new macaw owner need some adwice

[daki7878]

hi
im new severe macaw owner (3 days only) and i have learned many things about them from internet and some books.
however i still got some questions.

first is - when is the best time to feed them?
my friend say he feed his macaw only in afternoon?
i think my macaw is very hungry in the morning so i give him food in the morning and before go to sleep at night.

second - he like seeds. If i put veggies and fruit in separate bowl he will not eat that. only seeds.im worry because he needs to eat fresh food.and he does not.
how i can "teach" him to eat it?

third - can i put un-eated veggies and fruit back to refrigerator? then save it for later?

fourth - when he is out of cage he let me touch him sometimes. he is so sweet then.
but sometimes he bit me. And that is very painfull!
I dont know when hes gonna bit me so im scared to touch him anymore! lol
Will this behaviour change in future or at least he will bit with less force?

He does not make any loud noise so im very happy for that.only noise (but its not that loud) he makes when he is hungry.
and he is still young (7 months).

[ljhassell]

Hi, welcome lots of great people here to help you. First you have only had him 3 days, go slow, You need to be able to earn his trust and this takes some time. Id let him be, interact with him and let him observe that you mean no harm- or threat. He should always have a bowl of pellets and a healthy seed mix, with some dried fruits and nuts. I would suggest taking him out in the evenings when you eat dinner and let him sit with you and try foods, if you do this he will learn that this is what his flock does. On weekends- or when you have meals, include him always be gentle and kind, this is all new to him and you. I would not save foods- toss and alway feed what you yourself would eat. If I dont want it- I will not offer to even the dog! You have a long life together so go slow and develope a bond that will never waiver, he is just scared and unsure of you as you are of him. Time and patience you will never regret your bird in your life!

[texbird]

irst is - when is the best time to feed them?

>>>I give mine breakfast food and dinner food when i get home. She also always has a blanaced parrot pellot food in her bowl to snack on anytime.

second - he like seeds. If i put veggies and fruit in separate bowl he will not eat that. only seeds.im worry because he needs to eat fresh food.and he does not.
how i can "teach" him to eat it?
>>>Try taking seeds out and only offer fruit/veggies for a meal. Also, try pretending like you are eating the fruit and make real yummy sounds, then hand the piece of fruit to the bird - this sometimes teaches them it is good stuff. Also you can mix veggies into "birdy bread" you bake (look online for a recipe).

third - can i put un-eated veggies and fruit back to refrigerator? then save it for later?
>>> fruit-no, fresh veggies can stay out a bit(10 miutes) and still be put back if untouched, not cooked ones though; better to just throw stuff away when in doubt

fourth - when he is out of cage he let me touch him sometimes. he is so sweet then.but sometimes he bit me. And that is very painfull!

>>>> you MUST get over your fear. Baby birds just naturally pinch and bite to learn about their world and other people. YOU need to read up on training and biting. It is CRITICAL that you teach a young bird that they cannot control you by biting or you may create a bird that will lead a long unhappy life with little affection and human contact. Do NOT yell or act afraid when they bite. Simply tell them No in a stern voice(not yellling) and rotate your wrist slightly backward to throw them a bit off balance and make a serious face. Read up online on this stuff. You can also "read" the birds mood and sense when they are more likely to bite - for example when htey first come out of a cage them are energized and want to chewe on things, so wait until they burn off some energy chewing on toys before trying to cuddle. Birds are not mean by nature, they do what YOU teach them to do.

[Alyson1977]

Hello Daki,
I also adopted a macaw about 8 months ago and everything was very new to me as well so, the best thing you can do to help your bird was to find this site, because overhere we can always help each other out. So ask questions when ever you have them.
As far as how to teach him to eat other foods, what has worked for me in the past is to actually eat the food yourself in front of your bird, like the other person said, and really make sound like ummm goooood and take your time and then offer it to him.
My bird is an adult macaw and he was only eating seeds and that's how I intruduced other kinds of foods to him.
You have to be really Patient with your bird, I think the advantage that you have is that he/she is only 7 months old and if he has any bad habbits it will not be hard to break.
If you're patient with him, he will start to come up to you.
I know that the best time to bond with your bird is feeding time, so make sure you have some time to hang around him during that time.

Lucky has 4 bowls in his cage one has seeds that I put in in the morning another has water, the other I add milk and water with cheerios for him in the morning and in the other bowl he gets fruits the mix can type from shoprite.

At night when I get home I toss the cherios out and put in what ever we have for dinner in one bowl.
Lucky loves everything, from burgers/steak to pasta to chicken to rice, hot dogs, you name it and If I eat it he eats it too. He even eats salmon.


