[The Outlaw]

Baby Comes Home-Lesson 2

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Your cage is ready and you're excited. You've told friends and family about this little charmer and you just can't wait to show him off. That's great! If you've ever had a new human baby in your house, you soon learn that its important to keep things calm and very sanitary, and of course you wouldn't expose it to any germs if you could help it. If you've never had another bird or reptile, then you can simply place your new baby in its new cage and OOOhhh and Aaaahh for a few hours and of course take many, many pictures. This little guy will no doubt wonder what the hell has happened and why do the lights keep flashing, but hey, its all new.

That having been said, its exhausting to have to process so much information so quickly and learn to sit properly on a perch and not even fall off. And that brings up tip number 1: Don't cut baby bird nails too short. They are truly like little razor blades and they do hurt, but babies need to hold on. After all, this isn't the jungle and we don't have the kinds of trees with nubby bark to dig into in most cages. I love bottlebrush perches and cactus perches, but you'll probably still use the brand spanking new dowels that came with your cage. My youngest macaw was very clumsy. I literally took rough sand paper and scratched the surface of his perches so he could hold on tightly. His nails had been trimmed by the groomer and he was having a difficult time.

It simply takes some time to learn how to do things well. Kinda like riding your first bike. Now, since we're on the subject of driving, that brings up tip number 2: Learning to drive a long macaw tail is like trying to back up a tractor trailer. Its an art. Its learned and you probably have a few accidents before you get it right. Accidents usually involve broken feathers and tail feathers are the first ones to go. ITS NORMAL TO SEE BABY MACAWS WITH SHORT TAILS AND FRAYED TAILS. Its kind of like a badge of honor. Your first baby bird tail feathers will NOT be suitable for framing. And because this is INEVITABLE, we come to Tip number 3: make SURE you know how to properly pull a damaged blood feather. You should have an emergency first aid kit in easy reach before you even bring him home. I have actually listed the stuff you'll likely need to stock it in the Birdboard FAQ section. I suggest you print it and fill the order the next time you're out shopping. More on removing broken and damaged feathers to follow.

THE OUTLAW
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