Blue & Gold Macaw "rescue"

Hi everyone, first post here, good to meet all of you. I was hoping you could all give me a little advice.

Last november, my live-in girlfriend and I went to Petco and bought our first bird, a green cheek conure (we want to say he/she is a yellow sided). Needless to say, we loved interacting and being around him. About two months later, we went out and got a baby green cheek from a local pet store (Seeing as Petco is pretty evil), and she too was a real pleasure to be around.

We're both pretty smart people, we have a whole house full of animals, two parrots, three dogs, three cats, a herd of rats, and a saltwater aquarium. Parrots presented a new challenge. Learning their body language, needs and wants, diets and how to keep them from biting etc. Lots of fun all around. Unfortunately though, that's more or less the extent of our bird experience. We have been pretty successful training the two conures up til now for the record, but we are admittedly noobs in the world of bird ownership.

Now to bring us back to present day: About a week ago, my girlfriend saw an ad for a B&G macaw on one of the various bird classifieds that was living only a couple hours away from us. I was rather hesitant to make that leap to such a large bird, but she convinced me to go see her.

I know I used the word rescue in the thread title, and that may have been a bit of an overstatement. As far as we could tell, she was not being abused or really treated badly in any significant way, other than the fact that she's been rather isolated and neglected for quite some time. How long is another story, we have no real idea other than what the owner told us. Her story is that she has had possession of the bird for the past 18 months, she tells us that the bird is 7 years old, and that she purchased her from an elderly couple, along with the cage, which is way too small (at least in my opinion). Birdy's feathers are pretty raggedy looking (no overt plucking that I can see), she had a lack of toys and her perches were not at all appropriate. Needless to say, when we left, I knew we had to get her out of there if at all possible.

So here we are, with a B&G in our house. We figured we could give it a try, and see if we could work with her, and if all else failed, we could rehome her somewhere else more appropriate.

As I'm typing this, this is the second day with her living with us. It seems like she's just out of practice in terms of being social. She's taken to me quite well, allowing me to preen her, has climbed up on my shoulder on several occasions, and will eat out of my hand. To be totally honest, such a large bird with such a large beak is really quite intimidating, but I'm doing my best to remain confident and therefore not freak out the bird.

So here's the problems. She was very obviously eating a pretty crappy diet for some time. No fresh stuff of any sort. As far as we know, her outside time from her cage was pretty limited. It seems like she maybe knew how to do a little talking at some point in her life, but thats mostly gone away. She absolutely HATES the spray bottle even though she looks filthy, and doesn't seem to take very kindly to my girlfriend (her last owner was a woman and completely uninformed and terrified of the bird).

Now, I'm a realistic guy. I know this will take tons of patience and understanding to get her to trust us. I'm not looking for overnight solutions in any way.

My four main questions are really this: 1) how do you teach her to step up when she pretty much refuses to get on my arm 2) how do we get her to bathe and 3) is there anyway to get her to bond to my girlfriend as well as me and 4) how do i get her to go back into her cage in a healthy way (her previous owners were essentially brandishing a spray bottle to make her retreat).

In regards to #3, this is really my GF's project. She's the animal lady, I'm just kind of happily along for the ride. I would hate for us to adopt this bird and have it only like me. I'm a chef and work crazy hours, so I want her to be comfortable with my lady friend as well.

I included a few pics of the B&G to give you an idea of what I mean by ratty feathers, and also cuz she's beautiful and a pic of my conures, Gus and Smalls respectively.

Thanks for reading the super long post, and thanks for the help in advance.

Wow , sounds like your a good guy,Im the crazy bird girl at my house and have support too. First Ill say about conures [ive only had a sunconure ] and dont know others . Out of my 9 birds shes been the hardest [I love her dearly] Shes the smallest of my flock . But Ive thought WOW if you can figure her out your ready for a bigger bird.Are yours like that? My Macaw rates up there with the most gentle of the bunch.Shes never hurt me. So sometimes its not the size of the beak its how they use them [Like Id be more upset with a bite from my zon and grey] Sounds like things are going really well quickly.You have the right idea go slow .As for stepping up to go outside of the cage ask ,offer your arm . If he doesnt want to ,try later [eventually he will be curious about you and want to .If he can step up to go back in give him a treat. If not try a stick to step up on .[sometimes you need to go to work and cant play around LOL ] What I do with my diet is a cooked bean ,veg ,pasta mixture every other day and on the of day pellets and some seedmix [But also everyday fresh fruit ,veg and nuts . I do this so I know mines not just eating her favorite things. Ive seen a brighter Harlow [I think its her diet] As for getting him used to both of you Im not going to give you a text book answer. My rehomes all seem to do this . They quickly bond to one person and the other needs to take the time to win them over. Just seems how to go at my house . Remember the toys and they like to be out.It can be simple as ares eats dinner with us everynight . Keep trying with the bath thing its important.

