Bonding with the trainer

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I was originally supposed to bring home Precious, my greenwing macaw a month ago (she would have been 3 months old), but the breeder offered to train her for a month which I thought was a good idea. In the past month, he has taught her step-up, harness training, and recall, all with a fair degree of consistency. Now that the month is up, the trainer has offered 1-2 extra weeks because he's not comfortable with her ability to fly downwards. So I'm expecting to get her in another week or two.

During the past month, I've visited her once a week, albeit only for 10 minutes or so each time. Is that enough for her to remember me?

She seems to have bonded very strongly to the trainer. She sleeps on his chest, never tries to fly off his shoulder, and recalls every time (for me, she did it once out of 3 attempts - the other two times she flew over my head to another area). Considering this bonding, what should I expect when she finally arrives at my house? How long would it take for her to bond to me and my household? Will she be moody and difficult? Anything I should prepare myself for?
 

fiddlejen

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It sounds to me like you will need some training from the trainer also. So you can learn the commands that he is used and perhaps also an overview of his methods because she’ll probably try to test and won’t necessarily want to follow the same commands for you as you 40 scene. Might be good if you can visit her a little more than you did. But having said all that I think the ideas that the better trained the bird the better it’s going to adjust when it gets to your house. Not actually sure about that, but that’s the impression I’ve gotten.
 

bill_e

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I agree with Jen, you will be a step ahead of many bird owners because of the basic training. Hopefully you didn't think you job was done just because of the initial training ;)

I got my rehomed bird when she was in her 20's and while it's been 5 years now, you'd never know that that I hadn't had her since she was a pup.
 

noodles123

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It's good that he did that-- don't expect your bird to transfer it to you right away....The key will be that your bird KNOWS how, whether or not he does it for you right away. Try to stay super patient (it can be hard when you KNOW a bird can do something but they refuse to do it for you). That having been said, once you build trust, your bird will know that it can do these things, so it really will be helpful as long as you see how the trainer is doing it. Please don't expect to be able to do it yourself without the trainer in the room, as birds take a long time to trust, but just because he likes the trainer, doesn't mean he won't like you.

Just be patient and don't expect much when you bring your bird home at first--- in fact, expect to be disliked and you may be pleasantly surprised, but if your bird treats you with hesitation, it's a combination of new people AND a new environment. Noodles is gets weird in unfamiliar settings, especially when her familiar people are gone, but just give it time. Having a bird that KNOWS the ropes (whether or not they use them lol) is HUGE and will pay off eventually (because once that trust is earned, you will see these skills popping up).
 
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OP
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Thanks for the feedback. The trainer warned me that she won't be as responsive to her training when I'm doing it until she gets to know me better, so my expectations are lowered. I was hoping that seeing me once a week for short training session would help. The trainer is coming to my house to deliver her when the time comes so hopefully that will help with the adjustment. I hope she doesn't get too depressed when he leaves her here. I know he will be sad at least, haha.
 

noodles123

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Thanks for the feedback. The trainer warned me that she won't be as responsive to her training when I'm doing it until she gets to know me better, so my expectations are lowered. I was hoping that seeing me once a week for short training session would help. The trainer is coming to my house to deliver her when the time comes so hopefully that will help with the adjustment. I hope she doesn't get too depressed when he leaves her here. I know he will be sad at least, haha.

As long as you are very patient and associate yourself with low-stress activities (no expectation style), I am sure you will be fine!!! It can just FEEL like a really long time when you spend a lot of money and time on a bird that seems to hate you-- but I promise, with love and sensitivity, it won't last (if you even have this issue---you may not..just prepare for it mentally though)
 
OP
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Just visited her again today. It was amazing how consistently she would recall to the trainer but for me, she only did it once and after that, just ignored me haha. But I figure it would be good just to get her used to me so the trauma won't be as bad when the trainer finally delivers her.
 

noodles123

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Just visited her again today. It was amazing how consistently she would recall to the trainer but for me, she only did it once and after that, just ignored me haha. But I figure it would be good just to get her used to me so the trauma won't be as bad when the trainer finally delivers her.

The fact that she did it at all means she likes you enough to do it eventually!
 

noodles123

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Just remember that it can sometimes take longer to bond than people think. I was SO discouraged at times with Noodles that I legitimately cried about 2 months in (big ugly tears...sobbing to my mom on the phone about how I was going to have to live 80 years with a bird that hated me LOL)---It can seem like FOREVER when you are waiting for your bird to like you lol! Especially when you build your life around that bird-- it can feel so frustrating at times (because you love them, but they don't always know that initially).

Based on what you have said, and the age of your bird, I have no doubt that your bird will like you...Mine loves me to death now, but it took a chunk of time. I imagine it won't take you as long, BUT

I just want to emphasize that it's normal to feel like things are taking too long (even though they aren't, birds can just be really slow to adjust to new settings).

Hold onto the fact that he flew to you today and remember, slow and steady. It's all about keeping things low-stress and building that trust.

You will be fine, but if this is your first bird, it can feel very discouraging at times (heck, I was discouraged with Noodles and she wasn't my first bird!)- so don't get discouraged, even if you FEEL like you aren't making much progress, you likely are. I am just putting that out there because I remember how stressful it was when I got Noodles as an adult and she wouldn't step up for 3 months..longest 3 months of my life...Resist the urge to push or over-assert yourself, as this can backfire.

I let her Noodles out anyway (from day 1), but I felt kind of like I was a prisoner in my own home because I had to plan everything around her even more so than now. She is great with me now (and she was an adult with multiple re-homes before I got her) so she was more set in her ways, but I promise, it will work out as long as you read your bird, meet its needs and take it slow.
 
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OP
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Thanks for the encouragement and advice. Like a lot of new parents here, I'm feeling both excitement and nervousness as the day gets closer and closer. In fact I was somewhat relieved when the trainer asked for an extra 1-2 weeks, haha. But reading these forums has definitely helped prepare me mentally and physically. Hopefully, I'm ready for the challenge.
 

noodles123

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You are-- I am excited for you. I just told you that because, like I said, I remember being so upset, and it all passed eventually, but at the time, I remember my mom said, "It will all work out" and I said, "HOW DO YOU KNOW? YOU AREN'T THE ONE WITH A CRAZY COCKATOO WHO LIVES FOREVER THAT ALSO HATES YOU!! I'LL BE HER PRISONER FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE " LOL! Funny now-- not funny at the time haha! Although I am kind of her prisoner still LOL! It's more like she "owns" me..but it's way more positive than it felt years ago when I first got her and felt discouraged.

So, just know ahead of time, if you read body language and make yourself low-stress/positive and take it slow, it does work out. You just have to stick with it and not rush things...and again, your bird doesn't have a trauma history, so things will likely move a bit faster, but even if they don't resist the urge to lose hope.
 
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I'm not usually one to feel anxiety, but all this research has made me wary of her hormonal changes, even if it may be 4-6 years away hahaha. Hopefully, as a female, the changes won't be as drastic.
 

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