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Cheeta
Moderator
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 7970
Location: Australia |
Hmmm sounds like i better become a mother first before get my hands on those macaws!! LOL... 
Tine, sorry I can't help myself, I just had to post your beautiful baby for the world to see!! I hope you don't mind.
Click here to see Taylor
Click here to see Taylor eating
Tina, I just noticed something.... Did the previous owner had any sort of toys in Taylor's cage? It seems a bit bare from the pics you sent me... Just wondering... Macaws love toys, they are very destrustive, they need chewable toys for them to chew to keep the beak in top conditions as well. |
Monday August 15, 2005 4:15 pm |
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tina
Just hatched
Joined: 13 Aug 2005
Posts: 46
Location: USA/Michigan |
ok, I hope my motherly instincts and behavior will work on him, but I am scared of his beak. If I am to try to hold him and he bit, I'll never be able to get over it. Should I not hold him for a while or what. I am so confused. |
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Monday August 15, 2005 4:18 pm |
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Cheeta
Moderator
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 7970
Location: Australia |
Macaws can sense the nervous vibes from human, and they do take advantage of that to establish the pecking order so to speak. When you are near Taylor, or handling him, stay as calm as possible. You'll be just fine. Those birds are so big in size, they can be very intimidating if you ask me!! LOL.
Just keep calm, and let him come to you, let him learn to trust you first before handling Taylor. He needs to learn that it's ok to trust, and to let down his guard. Give him lots of love and patience and you'll win him over eventually, and you'll have the funnest time together. ! |
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Monday August 15, 2005 4:24 pm |
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Cathy
Kamikaze pilot
Joined: 02 Apr 2005
Posts: 6673
Location: Omaha, NE USA |
Oh! Taylor is absolutely gorgeous! I love him! Thanks for posting those Bih  |
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Monday August 15, 2005 4:36 pm |
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Cheeta
Moderator
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 7970
Location: Australia |
It was my pleasure Cathy. Taylor is beautiful isn't he! I am so very in love again!! LOL |
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Monday August 15, 2005 4:48 pm |
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tina
Just hatched
Joined: 13 Aug 2005
Posts: 46
Location: USA/Michigan |
I am glad you guys like him. I just talked to the owner and she said that she clipped his wings and he'll be ready to be picked up tommorow. I am so excited. As for your question cheeta, yes he had some toys(not too many), hanging from the ceiling of his cage, but not too interesting . We'll she live in a farm and she hangs a lot of oak and maple wood chunks and she has a lot of those around him all the time(according to her). She said he is destructive and she has to keep wood aroung him all the time. I am worried about that, I have to buy a lot of toys and he's going to destroy them. Is this going to cost me a lot of money guys? |
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Monday August 15, 2005 8:48 pm |
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Cathy
Kamikaze pilot
Joined: 02 Apr 2005
Posts: 6673
Location: Omaha, NE USA |
They definitely are not cheap to keep! Your macaw will need, & will go through a lot of wood. The more wood you supply him with, the more things he can chew up & destroy, the better!
Macaws need to have something to do all the time when they're not sleeping, they get bored very easily & will become destructive to your goods, as wel as to their feathers, if they don't always have something to keep them occupied.
Get him some kind of good large ropes & swings. You can make your own toys for him too, but like I said, he will soon destroy all of his wooden toys, but it is necessary for them to have things to chew up & destroy.
Be sure to check out the "toys" forum on here for some ideas too. |
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Monday August 15, 2005 9:13 pm |
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Chaquita's Mom
Experienced flier
Joined: 29 Jun 2005
Posts: 1028
Location: Pennsylvania, USA |
WOW Tina! Taylor is beautiful!!  I can't wait to hear all about your experiences with him! We'll all guide you through the process so make sure you don't lose us  Like the others mentioned, you can also make toys which is a lot cheaper than store bought ones. Just be sure to find out about "safe" wood. You can also get baby toys that are tough and will definately last longer than wood. Just no rubber or teething rings with liquid in them. Hard plastic toys are best. Just an idea. |
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Tuesday August 16, 2005 12:31 pm |
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tina
Just hatched
Joined: 13 Aug 2005
Posts: 46
Location: USA/Michigan |
I have a question for chaquita's mom. What kind of wood is safe and what is not safe. I went to the pet store yesterday, there is a lot of wooden items for parrots, but they range from 10 to 15 dollars. That is too much for a toy that is going to get destroyed. I see a lot of wooden items at the dollar store, but I am too scared to get them because they don't say what kind of wood they are made of. |
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Tuesday August 16, 2005 1:15 pm |
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Chaquita's Mom
Experienced flier
Joined: 29 Jun 2005
Posts: 1028
Location: Pennsylvania, USA |
I see you're from the USA so maple or oak should be fine. Just make sure the wood isn't treated lumber. You can get 2 by 4's and cut them up into small blocks. Or you can get those 1 inch thick oak boards and cut those up. You can get round rods in many thicknesses and cut those up to. When you go to the pet store, you can get a general idea of how to make a toy and re-use some of it's parts like the chains and stuff, therefore making it much cheaper.
