Joy - Blue & Gold Macaw
Oh dear! I know I shouldn't do it but I started looking at Parrots for sale again even though I knew I shouldn't. I saw a nice sounding fully feathered Blue & Gold Macaw in Wrexham but the lady selling wouldn't agree to take him back if he was scared of all mine so I didn't proceed but - I did find a 12 month old Fully feathered, Fully flighted B&G locally being advertised. I couldn't resist so I went to see it last Sunday (15/09/2013) and was so pleased. The chap selling it had it in a block built out-house with a breeding pair of African Greys but he knew he wasn't getting the attention he needed. I knew I could give him the attention he needed and, since we had got another cage for Charlie we had put Rockie & Georgie back in separate cages again although they have proved they can live together quite happily so we decided to put them back together again. This had a hidden advantage - Rockie was in an old Montana with the old rotating disc food door catches and he kept letting himself out. He was about to go into a new Montana with the sprung bolts so saved me having to Parrot-proof his old cage for the time being at least. The new bird was called Troy and is assumed to be a male but currently untested. As he was about a year old we have assumed his birthday to be 16/09/2012. He does badly need to learn to step up on a hand so we are training him now. He is responding very well and loves peanuts for his reward. He can fly well but needs to learn about windows. All of our others seem to recognise the stickers in the Conservatory on the windows and don't fly into them but Troy has had a couple of accidents. He seems to be learning as now he stops short of the glass but struggles as there is nothing to perch on so we have put padding on the window sills to soften his landing. He is a really nice young baby (almost!) bird who will learn with us. The other birds are exercising a pecking order and, unfortunately for Troy, he was the last one in and the youngest so appears to be at the bottom but next youngest, Jasper, is seemingly OK with him although Troy does seem to "beak" first with the birds. He sits on the back of my chair in the lounge at night and is getting used to Phoebe who also shares the chair but she thinks she is top bird! I have watched him very carefully these last few days and I am sure he is going to continue to settle in well. This brings my total Macaws to 9 including the tiny Hahns (Oscar). I know I have said it before but until we move I literally do not have room for any more permanent residents of the feathered variety! Below are some more pictures of Troy.
Troy is really Joy!
Yes, once again our DNA sex results have let us down! Troy came to us as an unsexed male so we sent some feathers off for DNA sexing as we do with all our birds and.....he came back a FEMALE! So, as Troy isn't a very feminine name, we have changed his name to Joy. It sounds similar; he/she doesn't say her name yet and she is only a year old so we don't think she will get a complex!
Yes, once again our DNA sex results have let us down! Troy came to us as an unsexed male so we sent some feathers off for DNA sexing as we do with all our birds and.....he came back a FEMALE! So, as Troy isn't a very feminine name, we have changed his name to Joy. It sounds similar; he/she doesn't say her name yet and she is only a year old so we don't think she will get a complex!