B&G macaw adopted (Rossi)

[RR123]

Hallo,

I'm new here, (did read almost all the posts for months)
we live in Brugges, Belgium and i don't find other macaw owners around here (this is my first big bird, had a alexander parrekiet), so i have a lot to learn, but find a lot of tips on this forum (sorry for my English it's not so good)
And now I have a 9year old B&G since 3 weeks, we gave him a new name, he's gentle in my opinion and hope he stays that way because he is nearing adulthood i think (read here 10-13 year is the difficult period)

He begins to feel good here and i can touch him everywhere and today he has for the first time stepped up my arm (once but for me its a good begin)
he does not bite (at least not real just picking, he tested 2 times on my finger, but let go after i said NO and pushed him back

The only problem i have is he does not like my wife, every time she go past his cage he makes an attacking move and gives a scream. (previous owner had same, did not like the woman, but they are divorced so i did not see the reaction there). ALL SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOME !

He is out (on top) of his cage for some hours every day the last week, i made a training stand but as long as he wont step up easily i can't put him on his tree and back in his cage, so his cage is the only place for the moment (so stepping up is my priority for the moment).

I try to put a picture of him with this post (so you can meet him on sceen)

 

[Kiwibird]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new boy! It can take older birds a while to adjust to a new environment and to gain trust.

Some birds do prefer one gender. That said, just because they prefer men over women or visa versa doesn't mean they can't tolerate or even like the less preferred gender. Parrots should be trained to get along with all household members! Our (amazon) parrot was also rehomed due to "hating women" and does prefer my husband. As you can see in my profile pic, he doesn't hate me (he's always giving kisses!), it just took some extra time for him to trust me. Seeing as your boy is so new, now would be a great time for your wife to start building trust with him too so he learns that vicious behavior towards women is not allowed in your home (and that women are nothing to fear). If he is aggressive towards her, have her start working with him while he's in his cage. Talking softly and/or singling to a bird every day familiarizes them with you and lets them know you aren't a threat. If she feels comfortable, she can also feed him treats through the bars. If she is persistent, he will eventually come around (it could take a long time, be patient!). Since he likes you already, I would suggest you start working with him using target training. Youtube has tons of videos expelling how to train bird using positive reinforcement based target training, so I'd suggest you look some up! Best of luck with him!

 

[Birdman666]

Sounds to me like an over bonding and socialization issue from the last home.

The man handled him. The woman probably did not at all.

These are PAIR BOND birds. In the wild, you see them in flocks of 30-40 birds, but they are always two by two. And they become almost inseparable. That is their basic nature. In captivity, they form that same sort of pair bond with a person.

When the pair bond is allowed to progress to the point where only one person ever handles the bird, the bird becomes difficult for anyone other than that one person to handle.

Since this bird was bonded with a man in the last house, that carried over into your house. This bird needs to gradually, over time, be exposed to more people, and gradually, over time, learn to at least step up and interact with others.

Your wife needs a firm hand in order to handle this bird, because that is who the bird will tend to act up with. Don't take any of that nonsense. Two fingers on the beak to control it. And don't take any "backtalk" from the bird.

Step up, no bite, and I will not be bullied or intimidated by you... and that coupled with favorite treats, head scratches and attention when he behaves usually does the trick. [Usually!]

If she doesn't let him absolutely know that she won't be bullied or intimidated for a fact - HE WILL. Lunging is met with two fingers, and no drama. Show the bird you can and will control his behavior, and he will behave. Allow him to dictate terms, and he will think he is in charge of the household, and trust me - that's when things get worse!

So, you just keep doing what you're doing. She needs to stand her ground and not show fear, and then gradually, over time, when more people handle the bird, and interact with him, he'll become friendlier with everyone...

I've done this dance a few times myself.

 

[RR123]

Thank you for the sugestions, we have time, and will not give up.
He had a problem with the dog also, but that is getting better, as i let her sit next to me when i handle the birth. The dog is calm and stays on distance if i say here to. (She is a st bernard of 85kg).
First i work on with him till i am completely confident and trust him, and he me
The last days it changes fast (think he begins to trust me and his new home)

 

[Birdman666]

That's a big dog. Your bird knows the dog theoretically could kill him, but once he figures out the dog is not a threat, he will likely socialize with the dog just fine.

Your wife, however, will likely take a little more time...

 

[weco]

Welcome to the forums RR123 and congratulations on your new flock member...is the bird’s name Rossi or is that your name?

KB and Birdman have given you some good information, but if he is still cautious about stepping up, you might get a proper sized, thick tree branch about 0.75 M long & see if he will step onto the branch...some macaws have been trained to step onto a branch, either because the bird wouldn't originally step onto a human’s arm or because whoever taught it to step up didn't want a macaw stepping onto their arm.....

