Blue Throated macaw question

I have a BTM now. He's still a baby,4 months old. Just a big ball of fluff. Loves everyone. My wife not being a bird person at all just fell in love with him (still can't decide on a name, it's been a while but just can't pinpoint one, thinking of "Blue Bayou" but not firm. So onto my question.

I have an opportunity to buy another one, also a blue throated macaw. Went to see him today. He's 2 years old (male bird). They guy said he is super friendly. I walked in and first noticed the weed smell. Very strong. Very dirty food and water cups. I reached in to let him step up (remember, the guy said he's super friendly and loves everyone.) Immediately he lunged at me and bit me, not hard. Just put his beak around my finger. Tried a few more times and the same thing. He really wouldn't let me get close. I finally got him out with a perch (I hate doing that but no choice). Once out he stepped on my finger and played with me a little. Not a whole lot. He wasn't super friendly but not super bitty also. He did try and bite a few times but not a lot. He immediately wanted to go to the shoulder. Which is Okay. I put him back on the playpen on his cage. Tried to step up again and he was more aggressive. So I stopped. He climbed down to the side of the cage and put foot out several times, like he wanted to step up. After he did that a few time I reached finger out to let him step up (he was holding his leg out waiting for me) and he bite me hard, Hard enough to draw blood.

I decided against the bird for that reason but he is beautiful. I'm still considering getting him I don't want a bird that is unfriendly and bites. I'm wondering if I were to get him how macaws are at taming down and becoming loving birds. Is this behavior that will continue since it's already learned or can it change. I have read a lot that BTM's are the friendliest of the macaws. My BTM and CAG are out about 2 or 3 hours in the morning and another 3 or 4 hours in the evening. SO they get time out and played with.

Does anyone have any experience with this. I know they are rare birds so I'm nor sure if there is a lot of people with them here.

If what the owner says is true that the bird is super friendly, then the bird is super friendly with the chosen person. You are, at this stage, a stranger. His behavior could very well change once you get him home.

That said, even if it doesn't, there are training techniques that can be used to gain his trust. Training techniques that fall under Positive Reinforcement Training, Applied Behavior Analytics, the ABC's of Behavior and Force Free Animal Training.

Friend if you have 1 BTM, you will have your hands full . The are just about the smartest macaws , and he will keep you on your toes. Serioously. Why not ove, nurture, and devote your life to making this one all that a great BTM can be.

I should have mentioned. The owner tried to take him out and he was lunging at the owner as well. He lunged at the owner a lot. The owner didn’t get him out of the cage. He was not very friendly. I could tell from the cage condition and other things the bird does not get any attention. After I left he sent me a video of him rubbing his head a little. Not much running but about 4 or 5 seconds. I can tell he is pretty neglected. I’m just wondering if taken to a good environment and given play time and a clean cage and fresh food and water if macaws can be reversed or not. I know some species of birds can be reframed and some cannot.
Thanks

This was from a seminar at Mickaboo in Northern California. Monte George the scarlet macaw had a very troubled background before he came to be with the folks at Mickaboo. Here he is learning to trust that hands can be associated with good things. He was a joy to train and sadly left this world too soon.

Click to expand...

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIaDDSeZKnI"]Parrot Training Workshop Live Demo - Step Up Training with a Macaw - YouTube[/ame]


Scarlet macaw with unknown history.... he was apparently dumped on someones porch in a cardboard box...




The short answer is yes. Longer answer is whether or not you'll be able to devote your time to two macaws.

Are you sure the bird is two years old?

I have this little scenario in my mind that the other BTM started out just like your little cuddlebutt at home - and something did not go as planned.
If he is not 2 but actually hitting puberty you are really going to have your hands full!
(an adolescent AND a baby!)

My B&G is in the same stages as you describe btw: one moment a totall modell parrot, she will ask for scritches, carefull with her feet when she steps up, even carefull with her beak -unless in full play and she forgets- and flirts to make your heart melt -- the next she wil seemingly put up a foot to 'step up' and really lunge...
She is at her worst in/on her cage (and I am not falling for that- no attacking housekeeping! ).
But somehow it's always more like testing than really attacking - though sometimes she draws blood.
(just like you described)

It helps if I stand my ground- the moment I stop being startled/ scared and ask 4 maybe 5 times - she usualy stops with the lunging and will step up nicely (not always mind you, but we are working through this).
She knows what "NO" means, but she likes to have her own way (she is used to getting it, I think) and learned that bluffing and biting will get her that.
Now she is learning otherwise ...

