Charlie Blue and Gold Macaw

This is Charlie. He is staying with me while his mom and dad are vacationing. Charlie is "an only child" and is as sweet as they come. He keeps calling me "mama" which is very endearing. I can tell he misses his family. I do my best to make him happy. He spends time outside in the big cages, although he does NOT like the shower routine out there! Hopefully he'll take a clue from Lucy and Molly that the shower is rather nice on a hot day. His favorite time of day is when he comes up to the rope apparatus in my bedroom in the evening. His usual bedtime is 10pm which is after MY bedtime! But I try to accommodate his nightowl tendencies by allowing him to hang out with me and watch TV.
Here he is eating a nut. Definitely a favorite snack for a macaw! Aren't his feathers beautiful? Macaws make wonderful companions because they love to be handled and they are not excessively active. Although they can be excessively loud. With the right training, this too can be managed. I have three macaws in my home this week (my two and Charlie) and they are really quiet most of the time. The occasional "air horn" blast is difficult to tolerate. I know of many macaws that do well in condos but I wouldn't recommend it! There is one at Canyon Lakes Golf Course that really must get on people's nerves! Her bellowing really carries a long way. What a blessing it is to have good neighbors!