Preparing for a new baby...

[diadins]

We are going to be getting a 5 month old B&G in mid-October. We are sooo super excited, we already have the cage but now begins the long wait. We have had a conure before but this will be our first Large species parrot. The breeder is amazing and even will be beginning flight suit introduction for us. We have done hours of research and watched probably every video on Youtube. I guess my question is what should we do to prepare... what are the must-haves of other B&G owners? What is the best pellet food to use.... We have 3 children at home, what can we do to better prepare them for the arrival... Lol I feel like we are waiting for a human baby. Any and all advice is very much appreciated
OH big question... To Clip or not to clip

 

[Chesphoto]

Congratulations on your soon to be b&g!

As far as to clip or not, I guess it comes down to the safety of the bird. I live in Phoenix, Arizona. During the summer, temperatures are over 110 on most days. We have ceiling fan in every room to stay cool. A flighted bird, in my opinion would be unsafe.

I rescued with a scarlet that has wing atrophy and drops like a rock so I'm actually letting her feathers grow out just to see if she can fall with some grace. If she could fly, I would have to clip her to protect her. If I lived somewhere else and didn't have an injured bird, I would consider keeping her flighted.

So, I guess you need to consider your circumstances and decide what is best for you and your parrot.

Do you still have your conure? They are great little birds.

 

[Arara]

Congratulations!!!!!!!!

My baby macaw just arrived the other day.I waited 3 months for him, sadly the person who sold me my macaw only took more interest in the money than in the well being of my macaw. So now he is in intensive care.......
But I can help a bit with the pellets...

I will asume you live in USA . There are many types of pellets you can Buy ;
Zupreem
Pro's: They don't use High fructose corn syrup that is more dangerous than sugar. I think they have a good protein and fat content in the diet like many other pellets
Con's: They do use sugar
Kaytee Exact
Pro's: They use lots of dha and Omega 3 and many other types of vitamins for your macaw. My avian vet recomended it ( I trust him)
Con's: High fructose corn syrup------ it is worst that sugar( I can explain but I dont want to sound like a scientific douchebag )

Roudybush
Pro's: I think they dont use sugar and they have a pretty balanced diet . I liked it very much but nobody imports Rodybush to Mexico ;_;
Con's I am not sure

Pretty bird-- similar to Zupreem but unsure

Harrison's
Pro's Its organic..................................................................................
Con's Being Organic is just something they say to sell. When something is organic it doesn't mean it is reaaally the best or anything. They use sunflower seeds as a primary ingredient and the pellets have a higher fat content than any other pellets
I have never used it since in my country we only have Exact and Zupreem



If you buy Pretty bird, Zupreem or Exact try the natural ones since the food colouring may but not necesarly hurt your baby in the very long run.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Hi there and welcome to the forum.

How SUPER exciting about your new baby coming home in a few months!!!
I was in your shoes not all that long ago, and here is what I did: Stock-piled on toys (wood, foraging, leather), stock-piled on perches (I use dragonwood, rope, sisal & pedicure perches)

Then, just shortly before I brought Niko home (my B & G was my first Macaw) I cooked and froze my homemade recipe. You can see what I cook for my fids here: http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/22594-cook-portion-freeze-my-recipe.html

Made birdy bread: http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/28298-my-birdie-bread-macs-love-these.html

I don't feed pellets exclusively. Both my big macs get several Goldenfeast mixes, and I mix pellets under them. I personally like ZuPreem Natural and TOPS.

 

[FreedomAndForgiven]

I remember the wait. The original B & G we were going to get sold before we could get it, but our breeder/store owner had one in back he babied and was his fav out of all the clutches that year (he admits he has a fav bird out of all the clutches every year). My wife, me, and my sons where standing ther disappointed because we had been visiting that bird for awhile, and where just waiting for our tax return to get it. His store manager came up, and said "I have just the bird for you." She went up to our breeder's office because that is where he kept Lucy so he could baby her all the time, and it was love at first snuggle. We loved her enough I raided the bank account just to put a large deposit down. The anxiety of waiting for her to come home was insane. My wife would come home smiling from work waiting to see her, and then get disappointed because she wasn't home yet. What sucked even more was the cage we custom ordered got screwed up in shipping (it was the distributors fault), and it was going to take a little longer for it to get here so our breeder was letting us board her for free. He felt bad enough he showed up at our house with Lucy, and a loaner cage until ours arrived.

I would suggest a large cage. We spoil our birds big time. To the point our Cockatiels are in flight cages, and Lucy has her own double Macaw cage to herself (we will be getting Phoenix a double Macaw cage for him in a few weeks).

You don't have to go overboard like we do, but I would say it is really important to get a cage larger then the minimum for the birds health, and so they have more toys to keep them occupied. Have lots of toys, and stock up because from what I understand all Macaws go through their destroy all toys stage if not stay in it (thankfully Lucy hasn't got there yet, but Phoenix has since they day we brought him home). Playgrounds are imprtant very important actually. I know most will agree with me that the more your bird is out the better. Unroasted Almonds that aren't salted make great special snacks imo. You will need fresh fruit, and veggies but they can be picky so it might take time to find the right fresh ones they like. Don't feed them seed it doesn't provide the nutrients they need, and will make them fat. Multiple perches in the cage is a must. A radio for the bird or a TV they can see is needed for when you are not home. Remember in the wild total silence means there is a predator in the area. A small nightlight for bed time is a must. We actually use Christmas lights. DId I mention stock pile toys?lol. Trust me you will or want to make your own, for the destruction stage, and to also change out because they do get bored with toys if they have them all the time. I don't know if anyone will agree, but rearrange their cage from time to time, and lean into it sometimes when they are in it our change toys while they are in it. I believe it helps keep them from being cage aggressive, and from getting bored with the layout of their cage. Oh, and stockpile toys.