Hello & welcome to the forum.....

Don’t let your lack of bird experience bother you, because you’ve stumbled onto a wealth of experience, along with a little bit of knowledge, and the best thing about the forum is we don’t charge any fees…unlike going to college or a trade school…..

That’s something you & your girlfriend are going to have to watch, but multiple bird syndrome (MBS) is a serious affliction to some, as you’ll find out if you read many of the threads around here and it’s often a terminal affliction…no known cure…..

For stepping up & stepping down, one of the best videos I’ve seen is on youtube: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpLv4l41wWM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpLv4l41wWM[/ame]


The ratty feathers are probably the result of too small of a cage, once the feathers molt out again, they’ll look all spiffy…being flock animals, birds care about their appearance and unless their spirit is broken or they are somehow prevented from keeping up appearances, they’ll try to look their Sunday best…virtually all parrots have a preen gland just before their tail feathers…about where our tailbone is, so they can slick down their feathers…..

Many birds that are out of practice with the social amenities will come around relatively quickly when they figure out their new home might be worth spending some time in, however, I’d be on the lookout for newcomers to try and exploit opportunities if given the chance, so some guidance with boundaries may be necessary at some point…..

On the bath issue, you could clear all loose items from your bathroom & fold the shower curtain up, take her in there, have some one-on-one time, maybe the both of you playing with a toy, then turn on the tub, to maybe 3” of water and set him/her in it…my birds all like cold baths, so we don’t shower together except maybe on rare occasions…..you could also try to bathe him/her in your kitchen sink, but if you have to do the bathing, unscented Dawn dish-washing liquid is what you want to use, and be sure to rinse very well…..

To ensconce GF in a more favored light, let her be the feeder, waterer & treat giver, you can be the cage cleaner…..if she’s home more than you, let her try to interact more with the bird, but you both should understand that if the bird chooses one of you as a preferred human, there’s no tricks for changing that, although birds do divorce their humans & switch, but again, that’s strictly up to the bird…..

While all of my birds are smaller than a B&G, I don’t let any new bird on my shoulder until I get to know them…a sudden turn of the head can spook a bird, especially if you are reading or otherwise immobile & the bird has relaxed & maybe even dozed off, your sudden movement can spook it…and you always want to be careful about turning toward the bird…I did a couple of times, but realized what I was doing & was able to duck though I did catch a beak point in the scalp once…turning into a spooked macaw’s beak would probably be a little painful & add to several doctor’s new car or boat…..

Weco, Thanks for the Smirk on my face this morning. I do believe I have that [MBS] [I knew I had something } Sorry to hear theres no cure [There should be a support group on here LOL } I didnt know about the dawn soap thing [have you done it before ?]

I never suggest anyone who has no BIG bird experience taking in a rehomed macaw. In the best of situations macaws are difficult birds to deal with. They can be demanding and also very intimidating as I'm sure you are getting the gest of now. With most birds especially macaws, you have to be a bit forceful with them and show them who is boss.

I don't think any Dawn dish soap is required... just a good soaking bath (or a few) and some good preening time is all that she needs!

That said, I have used dish soap before! Casey, my cockatiel got into a pan of cold oil years ago thinking it was water and ingested some of it. Although she did not role in it, only stood in it, she still managed to get oil all over her feathers - and she even puked some of it up. The dish soap was used to try and remove the oil, and it took several baths, and it also took a few days to clear her system of the oil. Thankfully, she recovered 100%! Lesson learned - don't leave oil out!



1) how do you teach her to step up when she pretty much refuses to get on my arm
Find out what her favorite treats are, then teach her to target. Once she knows how to target, you can teach her to step up. Don't force her to step up if you don't have to! Also, don't get bitten! Here's a few links that may help in that regard....

Good Bird Inc Parrot Training Talk: Help! My Parrot Wont Step Up!
Good Bird Inc Parrot Training Talk: Respecting the Bite


Living With Parrots Cage Free: Bucky and Strider - Millet Eating Fiends!


A ?Bird Attacking? Question | Lara Joseph
A Question About an Issue with Nipping | Lara Joseph


Positive reinforcement | Learning Parrots

2) how do we get her to bathe
Experiment with various ideas! Here's some!