As far as petting your bird, let him get more used to you and then start petting him more. Lucky is was very hostile at first, because of all of his previous owners who had him. So what I started doing to him after a while to be able to pet him was wrapping him up in a towel and petting his head, then I let him loose and he sits in my lap and I am able to pet him on his head. I think the wrapping him up like a baby really makes him feel secured and that's why he lets me pet him afterwards with no problem.

[daki7878]

thank u guys for your answers.
well i think it will take long time to teach him to eat anything else then seeds and apples.
if i give him only veggies or fruit (without mixing it with seeds) he becomes very angry and nervous.

i discovered today that he also likes eggs,so thats one more plus.

Now, i need your help again!

Im trying to understand my parrot.
From the first day when i got him he sometimes acts in this way - he makes some short sounds and in the same time he moves his wings for a second. then after 10 sec he repeat it.
It last for about 4-5 minutes.
During this time he seams to be relaxed (or atleast i think so) and he usually do thet in my presence and when he is in cage after beeing out for aprox half hour.He does that even while eating.
What does it mean?
Is that normal parrot (macaw) body language?
why he does that?

And one more thing...
He is sooo scared when i put anything new in the cage (toy,stand...)
I have to take it out or he will not go to that part of the cage for the rest of the day!
Should i ignore it and live new things for longer time so he will get used to it?

Some people sugested me that i shuold take him to a vet just to check his general healt to see if everithing is OK.
Should i do that? He seams to be in perfect healt to me!~

[macawlover]

Birds are very good at hiding illnesses, so I would bring him to the vet for a couple blood tests, just to be sure he's healthy.

By what you described by the wing thing, it seems as if he wants to step up on your arm. I know you might be intimidated by his beak, but you'll get used to it after awhile, don't worry! Just keep working with him and you both will become more comfortable with each other. Does he hol up a foot when he does this wing thing?

With him being scared of new things, I would put the new item (toy, perch, etc) in the same room where he can see it but it's far enough away to not be scared of it. Then I would slowly move closer to his cage (like 6 inches a day), then eventually put it in the cage. Hopefully he'll be used to the new toy enough so that he isn't scared of it anymore.

[teresasbirds]

"From the first day when i got him he sometimes acts in this way - he makes some short sounds and in the same time he moves his wings for a second. then after 10 sec he repeat it."

When the baby does this is it pulling its wings up and out a little and making a honking kind of sound? If so usually macaws do this when they are begging for food and a young bird will also do it when it has a bacterial infection or yeast infection......I would suggest taking the baby to the vet for a check up to rule out any health issues.

[KimM]

Yes, You came to a great place with experienced macaw owners who can help. Heres my 2 cents.

first is - when is the best time to feed them?

I free feed - meaning I leave food in for mine all the time. They each get a slice of apple or a couple of grapes in the am. I just change their water and food in the am and in the pm after work. In the pm, they get fruit and/or veggies when I come home from work like bananas, sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots. I do cook their veggies. Also, get a good avian vet and ask what they would eat in the wild and duplicate that as much as you're able.

second - he like seeds. If i put veggies and fruit in separate bowl he will not eat that. only seeds.im worry because he needs to eat fresh food.and he does not.
how i can "teach" him to eat it?

You'll probably need to "wean" them off of a lot of the seeds. Get a good nutrtional pellet i.e. Harrisons, Roudybush or Lafabers and see what he likes. And I agree, you eat it with them. Don't worry they won't hurt you - I've eaten them myself. Also eat the veggies and fruit and make a big fuss "Mmmm yummy... goood!" Works on mine everytime! LOL


third - can i put un-eated veggies and fruit back to refrigerator? then save it for later?

I personally do not. If they've eaten some in a bowl, I throw away what they don't eat. Note: Macaws waste 40% of their food. That's why I give an apple slice.. If they want more I get them another, etc.

fourth - when he is out of cage he let me touch him sometimes. he is so sweet then.
but sometimes he bit me. And that is very painfull!
I dont know when hes gonna bit me so im scared to touch him anymore! lol
Will this behaviour change in future or at least he will bit with less force?

[i]A macaw's MO is intimidation. He's testing you and is also unsure. Be patient, but do not tolerate the biting. It is painful! One tip is wrap your arms and hands (leaving fingers free) in a couple of ace bandages. It works great. Also, if he is on your arm and starts to bite/nip, try a wobble correction. Just wobble your arm slightly so he loses balance. He'll forget about biting to regain his balance. When you give the wobble, tell him in a firm but quiet voice, NO. Try that for a start and see how it works.

He does not make any loud noise so im very happy for that.only noise (but its not that loud) he makes when he is hungry.
and he is still young (7 months).

He may always be somewhat quiet or may not be comfortable yet in his surroundings. Encourage happy sounds, talk to him as much as you can and use a happy calm tone of voice constantly reinforcing the good noises he uses. If he starts screaming, we'll tackle that issue if it arises.