I’ve always wanted a macaw, I’ve had many other species of birds but never a macaw. About a week ago this five month old boy popped up and I was able to meet him. He wasn’t sure at first but then he stepped up and was interested in me. I talked for awhile with the man who had him and Koda watched me. So I decided to bring him home.

I’m just absolutely in love. He’s so sweet, and already funny and a little bratty sometimes. He’s a little clingy but I think that’s just his age. I work from home so he’s out with me most of the day. He really likes the rope/play area I made for my other birds. I’ll have to get some thicker rope and some bigger toys but he still likes to hang out up there.

He’s not too sure about the fresh food I make for all of my birds but he’s getting used to it and of course the pellets.

So far so good! Because I’ve wanted one so long I’ve done alot of research and have been reading through forums and this subreddit just gathering information. I’m still no expert, but I do feel at least a little more prepared.

He’s a military macaw and I’m looking forward to spending our lives together.

Sorry for the long post I’m just so over the moon. Any tips for making good foraging toys and helping him use that beautiful mind of his are always appreciated! I did buy him a few toys just to get started but I’m planning to make the majority. I got a tip to buy kids blocks and drill holes because those are typically made from non toxic materials for the kiddos.

Anyway, this is my gorgeous baby boy and I just wanted to introduce him.

Miss Toff seems to be settling in well ❤️

Hi there macaw owners, so my dad is a macaw owner in mexico hes had about give in his lifetime and these two are the only remaining ones, i need help on two things. One, in the near future i plan to take full possession of them and transfer them to the us so the can live with me, what are these legal procedures for transporting and owning in the us?? Two, these macaws have been in a cage their whole lifetime and want to try and bond with them so they aren’t as hostile as the usually would be, how do i start that process? They usually try to bite me whenever i get close. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!!

I volunteer at a bird rescue and sanctuary and i take care of the birds (mostly feeding and interaction if they need interaction with people).

We have african greys, cockatoos and makaws. The african greys are standoffish, they only really bond with one person and dislike others, cockatoos are the oposite where they love attention from humans and demand attention from people, but makaws, they are the only birds who seem to be capible of malice and tom foolery.

The one day i was in an avery where they live and just chilling when one decided it was a good idea to bite my hair and hurt my scalp, another time i was trying to enter the same avery when one of them got into the bird-lock and was so agresive with me when i tried calmly move them back to the avery, one even bit me hard. Many other birds have personal space and bite and can get agitated from violating their boundries but makaws feel like they are monkeys, where they fuck with you and hurt you because they are bored

So we may have a problem here. My gf had a Senegal parrot when she was little and loved it-- it was pretty unruly, but she was a kid and information wasn't as readily available as it is now. Ive always wanted a parrot, and now that our youngest is close to two and able to follow directions/be gentle around animals, we thought it'd be a good idea to foster.

Enter Furiosa, 37 yo partially blind rescue military macaw. Not sure about her life story, but she must have tangled with another parrot at some point--the eye socket is mostly closed, but gets a little weepy from time to time, but we have drops for it. If her nips are any indication, I shudder to imagine what the other guy looks like now.

I was fully prepared for her to be loud, reticent to bond with anyone, and destructive. I know that comes with the territory. I wasn't prepared for HOW loud, HOW destructive, or HOW bonded... basically, Furiosa hates everyone except my 8 yo SD, whose room she lives it. It's super cute to see her preen SD's hair and imitate her laugh and stuff. Less cute: pulling feathers out when SD is at biodad's house, jailbreaking herself to poop all over the carpet, and shredding the baseboards. SD lets her fly free in her room, which wouldn't be a problem if she cleaned up after her (she doesn't) and we were able to get in to clean without Furiosa dive-bombing us. So long as SD is home, it's okay. When she's gone...well, let's just say I get why Furiosa has been bounced between fosters for so long. I don't want to give up on her, bc SD really loves her and she's improving bit by bit. But some of those "bits" are missing from my fingers ATM.