• Try luke-warm water
• Try cold water
• Try ice-cold water
• Try a spray bottle
• Try a plant mister
• Try in the sink with the water running or just some water in the bottom
• Try in the sink with the sprayer
• Try in the tub with some water in the bottom
• Try a casserole dish or similar with some water
• Try the dish with ice
• Try the dish with foot toys
• Try the dish with some leafy greens like endive or other types of lettuces that may create a "natural" bowl
• Try the dish with a vacuum cleaner
• Try in the shower with you - watching you having a blast getting wet!
• Try dancing the bird into the shower with the water already going
• Try spritzing yourself, and have fun doing it! Then spritz the bird
• Try outside in an empty cage large enough to spread wings during a nice rain shower
• Try outside in an empty cage using the hose with a mist/shower attachment

3) is there anyway to get her to bond to my girlfriend as well as me
Positive reinforcement training aka clicker training. There are some great trainers such as Barbara Heidenreich, Susan Friedman, Melinda Johnson, Karen Pryor... and the list goes on!

There's also a lot of free information on the web!

4) how do i get her to go back into her cage in a healthy way (her previous owners were essentially brandishing a spray bottle to make her retreat).
This goes back to targeting and positive reinforcement training/clicker training. You also need to make the cage be a rewarding place to go back to, which you can do with food, treats, foraging and toys.



It may help to have a move-able gym that she can come out on, then you can roll around the house... and if you need her back in the cage, roll it back to the cage. You may also try stick/perch training her, but if said perch is not a stable perch, she may be hesitant to step up. It's pretty easy to drop a perch or arm down once a large, heavy bodied bird steps up onto it! So it might be easier to teach step up and making sure that your arm is a stable perch *before* the bird steps up onto it. Make your arm an extension to whatever the bird is already on! (which Barbara Heidenreich kind of shows in one of the videos where she's trying to teach a scarlet macaw to step up)

Okay, well first off, thanks everyone for the advice. Some great links here!

Just a little background...both my girlfriend and I have pretty extensive experience with problem animals, mostly dogs. Now I know what you're already saying, a dog is nothing like a bird, and I agree, the psychology is totally different. But working with dangerous dogs is indeed a way to learn to respect personal space between humans and animals, how to avoid creating an environment where aggressive behavior can happen, creating boundaries, and most of all, patience. So yes, we were pretty hesitant to take on such a large responsibility as a rehomed parrot. We are not so arrogant as to not be willing to admit we were wrong, and find a better place for her to live. We just simply couldn't let her stay where she was, and no matter how bad we might be at this parrot game, it HAS to be better than sitting in a cage staring at a wall for 14 hours a day. I'm not being defensive, and you all as experienced owners have every right to criticize.

She's been with us for a little over 3 days now, and frankly I'm pretty happy with the progress. Luckily for us, she really is not terribly aggressive, and I don't believe she was abused by a human at all aside from neglect. My theory is that she was never really given a chance to be a bird, i.e. eat what birds eat, play with the things birds play with. Unfortunately this has posed an issue in some aspects of her rehabilitation.

So far, I haven't found anything that she LOVES, in terms of food. She's pretty fond of nuts, but won't go out of her way to get them, this is including walnuts/almonds/pecans/macadamia/brazil. I've tried peanuts, sunflower seeds, even just plain old millet. I've tried fruit, fresh and dried, and also vegetable I've even gone so far as to use crackers (previous owner suggested) trying to find an appropriate bribe or special treat for her, and still I haven't stumbled upon something she goes crazy for. Honestly I'm slightly worried as when we let her out of her cage for 4, 5, 6, 7 hours at a time, she's really not very often taking food or water breaks.

The same goes for toys. So far, she plays with absolutely NOTHING inside of her cage, but seems to have an affinity for tearing paper, which we have happily obliged. But she seems mostly disinterested in wood and your standard parrot toys unless I'm playing with it also and as soon as I try to let her go it alone, she loses interest and drops it right away.

As of now, step-up has been going pretty well considering the time we've had her. I've been getting her to step up on my forearm, and dissuading her from crawling up to my shoulder, almost zero luck with the hands, although to be honest i don't know if such a big bird will fit on my hand. For the most part I let her do as she wishes when she's out of her box, giving her plenty of personal space and trying to just be near her so she gets a little more comfortable with us. I'm still struggling to get her back into her cage, but that's also due to it being too small. New cage is in the works, it's our #1 priority at the moment.

