Hello,
I am very new to this forum and page so, I apologize in advance if I am posting this in the wrong place.
I have two macaws, a greenwing (Max) and a scarlet (Gabriel), both will be turning them this year. I was nineteen when I acquired them and I raised them to be very spoiled babies. When the boys were about 5, I packed them up and moved from humid Houston to dry and sunny Phoenix to get married and start a new life. This is where the problems began. I lost their cages and stands in the move so, I had to build them a new stand when I arrived in town. Sadly, it took all the money I had to move out here so it would be year before I could afford to replace two macaw cages. Yes, for a year I had "free range chickens" in my home. Max was great, very few issues. Gabriel was better the moment we got to Phoenix and did not get much better. I tried socializing him but, I could only do it when my husband was at work. This meant maybe forty minutes out of their room each day. I kept their room open so that we could interact when I was home but, I know it wasn't enough. Their socialization skills lacked and about a year and a half ago, Max started over preening Gabriel's head, leaving a bald spot. A year ago we moved to a bigger home where we could bring them out to play more and give them more space- even an indoor and outdoor play gym! I thought this would surely be what they would need to get them back to the boys I could sing to and play with. I was wrong. Their room is more isolated than before, I cannot even seem to "cage train" them. Max is cool with it but Gabriel is stubborn and takes apart his cage to get out while I am sleeping or at work and then breaks max out of his cage. They are just as destructive and disgusting as any parrot should be so, my husband is bitter towards them. I did not give up hope though! Every night I would come home and try to bring them out to socialize with the other members of the house. However, Gabriel has gotten more and more violent and antisocial as time goes by. I will admit, I come home sometimes and I am so exhausted that the last thing I want to do is go get bit at by Gabriel. My husband tried to help me as my work load grew so that I didn't lose any footing with my poor attempts at "rehabilitating" them to be members of the family. After three large gashes in his arms, four ruined shirts and one hell of a cut to the eye later, my husband will not interact with Gabriel. Max won't interact with anybody because Gabriel is the dominant one and attacks Max when he tries to come near us. Gabriel started sleeping under his cage a few months back. The vet says that health wise he is okay. Max sleeps under there with him now. Gabriel throws his food and water bowls now too. Sometimes he leaves the bowls in their holders but, mostly after he gets what he needs and Max gets some food and water- goodbye bowls. I tried to lock the bowls in different ways, Gabe saw it as a game. Right now, I am leaving for work before dawn and coming home minutes before or after dusk each day, limiting the time I have to create personal moments of training with them. Really, I go in their room at 5 am and Gabriel chases my feet (taken a few chunks out of shoes and my toes already) while I feed/water them, I eat ready for work and then if I hear his water bowl hit the ground before I leave, I replace it. When I come home, I give them dinner and water and try to play with them but get one of two reactions: standoff-ish attitude while they chatter and preen from a top their cages or they try to attack me. It has been like this for a while now. I feel like I am losing them. It is like I am prison warden to inmates on death row. I really am just out of hope and ideas. I am being attacked by the creature I have raised since he was thee months old, he is keeping his brother from me too and my husband is continually making snide remarks to vocalize his hatred of the birds, the mess they create, how horrible of a bird mom I am (great with my dogs, worthless to the birds) and how he wishes that at least Gabriel will die so that "his and everyone's suffering will end."
We discussed maybe I should relinquish ownership of him to a sanctuary that is better equipped to handle a case like his but, truthfully, I cannot bear to do it until I know that I have exhausted every other Avenue I can physically, mentally and financially afford before I do this. I hate feeling his like and seeing him this way. Over the past few months, I have watched him pluck his chest feathers out most of the way. I have been trying to bathe him and use a bird conditioning spray on him to help, no such luck.
I need ideas, suggestions and well laid out plans- please. I am losing what little control I have on this situation very quickly. I worked 43 hours in three days and on my first day off, I almost cried in frustration when they began to scream for their breakfast and then proceeded to toss it all on the floor and bite me.
