surprise family member

[volvobirds]

we got a new addition on Sunday. we were not expecting it at all.

her name is Peaches. she is a Moluccan Cockatoo. to make a long story short, she was given to us by a family my son has been friends with for 3 years while he was stationed in VA in the navy. the wife is leaving the husband and she knows the BIL who lives with them will not care for the bird as he HATES her. her husband is out on ship now, and after all is said and done will not be able to care for Peaches either. we are her 3rd home that we know of in 2 years.

we made the trip home with her in a dog crate. we were offered her cage, but declined as we had a carload with my sons things and it was crusty dirty.(my son is making the trip today with cleaning supplies to pick up the cage.) we did a quick intro of the birds to eachother before she was put in quarantine. if you would of heard the call when I told the family that we were getting a new addition! getting the extra cage set up for quarantine and all cleaned up. the kids got toys set up for her, they were appalled that her old home had no toys in her cage.

when we left the family to take Peaches home with us, it was a tearful goodbye from the lady and her daughter. we have it set that we can e-mail them pics of Peaches. it was funny hearing her tell us to take Peaches home with us, as she knew she would be with a family that would love and care for her. I almost cried when she said that.

I'm sure I will be on here more times asking advice or with questions. just figured I'd introduce the new gal on the block and tell some of her story.

[birdyland]

wow...what a weekend eh? Enjoy your new Too! Those M2s can be a real handful, I know because I have my own little handful, but boy oh boy they can be fun too!

Good luck and let us know what you need help with!

[volvobirds]

thanks. you can be sure we will post any questions.

so far shes doing great. we'll wait till she settles in to see how she does.

[The Outlaw]

OK, I need to mention this so that you know in advance what could happen. You have brought home the MOST difficult of all the toos to live with. However that's not the point of this post. You need to keep your macaw and your M2 in seperate parts of the house. Toos, especially the big toos, shed enormous amounts of feather dust. That dust can be potentially VERY damaging to the lungs of your macaw. You won't know if there is a problem until its too late. It takes anywhere from 5 to 8 years on average before respiratory problems can develop in the macaw. If they do develop, there is NO cure and the disease can be fatal. Its very much like miners lung in humans.

Does it always occur? No. But it does often enough that you need to take precautions. Make sure to bathe your Too often. Once a week is NOT enough. In fact, daily is recommended. You must spray down cage papers before you remove them to help keep the dust from going airborne. You must use a good vacuum cleaner and use it at least once a day to control the dust. You must run a good quality air cleaner in the room that the Too resides. To do less is putting your macaw at risk. You probably didn't even know that when you picked up this bird. Now you do. Please protect the ones you already have.

The M2 is the MOST often rehomed of the larger parrots. Many M2s will have 7 homes within their first 10 years of life. I wish you well for they are amazing and wonderful pets. However, they aren't for most families.

[birdyland]

Originally Posted by The Outlaw

The M2 is the MOST often rehomed of the larger parrots. Many M2s will have 7 homes within their first 10 years of life. I wish you well for they are amazing and wonderful pets. However, they aren't for most families.

Well said. Mine drives us all nuts, most of the time. She is 11 and I am her second home, I've had her for 7 years.... if she weren't mine I'm sure she would have been through more by now.

BUT as I said in my other post, they can be fun! Real Clowns! Enjoy! And please do take dust precautions.... I do, because I have my Tiki the Scarlet Macaw. ALSO - My Vet says that B & G 's are the most prone to sensitivity and complications from too dust.

[willowbirdy218]

Congrats on your new addition! I love M2s they are one of my favorite parrots! Take Nancy's advice, provide lots of toys, a large cage, and lots of attention and enjoy your new baby! I would love to see some pics!

[volvobirds]

thanks for the info so far folks.

I had heard before about Toos and the problems that Macaws can have with them. when she goes to the vets I am going to talk with him about the 2 birds being in the same house. we vacuum daily, so that is not a problem. we also have hardwood floors in many areas, so that should make things easier too. I'm the resident cleaning freak, so people here and birds too are used to me changing and cleaning cages along with the rest of the house. shes gonna have to bear with me and get used to having it clean too.

we are going to have to work with Peaches on the bath issue most likely. the previous owners told us in the 2 years they had her they never showered her. not even misting with a spray bottle, nothing. we have a shower perch, we will start slow with her to get her used to bathing. maybe she will take to it easy and decide she is part duck.

shes currently in a short term cage as my son made the trip to VA this am to see about getting her cage and bringing it up. he is probably cursing me as it was a crusty bird poop mess, but it can be cleaned. I made sure he took plenty of cleaning supplies with him. plus we will take it to the local carwash and power-blast the sucker if needs be before we disinfect the sucker outside.

she also didn't have any toys in her cage at their house either. we have 2 in the cage she is in now, but she acts like she isn't sure what to do with them. in time she will learn about playing with toys, that there are things just for her.

we figure this won't be easy, but there wasn't really any second guessing when we saw her cage conditions , her semi crappy diet, and found that when the lady leaves the BIL who hates her would be responsible for her "care". heck, her bowls from her cage were filthy. the water bowl had a scum ring and the food bowl had stuff about glued to the sides of it. we stopped at the local mini market and I cleaned them out. there was no way while we traveled she was going to get food or water out of those filthy bowls.

it ain't gonna be easy at all. we are her 3rd home in a little over 2 years. from what we understand, the first owner sold her when he got tired of her and the responsibility. the family we got her from had her for 2 years and is breaking up. plus they have no concept of the cleanliness issues to do with birds.

she deserves a better chance. we are willing to put forth the effort. wish us the best folks.

[wildirish]

Congrats!!!!!!! Our M2, Ginger is 9 almost 10, and a handful!!! Granted and amusing handful, but a brat!!! She is really a he but you will never convince her of that fact.

I am one of the guilty parties who has macaws and Toos and a CAG. I do have the macaws in a room connected to my LR. I also have to dust and vac constantly! JOY!!! The ironic thing is even though Ginger has a good deal of dust, our CAG always seems to have as much if not more...lol!!!

Our next "big" purchase will be a couple of good air filter machines. Also a humidifier. I noticed when using the steamer to clean cages, as the humidity levels rose in here, birds started taking baths without being prompted by us.

We are Gingers 4th home. They are big fluff balls of energy that never seems to deplete...LOL!!! As for the toy thing, a friend got an Elenora Too that had been kept in a small cage and no toys for years. She has had him about a year now, and he finally plays with a few toys. It will just take some time. It can help if he sees you play with them making a commotion about it.

It will probably take him some time to adjust to his new home, but once he does, look out world!!!!

[birdsnthings]

Congrats and you have your hands full! I do hope this works out for you and this bird.

[birdyland]

Originally Posted by volvobirds

it ain't gonna be easy at all. we are her 3rd home in a little over 2 years. from what we understand, the first owner sold her when he got tired of her and the responsibility. the family we got her from had her for 2 years and is breaking up. plus they have no concept of the cleanliness issues to do with birds.

she deserves a better chance. we are willing to put forth the effort. wish us the best folks.

Sounds like she's got that chance with you. Good luck! And Good riddance to her previous home and conditions. She will get used to "the way it ought to be"!