So yeah. It's definitely a challenge, but she's very beautiful and very sweet, and we've got nothing but time. I just wish we could find a treat she goes crazy for!

She wouldnt be sick would she ? When Harlow was sick she was disinterested in food and didnt play with toys. Now that shes better its the opposite [and I love seeing her tear into her toys] I wouldnt say its an age thing eighter ,My rehomed zon had 1 stripped toy in his cage where I got him from [They said he didnt do much] Tequila is a 30 plus year old bird and has a cage full of toys [which he loves] and plays with foot toys on his back Watch your birds droppings and weight.

Whoops im sorry (I didnt see you have only had her 3 days ] Shes nervous ,way to soon to settle in .Tell us what shes like in 2 months [not kidding it takes ahwile]

First of all, his cage is too small you are correct!!!

Second, he looks healthy overall to me, yes the feathers are ragged, but a good bathing will take care of that. BUT he needs his beak trimmed badly!!!!! You need to get him a concrete perch to help with that, he will either do it on his own or if he doesn't, you need to take him to the vet and have them trim it for you. IF he gets on your arm pretty good, take him in the shower with you, mine goes in the shower with me. He is fine as long as I'm in it with him. Mine will not do a shower perch, but you sure can get one to try. Trust me, after you bathe him, you'll be amazed how much better he's going to look as his feathers don't look that bad of a shape to me.

Third, whatever he is eating, let him be for now as you can change as your progress. He needs time to get adjusted to his new surroundings, so give him a month before you start to really make changes. Here's how we deal with changes. 3 separate bowls, one for fresh water, one for pellets (leave in all day), and one for fresh fruits and veggies. I feed the fresh stuffs during the day and I change over to minimal seeds (I assume that's what he's eating right now) like 2 Table spoon for his size. Then remove the seeds in the morning and go back with the fresh stuffs. He will catch on. Get him some wood toys, you can get the big blocks at your local bird fair, if they have them in your area. It would be a lot cheaper then to go in the pet shop to get them as they'll destroy them pretty quick. I used to go through $20 toy in a few hours...lol...

If you like to follow what I said it would help you quite a bit, wait a bit longer then you can change his cage to a new one once he's more established in your home. You just need to let your girl friend to try to socialize with him on a play stand as it's easier to train then on top of his cage where that's his home. They can be pretty intimidating and will bluff at you. IF you back off, he knows he's got you trained. It will just take some time to train him. Once he reaches his full maturity is when you have to be more careful, around 10 years of age. When mine hit his full hormone, he was an absolute wreck and dangerous too. Good luck and keep us updated!!!

Well, we're working on getting her to a vet for a fingernail and beak trim. Luckily for us, the woman who works on our Shar Pei is also an avian vet experienced with macaws, and lives just 15 minutes away. She's in quarantine now, and we were thinking to wait on a trip to the vet so we won't traumatize her, as she doesn't really appear to be physically ill. Her droppings seem normal, she's got clean nostrils, and no breathing problems I can detect.

When I say I'm getting her to step up, I mean very literally a quick step up off her cage, tons of praise, and then letting her go back to her spot. I have pretty effectively stopped her from getting up onto my shoulder which in her current condition, hurts like a mofo for me. If she's not interested in stepping up, I'm pretty quick to just give it up. I'm basically just hoping that the sooner she realizes step-up isn't so bad, the sooner we can expand where she is in the house. I'm not pressed for time here, I just feel like I'm working within the comfort zone of the bird. If she's stressed I have no problem leaving her alone and letting her do something else. If she's interested in me, I've been using it to my advantage to get her onto my arm.

We also thought getting her a new cage so soon after her arrival might be a problem. We were trying not to do too much too soon, in the hope that we'd not freak her out. Honestly considering our situation, it's going pretty well. Some minor screaming right around sunset.

Oh, and btw just anecdotally, the screaming is truly something that has to be heard to be understood. I did some reading about it before we got her, and sort of scoffed at all the people complaining how loud it is.

Dear god. Ear-splitting. Not very pleasant. Doing my best to not react to it AT ALL so it hopefully goes away.

Sounds like your doing what I would do If you are able to get her to bond with you [she might respond] When she does her contact call answer her back . Birds are flock animals their calling to their flock . Your their flock. Harlow always does her "call" when I get home from work . I walk in my door yelling Hi Harlow and she switches to talking or something else.

