Young macaw not eating well

philo

Registered
I'm new to the parrot world
I bought a baby macaw about 2 weeks ago
Told by breeder it was weaned on nuts fruit and veg
All I can get him to eat is banana and nuts cut up
I've bought seeds
pellets and all types of fruit and veg which he just discards
The bird will take a small amount of syringed formula
Any help will be appreciated
 
Hi, well done for seeking help. This is gonna be a long answer! What type of macaw do you have and how old is he? If it was a reputable breeder you should be able to contact them for further help as in the UK it is illegal to sell unweaned birds. They should have given you some of the foods he was used to or at the very least a diet sheet of what he likes. It could be a few things, he may be stressed that he's in new environment. What is his cage set up like? Does he have plenty of toys, a good routine for sleep? Presuming you did all your research on the amount of attention and interaction that parrots require, and that he will need lots of attention and time out of his cage? As for food, it sounds like you're going to have to figure out his favourite things. Fruit is good but try not to give too much. As a rough guide... our blue and gold macaws will have for example banana, apple, pear, tangerine, nectarine, peeled kiwi, but only the rough equivalent of 1 heaped tablespoons depending on what fruit there is and what else is in the bowl. They will get fruit like that weekly, with smaller amounts such as a couple of grapes or about 4 blueberries added to their bowls every few days. Fruit is good, but high in sugars.
Veg is best, so a simple mix of eg... carrot, sprouts, sweet potato, squash, bell peppers, cabbage, courgette each day. Ours get about 2 tablespoons of veg mix for their evening meal, plus 6 cubes of Harrisons high potency pellets which are designed for macaws.
For breakfast they have 10 cubes of Harrisons along with 7 cubes of Harrisons power treats, a walnut, an almond and 5 pine nuts. These are split so about 5 individual pieces are used for a training session each morning and the rest are put into foraging trays so they have to search for their own food.
There are more veggie and fruit options they can eat, but a I'm just giving you examples here. You just need to check others first as not all are safe for parrots. There are lots of existing threads on here that you can search too.
As you know what he will eat, you'll just have to be VERY patient in adding small amounts of other things to his bowl. Don't leave food in all day, so he's more interested when trying new things. We used to pretend to be eating the food ourselves and make a big game out of it so he'd try things.
 
Yes I fully agree with @DizzyBlue about the health check. You'll need to get him registered at a specific avian vet (not a 'normal' vet and preferably not an exotics vet), and also a good idea is to get insurance. Be aware that not all pet insurance will cover parrots. As a back up, we have also got a savings account that we put money into every month. That helps us budget for things like new cages, toys, etc...
 
IS your little one making that distinctive acc acc acc sound? The wanting to be fed sound begging from parents? Is it is keep up as much interaction as possible between you and the bird and offer food every single time you hear it. By next week will be what 3 weeks since you got it and that can cause serious damage not getting enough fluids and food inside a growing bird :( @philo
Try some mushed up sweet potato things things like garden peas that are cooked and eat with the bird whenever you can to show its food you eat you offer the show and tell kind of thing.
 
Random questions.... are you in the UK? Exactly how old is your bird? Have you any photos, of your macaw and also of his cage set up? What is his routine?
I'm just trying to think of clues as to the problem. It is a good idea to give him mashed veg instead of just banana as that is high in potassium to be fed all the time. Whilst it's great he's eating, it can become serious if he doesn't eat properly.
 
IS your little one making that distinctive acc acc acc sound? The wanting to be fed sound begging from parents? Is it is keep up as much interaction as possible between you and the bird and offer food every single time you hear it. By next week will be what 3 weeks since you got it and that can cause serious damage not getting enough fluids and food inside a growing bird :( @philo
Try some mushed up sweet potato things things like garden peas that are cooked and eat with the bird whenever you can to show its food you eat you offer the show and tell kind of thing.
He is starting to try different foods in small quantities I shall try the cooked veg
Thanks for hellp
 
Random questions.... are you in the UK? Exactly how old is your bird? Have you any photos, of your macaw and also of his cage set up? What is his routine?
I'm just trying to think of clues as to the problem. It is a good idea to give him mashed veg instead of just banana as that is high in potassium to be fed all the time. Whilst it's great he's eating, it can become serious if he doesn't eat properly.
Will try cooked veg thanks
 
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