Macaw BO??

[huntress]

Tell me Im wierd but
Does anyone have a MAcaw with a certain...Odor?:scratchch I notice the room where Calypso my recently rescued 40 year old Macaw is being QT has a smell much stronger than any other bird (I have greys and a too) I change the papers everyday because of his poop size and quantity and the nature of his food - he is not picky like my others and eats allot more fresh food. But its not that. I cleaned the carpet while he was out of there to day simply because it needed it and aired out the room from winter stuffiness and realized the smell was still there.:help: Now I dont mind it as Im used to having animal smell around me all my life but visitors might be offended by it. Is this common in Large Macaws (Ive never had one in my house before) or do you think its his age?
He has started stepping up and going to the shower which is great as he hasnt been handled at all in ten years or more. I have a tail feather in on the dash of our Van from him and I noticed the same odor after getting in the closed vehicle.
Any suggestions as to how I can lighten up his BO??:rolleyes:

[CocosMomma]

Hmmm... that's interesting! I was going to ask if it is the "musk" order that they get during hormonal times, but I've never noticed this being on the feathers... just sort of eminating from nose and mouth. It would be interesting to see if it improved once he starts getting showers. Can you describe the smell?

[huntress]

Ummmm, kind of like wet cardboard? old wet cardboard? I think he smells like a giant Caique only stronger.

[CocosMomma]

Hmmmm... interesting.

Old wet cardboard is close to what I would call what say Coco smells like when she is wet. It is not a terribly pleasant smell. But once she dries completely, the smell goes away.

[Ginny]

Yes Macaws do have an odor all their own and it is stronger then any other kind of bird I know. I would call it a musky smell. When my macaw gets excited or nervous or is outside and it is hot her smell is a lot stronger. If the bird has not been held in over 10 years I wonder how long it has been since he has had a bath. I would give him a bath with clean water at least once a week....a good soaking with a spray bottle or in the shower with you. Then mist him several time a week. I think you will find the smell will get less and less the cleaner he gets. Oh the smell will be stronger when he is wet but will get less once he is dry.

Tell me Im wierd but
Does anyone have a MAcaw with a certain...Odor?:scratchch I notice the room where Calypso my recently rescued 40 year old Macaw is being QT has a smell much stronger than any other bird (I have greys and a too) I change the papers everyday because of his poop size and quantity and the nature of his food - he is not picky like my others and eats allot more fresh food. But its not that. I cleaned the carpet while he was out of there to day simply because it needed it and aired out the room from winter stuffiness and realized the smell was still there.:help: Now I dont mind it as Im used to having animal smell around me all my life but visitors might be offended by it. Is this common in Large Macaws (Ive never had one in my house before) or do you think its his age?
He has started stepping up and going to the shower which is great as he hasnt been handled at all in ten years or more. I have a tail feather in on the dash of our Van from him and I noticed the same odor after getting in the closed vehicle.
Any suggestions as to how I can lighten up his BO??:rolleyes:

[huntress]

Ginny! I have a sulfer Crested as well, she looks just exactly like yours. Is yours an Elenora? She (my Lizzy) is a great bird - my first big fiddie.

[tropiclegirl]

Its funny that you asked this question because i am having the same problem with Roxy but its not body odor its her droppings. She is 9 months old and it has been going on since day one of her coming home at 13 weeks old. At first i thought it was her formula because she was still being hand fed but its still going on with her being on regular food. I have to change her paper every single day or else there room starts to have that wet cardboard smell and its strong. She doesnt have a body oder, she smells fine.

I dont have this problem with Marlon, my Grey.

[CocosMomma]

My sis has a b&g and changes papers daily, but I'll have to ask her if she has noticed that....:scratchch

[Jim]

The boys poop on paper under their sleeping perches. I change the paper everyday but after reading this yesterday I put the old paper in the garage to see if it would smell. As of this morning it doesn't smell. I left it and will check again later today.

You probably know this, just being my concerned self, the poop it's self shouldn't have any odor.

[CocosMomma]

My sis says that her b&G's poop doesn't smell. Huntress mentioned the single macaw feather that was in her car had the same wet cardboard smell... so it is the feathers and the poop??

Coco's feathers (altho not a macaw) don't have any smell at all unless she has just been drenched. I wonder why the feather in the car would retain a wet cardboard type odor. Coco will get a musky type odor sometimes but it is not on her feathers. It comes from her mouth and nose in relation to rise in hormones.

[huntress]

Well. I dunno - All I can do is wait until spring for to open the windows!!LOL!!!
Next winter things will be moved around and he will be in the living area with us.

[Ginny]

Sorry I am late seeing this. Yes she is an elenora. she is so sweet. What state do you live in? I am in FL. How old is Lizzy? Bacardi is almost 7 years old.