I've decided I do not want a parrot that attacks people whe she is on the outside of the cage - its not safe for them and not for her
(not everyone will curb the reflex to swat or even squash if they get bitten ) so I will not 'give her her space' it is 'my house - my rules'

(as for housekeeping- she decided to swap hacking at me with her beak to climbing on my back -> she found another game to play. Though occasionally I will get hit on the head with a closed? beak. Moving slow will prevent this - its probably something she does when startled.)

I suck at clickertraining, but if you can do it is it smashing!
(still learning here)



They are really rare parrots (overhere even more!) so I can imagine you are tempted.
LOL... I know I am!

(almost) no parrot is beyond redemption imho.
As a 2-year-old he is practically still a baby, just figuring out 'how to parrot'.


It is the question: can you do the work? (like Monica pointed out already)
Just realise if your young one sees the other lunging he (is he DNA'd?) will want to copy that behaviour... so you'll be extra-training all 3.
(the good part is: new guy will also learn from your resident parrots and that might make your job easier)


Oh- she only gets to do a step-up from the side of the cage if she is holding the bars with her beak - I am kind but not a complete idiot!
(she does not get to fool me every time )

I kinda am thinking along these lines. With some time he will be okay. I cannot confirm his age. No way to know for sure. I do know his living conditions are terrible. I’m thinking of taking him today just to get him out of those conditions and into much better conditions. Then seeing if anyone wants to take him. I just feel so bad knowing the conditions he’s in.

Grinnn, I would have done exactly the same.
(Sort of how I ended up with Sunny.)


Get the box with bandaids stocked and ready, defrost the extra clickers,
and the very best of luck to all of you! :07:

Can you get to an CAV and have him totall-tested?
No way he should be anywhere near your other parrots ( but you know this of course, sorry).

First of all, it must be said that even the friendliest of birds may turn into a demon when any person, even it's person that it is bonded closely with, is messing in or around their cage...This goes for Budgies on up to Cockatoos...So I wouldn't base anything on his behavior while he was in, or, or even near or in-sight of his cage...

And yes, any bird can be worked with, trained, etc. And yes you are a total stranger, and this isn't a baby Macaw that is sweet and loves everyone who gives it attention...

Now, all of that being said, I totally have to agree with Wrench...You just got a 4 month-old baby Macaw, and he doesn't even have a name yet! I don't know your experience with birds prior to getting your baby Macaw, you may be very experienced, or he may be your first bird...Either way, if you've never owned specifically a Macaw before, and this is your first experience with owning one, then you have no idea what you are in-store for...And I don't mean this in a bad-way, as bringing a Macaw into your family while it is a very young baby like yours is about the most wonderful experience you can have as a bird owner...

It's very much like you just had a human baby my friend, and that baby of yours is going to need every moment of your free time from now forward for the next, oh, the rest of your life! I don't understand why you are wanting to bring home another Macaw, an adult yet, when you just brought home your first baby...I think you're suffering from what is called "Parrot Obssession"...It happens to the best of us, usually after we bring home our first bird...and instead of giving all of our love and affection, time, and energy to our new baby, we soon want to start a flock, and get the urge to go get a second bird...but it doesn't stop there! Then a third, a fourth, then you start looking on Craigslist of birds being re-homed, etc...It's a disease my friend, I speak from 38 years of experience!

****Now I love my 4 birds with all my heart, they are my family, my children, and I wouldn't know what to do without them (5 birds, I recently brought home a Ringneck Dove who has taken-over my house)...HOWEVER...

