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How I Prepare Tree Limbs For My Blue And Gold Macaws Cage

By Ryleigh Cantrell

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Published: 07Nov2009
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The inside of my Blue and Gold Macaws cage is as wild and natural as I know how to make it, from his perches to foraging toys.

I take a tremendous amount of pride in making my Blue And Gold Macaws cage as wild and natural as I can. I honestly believe doing so has paid huge dividends in avoiding common problems associated with my Blue And Gold Macaws behavior and health such as screaming, plucking or foot problems.

Foot care for my Blue And Gold Macaw is and has been very high on my list to keep him healthy. It has also been very key in keeping him active. He has never suffered a foot problem.

My Blue and Gold Macaw (Shadow) is 31 years old. I actually purchased his egg. So we have had a great deal of time to learn from and about each other.

During those years we learned very active Macaws tend to be just a little bit quieter than those with little to do and to much alone time on their hands.

Unless I am caught in a bind almost all of the wood in Shadows cage comes from trees. There is nothing at all wrong with the dowels sold as perches other than each dowel is uniform. This means the circumference never changes until the bird changes perches.

Tree limbs help to eliminate that problem. Nearly every step along each limb fits his feet differently allowing him to always find a comfortable place to perch much like a bird in the wild.

With the help of my brother a long distance trucker. I maintain a good stash of mesquite wood from his Texas ranch. I have two grapefruit trees I have never sprayed that also yield wood. These keep me in good shape for perches. My brother uses the same Mesquite wood for his own Blue And Gold Macaws.

Because I know where the wood comes from I worry mostly about parasites, fungus, living things in the wood and not so much about pesticides etc.

What I have learned to to do to protect my Blue and Gold Macaw before introducing wild tree limbs to his cage.

1. A Google search for safe or harmfull wood for Macaws will steer you away from either harmful or even toxic branches. Surprisingly there are many.

2. After selecting I soak all the limbs in water covering them with a few gallons and a teaspoon of bleach. I let the branches soak for about an hour large branches an hour and a half.

3. I use a pot scrubber without soap and firmly scrub the limb down as it soaks. Just firmly enough to clean the limbs.

4. Please rinse thoroughly and when you think thats enough then rinse some more.

5. I dry small branches at 250 degrees in my oven. Baking them for an hour, and thick ones an hour and 15-20 minutes. Avoid higher temps you don't want them to ignite.

6. Branches to large for the oven get dried naturally in the good old Florida sunshine.

By following the above steps my Blue and Gold Macaw has survived his first 31 years without any sort of foot problems. He stays happy and very active. What I have noticed is he doesn't seem to have a favorite spot to perch other than at night.

At night he always goes to the upper most perch hanging from the cage top. Its 4 ft long and he will change his spot on the perch several time during each night.

Hint: I also frequent garage sales looking mainly for old wooden baseball bats. Sanding off any finish they make tremendous perches.

Much is made of diet, exercise, what you can and cannot do, what you should and should not do for your pet bird? I just try as much as is possible to duplicate nature safely.

A great deal of the information is set in stone and some seems very opinionated. So be sure to research thoroughly everything you do for or with your Blue and Gold Macaw or any bird for the matter.

Ryleigh Cantrell has owned his Blue And Gold Macaw (Shadow) since 1978. There are two guesses as to the birds name. The two are inseperable. The two have learned a great deal from each other in those 31 years. To learn more about Blue And Gold Macaws.

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