Tracing Leg Band & Sexing New Bird?

[pcostx]

Hello Everyone!

I just purchased a 6 month old Green Wing Macaw. He has a legband and I would like to trace it to find out as much as possible about his background.

We haven't named him/her yet as we just got him yesterday. He came from a woman who said she had gotten him from a 'good friend in TN'.

He/she is extraordinarily sweet, gentle and tame. He is also very friendly and people orientated which is why we decided to purchase him. We've had smaller parrots for years and had been researching/thinking about adding a larger parrot to our family when we came across this bird for sale.

He seems to have taken to my husband and myself very quickly. We took him out of his cage this AM and I prepared his food. Then my husband and I went into the kitchen to make our morning tea. The next thing we hear a noise, when I went to take a look the GW was on the floor walking towards the kitchen!

His band says DWE TN 07 003.

Another question is what do you all think is the best way to sex him/her?

Thanks!

[gbird]

This part of the band TN 07 003 could mean he was born in TN, in March of 07. I could be wrong though.


Have you got an avian certified vet? Since he's still a baby and depending on where you got him, it never hurts to take them in for a full well check. They will take some blood to check certain things, but they can also DNA sex him/her.

We'd love to see some pics of the baby. How big of a cage is he in......and lots of chewable, shreddable noisy toys. The best parrot toy is one he can destroy.

Anyway, thats my 2cents.......please post some pics. Good luck

[birdlady49]

The 003 actually means it's the third band used in that group.

If Tennessee works the same way Colorado does, you can call the state health department and they can tell you who the breeder is. I believe the DWE is the unique code used for that breeder.

[pcostx]

Thanks for the info. you two! I will get in touch w/ the TN Dept. of Health and see if they can help.

I do have an Avian Vet and I'm going to call them tomorrow and set up an appt. to get him checked out.

I have a question on cage size. I know that the GW's are the 2nd largest of the Parrots and they need a very large cage. BUT, can you get by w/ a smaller cage if your birds are out all the time and the cage is just for sleeping at night?

We own our own business and our animals go to work w/ us every day where they are out greeting customers. Then at home on the weekends every is out while we are home (which is most of the time).

I took some photos this AM but can't get them to load onto this site, it keeps saying "Invalid File" even though they JPG. I'm using a Mac, maybe that's the problem.

What is the best way to introduce bathing? He is really dirty with poop all over his back and it looks like he was in a small cage because his tail feathers are in horrible condition.

Thanks!

Anne

[gbird]

Get a spray bottle, and put it on mist, or you can buy a mister. Hold it above him so the water comes from above and not straight into his face.

Sounds like he does need a bath and would love to be clean. Not a good idea to keep anything on thier feathers, even if you have to hold him under the sink and wash him off. He either won't preen that section, or will preen it and pick up a virus or something. I would introduce him to water in a fun way. Let the sink fill a bit, and pretend you are playing in it. They can't stand the thought oif you having fun without them....lolBut try and get him wet so he can preen. Wrap him in a towel when you're done just to warm him up and dry him off a bit.

Pita will also go in the sink once in a while, when he's in the mood. Also I take Pita in the shower with me, with his spray bottle. I have a shower perch in there, and thats really good for them as well, because the hot water makes steam which is good for thier skin. BUT CAUTION....if you want to hold him under the shower, or he wants to get in the water , make sure it's not HOT.....warmish is good. Also don't be surprised if you find him/her taking a bath in his/her water bowl....LOL


Cage size is basically the bigger the better. A bird should be able to stretch and flap his wings in the cage. For a Macaw, I would go with the biggest you can afford. I don't know your situation, but there are quite a few sites that have pretty good prices on cages.

[TheFrantom]

If Tenness is like Ohio, I think the band means :
DWE TN 07 003 (domestic band)

Breeder's Initials or Code DWE
State hatched TN
Year 07
No. of Band,consecutive 003

And unless there is a state requirement for parrot breeders to register their band codes, which I doubt, you may not be able to trace them.

Unless you want to try to search companies who print up bands who might have the record, that is, if the breeder gives them the OK to pass this info along to the public.

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[lauriedrake]

There is a group on Yahoo where you can post your bird's band info for recording purposes and ask them to do a search for the breeder. Lesa has a huge reference base and works on each band until she finds the breeder, no matter how long it takes. It's worth a try.

Laurie

[Lori~D]

Try these guys for info on Tracing Leg bands. They will steer you in the right direction.
L_M_Bird Leg Bands Products Catalogue
Also your vet can get the blood needed for DNA sexing or you can order the cards your self from
Avian Services Center: DNA sexing and disease testing for all species of birds.
and you can get this from a slightly too close nail trim
All you need is a drop
It only costs $19.99 that way