If I had it to do all over again, I WOULD WISH TO BE IN EXACTLY THE POSITION THAT YOU ARE NOW! I have always wanted a Macaw, either a Blue and Gold or a Catalina...I had always had the plan to buy a hand-raised baby that had just weaned from a breeder, one where I would spend time with my baby every weekend while he was still with his breeder, so that I could hand-feed him and we would get to know each other before he came home with me...And then I would have a little, baby Macaw, my baby, to raise as my child (I'm 38 now and can't have natural kids of my own due to cancer)...But life happens, and I rescued a very young, Green Cheek Conure from a shady-breeder situation...that's Bowie, who is now over 2 years old, and I love him more than anything in the world...then Lita, my Quaker came along, then Duff, my rescue Cockatiel, and finally I brought home Kane, my Senegal, which is the only one of my birds that came from a breeder and that I got as a weaned-baby still on a nightly comfort-feeding...

And I love them all, but if I'm being completely honest with you...If I could do it all over again, I would have found a reputable Blue and Gold or Catalina Macaw breeder who hand-raises, put a deposit down on a baby, and then spent the time waiting getting my house all set-up for my new Macaw baby...I'd get a spare bedroom prepped and built to be his room, get him a massive cage, play stands all over the house, and then i'd bring my baby home and he'd be my baby...And he'd get all of my time, attention, energy, and love, because MACAWS NEED A TON OF YOUR TIME, YOUR LOVE, YOUR DEDICATION, ETC.

And you'll have such a stronger bond and relationship with your new baby if you take his first couple of years just paying attention to him, and not trying to work-with, train, and tame an adult Macaw that may very-well have some behavior issues that you have no idea about...Just my opinion, but you are an extremely lucky person to have your new baby right now (HE NEEDS A NAME! LOL), and the next couple of years are going to be both wonderful and exhausting for you, just like a human baby is...So I think you would be very wise, and also be doing what is best for the baby you already have, if you don't bring home any other birds into your family in the near-future, at least not for the next year or two...Because your baby is going to need every bit of your spare time...He has the intelligence of a 4-5 year old toddler...

Just enjoy your baby, spend every bit of time you can with him. Get him harness-trained (Start now if you haven't already, with an Aviator Harness) and start taking him everywhere with you, SOCIALIZING MACAWS WHEN THEY ARE YOUNG LIKE YOUR'S IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, AND PROBABLY THE REASON WHY THIS ADULT MACAW IS NOT GOOD WITH STRANGERS!...Take him with you everywhere you can, get him used to riding in the car (get him a car-perch, or make him one out of PVC piping/fittings that fits over the front passenger-seat, so he can learn to enjoy riding in the car and looking out the windows)...Take him into all of the stores that allow pets, like Petco, Petsmart, Lowes, Home Depot, Tractor Supply, Walmart, etc. When you're at home with him after work and on weekends, play with him, teach him how to play games, watch TV and listen to music with him, teach him how to dance, have him in the kitchen with you when you are cooking (they love this, my Senegal sits on his T-Stand while I cook and dances)...And spend every evening snuggling and cuddling with him while you're watching TV, reading, playing video games, etc. Make him a part of every part of your life, just as you would with your human child...He'll not only become a wonderful, friendly, loving bird, but your bond with him will be every bit as strong as that between a parent and a human child...And don't worry about bringing home another Macaw right now, especially an adult that you don't know the history of, don't know what behavioral issues he has, and most importantly WHO WILL TAKE AWAY AT LEAST 50% OF YOUR TIME FROM YOUR BABY...That adult Macaw is probably going to require a ton of work and daily attention, and I hope to God that someone who has the time, patience, and resources to help him buys him and does this...But you have your hands-full already with your new baby, or you should if you're fully-committed to him...

Also, something else that you need to really think long and hard about, is that you have absolutely NO IDEA how that adult Macaw and your baby will interact with each other...They may not ever be able to be in the same room with each other...that's a real possibility that you need to consider the consequences of...The adult may be extremely aggressive and violent with your baby...Your baby may develop severe jealousy and serious behavioral issues as a result of you bringing home an adult Macaw right now...You don't know what that might do to the baby you've already made a commitment to...And if there is a serious issue between the two birds, ultimately you'll end-up just re-homing the adult Macaw again, and your baby may have already suffered in several ways as a result of having him there, physically, psychologically, behaviorally, etc...There's nothing wrong with wanting to bring home a second Macaw at all, eventually...but wait at least a year or two, until after you know what you're getting yourself into, and until your baby grows up a bit and is more confident, secure, and knows he's a very loved part of your family...Not now, not at a time when you absolutely need to dedicate your time to raising your baby and helping him to grow-up...

