Animal Stories - Macaws


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Latest Animal Stories on Macaws (648)

Teresa - 2014-11-02
can I give my macaw the hard seed from a Australian lepper tree to chew on

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Clarice Brough - 2014-11-03
I'm not familiar with this tree, but I would research it before giving the seeds to your bird to make sure they aren't toxic.

Anita - 2010-03-10
My husband and I adopted a 4 year old Severe from a pet store 1 1/2 years ago. We were told it's a girl but she says,"Hi Bubba" all the time. We renamed her Bella and she can talk very well but she refuses to say Bella. I initially thought we made a big mistake and never in a million years did I think we would own a Macaw. She would run to the back of the cage away from me and wanted nothing to do with us. She was very nippy and un- predictable. She is now the love of my life and the sunshine of my day. We also have an African Cape that I adore and raised from age 4 months but the personality and affection of a Severe tops it all. She went from running scared to never leaving me alone. She will march through the house looking for us with her sister (our Cape named Gabby) behind her. I can now wrap my arm around her to hug and kiss her and she loves it and just melts. She throws herself on her back while laying in my arms to play. It took about 9 months to gain her trust by taking it a step at a time and now she loves all of us. We were told she was raised by a male so she favored my husband at first but now she loves my daughter and I'm her favorite. Love and time made our Bella the love of my life and our lives.

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Erika - 2014-10-11
Can you tell me some of the things to help her turn around and gain our trust. Mine prefers men and will talk when men are around, but i am the only one who handles her. She will eventuslly come out of thr cage sometimes after coaxing her for a long time with treats. What else I can do? Once she gets out she loves going out to the pond and walking around the yard with me holding her. Every time is like starting over.

Tom Lucas - 2014-10-08
It was noted that yes Flame babies don't always look like the one pictured. I would just like to confirm this as a breeder. They can look like what is pictured, but can also look similar to a Harlequin, other than the color on the chest and lighter on the back. In addition I would like to note that the picture of the Quatro shown is hit or miss as well. Somethings the babies look totally different from one clutch to another. I can say this for a fact being we submitted the picture. In my opinion that is the cool thing about the Hybrids - You really never get one to look exactly the same as the other. This coincides with the personalities of all the birds - They are as individual as each of us. Thanks Tom

Lyle Krueger II - 2014-10-03
I have a Boliviana Military Macaw and he has a bad tendency to bite me. He has yet to bite anybody else, but bites me when he gets upset or startled. Sometimes he bites me because he is excited and I have to pick him up, I put my arm near his legs and he bites my arm. This happened a week ago when I took him to our groomer and when the groomer came out Paco got really excited, saying hello, whistling, and dancing. He really likes the guy we go to for grooming. Once he bit my lower lip when a visitors son walked under Paco and hit the tail with his head. Paco freaked, bit my lip and got his upper beak stuck in my lower lip. This led to me having to go to the ER to get stitches. I would really like to know some techniques that will help change this sort of behavior. He is still young. He will be 9 years old in December. I have had him since he was 6 years and one month. In that time he has bitten me at least two dozen times. Most bird owners I know would not tolerate this and would have gotten rid of him long ago. My wife does not like the fact that he bites and will not go anywhere near him. She is also fearful now that we have a new baby in the house. I'm completely open to suggestions and any advice or alternatives will be taken into serious consideration. I hope to find one that works. Find me on Facebook and send me a message. Thank you for taking your time to read this. Sincerely, Retired Gulf War era/Iraq War veteran Lyle Krueger II

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Clarice Brough - 2014-10-09
He sounds like he's a great bird in general, but is resopnding to certain triggers by biting you. The biting seems to occur as the result of fear or being unable to respond to stimuli in a better way, so here's a couple suggestions to try. Avoid things that trigger biting as much as possible. When he does bite, push your hand towards him and then put him in his cage and leave the room. Don't show any other response. When he's not biting, be very affectionate to set the perferred tone of the relationship. You can also try the BirdTricks training videos for this macaw, Training A Military Macaw, we've heard great reports about their bird training over the years.

Maryke - 2014-04-29
We bought a ILLeger's macaw in December 2013, he was 6 weeks. He is adorable, we hand feed him, he walks around in the house, sits in his cage and playstand, sits on our shoulder, is very loveable, he eats everything, fruit, his pallets and seeds. But it is now 9 days that he started to moan, while he is eating, walks around, and even when he is sitting on our shoulders, he is moaning non stop, till he goes to sleep. He stopped playing with his toys, only wants to eat seeds (nothing else), and where he sits, he sits and moans, only goes down to eat and drink water. I'm irritated with his moaning, it's from when he wakes up till he goes to sleep! Can anyone help me please! What did I do wrong for Marley to moan non stop!

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Patsy Harper - 2014-09-25
Please take him to his Avian certified vet immediately. It's possible he is making happy noises. But you can't take a chance. Where are you located? I have a list of very good vets all over the country. Please send me a message when you find out what is wrong. Please?