When Willie starts his screaming fit I would say "What Willie?" Yes I see you, be a good boy. He generally quiet down. He LOVES the dogs dearly, he calls all their names and tell them come here. Let's go, etc.

One thing you could do to help with stepping up is by using a perch. If you can get him onto a play stand, it is a lot easier to train them on there instead of the top of their cage. If you have a shower that's big enough to fit the T-stand in there, it might be easier to give him a shower with the T-stand in the shower. Then you just have to wipe dry the stand.

Pinkbirdy said:

Weco, Thanks for the Smirk on my face this morning. I didnt know about the dawn soap thing [have you done it before ?]

Click to expand...

You're welcome, sometimes replies just beg for a little levity, so I try to accommodate whenever I can...I was a navy brat so learned quick responses pretty early & when people started tagging me as a SA when I was 14, I just told them "naturally, it went to school with the rest of me.....

Yes, I've used Dawn dish washing liquid & peanut butter to get flypaper off of a friend's 'tiel & mouse glue pad from my neighbor's rose-ringed 'keet.....

Dawn is what rescuers use on birds rescued from oil slicks or birds that get into stuff they shouldn't.....

Yea they used to have that commercial on all the time where they donate so money to the wildlife fund if you buy a bottle of dawn and show they use them on all animals that was affected by the oil spills. I used dawn to bathe my dogs and cats. If you leave them on for 5 mins, it kills off all fleas plus it doesn't dry out their skin like some shampoo can do. I have a dog with dry skin problem and there's no longer an issue.

Depending on how small her current cage is, she might kiss you for a larger one.....you could always get a new cage, set it up & leave the door open...just because parrots are like cats...have to check out most new things, she will check it out & probably just move in.....

rmanley said:

Well, we're working on getting her to a vet for a fingernail and beak trim. Luckily for us, the woman who works on our Shar Pei is also an avian vet experienced with macaws, and lives just 15 minutes away. She's in quarantine now, and we were thinking to wait on a trip to the vet so we won't traumatize her, as she doesn't really appear to be physically ill. Her droppings seem normal, she's got clean nostrils, and no breathing problems I can detect.

When I say I'm getting her to step up, I mean very literally a quick step up off her cage, tons of praise, and then letting her go back to her spot. I have pretty effectively stopped her from getting up onto my shoulder which in her current condition, hurts like a mofo for me. If she's not interested in stepping up, I'm pretty quick to just give it up. I'm basically just hoping that the sooner she realizes step-up isn't so bad, the sooner we can expand where she is in the house. I'm not pressed for time here, I just feel like I'm working within the comfort zone of the bird. If she's stressed I have no problem leaving her alone and letting her do something else. If she's interested in me, I've been using it to my advantage to get her onto my arm.

We also thought getting her a new cage so soon after her arrival might be a problem. We were trying not to do too much too soon, in the hope that we'd not freak her out. Honestly considering our situation, it's going pretty well. Some minor screaming right around sunset.

Oh, and btw just anecdotally, the screaming is truly something that has to be heard to be understood. I did some reading about it before we got her, and sort of scoffed at all the people complaining how loud it is.

Dear god. Ear-splitting. Not very pleasant. Doing my best to not react to it AT ALL so it hopefully goes away.

Click to expand...

hahahahahahahahahaha, good luck with that Macaws are LOUD, I wished everyone who ever wanted a macaw could spend a couple of days with one first before getting one and see for themselves. But they fall for the beauty of the bird and over look the rest. Just think, Macaws can live upwards of 70 years. I would get some goooooood noise cancelling headphones. I also hope you own your home and not renting an apartment, if you are renting an apartment, I see eviction notices in your future.

oh hell, we'd have to be crazy to bring a bird like this into a apartment LOL. No, we luckily own ourown home. We also do not have kkids, and have entire rooms we can devote to quarantine and training.

I want really complaining about the noise, I was simply stating just how...impressive it actually is.

thanks again everyone, keep the tips coming

Macaws are NOT loud... They're just... Um.... Yeah... They're loud... Lol.. Wait for your new b/g to let loose an ear splitting screech... Its sound like a prehistoric creature... And will definitely get your attention...

One of resident birds on the forum, salsa.. Has a video I just love.... Squaaaaaaaaaak... Up up... You loud.... Lol.. Maybe someone can post the link... He's a gw, but they're equally as loud..

unfortunately that is the only vocalizing she has really done so far. it's not really a big deal especially considering she really does not do it very often. usually as the sun is going down she will go on a tirade.

we got one "hello" from her when she first arrived, but only mumbling our the occasional scream since.