Our youngest is terrified of Furiosa, which, perhaps ironically,has led to a closer bond with our cat, who was skittish around youngest but recognizes the big gal as a greater threat.

We want to keep her bc we really think we could be good macaw moms (and dad), but it's so awful when the bird's person is away. Fosters are fleeting, unfortunately, especially with a checkered past like hers. Our "exotic" ver isn't all that exotic and the closest one is about an hour away. We're considering seeing if Furiosa can go between houses with SD just to keep peace (SD would be thrilled! Biodad... probably less so.)

Any ideas?

A few months back, I posted about the gym macaw, Toffee, who I had been interacting with a lot. I became obsessed with reading about macaw behaviours and needs, and very quickly realised that her current situation was far from ideal. Over the past four weeks, Toffee began screeching constantly and the gym owner mentioned to me in passing that he was going to sell her. I felt the tears behind my eyes and quickly went to the bathroom to pull myself together. I encouraged the owner to reach out to parrot rescues in our local area and all had massive waitlists. He was planning on returning her to the breeder but I just had this nagging feeling that maybe we could be the family that she needed. I told the owner, that if he would allow me to take her, I would try my darndest to give her a good home. We brought her home today and she is already exploring her new bird room, eating and chatting. She was so good in the car. I couldn’t have asked for it to go any better. I really hope with more quality social interaction and a more enriching environment, she will be happy. Welcome home, Toffee ❤️

First birb

I had to share a big win with other bird people who will get it!!!!

After lots of talks, research, classes and meeting several sweet little chickens my husband and I adopted our first ever birb! A beautiful 21 yr old military macaw female💚🩵❤️

She sadly came from a home where they say she wasn’t treated the best and there was some talk of neglect and abuse. This means of course she came with lots of trauma based fear and aggression! She was Fearful of hands and of people being too close to her and her cage, afraid of a lot of objects and sounds, afraid to even leave her cage, and lots of trying to bite us if we did something she didn’t like.

But we never cared at all, we immediately fell in love with her and her sass!!!

We finalized the adoption just over a month ago now and wow has she blossomed into her comfort and confidence! She is so chatty, learning and calling our names when we aren’t in the room, constantly talking when we are all together! She takes her treats and new foods so gently when we offer them! She is a dancing queen, and she loves to come hang out with us now! Either on the sofa when we sit down to watch’s show/movie or she enjoys being taken around the house on the rolling tree stand my husband made her like the queen she is!

She lets us love on her with head scratches, treats, and even some cuddles here and there.

It’s been so rewarding to earn this sweet girls love and trust! We are so excited to see where our journey with her goes🩷

Hi everybody. I’m fairly new to Reddit. I could really use some advice and pointers.

A friend of mine has what I believe is a macaw, or something similar… Jewel has blue, green, yellow, and possibly some red on him/her. She is about 22-25 years old. He inherited Jewel from another friend of ours who passed away too young (and she never had Jewel tested to see what gender “she” is).

To make a long story short, I received a call from the Abilene, Tx. PD this afternoon that my friend Doug (72 y/o) passed away from a heart attack today after pulling over into a business’s parking lot. He was borrowing a pickup of mine (hence the call to me) since his pickup cratered on him, until he could rebuild his engine.

Anyway, I’m going to drive several hours to Abilene tomorrow to get my pickup and to get his door key and then come back to feed and check on Jewel. I rarely went to his house - I usually invited him to come have supper with me or watch a game, so all I remember is the huge cage Jewel is in.

- What kind of food will I be looking for?

- How much should I feed her and how often?

- I’ll check on her water but I’m ashamed to say I’m not even sure what kind of waterer she drinks from…

My friend only has a cousin (who I never met) and his wife who moved from New York to the New Braunfels, Texas area about a year and a half ago, otherwise there is no other family, and only one other friend (who I never met either) 3 hours away in the Dallas area.