Donna - 2012-06-07
Hi Charlie -- Just wanted you to know that our Hahn's 'Dublin' is doing well after all the help you gave us. She has a large vocabulary and is talking all the time (quite clearly) and always has us smiling. Now the problem -- she still has a problem with stepping up on our fingers/hands and still bites quite a bit. We cannot try to touch her or she bites. We would love to hold her but she still wants to bite both my husband and me. How can we get her to trust us? She is approximately 9 months old (we got her when she was about 5 months) and we think she wasnt' treated very well. Can you help us again?????? Thanks for any suggestions. Donna

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Charlie Roche - 2012-06-07
If you go to Bing.com and just enter 'how to stop a parrot from biting' you will bring up several articles from trainors etc on that subject. Me - I would concentrate very hard on exactly what your Hahns is doing before he goes to bite. What is the body position, wings, look of the eyes etc. Just what is he doing before he goes to bite. If you take your hand and make a tight fist (thumb in) and you present the back of your hand to the Hahns, he can't bite it cuz he can't get a hold of any skin. You can do this a bunch of times and it will relax you and it will start to show him that biting just isn't going to work. Hold that fist tight - he can hit you with his beak but honest, that doesn't hurt. Just do it - he will slowly start to give up trying to bite. That was step 1. This is step 2 which will sound terrible but not going to hurt him at all. I would take that fella and I would throw a towel over that guy and then grab him up in the towel and hold him. You throw the towel over him (better if you start with him on the fllor) and then just push him down to the ground or a flat surface and wrap your fingers around his neck holding the towel. You are using the towel sort of like you would use a kitchen mit. He will be able to bite the towel but not you. It may take a few minutes ( not more than two) but he will settle. You don't squeeze - just hold, like you hold a childs hand firmly when crossing the street. Now you just hold him, talk to him, sing whatever and gradually just pet the top of his head. The idea here is to get him used to the fact that you will not hurt him. You are just going to hold him. Now take it from there to placing him on the bed or on the floor in a small room (like the bathroom) and let him come to you - great if you have a treat. I had one bird that would bite (out of a bunch) and just couldn't get her to stop. I called a trainor and she said when the bird looked like it was going to bite, grab it yell 'JAIL' and put it in the bathtub. Turn out the lights and close the door and count to 60. The third time I yelled 'Jail' - that bird shook like a dog coming out of water but assumed the relaxed position. She never bit me again. I still can't get over that one but that is what the trainor said and it worked. Closet, bathub etc. That little guy can't be just 9 months. Baby birds beaks are soft - the bite doesn't hurt. It is sorta like a puppy gumming you to death. The top thing to remember is that you have to relax. You have to be not nervous. I can see where you would be but you have to relax. Get that Hahns on the floor - on the bed - anywhere but the top of his cage. It will help a lot. Have no idea why the 'Jail' thing worked but it did but you have to be able to grab him to do it.
randombirdgirl - 2014-09-14
what are hahns macaws like? are they really bitey and feisty by nature or just if you neglect them? I went to a pet store to find one and it was kind of bitey. and how many hours a day do you need to spend with them to make sure they don't bite and get aggressive. in general if you've never had a bird but want a tiny bit of a challenge are they a good pet? and if not what is?
randombirdgirl - 2014-09-14
what is the hahns macaw like? Ive never had a bird but a wan a small challenge. are they a good pet for what I would like? and if not what is? I just would like some pet expertise here.

murray lane - 2014-09-10
i have a scarlet macaw ,she is not a nice bird at all we have had her for 18 months.i'm the only you she likes .my wife talks to her and feeds her treats but she doesnt not like her ,she bites her foot when she comes in the room.any info would help?

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Clarice Brough - 2014-09-10
It sounds like your Scarlet Macaw was not well socialized as a juvenile, and then some parrots simply prefer men, and other prefer women. It takes a lot of time and patience to improve or change this type of behavior pattern, and it may never change. Macaws have excellent memories... once they learn behaviors that work for them, yeah, sounds like a patience and love scenario.

Krishna Mishra - 2013-03-19
Dear Sir, I want to open a Macaw parrots nursery & i am request to you.. Please give me details of macaw food, breeds, training & more thanks... Yours Truly... Krishna Mishra

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Jackie mast - 2013-11-04
Scarlets eat all day and eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. my bird loves sunflower seeds and nuts but the also needs to eat grains that you can by at any pet store or animal feed store, well at least here you can. I give him green apples, grapes, cooked carrots, broccoli, potatoes, jicama, and any fresh fruits and vegetables. And you will learn through time what each bird likes or dislikes, all are different. I hope this helped you on at least the diet part. Also I don't give my bird water from the tap I give him filtered water.
Shovo - 2014-09-01
Can I pair a male blue and gold macaw with a female scarlet macaw for sexing? When blue and goldand scarlet macaw are adult for sex ?
Clarice Brough - 2014-09-01
There lots of good information about foods, training, breeding and more... on the Macaw Care Guide pege. Sexing these birds is not possibly visually, but rather can be done by a vet with a surgical probe or via a DNA sample. See the breeding section in the Macaw Care Guide to learn more.

Pedro Perez - 2014-08-02
3 years ago i ran into max. . . . She's a 51/2 blue and gold macaw. . . . She's the love of my life and i take her with me in town

sam - 2014-07-21
6 months ago i was lucky to come across and bought a 6yr old male maui sunrise named jaffa he bonded with my 6yr old female scarlet macaw ruby straight away i thought my scarlet was colorful but jaffa's so bright and majestic if you would like to see more of them please join us on facebook 'diamond ruby jaffa macaws'

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