Anybody here have Macaw Parrots?

[GoldDogsMom]

Thanks! I plan to print out everyone's comments and give to my friends when they come to dinner tomorrow. I really appreciate all the advice!

 

[mr.mc.]

Hello everyone. I just need to say, I LOVE MY MACAW!
I know he is just a little guy(Hahn's mini macaw), but he has one BIG personality!

 

[Evelle]

Hi
i just wanted to share this
I am scared of macaws.. and for a good reason..
my mother worked for an avian vet in idaho for many years.. one day one of Dr. Sonyas regular pationts came in a red winged macaw but the owner was not the one who brought it in..
the police officer said to Dr. Sonya that she might have to watch the bird for awaile as the owner was in the hopital.
we started freeking out (i was in the office helping alot)
now Dr sonya had a office macaw Beautiful bird named Kaokkie.
little side note when i had my first daughter kaokkie jumped off her tree and crawled to Destanee (my daughter) and said KOOKIE lol i loved that!!
anyways back to story. the lady a few weeks later had called and told Sonya to rehome the bird.
the reason for it was it got jelouse she was talking on the phone and attacked her put her in the hospital and she had to have reconstructive surgery on her nose and eye socket!!!
VERY SCARY!! that it out of no where a bird shes had for 15 somewhat year just out of nowhere attacked her when she was on the phone..
the poor beautiful bird had to be put down for she couldnt put a bird that was "agressive" up for adoption

i felt so sorry for it but my once respect for these birds turned into total FEAR!!

i just felt i needed to share this story

 

[pinkfoxfarm]

unfortunate story...

but...

theres no such thing as an "out of nowhere" attack.
ALL haelthy animals give a warning....
the probelm is as humans we typically miss those wsarnings...

id put money that this bird displayed many warning behaviours, uneasy body language ect and it just whent unnoticed...

i also highly doubt that the birds reaction was jealousy...
more likley fear...a "strange" item next to his persons face = a panniked bird whos natual instinct is to bite you to move you away from the item and the item to get it away from you...unfortunatly for this woman her face became the victim of an incredibly powerfull beak...but i seroulsy highly doubt the bird got jealous and randomly attacked her.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Quote:
I have to agree with pinkfoxfarm. For whatever reason, it is difficult for people to read birds' emotions, which is usually what makes people think attacks come out of no where. So many things could have caused the bird to attack the lady. At 15, it is very likely hormones played a role. Many birds don't start sexually maturing until later in life and I've seen extremely sweet birds turn "attack bird" overnight. Sometimes it has to do with the seasons, or something they've chosen as their "mate", etc. With large birds, unfortunately injuries become an occupational hazard. Unfortunately some people get hit harder than others. My point is that you can never let your guard down 100% around large parrots. Even the sweetest and most trustowrthy birds can just have a bad day.

As for the plucker, I think you've gotten some great advice so far! The sanctuary where I work while I'm home from college uses a product called featheriffic in the pluckers' food. It's a powder and I have seen quite a difference in the birds that are on it. Feathers start to grow in places I thought had been completely damaged by plucking. It's definitely worth a try and the birds seem to like it. We just sprinkle it on top of their normal pellets and avi cakes.

http://www.avitec.com/Featheriffic-Feather-Conditioning-Supplement-p/fr.htm

 

[chickens? not yet]

Quote:
I agree with everything you said, I had a Sun Conure and I drove an 18 wheeler and used the C.B. radio, whenever I put the mike to my mouth she would have a fit! I always thought she thought it was a snake or something that was going to hurt me cause she would start biting me, in the wild when they sense danger and a bird doesn't get moving after they screamed the alarm they will bite it to get it to move. To understand any animal you have to understand how they communicate. They all speech their own language. Most of their language is with their bodies, and some loud mouths!lol

 

[GoldDogsMom]

Thanks Chickerdoodle, I am going to send the link to my friends for featheriffic. It's worth a try!

 

[stoopid]

Not that will make too much of a difference... I have a few books on parrot behavior, and one of the statements that I find so true....
"A parrot is a baby dinosaur with a can opener attached to its face."
I have been bitten many times, and always try to remember that one, standing over the sink, bleeding.
The biter is a breeder female, that I am still trying to figure out, had her for 10 years.
I understand it, but she really tries me sometimes...

 

[ChickenCanoe]

There was a Macaw at a breeding facility in Costa Rica that did that and had done so for years. The biologists told me it would probably do that forever. It had a mate and they gave it special vitamins and minerals besides those that the other birds had - to no avail. It had been stressed at one time and the behavior became obsessive. You know it wasn't picked by other birds because all the feathers on its head were intact.
The thing is to make sure it stays warm and dry.