Choosing Monty
Updated: Jan 13, 2020
After Georgie, we missed having squawks around the house. Some time had passed and we decided to look for an exotic pet shop. When we did find one, we weren't sure what we were going to get. A thought crossed our minds to get another Blue & Gold just like Georgie but the personalities would never be the same. We looked around some more and spotted this 2 month old bright-eyed, bushy tailed baby by himself in his own crate. I reached my hands in and he went for a gentle nip immediately (it was more play than harm) We both melted like butter at how cute he was and that was it! We said yes and took him home with us. I mean look at this face, how can you POSSIBLY say no?
Monty's first day home, November 2018
It wasn't easy though. This was our first time hand feeding a baby macaw which was absolutely a hot mess. Luckily Monty weaned formula very early on and jumped right into hard food. We gave him a mixture of pellets, nuts, fruits, and veggies.
Every time he did something, it was always "AWWW, WHERE'S THE CAMERA?!" But there were nervous moments too when something didn't sound right or when he acted a little unusual. Other than that, we loved that Monty was so clingy and lovey dovey. We cuddled the heck out of him. He spent most of his time outside the cage, slept beside us in the bedroom on a perch, and we gave him all the toys and treats he can have - spoiled him like you would to your first child. Only to realize the consequences of OVERspoiling your feather child later on but that's a story for another time.
FUN FACT - macaws' varying personality traits are based on their breeds. For example, Blue & Gold macaws are known to have a clownish personality - very fun. Military macaws are a bit hard headed but very loyal. The hybrid of the 2 creates a Miligold (Monty) and those are Monty's personality traits to the T. He's super playful (sometimes too much), VERY loyal and loving, but can sometimes be a pain in the butt when he doesn't want to listen.
So if you decide to get a bird, make sure you know what breed and personality you're ready for. As always, we highly encourage people to do HEAVY HEAVY research - we cannot emphasize the importance of research.