, out of Washington, is a broker! You buy the bird, then they find it! You need to slow down a little before you jump! In the same Google search, a bunch of red flags came up! You probably will get this second bird, but when!
https://www.bbb.org/us/wa/vancouver/profile/farm/the-finch-farmcom-inc-1296-1000048622/complaints

Thanks :D a broker? Don't know what that means, but.. I see, so.. they just look anywhere for it? I was wondering where their birds even come from.. and I don't know what you mean by slowing down before I jump? xD well, i'm glad to hear I will get the second bird. It doesn't matter when now that i'm glad I'm at least getting one bird very soon, I've wanted a parrot for a long time, I didn't consider about getting a macaw, but I got an inheritance so I was able to afford it. It'll be awesome to have a green winged and a scarlet, and if they're opposite genders, maybe I could breed them, that would be amazing lol, I'm not expecting to, but it would be something wonderful to breed hybrid macaws.


I don't think that cage is big enough for 2 macaws
.... Their tails alone get really long and they will need toys and food etc in there--if they hit them and break blood feathers (common) they can bleed to death if you do not catch it fast enough. If they are a male and a female, they will also likely mate at maturity and that can be a real nightmare and very very expensive (not to mention tragic in many cases). Do not even think about allowing them to have chicks because that is a super complicated process which often ends very badly for those without serious training/apprenticeship etc. I'm concerned that you are looking at getting 2 birds this size when you haven't had a parrot ever. 1 bird will be a full-time job. Trust me when I say that these baby birds WILL NOT stay the same-- their adult personalities are always much different, much louder, much more assertive and much more complicated in general.

Also, just because they get along now, doesn't mean they won't start fighting etc. Puberty changes things SO dramatically.

On top of that, getting 2 parrots often makes it harder for the person to sustain a bond with the bird. I know they probably seem so chill, but they don't stay that way (they are babies). If your birds partner up, you can become the 3rd wheel. EVEN if they are 2 girls or 2 boys, they can still have a sexual bond which sometimes excludes the human.


If you do get 2 birds who are not currently being housed together, you will need a separate cage anyway because you MUST do a minimum of 45 days quarantining in (ideally a separate airspace, but in reality, in a far away room usually is the best people can do). 3 months is the ideal quarantine, but 45=bare bones minimum.


Another thing to know if that adult parrots (much like teens) sometimes push away from whoever their favorite person was during their baby years. Even those that do no push away will often develop an unexpected obsession with a new family member etc.


I am also concerned about the EXTREME noise level from 2. Have you spent much time around screaming macaws in a small space?


You are diving in WAY too fast. PLEASE, PLEASE. PLEASE DO NOT try to breed. You do not have the experience required, and the experience is far more than what comes with even owning a parrot for 20 years. It is more than either of us have (despite having been involved with hand feeding..I have pretty solid parrot experience but breeding is BEYOND tricky and I do not even feel qualified). I used to think it sounded cool too, but it is super freaking hard and dangerous.


These birds can live over 100 years at times, siblings will in-breed (which is ultra dangerous for the babies)...Plus, there are already too many in rescues...If you can't keep them all (as they would all have to be separated) then they would all need their own cages...and then if you are selling them, you are contributing to a problem (because SO many people dive into parrot ownership without a clue, hence the off-the-charts relinquishment to rescues etc).


Have you spent a day with a human toddler with a chainsaw and a megaphone? Would you do that for the next 100 years?
 
Last edited:

Most Reactions

Latest posts

Top