Need Quick Advice - Macaw Handling

I rescued a blue and gold this past weekend from a VERY unfit home. I have someone adopting him tomorrow. I screened the home and I feel it is an excellent place for this big guy. I have never had a macaw, only smaller parrots.
He and I have a good rapport, although short. He does not, however, let me hold him yet. I want to get him into this new home quickly so that he doesnt continue bonding with me and he can settle in to something permanent.
I need to know the least invasive, stressful way to place him in a carrier. I know it is going to stress him, but I do NOT want to do anything damaging. Is toweling the preferred method?

oven mits and towels. Be easy, gentle, and very positive in your speech while putting a dish towel over his head. Once thats done, he (most likely) wont move or do anything, so you can pick him up.
It'll freak him out, but you goda do what you goda do. Once he realizes its ok, he'll kind of calm down.

Toweling, yes. Towel him as quickly as possible.

Gloves and oven mitts? Hadn't heard that one before.

I have never seen one sit still for a dish towel over the head, unless you were playing peek-e-boo.

Thanks for the advice!

Birdman666 said:

Toweling, yes. Towel him as quickly as possible.

Gloves and oven mitts? Hadn't heard that one before.

I have never seen one sit still for a dish towel over the head, unless you were playing peek-e-boo.

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Maybe its just my GW. Once a towel goes over him, he freezes.

I am jealous that you GW freezes with a towel!!

My GW Rosie hates, hates, hates them! Ugh!

kendrafitz said:

I am jealous that you GW freezes with a towel!!

My GW Rosie hates, hates, hates them! Ugh!

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I was gonna say the same thing. My greenwing would most definitely NOT freeze if you threw a towel over her. My greenwing would go into "stick and move" mode!

I never said getting one towards him is easy lol. He will fight, run, scream, etc. But once its over him, he just gives up. No idea. haha

Nice!! Even though yours fights I love the giving up!

Rosie tries to bite me through the towel and she means business. The exception is peek a boo. But even then I can only put the towel over me or hold it up a foot or so in front of her. Otherwise all bets are off!

cstambaugh said:

I never said getting one towards him is easy lol. He will fight, run, scream, etc. But once its over him, he just gives up. No idea. haha

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Mine does the "Matador" routine.

"OLE!" Sidesteps the towel. "OLE!"

I can play with her with the towel just fine. Peek e boo or tug of war. But if I then attempt to wrap her up with it?!

"OLE!"

Can you get him on a perch? That was how I got my greenwing in the carrier when I first got him. I put him in tail first and then off to the vet.

Birdman,

OLE!!! now thats funny! My grey will run from a towel if you are trying to get him, growling and snorting! As soon as you have him he turns to butter and you can do anything with him. Funny how that works, he acts like he loves being in the towel.

I have to ask here, how did she come to you, in the same carrier? If so, how did the previous owners get her in the carrier if you were present to witness this. If not and this is a new carrier, I would do the following;

1. Sit the carrier near the cage and the bird for awhile to see if they become familiar with it, even play around with the carrier like putting the bird on the carrier if this is possible.

2. I would try a large stick and try and get the bird to step up onto the stick and see how she reacts to the carrier while being introduced using a stick.

3. All else fails, I would use a towel, but I would get a nice BIG bath or Beach towel and make sure you keep your fingers away from her beak. These birds can easily break or bite off a finger. Have the carrier ready and try and make it in one swift move. I don't mean to scare you here, but my bird groomer lost the tip of her finger to a macaw bite last year when it was bitten clean off. They were able to recover the finger tip, which was sticking to the side of the birds beak and it was reattached at the hospital. So I would tread lightly.

My macaws (all of them) will flip over on their backs and dare me to towel them while fighting feet and beak.... I have a Timneh that does the same thing. Oddly I have a Fitzroy cockatoo who just sort of waits and lets you towel him and hold him like a baby. So for the freak macaws who flip on their backs (new ones, not my pets... they will step up and go into a carrier with no fuss) but new or wild ones I put the carrier on my hardwood floor and I (this will probably sound bad) will sort of usher them closer, and then when they are really close to the carrier and right before they sidestep it, I grab their tail and the longer wing feathers in one hand (not tightly) and "aim" them at the kennel. I don't recommend this for normal people ( and it only works on slick surfaces, and no I have never pulled out feathers), but I spent years working with venomous snakes and I guess somewhere along the line I developed this way to avoid those beaks on birds I don't know. It doesn't look bad when I do it, the bird doesn't scream or panic... and I can even gently push them in the kennel with my free hand.

My vet has told me that I can gently direct Rosie with her tail feathers. He showed me how to do it so I would be comfortable.

It helps for both her carrier and her cage. Her new thing is she never wants to go to bed. So using both hands, one as a perch and one lightly on her tail really helps. Otherwise bedtime can take a LONG time!

He let his previous owner handle him. He is not that trusting of me yet. He did fine with the toweling today, it was quick and easy, with minimal stress I hope!
By the way, if I try to get him to step up on a perch, he retreats as far away as possible and shakes all over. I think someone has definitely mishandled him. Luckily he is now in a patient loving home! Thanks for the advice.

At one of the shelters I volunteer at, a Macaw got out if its cage while I was cleaning it. I was fairly new and another volunteer saw that I was having problem trying to get the bird back in the cage. Break out the leather gloves! The Macaw instantly realized that no one was afraid of the BITE, she quickly went back into the cage, all by herself. : D

kendrafitz said:

My vet has told me that I can gently direct Rosie with her tail feathers. He showed me how to do it so I would be comfortable.

It helps for both her carrier and her cage. Her new thing is she never wants to go to bed. So using both hands, one as a perch and one lightly on her tail really helps. Otherwise bedtime can take a LONG time!

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Used that one, gently push on the tail feathers and they automatically move forward, as long as they're pointing in the right direction it works like a charm!