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Experiences with "Mac;' the Severe Macaw by S

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Experiences with Experiences with "Mac;' the Severe Macaw by S. Marianne McOmie South Jordan, Utah It all began one Indian summer day was hers, and heaven help anyone think we might have purchased when, at a local outing of our bird who tried to get in between them. Jamie anyway. He had been a sev­ club, I met one of the most beautiful Believe me, it was heaven help she erely trained bird and exhibited some green birds I had ever seen. who tried to get in between, and I signs of nervousness. He was a sweet Our bird club had an annual date at have the scars to prove it. bird but easily cowed by Mac. And the fall fair to show our birds off to We knew so little about Mac, apart even though they appeared to be the public and also to each other. I from the fact that she was a wild­ compatible there were never any had brought a variety of small birds, caught bird, and that whoever had signs that they were really bonding. parakeets, finch and cockatiels. The tamed her had done so with love and Mac did spend a lot of time in the people next to me had brought a kindness. But she was ready for a nest box, as did Jamie. But we were magnificent Scarlet Macaw, a Blue mate. Even though Jeff knew it was never aware ofany copulation. and Gold Macaw and the first mini­ pure flattery when she regurgitated A few months after we had put the macaw I had ever seen, a ravishingly for him, he still found it hard to take. two birds together, we moved to a beautiul Severe Macaw (Ara severa). larger house. The stress of moving And when she started insisting that I overheard Sue and Bob talking he mount her, well sometimes it is plus the scant care given to the birds helped to contribute to my overlook­ about selling this little green bird. hard to explain to non-bird people I couldn't believe my ears. So I exactly what this bird was doing. ing the first signs of illness in Jamie. I screwed up my courage and ap­ had been feeding and watering the proached Sue. Rather timedly I asked So the search was on for a mate for birds, but had not spent very much how much this bird was worth. My Mac. A good friend of ours located a time in observation. Also I had been hopes were dashed when she told likely mate and we took both birds in very lucky in that we had seen very me that she had just finalized a deal to be surgically sexed. Luckily both little illness in our birds and when I for Mac. Someone was going to trade birds were opposite sexes, although I first observed the diarrhea in Jamie, I her some cockatie~ andavarie~of ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ other birds for her. Well, I asked her to please think of me ifthe deal went sour because I really thought this bird was great. Later on that day, my husband joined me in showing off our birds and he also met the Severe. Like me, Jeff also thought that she was a lovely bird, but he wasn't quite ready to jump through hoops to own her. But we did talk to Sue and she told us the price of the bird if her other deal fell through. She seemed to feel that the deal was solid. A few days after the fair, I flew to Canada to visit my mother. While there, I had a phone call from my husband asking if I still wanted the Severe Macaw. The answer of course was yes, so he said he would make arrangements to get her before I returned home. When I landed at the airport, I could hardly wait to get home and get re-aquainted with Mac. I felt that we had hit it offat the fair. We got home and Mac immediately climbed up on my hand and from there to my husband. I was a conven­ ient bridge. And so it went from then on. Mac wasJeffs bird. She was his, he afa WATCHI3IRD 47 basically dismissed it. By the time I when the screaming has gone on for realized that he had become weak­ six or seven hours straight, the birds ened, it was too late and he died a day are lucky that they even get a cage later. This was all in the space offour and not a box in the closet. We days from the first symptom. Our vet moved them to a smaller cage which at the time tried valiantly to save him. only measured two by two by three Dr. Sims luckily loved birds and knew feet. It was ample as a temporary what coccidia looked like and began cage and since we attached the nest treatment for coccidia, even before box to the cage Mac and Soc didn't the test results came back. Jamie was care where we placed them. By this necropsied and it was determined time I had built them a new nest box that he had had a chronic case ofcoc­ measuring 16" x 16" x 32". Similar cidia. Ifwe had had tests done on his dimensions had been suggested in a feces and blood before we purchased book we had purchased on the him, we could have been alerted and breeding of macaws. I believe that possibly saved his life. the original dimensions suggested Mac reverted back into a pet bird had been in the nature of 15" x 14" x and became a total pest. She had to 30". All I did was have a sheet of ply­ be with Jeff and would even climb wood cut down into equal pieces. On the stairs looking for him. It didn't the inside of the box, on the side take too long beforeJeff decided that l1wee offou1'youngste1'speeroutofthe where the opening would be, we as much as Mac loved him, it would nestentmnce along with their mothe1~ took some fencing material, (2" x 3", be betterfor all concerned ifMac had Momma Mac. This wasjustbefm·e they 18 gauge) and made a ladder attach­ a new mate. So the search began fledged. ing it to the side with 1 x 2's. This again. We looked all over the country ensured that the edges could not be and saw very few for sale. Just about Then came the day when Mac, who pulled free and we reasoned that this the time we had decided to bite the had regained full flight (without our would be relatively secure. We cut a bullet and send away for an expen­ knowledge), decided that Jeff, her hole near the top, but purposely sive bird we had seen advertised in former mate, was now a threat to her made it on the small side. After hav­ Florida, a call came in from a friend. and Soc. This particular evening she ing observed cockatiels personalizing She had been out at a local bird col­ flew at him and threaten~d him with their nestboxes, we thought that lector and had seen a Severe Macaw. severe bodily injury. That night we macaws might enjoy doing the same. After determining that it was a male took some fencing material and It took Mac and Soc all of one day to and for sale, she called us. fenced them in. enlarge the hole to where they could I went and looked at him a couple A few weeks later they attempted fit comfortably inside. of days later, decided that he was all to gain the entire upstairs for them­ In the meantime I was building that we were looking for and made selves by using the sheer volume of them a larger cage, but before I could Jeff come out a day later to look at their voices to drive us away. All it finish it, the birds had laid eggs, and him. At first Jeff wasn't too sure, but accomplished for them was to ensure were busily setting on them. We then Mac decided the matter for him. their prompt removal to the laundry decided not to risk disturbing the She became even more obnoxious room and a smaller cage. It was birds by moving them into a larger and finally Jeff gave in and we pur­ meant to be a temporary cage. But cage. The first clutch didn't hatch. chased Soc. However, before the pur­ <l) chase we had a vet take a look at a "E o fecal sample. No serious disease was () ::2: <l) present and we took Soc home. He c c was to stay in quarantine for a mini­ co .~ mum of30 days. We had him isolated ::2: >­ upstairs away from our other birds. .D (/) And we tried to make sure that Mac ~ .c would stay downstairs. It worked for Cl. 28 days. Then Mac managed to outsmart us and found her way up the stairs. I think we can say that it was lust and love at first sight for both birds. Mac reverted to acting like a wild caught bird right away. We could no longer handle her. It really wasn't worth our fingers or face to handle either bird without a pair ofwelder's gloves. We had been keeping them on an open stand in the entryway until we could build a permanent cage for them. And they did stay put for quite Pow'young Severe Macaws were successfully ,·earedby theirparents in an indoor awhile in their temporary quarters.
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