I am very new to this forum and page so, I apologize in advance if I am posting this in the wrong place.
I have two macaws, a greenwing (Max) and a scarlet (Gabriel), both will be turning them this year. I was nineteen when I acquired them and I raised them to be very spoiled babies. When the boys were about 5, I packed them up and moved from humid Houston to dry and sunny Phoenix to get married and start a new life. This is where the problems began. I lost their cages and stands in the move so, I had to build them a new stand when I arrived in town. Sadly, it took all the money I had to move out here so it would be year before I could afford to replace two macaw cages. Yes, for a year I had "free range chickens" in my home. Max was great, very few issues. Gabriel was better the moment we got to Phoenix and did not get much better. I tried socializing him but, I could only do it when my husband was at work. This meant maybe forty minutes out of their room each day. I kept their room open so that we could interact when I was home but, I know it wasn't enough. Their socialization skills lacked and about a year and a half ago, Max started over preening Gabriel's head, leaving a bald spot. A year ago we moved to a bigger home where we could bring them out to play more and give them more space- even an indoor and outdoor play gym! I thought this would surely be what they would need to get them back to the boys I could sing to and play with. I was wrong. Their room is more isolated than before, I cannot even seem to "cage train" them. Max is cool with it but Gabriel is stubborn and takes apart his cage to get out while I am sleeping or at work and then breaks max out of his cage. They are just as destructive and disgusting as any parrot should be so, my husband is bitter towards them. I did not give up hope though! Every night I would come home and try to bring them out to socialize with the other members of the house. However, Gabriel has gotten more and more violent and antisocial as time goes by. I will admit, I come home sometimes and I am so exhausted that the last thing I want to do is go get bit at by Gabriel. My husband tried to help me as my work load grew so that I didn't lose any footing with my poor attempts at "rehabilitating" them to be members of the family. After three large gashes in his arms, four ruined shirts and one hell of a cut to the eye later, my husband will not interact with Gabriel. Max won't interact with anybody because Gabriel is the dominant one and attacks Max when he tries to come near us. Gabriel started sleeping under his cage a few months back. The vet says that health wise he is okay. Max sleeps under there with him now. Gabriel throws his food and water bowls now too. Sometimes he leaves the bowls in their holders but, mostly after he gets what he needs and Max gets some food and water- goodbye bowls. I tried to lock the bowls in different ways, Gabe saw it as a game. Right now, I am leaving for work before dawn and coming home minutes before or after dusk each day, limiting the time I have to create personal moments of training with them. Really, I go in their room at 5 am and Gabriel chases my feet (taken a few chunks out of shoes and my toes already) while I feed/water them, I eat ready for work and then if I hear his water bowl hit the ground before I leave, I replace it. When I come home, I give them dinner and water and try to play with them but get one of two reactions: standoff-ish attitude while they chatter and preen from a top their cages or they try to attack me. It has been like this for a while now. I feel like I am losing them. It is like I am prison warden to inmates on death row. I really am just out of hope and ideas. I am being attacked by the creature I have raised since he was thee months old, he is keeping his brother from me too and my husband is continually making snide remarks to vocalize his hatred of the birds, the mess they create, how horrible of a bird mom I am (great with my dogs, worthless to the birds) and how he wishes that at least Gabriel will die so that "his and everyone's suffering will end."
We discussed maybe I should relinquish ownership of him to a sanctuary that is better equipped to handle a case like his but, truthfully, I cannot bear to do it until I know that I have exhausted every other Avenue I can physically, mentally and financially afford before I do this. I hate feeling his like and seeing him this way. Over the past few months, I have watched him pluck his chest feathers out most of the way. I have been trying to bathe him and use a bird conditioning spray on him to help, no such luck.
I need ideas, suggestions and well laid out plans- please. I am losing what little control I have on this situation very quickly. I worked 43 hours in three days and on my first day off, I almost cried in frustration when they began to scream for their breakfast and then proceeded to toss it all on the floor and bite me.
