Welcome to the wonderful world of Macaw parenting! As you and your Macaw bond, you’re probably learning more about his habits and preferences than you ever thought possible. The experience of being a Macaw parent is an eye opening experience. And even though right about no you think you know just about everything you could possibly want to about your new friend, we have some unknown terrain to travel. If you’re ready, you’re about to learn more on the sleeping habits of birds as well as some other major health issues. A macaw, believe it or not, probably needs more hours of sleep every night than you. It’s a fact a macaw needs it on a more consistent basis than what we need. We can go a day or two on five or six hours of sleep. In fact, for some of us, that’s all we need. For others, we can exist during the weekdays on little sleep, if we get more than enough sleep on the weekend. And a full night’s sleep for us is considered eight hours. For a macaw, though, a full night of rested sleep is a minimum of 10 hours and ideally 12. And this is a requirement. That’s because the natural habitat of these birds is 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. If a parrot doesn’t get the sleep he needs, he can develop any number of problems. He can even become aggressive.

The Health Of Your Macaw

Normally, macaws are quite healthy animals. Taking the precautions we’ve already mentioned, which including keeping your new friend out of drafts, away from fumes from both the kitchen and aerosol sprays as well as feeding him a well balanced diet keeps him healthy. There are times, though, that your new companion may be faced with some health issues; some of them, indeed, may be serious. You can usually keep many of these conditions from becoming major issues simply by paying strict attention to your bird and his habits. One of the most obvious signs that your bird may be feeling a bit under the weather is if he is unexplainably sitting in areas of his cage that he normally tries to avoid. Perhaps he’s messier with his food than usual. This very well could be an indication that he’s not feeling well. He may also decide to sit in a different stance. This too should alert you that something might be right.

The Wrong Foot

If you’ve never owned a Macaw before this may sound a little strange. But it’s true nonetheless. A healthy bird rests on one foot. (The exception to this is the young macaw. He needs to use both feet to keep his balance.) If your macaw is sitting on both of his feet or closing one or both of his eyes, he probably isn’t feeling his best. You can also tell quite a bit about a bird’s health from his appearance. A bird’s plumage should just look healthy. The colouring should be bright, the appearance should be smooth. Additionally, he should be able to keep himself clean. There should be no dirt hanging for his feet or his beak. If you have any doubts about the general overall health of your bird, take him into your veterinarian. It’s better to catch any health conditions in its early stages than before the problem becomes larger. And if there is no problem, then you’ve gained some peace of mind in the process. If you can’t get in to see your vet immediately, one of the steps you can take to help ease a potential health crisis is to place your bird in a warm draft-free environment. A room that has a temperature from anywhere from 86 to 88 degrees would make him feel like he was right back in the tropics of South America. But also keep in mind that these birds can’t stand to be confined in small areas. So if you can find a larger room—like an attic or shed – it would suit him just fine. You already know that you don’t want your bird sitting in a draft. That isn’t at all healthy for him. And you also want to keep in mind that your bird is a tropical bird. Warm weather is his friend.

The Thirsty Bird

Higher room temperatures though may increase your macaw’s thirst. He’ll naturally want to drink more. And this is just what you want if you need to add soluble antibiotics to his water. Of course, you don’t want to do this without the advice and consultation of your veterinarian. These medications may stimulate the glands of your bird, improving his immune system. You’ll notice within a few days that the shine in his feathers has returned. In order to keep your macaw healthy, you’ll want to try to check his perch with some regularity various types of bacteria and insects. Parasites, believe it or not, are very often the cause of avian illness. You may want to make weekly evaluations of the bird himself, but be careful not to cause him too much disruption doing this. During breeding season, you’ll want to make this examination a little less frequently – once every two week is find during this time. You can also gauge the health of your new macaw by his weight. If his chest bone sticks out, separate him from the other birds if you have any others. Similarly, if he gains so much weight that he has difficulty moving about, he may have some health issues. Again, it would be a good idea to separate him from the rest of your birds.

Judging A Bird By His Droppings

Indeed, as much as the idea may not appeal to you, it’s still one of the most accurate ways of judging your bird’s health. If your bird has watery droppings or if they’re an abnormal colour this is an indication that your parrot may have a health problem. Your pet macaw has a cavity called a cloaca. Located at the end of the intestines, this organ actually empties into this cavity. The cloaca is the only cavity for all of your pet’s waste products as well as sperm and eggs. The urine mixes with the solid excretions in this cavity. So your macaw’s feces will never appear to be completely hard and dry. But on the other hand feces with that look unusually thin and watery are a sign of ill health. Because that old adage absolutely doesn’t apply to birds. Never withhold food from your macaw because you believe he’s too ill to eat. In fact, the opposite is try. When he’s ill try to get your macaw to eat anything. Entice him with all his favorite foods if you have to. The digestive tract of a bird is unique in the animal kingdom. Knowing how it works is crucial to being a good macaw parent. If it appears that your parrot needs to eat almost constantly, your observation is right on the mark. A macaw is in danger of starving if he doesn’t eat for more than a day. In fact, your new macaw pet can’t go without food for more than 35 to 35 hours. And this is if he’s healthy. If he’s sick food is even more crucial to his well being. You can identify if your bird ill, believe it or not, simply by checking his cloacal. You can easily check the status of his cloacal merely by looking at the lower portion of a female bird’s body. If it appears swollen, then she’s is very likely suffering from a condition called egg binding. This requires immediate veterinarian care. Don’t hesitate to call your vet and explain the situation so you can get a quick appointment. If the feathers around this area are soiled or if diarrhoea is present, then your pet may have a serious illness. This situation also calls for immediate veterinarian care.

After the Vet

Once your bird has visited the vet, don’t return him immediately to his former location. He needs some recuperation time. He has after all become accustomed to living in a higher temperature than he normally does. Bringing him back to a cooler temperature may shock his system. Instead, place him back into the room where the temperature was more tropical. Gradually lower the temperature of the room over several days to a week. Once the temperature reaches the what the rest of the house is – especially the area where his cage is located – then still don’t be in a rush to return him. Allow him to stay in his ―sick room‖ for several more days. When you do move him back to his cage, choose a warm sunny day rather than a wet and chilly one. .

Toenails

Your baby macaw needs his sharp toenails, no doubt about it. This is just about his sole mechanism to keep him from falling while he’s maturing. Once your macaw reaches adulthood, though, it’s a different story. His toenails should not raise the ball under the end of his toe up off a flat surface. If this occurs, it’s time for a trim. If you decide to perform this grooming activity yourself, you can use the smallest pair of human nail clippers you can find if you have a small bird. If your pet macaw is a large bird, well, you need larger equipment - like a cordless Dremel. This sounds a tad intimidating, but the Dremel is made specifically for this purpose. It’s not like you’re taking an industrial strength sander on your bird’s toes. It really is an ideal tool for its purpose. The Dremel’s grinding stone produces heat, which cauterizes your parrot’s blood supply. This, of course, minimizes the risk of bleeding. If on the off chance your parrot does experience bleeding during this period, then it can be easily stopped with the use of styptic powder.

Beak

Now that I’ve traumatized you by suggesting you use a ―grinding stone‖ on your beloved friend, I’ll move on to the maintenance of his beak. You’ll be relieved to know that for the most part, this is one area of your friend’s body that doesn’t really need your attention. In fact, about the only time, your parrot’s beak would need attention is if it should be deformed. And these situations are very rare. Your friend’s beak by the way is very sensitive. Any trimming, if it’s even necessary, should always be performed by a Professional groomer or a veterinarian.