Water?

[FoxersArtist]

When our Greenwing Macaw, Uriel, came to us one of the most popular things he said was "Water?" Since then, I have come to realize that whenever the faucet is on, or whenever I get a glass of water from the fridge, Uriel asks "water?" He really gets it! How cool! Well, I decided to reward his request for water by giving him an ice cube every once in a while, which he totally goes bonkers for. I have given a bird ice before, but they usually just lick it for a minute and then throw it away. Uriel keeps his ice cube until he's had every last drop. He sits with it in his beak and licks it, warming the ice with his tongue. He tilts his head back and lets the water drip down his throat. This is all very amusing but then I started to wonder about his safety as he really holds onto an ice cube for a very long time. should I be worried about him freezing his tongue? This may be a silly question, but I know my tongue would get awful cold if I had a cube in my mouth that long.
-Anna

[michelle]

OMG Anna! We so need a video of him with an ice cube!!! That is hilarious!

[birdie]

I would think he would drop it if it was too cold. Could you make some special ones for him and use a pop sickle stick for him to hold onto?

[too&me]

Clever girl-I didn't see haw they could harm themselves holding a cube & if they swallow a chunk it should melt but I love your idea! Maybe we could expand on that with chopped veggies in the pop or sprouted beans or cooked ones scattered within. Anything on a stick should be fun!