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Adding a Blue and Gold macaw to my family


Satchel

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Thanks for asking. I was able to pick him or her up again on Tuesday. The vet said it was just nerves and that he or she is healthy. Of course I have been watching him or her very closely and there have been no more throw up incidents.

 

I think Tiko is settling in nicely. My fingers are extremely sore though. lol. I imagine will have to go through a few weeks of this at least.

 

Boy is he destructive. I have two big baskets, heavy duty baskets that Tiko and Tango must be on if they want to be in my room, and well Tiko has been through one already and working on a second. I read somewhere in here about how a macaw turned a toy to toothpicks in no time at all, and I can confirm that there was no exageration in that posting.

 

Tango seems to be taking the new addition okay too which is a blessing because I was very worried that he would think I was betraying him. Tango is over there on his perch rambling all his phrases. He sure does know a lot of them already. I hope he teaches Tiko to talk too.

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Didn't I tell you your second stop needs to be the lumber yard to pick up some untreated pine or Spruce cut it into blocks of 2x3 inches I call the cookies I fill up Darius's basket every morning with 6to10 cookies depending on whats left from the day before he also has acrilic toys and he love squeaky dog toys I buy big ones they last about 4 days I get them at the dollar store so they are cheap he also loves rools of toilet paper. they are very different from other birds as far as mess goes it takes me at least 1hour a day to clean up his cage and surrounding area its like haveing 3 bird instead of 1 but the joy he brings is so worth it. He loves his swings boings and his Atom ropes and chains also he has slowed down allot lately with his chewing he's only going through about 4 cookies and 4or5 of the little 1 inch alphabit blocks which he loves btw he's playing more on his swings and things he's so cute he will actually climb inside the Atom and lay on his side and look out the window for hours I got such a kick out of it the first time I saw him do this.

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Yes you did Tycos, and today this is what we are going to do. He has went through already the one basket and another wood toy is also toothpicks. It sort of makes me laugh at how well and fast he has shredding to a mastery.

 

I hear some people say that I can dye the wood cookies with food coloring. Is this a safe method as I did not hear it here? I am so looking forward to the next bird expo coming next month. I am already starting to budget a few extra hundreds for his toys alone. Oh the joy of parronting. Love my birds I do.

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Yes you can use food coloring I try not to use to much of it sometime I wil make poka dots or hearts and stripes so the whole block isn't totaly soaked I use a q-tip to draw thinks on the blocks. heres a picture of Darius laying in his Atom onhis side he's so funny:laugh:

HPIM5434.jpg

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Hi everyone,

 

I again am in need of help. Tiko is ripping me to shreds. Sometimes he is loving and well all the other times he is hurting me. My fingers are covered with band aids and scabs from all the bits. This morning he bit my finger so hard that it still hurts.

 

Why is he doing this and how do I make him stop? He gets plenty of toys, good fresh fruits and vegetables in the morning, plenty of out of cage time, seeds, nuts, and lots of love (or attempted love) until the biting begins. I am starting to wonder if I made a big mistake purchasing him and am even feeling regretful that I did so. Please help me so I can correct this problem before I learn not to like him.

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If I was you, I would pay attention to when he is doing this and take some time to learn his body language. He may be biting when he is tired, or when your grey is with you, to try to get you to put that other bird down. He may have also brought a few issues with him from the pet store. At this point it's your job to figure out what he is saying to you and make those adjustments and/or show him the proper manners for your flock. I will say this Satchel, macaws are not secretive, if you watch his body language you will know exactly what he is thinking. My TAG will act like she loves you to death and when you move in for a kiss or a scratch, she will nail you. My B&G, I can look at him and know darn well, he doesn't want me to come within 2 feet of him. I think when we bring a new family member home we are pretty excited, and then everyone is in the "honeymoon" period, once that is over, it is a matter of learning everyone's moods and attitudes and meshing them altogether so there is an even flow. I might also suggest go to this web site: http://www.birdsnway.com/boards/mt/mt.cgi they are very informative and will have tons of advice and lots of sympathy, as most are multiple bird owners and have been through this process. good luck, don't give up and just take your time with him. It will work out.

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Thank you I have went to page and left a comment. I sure hope someone can tell me what to do and soon. I have ordered the chet womach videos, but they will not be here for at least a few more day. I want to love Tiko so much and he is making it so hard.

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Good Luck with the womack videos. His name is a four letter word for the most part in this forum. Most of the biting and stuff is from not having learned his body language yet. Like when he wants to be picked up and loved on, etc. The birds body language is the key to what they are in the mood for. There are several posts in this forum that discuss body language and ways to prevent being bitten. You can now sign up for the "bitten club" and may be interested in joining F.A.R.T. or T.o.O.T. or S.P.E.W. Good Luck!

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Satchel, I'm sorry if anyone in that macaw forum offended you. I thought some of their posts were abrasive and very negative. Unfortunetly, the most "senior" members there seem to have adopted a "holier-than-thou" attitude making the less experienced macaw owners more reluctant to post their thoughts and views. I did see some encouraging words of advice and cheers, but wanted to apoligize if Don and Sandy put you off. I think it's great that you are keeping Tiko and are taking time to learn his body language and moods and all. You will be as fine a macaw owner as you are a grey owner. Don't give up.

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Thank you Christina. I did notice the same abrasiveness, so I just took what I could use and threw the rest away. I do appreciate the input you sent me since I did glean some info from the responding posts.

 

Also thank you for taking the time to send this post as well. I too believe I am going a good macaw owner just as I am a good grey owner. I had a customer come over today, she seen me interacting with my birds and told me with no uncertainty, "those are two lucky birds right there" I smiled and knew at that time to disregard some of the comments I read. Thanks again.

 

Lisa aka Satchel (btw Satchel is my favorite of six cats):)

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