# My buddy and online name



## Smurfmacaw (Dec 9, 2015)

A couple people have asked me how I came up with a weird name like smurfmacaw. This is my best buddy. He's 14 years old and I tell most people that he's like having a puppy with a bolt cutter on his face. He eats macadamia nuts in the shell if that gives you any idea of the beak pressure he can exert (I can barely crack a mac with a hammer on a concrete floor....he does it without even straining....can bite through a broomstick without even trying.) He is extremely gentle for the most part but loves to roughhouse.

We've got four other birds, two eclectus (male and female), a senegal and a moluccan cockatoo. Indigo is my special buddy though.


----------



## Cheeks1989 (Dec 9, 2015)

Really beautiful bird.


----------



## aboynamedsuita (Dec 9, 2015)

Cool! I kinda thought it may have been something like that as smurfs are blue, and (afaik) there are blue macaws (an old friend used to have a blue & gold macaw). First initial last name that's my story


----------



## Asteger (Dec 9, 2015)

Is his name Smurf?


----------



## tkern (Dec 9, 2015)

tjangula said:


> Cool! I kinda thought it may have been something like that as smurfs are blue, and (afaik) there are blue macaws (an old friend used to have a blue & gold macaw). First initial last name that's my story



Lame way to pick a name, tjangula.


----------



## Smurfmacaw (Dec 10, 2015)

His name is Indigo. I was banned from naming pets after I named the cats Vladimir Putin and Leonid Breznev. Can't figure out why but who can understand wives and children....

Tanner is right, he's blue and my callsign in the Navy was Smurf....unique name that works every time as a username without having to be smurfmacaw4769 or some such.

He's a peach though....loves to play rough...a lot of people think birds are delicate...I'd put him up against a rottweiler any day - not even a contest.

He's a hyacinth macaw. really sweet bird when he wants to be, real butt when he wants to be lol.


----------



## V1P (Dec 10, 2015)

Ah, so that's what your screen name means.

That birdy is so handsome, I want handle wood in his colors.


----------



## malexthekid (Dec 10, 2015)

Amazing pet. I have always loved birds.


----------



## Mucho Bocho (Dec 10, 2015)

Gorgeous bird Mike. Looks like a laboratory in that room. My sister has had a Macaw for twenty years. If you don't know their in the house and hey start squawking it's quite a shock.


----------



## Smurfmacaw (Dec 10, 2015)

Yeah, when the macaw and the cockatoo start competing it can get pretty raucous. Luckily they only get up to full blow just as the sun goes down...I think they are calling the flock in to roost. It't a lot of fun having a pet that talks to you. Our maid is hispanic and our male eclectus now says bueno dias. One of his other phrases is "Let go of my ear!!"


----------



## Mrmnms (Dec 10, 2015)

Looks like he has a lot of personality . Can't help but smile looking at his picture.


----------



## benichka (Dec 10, 2015)

Ah ah same here  Must be so fun to have such a pet at home! Having a "talking pet" must be very weird sometimes... Some friends of mine have a grey parrot, apparently sometimes he imitates voices so well that you can think that's an actual person talking... He "laughes" and all, quite fun  Never saw it though!


----------



## Smurfmacaw (Dec 10, 2015)

Mucho Bocho said:


> Looks like a laboratory in that room.



Lol, yes, I guess with all the stainless steel it does a bit. Indigo requires a stainless steel cage, the typical wrought iron cages are no match for his beak power, even the heavy duty ones. We switched the other birds over too since the stainless cages are pretty indestructible and are easy to keep clean....we generally drag them outside on the weekend and use a power washer on them....I call it the magic poop erasing wand.

They have been a source of entertainment for us for a long time.....better than kids even since you can lock them in a cage if they misbehave.


----------



## Mucho Bocho (Dec 10, 2015)

Smurfmacaw said:


> Mike, who says you can't do this with kids? Can you send me the link for the SS cages. LOL


----------



## aboynamedsuita (Dec 10, 2015)

tkern said:


> Lame way to pick a name, tjangula.



Thanks, somehow I feel I'm not the only one


----------



## alterwisser (Dec 12, 2015)

Smurfmacaw said:


> A couple people have asked me how I came up with a weird name like smurfmacaw. This is my best buddy. He's 14 years old and I tell most people that he's like having a puppy with a bolt cutter on his face. He eats macadamia nuts in the shell if that gives you any idea of the beak pressure he can exert (I can barely crack a mac with a hammer on a concrete floor....he does it without even straining....can bite through a broomstick without even trying.) He is extremely gentle for the most part but loves to roughhouse.
> 
> We've got four other birds, two eclectus (male and female), a senegal and a moluccan cockatoo. Indigo is my special buddy though.



That's a beautiful bird. Love the color!


----------



## mikedtran (Dec 21, 2015)

Amazing looking bird!

The power of the beak sounds a bit intimidating though..


----------



## Kippington (Dec 22, 2015)

mikedtran said:


> Amazing looking bird!
> 
> The power of the beak sounds a bit intimidating though..


A bit is an understatement!
[video=youtube;3ozZFsGAEJs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ozZFsGAEJs[/video]
It becomes different when you learn the individual bird and their body language though. You give them space when they demand it (rarely), otherwise you're good to go.

Beautiful birds Smurf. Can I see a picture of your Moluccan cockatoo? Those and Umbrella cockatoos are my faves for their clown-like behavior. I was going to get one myself until I heard the volume of their calls and realized there was no way I could own one in a shared house!

I ended up with a conure instead, this is Birdy:





It's amazing when Birdy sees me working on my knives and he comes over to check out what I'm doing. I feel really bad not allowing him to investigate them!


----------



## Smurfmacaw (Dec 22, 2015)

This is Lilly. She's extremely sweet but we got lucky and have worked with her a lot so she is pretty good at entertaining herself. She was a rescue bird that looked terrible when we got her, half her feathers were gone. It took some patience but now she is in perfect feather and loves to shower. She's always up for a cuddle but isn't pushy about it and she loves to dance to the Crazy 88's WooHoo song. (From Kill Bill).


----------



## Smurfmacaw (Dec 22, 2015)

I see Birdy likes his pasta....Indigo is a fan also. Normally he eats macadamia and brazil nuts in the shell (I wish I had a metabolism like that....he requires 70% saturated fat in his diet) but he also loves to share whatever we are eating and pasta is a universal favorite, both uncooked and cooked.


----------



## Smurfmacaw (Dec 22, 2015)

And finally, if you own parrots, you will be tempted to engage in pet shaming at some point....I guarantee it! This is Emeril, our male Eclectus.


----------



## mkriggen (Dec 23, 2015)

Soooooo, I'm getting the impression that parrots are basically highly destructive cats with feathers and bolt cutters? Don't get me wrong, I love my cats and find these to be highly distinguishing qualities.:viking:

Be well,
Mikey


----------



## mkriggen (Dec 23, 2015)

duplicate post


----------

