Blue and Gold Macaw not eating

Question
Hi and THANK YOU for putting my mind at rest with your very in-depth and knowledgeable answer.  It is very appreciated.

You asked that I get back to you with more information.  His name is Jackers and he was born on 30 September 2006 so he is just 6 months old.  I have had him for 3 months now.  I got him on 3 January 2007 and he was not weaned.  I know they should be fully weaned before breeders let them go but this is Spain and they are not so good with their animals here!!  Regards to showering him - he is not too keen on this but I put warm water in a clean spray bottle and mist him regularly.  Then he sits there whilst I dry him gently with the hairdryer (on low heat, obviously).  He has pellets and seeds every day and cooked vegetables and fresh fruit, too.  Along with things we eat (pizza, french fries, crusts of bread, etc).  He has been a bit slow in actually eating solid foods but I managed to all but get him off the hand feeding formula - that is, until yesterday when due to him not eating I was so worried that I gave him formula.  He managed it without a problem.
I put him in his cage tonight (he is free in the house ALL day and only goes in the cage to sleep at night).  I gave him fresh veg and his pellets, seeds, nuts food and VOILA!!!  He is eating!!  I have absolutely no idea what has been wrong with him but he is normally very feisty and playful and he has just wanted to sit and do nothing.  Even up to tonight when I put him in his cage, he was just sat on me (although he did cuddle in for an hour and he hasn't wanted his cuddles up til now, either!  I hope that this means he is on the mend.  I will keep you informed.  Just thought you might like to know - we have 3 dogs - A German Shepherd, a Boxer and an English Bulldog.  They all get on fine with Jackers (the GSD is always kissing him) and he even walks up and down his back when he is cuddled up on the sofa!!

Oh, by the way, you may be interested to learn that at barely 4 months old he started to say "hello".

Again, many thanks for taking the time to answer and calm my worries.  I will not hesitate to recommend you.  I will keep in touch.  Kindest regards  Lisa

Answer
OK, let's try mixing a bit of formula with regular food next time this happens (IF it happens) rather than just returning him to a formula feeding.  Many of these macaws will try to stay 'babies' for up to a year or more.

Also, in a little one like this (even though he looks like an adult bird in size), make an effort to avoid anything salty, greasy or fried. These things make a bird prone to crop infections and intestinal disturbances that may end up needing extensive and costly treatment to cure. We also learned this the hard way in our early years.

You're doing a wonderful job with the pellets - be sure that seeds make up only about 20% of his total diet and remember, no sunflower seeds (far too fatty and often leads to fatty liver disease. They are best limited to occassional treats, if at all).  
 Macaws also need nuts. Cashews, almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts, palm nuts (peanuts are ok but not more than 1 to 3 a day). We have one Severe macaw that could eat nothing but cashews; another who thinks the world is an almond and a blue and gold who should be a squirrel the way she relishes her peanut treats.
 
 Keep in mind that a dash of salt for US is a whole lot of salt for a bird that is exposed to very little in their natural habitat.  

 Take a look at our site for more about how to keep Jackers happy and healthy and let me know if you need anything else, ever!

 www.geocities.com/animalrelief_info