need help and information

Question
QUESTION: From the little bit of surfing i have done on the internet, he is a blue & gold macaw.  He looks exactly like the pictures I have seen.  He is a pretty large bird with really long blue feathers.  My mother-in-law told me that he was flying and that he flew and landed on their truck.  Can u give me a link to your website that you wanted me to look at? For some reason I couldn't seem to find ur web page that you were talking about.
ANSWER:  I can't seem to post links here so just cut and paste this into your address bar

 www.geocities.com/animalrelief_info

From what you describe, it does sound like a Blue and Gold.

Take a look at its eyes - are they greyish blue/grey mostly with the typical black pupil, or are they mostly dark ?

Is it tame enough to not bite or strike out?

Hold your arm in front of it and say "step up" (do not jerk your arm away, no matter what, but actually move your arm IN to about level with, or just slightly above the feet)

Feed it (for now) some frozen mixed vegetables (thawed, no butter or sauce) mixed with some cooked, preferably brown rice, but regular is ok - or whole wheat pasta (plain will do for now).  
 You can offer some jar baby foods of squash, carrots or mixed vegetables - as long as there are no additives, no onion or garlic.
 Regular oatmeal with some cut up bananas, apples, pears, etc. - good option too.

Things to NEVER feed your bird:  Avocado or any product with that in it such as guacomole; chocolate; sugar-caffeine-alcohol.  

 Dairy should be avoided except for plain yogurt or slivers of cheese (not American) now and then.

Ideally, legumes, whole grains, dark colored vegetables, any fruit they like (except avocado) - avoiding pits - is acceptable.

 A regular diet of (any brand) pelleted species specific food should always be available.  Offer high quality seeds (no sunflower) for about 20% of the diet (we offer seed mixed in with their food just two days a week).

Macaws need nuts. Walnuts, cashews, almonds, brazil nuts, but limit peanuts (too high in fat) to just a couple a day.

In order to work off the higher fat diet they need at least 2 hours of active 'out of cage' time and interaction.  Ours are out of cage for at least 6 hours a day, every day.  

Macaws and most other hookbills need UNtreated wood or professionally made 'bird safe' wood toys to shred and chew in order to keep their beaks in shape, their minds active and their emotional health.

The proper cage for a macaw this size should be large enough for the bird to stand on the center perch and their tail to not touch bottom or sides at all.  They should be able to fully extend their wings to both sides without touching.  We're talking a big cage!  Take a look at our site to see what ours are in.

 All in all, maintainence of a macaw AFTER providing the cage - is easily $100/month for food and wood chewies.  Don't forget the mineral block and cuttlebone.

 Someone, somewhere must be looking for their companion. Check the newspapers, call the local vets (especially avian vets), even pet stores and Humane Society.

Finally, if you end up keeping this bird, it's essential an avian vet visit be made immediately.  It needs to be DNA checked for disease, establish a well bird visit and have its wings clipped (does it ever need that!).
 With macaws, as with any bird, illness and disease don't become apparent until very far advanced. Birds are prey animals, they hide symptoms at all costs and by the time humans notice - it can be pretty complicated and very costly to treat.  having a vet you can go to, call in the middle of the night, on weekends and holidays is truly a potential life saver!  

Again, our page is

www.geocities.com/animalrelief_info

Let me know how you make out

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: My mother-in-law has defintely been trying to find the owners. i was thinking about putting some type of ad in the paper. I do know that his cage isn't big enough, from looking at the pics that you had the size cage that i have is about the same to the sleep cage that you had.  do you think that its ok to have children around him? I haven't let my 3 year old son get close to him because the bird seems to freak out a little when he comes around him.  We have definitely called the humane society and looked through the papers and everything. i can't imagine somebody not looking for this bird.  Is it true that they like the opposite sex.  He seems to like women.  My boyfriend goes around him and he starts to freak out.  When my little sister goes around him, he totally took to her.  He lets her pick him up and sits on her shoulder and gets nippy when you try to take him off of her.  Thanks for the information....
ANSWER:  Kids and macaws aren't usually a good idea.  These are among the most powerful beaks in the bird kingdom!
 A too quick or typically 'sporadic' move by a child could trigger an instinctive bite that can be very serious.

It's also possible that this bird identifies with women more than men, which may indicate a female owner or at least a female in the home that the bird came from. It indicates nothing about what sex the bird is.  The only way to tell with macaws is through a DNA test - or when it lays an egg.  

I know for sure that if this were my bird missing, I'd be sick with worry.  Perhaps they've called the radio or t.v. stations nearby.  Just because it may not have aired doesn't mean there's not a note of a call - so check there too.

Is this bird banded? A metal 'bracelet' on the leg?

That may help identify it too.

When the owner is found, you tell them for me that this should be their one and only wake up call to have the bird's wing clipping maintained.  There's no excuse for this - if that bird was outside and unclipped - it was just a matter of time before it took off.

 Finally - as long as this bird isn't kept in the cage for a predominant amount of time it should be fine.  Sleeping in it is important - but having it out for the most part during daylight hours - as long as IN the house and supervised (otherwise your walls may end up chewed to bits) would be best.

keep checking back ok?



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thats exactly what I told my boyfriend..That if it were my bird I would most definitely be looking for him.  I am going to check the local paper station to look back and see if there were any past ads.  My moms friend said she remembers reading something in the paper a couple of weeks ago, so I'll check that for sure.  He does indeed have a bracelet on his leg.  The lady at the pet store told me that there isn't a way of identifying them by this bracelet, was she wrong? He does come out of the cage.  He started that last night.  He lets my little sister, who is 17, hold him but nobody else.  He nips at you when you try to take him off of her but he won't bite us that hard at all.  I try not to test him though, he scares me.... and he said hello today at her when we came home.  

Answer
The lady at the pet store is very wrong (what on earth does she think the band is there for?). These are breeder bands and with some effort, the bird can be traced right back to the breeder (admittedly this can be difficult), but it should be much easier than that.  ANY vet who has seen this bird - and hopefully someone has - would have recorded the band number in their files.  
 Monday, start calling local vets that treat larger, exotic birds and tell them what's going on.
 When a macaw like this gets loose (there's also the possibility it was stolen and escaped) avian vets are put on alert - looking for people bringing in a supposedly new bird.
 If it's been a week or more since its been lost, that owner is probably not thinking there could be a good outcome.  You are certainly heroes!  
 When you call around to vets, don't limit your calls to avian vets - find ANY vet that says they see larger, exotic birds (macaws).

 These are wonderful, absolutely wonderful birds with amazing intelligence and extraordinary bonding. This poor thing is very lucky to have found your family and I can't wait to hear about how this turns out.
 
Seriously, call the t.v. news stations about it too - it sounds like a 'good deed' story they might want to run.