The Blue & Gold Macaw - 337-789-8945

"The Blue And Gold Macaw"

(ARA ARARAUNA)

     Also called blue and yellow sometimes, is about 34 to 36 inches in length. The beak and feet are black, naked white check patches, that become rosy at times, because they can blush, and even feel warmer in the face at that time. They have black feather lines on the bare white skin, that is bordered with more black feathers around the chin, as a young macaw matures these chin feathers descend future down making a much wider band. The eyes also lighten with age from dark to gray and then to a whitish yellow. Forehead is green and runs into the rich turquoise blue (some almost look cobalt blue) of the head, down the back, wing tops, and top side of tail. With a rich yellow almost orange gold on some, running down under the chin, chest, and undersides of wings, tail, under covert same but laced with blue. One thing unique to the Blue & Gold is the scent they can give off at will (smells like fresh sun shine and light cologne) if you have a Blue and Gold than you know what I'm talking about. Anyone else would think you're making it up, Diane from Country Boy Cages once said she wished she could bottle that scent.
     They talk exceptionally well, often before being weaned. Macaws often make up there own phrases from what they have heard. We are always telling our dogs to get off the porch, and of course the macaws say it too! Even getting which name goes with the right dog (pretty smart) "Turkey" (my pet macaw) will say a persons name that she knows in place of the dogs name, like: "Lisa get off the porch" followed by a hardy laugh, because she knows she made it up herself and it's funny. Be careful what you say in front of them, don't assume if your not talking to them directly that they don't hear it, only to repeat it some where down the road when you least expect it. A friend and I attended quite a few Fairs where someone had taught a young Blue & Gold Macaw to sing "Jingle Bells", around the holiday's it was just precious, after months of this until the bird was sold it sang "Jingle Bells". Please make sure what you teach your bird is something you would want to hear just in case it turns out to be the favored phrase or song. Our Macaws not only talk but will also say it in the very voice of person they learned it from, my friend will often think he is being called by me only to find out it's one of the Macaws or Cockatoos. Our dogs when in the back yard will seldom come when we call them, because the Macaws just wear them out calling them by name, getting them to go back and forth all day. Macaws are intelligent and very social creatures they can be quite LOUD at times, and quite demanding, but I couldn't imagine life without them.
     If your thinking of getting a Macaw to match your living room, as a novelty, colorful display, or just because they talk, than you are getting one for all the wrong reasons. Put as much planning into getting a Macaw as you would if you were planning for a child. Actually that is how you should plan for any bird or pet for that matter.
     Often people get a pet and let it have free range in the house, this is not good because what starts out cute or funny often does not stay that way because you are letting the bird make it's own fun, set boundaries, a well behaved pet is much more enjoyable to be around. My macaws when in my house are not destructive, but will tear up their own stuff, and they do know what NO means. Would you give a child a handful of colors in a room by him or herself with no guidance other than letting them know they are free to do what ever, and do you really expect them not to color those walls? And should you have the right to be mad? Or would you give the child an area in which they have guidance to express them self's freely, that would be acceptable for them to color? Well, do the same for your bird. Never hit your bird, this breaks the trust, besides there bones are more delicate being hollow making them lighter for flight. You are your pet birds flock, you are his or her family, you are the caretaker of his world please make it safe for your pet.
     A Blue & Gold Macaw requires a large strong cage, no smaller than 2ft deep x 3ft wide x 3ft to 4ft high depending if it's on legs and or casters. Larger is always better when it comes to Macaws. This is where he will spend a lot of time when he can't be out and about with you, or supervised by you or a responsible person in your family. I have always recommended more than one cage for most birds. The reason being you can have an indoor and an outdoor cage for your Macaw, allowing him to experience the great outdoors or just plain breaking the mundane monotony of seeing the same thing day in and day out. My Macaws enjoy the family barbecue just not to close to the smoke and or flames, and yes when it cools they share in the feast. Remember he doesn't go to school, he doesn't go to work, he doesn't get to shop, he doesn't get to choose what he'd like out of the frig, but depends on you for everything. If you've had a bad day you can't expect him to not be excited the moment you return home (he wants to be with the people he loves) so with a second cage you can give him new scenery to unwind from the day and you'll have the space you need to chill out kick off your shoes and enjoy his company later. After he's gotten loud out side over your return and the things he gets to see out side, he'll be much calmer and more enjoyable after that head ache The Blue & Gold Macaw is almost never a finicky eater if new foods have been offered, but he should have a base diet of seed, nuts, fresh fruit, and veggies, I cook most veggies into a corn bread that I serve daily. And I always cook corn on the cob because that inhibits that dreadfully toxic mold that usually begins undetected by the naked eye on raw corn and then has already reached the deadly stage when you can see it. Besides the fact that a cooked properly dried out corn cob makes for a great toy. In addition our birds like lean cooked meat (let me rephrase that by saying we give them lean cooked meat, because if they could get that fatty hamburger they'd go for it) and they do love the marrow from bones, including chicken! Mine love sea food and fresh fish, cooked of course. It has been noted in the wild when water levels drop and pools of water get smaller trapping fish and other crustaceans often you will see Macaws, sometimes even an entire flock, devouring the left behind goodies. My friend (from Peru) says my Macaws are big blue buzzards comes to food, and she has seen Macaws in the wild eating road kill. How dare her say that about my birds whom often share snacks with me, although I have caught them after the dogs food and or bones as well as the cat food, "Turkey" even says "um good" when she sees something she likes to eat.
     Always change the water at least daily more often is so much better, especially because Macaws like to soak and wash their food in the water.
     Toys are important to all birds from finches to Macaws, it gives them activities that are healthy for a happier more content pet, this is so necessary for their well-being. Macaws need to chew as most birds do, for one it wears down the beak, and they just plan like doing it. We provide ours with blocks of clean soft wood, in addition I use wooden perches not PVC, because I want them to enjoy it and not eat my furniture or remote control for the TV, and I give them spinach leaves to eat and tear up so they leave my house plants alone.
     It is an old wives tale to believe your bird knows what is good for it, you must keep your pet from unhealthy, harmful, toxic, and life threatening things and or situations.
     The Blue & Gold Macaws never fail to amuse or entertain, even though they are as all pets that are properly taken care of high maintenance. Gentle Giants as those of us that have them and know them well, big beak and even bigger heart ! Majestic, magnificent, colorful, and just down right amazing creatures in their own right.

Article by Lisa Sweet

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