a lot of times you can get away with just giving him the pieces by themselves and he'll hold them and gnaw them up. Chaquita is older and set in her ways I think and is much less destructive than a younger bird so she is really simple to please.
Today is the day right?? I'm sooooo excited for you!! |
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Tuesday August 16, 2005 5:12 pm |
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tina
Just hatched
Joined: 13 Aug 2005
Posts: 46
Location: USA/Michigan |
so your saying any 2x4 is okay, the one you get from home depot? I was supposed to pick him up today, but I can't find the right carrier for him. His cage is so big, it needs to be unassembedled and reassembeled at home, and so I need to buy a carrier from pet smart so I can put him in it. I am going to get it later on in the day and I'll for sure go tommorw to her house to get my parrot. Been so busy with cooking and the kids, I couldn't purchase the carrier early on in the day. I'll buy it later on and I'll go get him tommorow morning. I don't know what kind of carrier I should buy, or should I just buy a smaller cage for him, small enough to just fit his body through the trip? |
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Tuesday August 16, 2005 5:19 pm |
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Chaquita's Mom
Experienced flier
Joined: 29 Jun 2005
Posts: 1028
Location: Pennsylvania, USA |
hi tina. Most 2x4 is pine. I'm not sure if pine is okay, you may want to research safe woods for macaw or maybe put in a new post under the macaw forum to get advice from other macaw owners
A regular pet carrier is fine. That is what I brought Chaquita home in. Just line it with paper towels for poops. The previous owner might have to towel him to get him in. This helps to keep him calm when grabbing him.
I have Chaquita to the point where I can put her in a harness and she rides on my shoulder in the truck and I can take her shopping. Just think, to this point and I've only had her 2 1/2 months!! It's amazing where love and attention can get you 
Very excited to hear about your new arrival! Please reply tomorrow and let us know how it went. |
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Tuesday August 16, 2005 6:38 pm |
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Cheeta
Moderator
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 7970
Location: Australia |
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Hey Tina
Pine is fine as long as they are untreated. And also if you want to make it more exciting, you can always soak the pine in food colouring with water for 10 minutes or so, that way, they also have brightly coloured blocks instead of just plain old wood brownish colour.
Any sort of material you may use for the bird toys, make sure that they are untreated, and also if you're using any sort of metal, make sure that it's stainless steel. Any sort of plastic parts, make sure they are hard plastic, Best i've found so far for my cockatoo is the acralic toys, he hasn't been able to destroy those ones yet, though they do cost a bit more then other toys.
How far away is Taylor from you home? It may be an idea to some how install a perch for him to perch on on the way home if it's a fair distance. toweling is a good idea, and you may need to do that as well when you get home to get him in his cage. Another factor to think about would be the length of time from the start of the dismantling and the reassembling of the cage... does this mean Taylor will be in the carrier for those time too? there are birds carrier around... I think the winnabago (I think that's what they are called) is best as it is made for bird with perch and also foor and water bowl inside. Have towels ready as well to cover parts of the carrier so to reduce the stress for Taylor in the vehicle.
good luck and let us know how you go.
Take Care
Bih |
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Wednesday August 17, 2005 3:21 am |
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tina
Just hatched
Joined: 13 Aug 2005
Posts: 46
Location: USA/Michigan |
thanks cheeta for the advise. I will sure take it |
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Wednesday August 17, 2005 8:37 am |
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Greg Sujecki
Experienced flier
Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 1650
Location: Australia,Melbourne |
Such a beautiful Macaw Tina,well done |
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Wednesday August 17, 2005 12:09 pm |
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