r/Macaws

Any beak maintenance advice please 🙏 I'd also like to teach him how to fly he's in Utah sandy area

Hi all,

I recently opened a small home-based parrot hotel in the North England.

Over the years, I have struggled to find a facility I would feel totally comfortable/confident leaving my own birds in, mainly pet stores with small cages and lacking especially in disease testing.

I converted the attic into a hotel room, with the biggest aviaries i could get. Picture attached is of my harlequin and two guests currently with us.

Because it’s home-based, I only take a small number of birds at a time so each one gets plenty of attention and space.

Here is what’s included currently:

• Disease testing required
• Air purifiers running continuously
• Thorough F10 disinfection of aviaries, toys, perches and bowls before and after each guest
• Fresh fruit&veg daily

I am also working towards adding daytime background TV/radio and eventually a live webcam service so owners can check in anytime.

I’d love to hear from fellow parrot owners:

How important is disease testing when choosing boarding?
What’s something you wish boarding facilities did that they usually don’t?
Would a meet-and-greet beforehand make you more comfortable?
If you’ve boarded your birds before, what did you love or dislike about the experience?
If you were designing the perfect parrot hotel from scratch, what would it have?

I’d appreciate any suggestions or feedback.

Instagram @feathersonly

This guy had been on hand feeding for over a year 😭 I had an idea since I also seen him eating his pellets and veggies and just ignored his "I'm hungry feed me" honks and sure enough this guy stopped asking for formula after a couple days... What a spoiled bum lol

He’s so obedient doesn’t even need a cage! 💯 quiet and no screaming! No messes at all! Never bit anyone! Great temperament! Purchase price was 3 bucks! Cheapest parrot ever! He’s so calm he doesn’t even blink! Great beginner bird! Overall 10 out of ten parrot! 🦜 💯👍👏✅

I’ve been away from home for work this week and I’m missing my girlies Matilda and peanut. Here’s some photos for this morning of them wondering how to get me out of the phone screen

Jack knows exactly how good he looks. Look at that proud stance!

Does anyone own a macaw in Utah I'd really like for mine to meet another Macaw mine is a rescue bird we got him from a bird shelter downtown

Hello!! I’ve posted before about our macaw Ruby but to give a gist, she was my grandmas and my parents and I took over after my grandmas passing (it’s confirmed that she is a girl and we think she’s around her 20s). Ruby was very attached and in love with my grandma and would often get a little territorial by fluffing up and expanding her wings to get people away if my grandma was around her. She took a big liking to my parents (she likes my mom more but she also likes my dad) but isn’t the biggest fan of me. If my parents aren’t around though, she tolerates me and allows for me to give her love and even help with popping her feathers as long as my parents aren’t in her sight. Recently, she’s been superrrrrr moody and has been guarding the entrance of her enclosure (our entire front patio is enclosed for her to do as she pleases) and will not let me in to refill her food or water by being on the floor by her door and running at me to try to bite my legs 🥲🥲. She’s always been kind of bratty as macaws are, but this is very odd and she won’t even go in her perch anymore or throw/play with her water bowl (our usual fight with her because then people come by and think we aren’t giving her water but she just drinks what she needs or takes a bath then throws her bowl around😭) and instead stays on the ground by the entrance to scare away anyone who comes close. We’re wondering more if anyone has any ideas or clues as to what could be causing this sudden mood/behavior shift and our only idea is the possibility that she’s experiencing menopause or something else. We have a camera on her and around her area and there has been no footage or proof of anyone messing with her so we’re really just at a loss of what’s causing this. Any help or anything is greatly appreciated:)

Side note: the cage she’s on in this picture is an extra cage we put in there, it is not her actual cage, hers is much larger!!!

In search of fairly priced, safe, and varied sized driftwood, manzanita, other exotic branching for my blue and gold. I have access to naturally growing branches, but I like variety.

Where have you sourced various sized perching online - that has been worth the price for the size? Specific websites or contacts would be helpful.

“Muppet,” my 20+ year old rescue, waiting patiently for perching recommendations. TIA!

Adult by age, child by heart

Love u, son…❤️

I have a hybrid: a harlequin macaw and he is the sweetest thing in the world. However disregarding individual traits, I read online a while ago somewhere I forgot about how some people think hybrid animals are not good for the preservation of individual species, especially when they are endangered (some examples are liger/tigon, jaglion, buffons/red fronted/blue throated macaw x any other macaw, Sunday conure, yellow nape/red crowned/yellow headed/lilac crowned Amazon x any other compatible bird, etc). I can understand when it's an endangered species and we need to keep the population pure and stable but otherwise have no bad opinion on it lol

Just wondering what you guys think. Are they an abomination or people just overthinking it?

We got him a little over a week ago and I have to live with this name the rest of my life so I want to get it right but can’t decide. (His brother’s name is Beaker. That’s how we got Bunsen and he sounds juat like Elmo.) This vote will decide this little man’s future. Thank you for your time.

Splish, splash, I was takin’ a bath, on a Saturday night! Rub, scrub, I was splashin’ in the tub, thinkin’ everythin’ was alright! And I was splishin’ and a’ splashin’ rockin’ and a’ rollin’! Splishin’ and splashin’!

(This is the song I sing on loop while spraying my Lola down with mist)

So possible controversial subject about feeding. My blue and gold is 1 year, we got him at 6 months and the breeder told us to mix his pellet with the Higgins Sunbrust for Macaw, so I bought the 25 pound bag (and was overcome with moths, another story) I was wondering if the amount of sunflower seeds was an issue for Macaws?

*We have smaller birds that I buy the seed without sunflower seeds.( Higgins Safflower)

*And yes they do get Chop in the mornings, we follow the Bird Tricks chop recipes per season.

So any advice on the seed part or if you guys mix your own nuts would be appreciated!

My macaw has night frights, and it took me forever to figure out what was actually going on. At first, I honestly thought she might be having seizures because I’d find her on the cage floor in the middle of the night, dazed, walking in circles, and acting disoriented for several minutes afterward.
It turns out she was having night frights and falling from her perch. Since adding a night light, the episodes have improved dramatically.
Has anyone else had a bird whose night frights looked this severe?
Attached photo of nightlight.