Ginny! I have a sulfer Crested as well, she looks just exactly like yours. Is yours an Elenora? She (my Lizzy) is a great bird - my first big fiddie.

[tropiclegirl]

You probably know this, just being my concerned self, the poop it's self shouldn't have any odor.

Its just her morning splat :funny: It only starts to have an odor when its been 2 days worth (almost like a celery smell). She eats those Goldeno'bles by Golden feast and it has that kind of odor to it, so i thought it was her food since she eats that at night before she goes to bed.

They are not in there cages much, so there papers don't get dirty except for there shelled seeds. They eat there fresh foods in the kitchen on a portable stand. I havent noticed an odor from Roxy's normal droppings through out the day when she is on her playstands.

I change the paper in there cages every day, sometimes on the second day if they havent made a mess, it just depends.

When i first brought her home, i took her to the vet and she had a clean bill of health so???????

[Jim]

SPLAT!?!?! Hey... that's my word for the morning poop.

Thanks for the more detailed explanation. The papers in the garage didn't get an odor. Now, I'm wondering, does Roxy get water on the paper?

I mop the boys room and sometimes it's in the early morning. Shirley keeps me on the phone or on the board late at times, being a mod can be... ahhh... you know... do your job or.... so I have to get up early and clean.:watched: Sometimes Teo won't go on his sleeping perch so I put some paper in his poop spot in the room.

Anywho, some of my papers are old, they seem to be worse about smelling, and when they get damp, even for that short period, they smell like wet cardboard.

Don't ya love to hear that morning SPLAT! :funny:

[tropiclegirl]

:rofl:I can hear her all the way in the living room, its craziness :rofl:

Its definitely her droppings that has the smell and not the paper.

[CocosMomma]

Hey.... on another thread there was talk of having a contest with whose bird could scream the loudest...

I've got an IDEA!!!:idea:

Forget about screaming....

How about if we have a contest on who's bird can SPLAT the loudest?!
We could record the sound... and then post... the...

(Nevermind... I'll put myself in time out, by myself, and then to bed with no dinner...)

:roflmao2:

[Jim]

Hi Tina

Ahhhh... well... if it's smelly poop, and it sounds as if it's been like this for a while, I'd be off to the vet.

Really, fwiw, as you know, I'm not one that freaks out or rushes to the vet if the boys sneeze, a watery poop once or twice, acting a little different one day. BUT, to me this is something that needs checked out. Smelly poop, I believe, is a sign of infections, bacteria, an internal problem...

Doc???

[tropiclegirl]

Ok. I will be calling first thing in the morning to take her to the vet :agree:

[Jim]

Hi again, Tina

I'm not an expert about this smelly poop. That was my opinion. You probably would, but I'd ask your vet's opinion on this, and go with a visit based on that.

On the other hand. I think it's a good idea, if possible, to have a well check every six months on macaws for the first couple years. Once they are a couple years old their immune system is stronger and I go with once a year for well checks.

[tropiclegirl]

I was planning on taking her anyhow there are a few other things that i want to have checked. Ill let ya know what happens

Thanks :D

[CocosMomma]

...I'm not an expert about this smelly poop....

Oh, I could go so many different places with this.... I would like someone to take note that I am using a great deal of discipline and discretion here....
:rotflmao:Coz I think I remember my husband claiming that his didn't... (ok, I'm stopping... I'm stopping...):roflmao2:

I'll tell ya what, Tina... if there was an award for the most absolute gorgeous little girl b&G face, your baby would win the prize hands down. And the fact that she is sweet, to boot? WOW! (Now, please don't tell my sis. She has a b&g named Captain that turned out to be a female... kept the original name anyway... and I gotta say, that thing scares me.... lunges....) maybe one day I can meet sweet Roxy... until then, I just drool over that luscious baby face.... :drool2:

[tropiclegirl]

Aww thanks Robin :tighthug: :thanx:

She really is a sweetheart :wub:

I don't know if meeting her is a good idea, i might never get her back :rofl:

[CocosMomma]

...dan'g... I almost pulled that off!!!:D :roflmao2:

[Bluebeard]

I have had Macaws for 30 years & never had 1 smell bad... When mine get excited they give off a wonderful sweet smell !!!! What diet do you feed ?? Mine have always ate people food with seed & nuts a daily treat.. They get scrambled eggs & grits with fresh furit & veg in the morning, & a bite of my muffin or bagle dipped in coffee.. Mid day snack of fruit & veg... Dinner of a hot 7 grain cereal with baby food meat & vegs. mixed in... also fresh fruit & veg platter... Did I mention my wife spoils our macaws !?! They also eat anything we are eating.... CRAB FEAST !!!!!! BLUEBEARD