Not very long ago a pair of blue and gold macaws were surrendered by a family that had raised them from 2 months to 9 year of age. I was told they were siblings. One was clearly dominant personality over the other. They were not in exceptional feather and their weight difference was dramatic, one being significantly heavier than the other. I separated the pair into large cages, side by side, to observer them. The thin one hung back and was not a good eater. The dominant/heavier one was more vocal and had a voracious appetite. This behavior was well established.
Not very long ago a pair of blue and gold macaws were surrendered by a family that had raised them from 2 months to 9 year of age. I was told they were siblings. One was clearly dominant personality over the other. They were not in exceptional feather and their weight difference was dramatic, one being significantly heavier than the other. I separated the pair into large cages, side by side, to observer them. The thin one hung back and was not a good eater. The dominant/heavier one was more vocal and had a voracious appetite. This behavior was well established.
Having no intentions of breeding or separating the birds, I simple wanted to understand more about their behavior and avoid any potential health risks (egg binding). Two weeks ago I moved both into a large outside cage and I observed the dominant one feeding the thin one. Not having names I called the dominate-“Harry ” and the passive – ‘Sally”.
Finally I remembered to mail in the DNA blood samples the vet had gathered. Gender may explain differences. Improved nutrition and hand feeding “Sally” has show an improvement in feather and socialization.
And the results are in:
Date Received: 5/14/2010
BirdID : Harry – dominant one – Blue & Gold Macaw – FEMALE
BirdID : Sally – passive one – Blue & Gold Macaw – MALE
The results are interesting and the main impact will be to change their names to reflect their gender. The passive one will need extra attention and hand feeding to be sure he gets his fair share. He did not like being in a separate cage so separating them again is not an option I will consider. I will continue to go into their big cage to socialize them both.
*The Avian Connection*
Our Results page will show you any samples we have received from you within the last 30 days along with their DNA test results. Just visit the Results Online page at our website and enter your six digit account number. Not only can you view your results 24/7, the Results page is a handy tool for checking to see if and when we have received your sample(s).
Results are usually available 1-2 days after sample arrival.
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