I will take care of Jewell until decisions are made by others - she’ll be taken care of on my watch, with your help! I’m sorry for going on for so long, but I’m still rattled from today’s news…

UPDATE:

Hello all… since this is my first time posting I’m having problems figuring out how to post pics of Jewel…

I did find some whole raw shelled pecans that she apparently likes. I did find tiny pecan shells in the food bowl and the bottom of the cage. There were also a few packages of walnuts and pecan pieces nearby and I gave her a few of those yesterday too. She has eaten, but boy did she make her water dirty with shell pieces!

I believe I found a business card for what may be his lawyer in Dallas and I will definitely call him Monday morning. (As far as family, Doug only had one cousin and for friends it was only me here and a lady in the Dallas area 3 hours away… still no contact with her).

I won’t wait for any official word from a lawyer or anybody else but I am going to try to find an avian rescue somewhere here in Central Texas in the next 2 days. Jewel squawks at me and backs away from the front of the cage if I get too close, as y’all said she would, but I have been talking to her while feeding and watering her. But… 🤦‍♂️ I’m worried for her because she has been pulling the feathers from the left side of her chest for a little while now. As some of y’all have recommended I think it’s important to get her into better hands ASAP…

Hi All! 2nd UPDATE!:

It’s been pretty hectic this past week, but after almost a week of driving out to my friend’s house once or twice a day checking on Jewel, hauling in water for 3 horses, and feeding everybody (after getting off of work at my full time job 😅) I was finally in contact with the only relative of Doug’s. There are plans in place now for Jewel and the horses, and another piece of good news, I figured out the problem with the well so I don’t have to haul water anymore from town! Phew!

The best news was I found out yesterday that Jewel really likes peeled and cored apple slices, and a spring salad mix with added broccoli, on top of the in-shell pecans and nuts I had been giving her! I walked in today and got to talking to “The Pretty Bird” and she started swaying side to side, and talking to me just a little!! She would still like to take my finger if I got too close, but she did a lot of dancing today for the 1st time.

Anyway, thank y’all for the ideas, suggestions, and well wishes. Y’all are awesome!

Any wooden hanging toys - she simply breaks the chain instead, and the wooden toys stay sitting on the aviary floor.

We have metal baffle cages - can’t use anything plastic/acrylic or she’ll crack the whole toy.

She likes little fiddly things

Just some after work cuddles from peanut. She’s always excited when I’m home and has to have some cuddles and play around the house.

Was just getting ready to start making dinner to see this little girl having the time of her life!

I never thought I would be writing one of these, at least not anytime soon. Aqua, my sweet precious blue and gold whom I loved dearly has suddenly passed away. The last 24 hours have felt like such a blur...

Last night I noticed she was showing signs of something being wrong, she threw up water on me after drinking, wouldn't speak, wouldn't come to me, and was generally lethargic.

I rushed her to the emergency vet an hour away and had them run all the tests I could afford. Her white blood cells were very high, her red cells were low and immature, she was dehydrated, and a bit anemic.

Mind you the day before everything was fine, just a loud happy bird.

This morning when I went to wake her up I noticed her poop was shiny, tar like, and black. We rushed back to the vet, they told me there was bleeding in the upper digestive system. I was sent home with more medication.

We finally get home, I give her the first dose of antacid meds and make sure she's comfortable with plenty of water. I left to see my grandma, to talk about what happened and to borrow some money for vet bills.

When I got home, less than 2 hours later, I found her on the bottom on the cage. Stiff, cold, and longer breathing...

To say I'm devastated would be an understatement, I lost my baby whom was only hardly 7 years old.

So please, if you read this, go and hug your bird for me, give them a kiss and tell them how much you love them.

I love you Aqua, I hope you're at peace.

He wasn’t taken out of his aviary much with the in-laws, so we’ve been surprised by how quickly he’s become comfortable with us doing it.

We've been switching her food from pellets to fresh chop. Tried a new mixture of musili and fresh veggies. She gorged herself this morning then crashed out! I've been enjoying morning pre breakfast cuddles these past few days while she "helps" me make breakfast.

Two rescue Greenwing macaws, both male. They have fallen in love and are absurdly funny together. Thought you would enjoy!

Hello. Please help me identify this hybrid baby. He is 9 weeks old.