I will be bringing home my little girl SM in a few weeks. She is almost two (in March) and I am would to talk to more SM people!!! If you have pics, PLEASE POST'em!

Congratulations on your new baby!

Two of my macaws are scarlets. They have great personalities.

MaiTai is my female. She is more bonded to me than my husband but will tolerate attention if I'm not around. She is also too smart for her own good. She loves to run into the the playroom yelling "hi guys, hi guys".

Her other phrases are:
"what-the-hell-God-damn-it" (all one word to her)
"Hmmmm"
"John's the best" or "Mom's the best" or "jeanne's the best" or "This is the best"
"I'm a good girl"
"Oh Sh*t" if you drop something
Loves to laugh
Sings - Law & Order theme, McDonalds theme, Happy Bird-day, swing music
She just never shuts up...constantly babbling.

Budgie talks like a cross between young frankenstein & Scooby doo.
He's babbles, says hello, hi, loves to laugh.

Budgie came from an abused home where MaiTai did not. Budgie has gained a lot of confidence over the past few months and has turned into a terror....he doesn't like me at all. Oh well, you win some and loose some.

Budgie




MaiTai

That's the biggest & reddest Budgie I've ever seen - could we have her as the Mascot for the Budgie forum?
PS - I just couldn't resist - I don't think anyone could!

All the best with the new Scarlet - they are fab. [I'm a fan of them all]

Thanks for the responce! I cancelled the cage I want to have shipped here. I was going to get it almost two weeks past but I started thinking, what my TOOs would like, perhaps a Caw wouldnot. What kin do fcage do you reccomend? Im getting the 40"long by 30" wide, but playtop or dome top? Should I leave her in her cage for a few days so she can settl ein? Her cage will be in the living room where most of the hustle and bussle will be.

BTW, how rude of me, BUT YOUR SCARLETS ARE BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!

hahaha i love that mai tai sings the law and order theme! we have that show on constantly in this house so i am sure ivy will pick it up at some point. both of your scarlets are dolls, jeanne. and congratulations on your scarlet, B*B!

you might want to keep your baby in a quiet room for the first few days. it's a lot of change for them to experience all at once, and it's best to reduce stress as much as possible. 40x30 is probably the minimum size for macaws. i personally prefer dome tops as there is more room for toys and perches. but mine isn't allowed to play on top of her cage either. so that's more personal preference than anything else.

goooood luck!

I don't have a scarlet, but I wish I did! LOL

A quiet place to settle in is a good idea...Emily is right there. As for a cage...bigger is always better. Super strong bars. We have 2 B&G's and hence 2 cages....one is a dome and one has a gym...both have their perks. Depends on your preference.

I can't wait to see pics when the new baby arrives! Good luck!

Hi Again

Yeah we chose the 40x30 over the 48x36, because really, ALL of our fids are let out of their cag all day long, so we think it shouldnt be too bad fo rher if she only spent night time and possibly a couple hours a day in her cage. What do you think? Should I go with a 48x36??? I'll have to make more room in theliving room for her. Also, I was told to have her where all the acitivty is so she can get used to the family?? I will take your word and have her in our spare bedroom then. That fine as well. It'll just be a pain to move her cage around after a few days.

Also her diet now consists of The Natural Zupreem and fruit and nut mix. No seeds. And she eats it all. Im introducing some High Coarse Harrisons to her each time I go visit her.

Ok, I want to know if this is normal Caw (or Scarlet) for her. She knows me, but she lieks the owner;

The Macaw lets me pick her up. And I can sit down with her, But she does a lot of pinches and rubbing her beak on me (it hurts but its barrable).

She has the softest tongue and when I give her treats her tongue and beak stretch out but sometimes she'll avoid the food and go for my finger, gently beaking it. Should I watch out? (probably should)

When you guys bathe your Caws, how do they act BEFORE you get the spritzer out and start spraying? Do they flap their wings,or open them up like a BIG BIRDIE?

Hahahaha

You can use "Budgie" as the mascot...he's be honered ;-)

As everyone has said the bigger the cage the better. When we got Picassa she was shy and we kept her in the upstairs bedroom for a couple of days until she got use to the commotion. Piaui on the other hand....when we picked him up at the airport and took him out of his carrier he tried to eat everything in the car. He was loaded with confidence and wanted to play. He was quiet during his afternoon nap only.

MaiTai will grab my fingers and nibble on them and give kisses but I also know when she's going to bite and don't let her. I'm sure once your Scarlets personality starts to show everything will come naturally.

i would definitely go with the 48x36 if you can afford it. the family room is a great location once she is settled. but for the first few days, it's best to keep them in a quiet room. yes, it's a pain to move the cage, but really in the best interest for the bird.

when ivy bites a little too hard, i shake my hand and force her to let go. it seems to keep her in check. they need to be taught their limits, but always in a gentle manner. macaws "feel" with their beaks so this is normal behavior. but they also need to know that fingers and hands aren't nuts! their tongues ARE super soft aren't they?

ivy doesn't really respond much to showers right now. she flaps her wings a little once she is in there, but doesn't do much beforehand.

As for cage size, the general rule is always bigger is better. However, if you are crunched for space you get what you can. Our birds are only caged at bedtime or if we are physically not in the house. Our cages are 30x42 and 36x48 respectfully. However it's important to note here we are VERY crunched for space and both birds came to us with their cages so we didn't the the option to shop around. Otherwise they are free to roam as well. (In fact Maple is preening my hair and yelling at me to "stop it" as I type lol). Is is always nice to give them a quiet place to settle in if possible, but sometimes it's not always possible. When we brought Harley home he moved right into the living room and LOVED it. He is a big attention hog. It is best (long term) to have them in the room where the family spends a lot of time. They like to feel like part of the "flock".

As for your questions...my birds are well socialized and Maple in particular is VERY bonded to me, and she will still sometime "beak" at my fingers when I go to pass her food. They just do that. Sometimes you get a nip/bite, sometimes you don't..it's a gamble. It is good that she is letting you pick her up. I wouldn't tolerate too many pinches though, she has to learn appropriate behavior. As for bathing...it's totally on an individual basis. Harley loves the spritzer bottle, runs all over flapping wings while he gets sprayed. Maple on the other hand is terrified of the bottle and runs from it in fear. They both love to shower in the tub...Maple likes to stand on the bottom of the tub, and Harley prefers his shower perch.

Most things are trial and error until you figure out what works best for your baby. Keeping a large birds behavior in check is vital because they do have a nasty bite that can cause lots of damage. Socialization is extremely important. Some birds never like to be cuddled and such, but it is important that the bird learns step up, and will tolerate some handling.

My Harley is the same age as this baby you are bringing home. He will be 2 in March. So they are at the same stage. If they are anything alike you'll be having lots of fun. He's very curious, outgoing and beaky at this age.

There are lots of great folks here with tons of experience to help you with anything you need.