Ellen. you expressed everything I hav no time for witing. Why - too busy taking cae of my little Amazon. Please OP.listen to the vlices of eason!

Definitely the voice of reason!!
Thank you Ellen.


(I just see a 2 year old macaw as still a baby since they only start puberty around 2-5 years depending on the size, the lager ones usually starting late.)


Since OP has *no* idea how old this bird really is he and his partner may be in for a rough ride indeed...
great you think of the bird(s) that is/are already there first.
(Not sure if the grey is still with OP)

I have a lot of large bird experience although this is a first macaw. Had Several CAG's and cockatoos and amazons. Something about the BTM just sucked me in. Now I'm hooked. Still have Feechi me CAG.

When I see BTM's or ads for them I just have to look. Kinda like an addiction now. In the end I know I will only have 1 as well as my CAG. But at this point now I just have such a soft spot for the BTM I guess because of the fact they are critically endangered and I just can't stand to see this poor guy in the living conditions he's in. I can tell the amount of weed smoked there is very high (no pun intended). My wife and I were almost hit in the face by it the the door was opened and there was no smoking going on. Now I'm not a prude in any way. I have absolutely nothing against people smoking weed. I never have and most likely never will but I have friends that do and it doesn't bother me a lot. But I feel a small bird in a small apartment with a lot of weed is not good. Then the food and water dish were so bad. I can honestly say I've never seen dirtier food and water dishes. The food dish had a solid ring of grey sludge all the way around it just filthy. Again, I'm not complaining about people being a little messy or skipping a day or 2 of cleaning the food and water dish. I clean mine daily but everyone has different needs and different schedules and I understand time can be tight sometimes. There was just no excuse for this though. The water dish was green from algae or mold and had the tiniest amount of filth brown water in it. The cage is also way to small for this bird. His feathers are really nice though so thats a plus. He's also not a plucker.

I just can't stop thinking about this poor fella. Honestly I most likely couldn't give 2 the time they would need. Like I said before, I'm thinking of buying the bird just to get him into a better living condition. At that point I would start the search for a better home. I know there are a lot of birds in bad conditions and I can't save them all. For me it's now become a BTM thing. I've wanted a macaw for a while. Was thinking of a catalina or scarlett, something colorful. Sorry to say this to all there B&G owners but the B&G's never did anything for me. But my first look at the BTM and I was immediately hooked, my wife as well. Just something about them. To each his own I guess.

I'm now more decided to pick him up tomorrow more then ever. I know of several people around here that love BTM's and someone would have the time for him. I don't mind taking time but I want the right home for him.

I'm sure you will be able to find him a good home. I'm glad you are getting him out of there.
I think the BTMs are my favourite of the macaws, we have another member who has one that stole my heart

Jstampa: great to hear your grey is still with you!
(those are *my* parrots -> I was kind of raised by one, I miss him still!)


No offense taken about the B&G's - it's even more difficult to get hold of a BTM here than a hyacinth! They are both "holy grail birds"
Many, many people in the parrot-community here will severy frown upon a person having one as a pet, because "we" feel they should all be out there having families.
(Of course most of us secretly/ overtly want one).
B&G's are just too easy to breed for their own good and are in danger of becomming 'throw away birds' almost like budgies are.
(well bred B&Gbabies are about 1.000/1.500 euro's, hyacinths -if you can find one- will set you back 20.000/ 25.000`= almost the price of a brandnew medium sized car)

This guy chose the bird over the car. Not sure about winters though.

I haven’t been able to pick him up today but I will tomorrow. Mean while some pictures of my flock. I am baby sitting a grey.

Your flock is gorgeous, and I am in love with your sunroom with the pool!

Any news?

(still keeping my fingers crossed that the mariuana-macaw finds a better home)

(if not... send him over here who needs a bedroom if you can have one of those around? )