A macaw is a large step from an Alexandrine, but if you have been reading the posts on the forums, you probably have a pretty good start, but like has been mentioned, your wife can help sway your new friend to be more accepting of girls/women.....as long as she does not exhibit any fear around him, offers him treats and talks softly to him, there’s a pretty good chance he will come around.....

Have you looked at any of the training videos on YouTube? There are some good ones and some not so good...I’m sorry that I cannot offer a list to watch, but other members here may be able to help.....

Good luck.....

 

[RR123]

Big but gentle, just like the wife, it will work out, i'm sure of that, it worked with all the animals we had over the last 3 decads, the birth is more quiet with the daughther if she comes over some times, so i'm confident it will slowly get better. This evening i did get him to put 1 feet on my arm more than 10 times with the help of a treeth and the instruction 'pootje' (feet) he did it everytime so he's a good studend and quick learner.
Yes surched the internet for the last 6 months for macaw info

 

[weco]

You were concerned about your English in your first post, but forgot to mention that your's is good.....just thought I'd mention it.....

 

[thekarens]

Welcome to the forum. Gorgeous mac!

 

[Allee]

Hi and welcome! Good luck with your beautiful bird! Love the photo!

 

[nutszy]

Hi there. Congrats such a gorgeous bird!
I also had my b&g for 3weeks n have lots to learn. I had a similar problem, he doesnt seem to like my husband very much. But I think he's a boy, they say this does happen.
Tiger is about 8months old. I can't leave him out his cage unsupervised because he is still a bit clumsy and has fallen off his cage when he got too excited and was swinging around too much. I nearly had a heart attack, so decided to wait until he has better balance. Not sure how long that will take!

Good luck!

 

[RR123]

Thanks everybody for the welcoming and help,

I can't answer back fast because of the time difference
i included a photo of oure little dog and little bird (because we are bigger than them)

Today went very very well, i got Rossi to step up at least 10 times, so i put him this evening on his training stand next to us in the living, i can pet him everywhere, and the good thing now is when my wife past him he accepted it and i gave him every time treeds (don't know the wright word for 'treeds'), she even played with him with a little stick, only in his cage he screams when she go past him. ps i give pinetree seeds (i think they are called), how many a day can i give? think today i gave 20-30, he is eating seeds and nuts so this is what is not in his food and he do everything for it (lucky me i found out)

One question for today (hope i don't have them everyday): Rossi's nails are very long and sharp, the previous owner said the bloodline is to far to cut the nails short (problem came from original owners, don't know how many, he's 9)
That was what the vet explained also. He has a stone stick where he sleeps on, cutting the nails is something i have to learn him to accept, as a lot of other things, ex. a harnas to go outside, because his wings aren't clipt, and i will let it that way, he normally will not fly (is what they said), he sat outside free, i saw pictures, but i'm to afraid to do so myself, so a harnas it must be, lucky the winter is coming and i have a few months to practice

Thanks for the mention of my english, i'm 61 and learned it using a pc more than 45 years ago, then it wasn't standard in school, so i'm lucky to know it and cane find a lot on the internet, most older people over here only speek and read dutch or french

 

[Birdman666]

There should be a way to clip the nails without cutting into the blood line. You just trim the tips. This usually needs to get done anywhere from 1 to 3 times per year.

They like pine nuts. Most like just about any kind of nuts.

Looks like the dog and the bird are well on their way to becoming buddies! It doesn't take long if the dog isn't hyper or aggressive.

 

[Selestine]

The part of the nail that is the blood is called "the quick". You trim just the very tip of the nail as Birdman said. The more often you trim the nail, it will help the quick to pull back a little more and you will slowly get the nail shorter and shorter.

You can also use a nail file (emery board) like you would for a person's nails to make them less sharp and a little shorter.

Getting a harness is a really good idea. Taking your bird outside without one, you are always risking that he will fly away.

I love the picture of your bird and your dog together!

And don't worry, we all know what you mean by "treeds"! In English, we would spell it "treats", but it sounds the same as how you spelled it, so it made perfect sense.

 

[weco]

Don’t worry about the time difference, most everybody around here allows for it, but a few of us may forget to look where a particular poster is located or when no location is offered, we often make wrong assumptions, but things eventually work out.....

With your ‘treeds’ I think you are meaning ‘treats,’ like candy or cake to children and your ‘pine tree seeds’ are ‘pine nuts’ in the states.....I’ve only ever purchased a couple of packages of them...they’re not offered around where I live, so cannot give you any information about how many per day.....since they are apparently a favorite of his, you might want to use them as a training aid when you are teaching something new.....

The vet & Selestine were right about the blood vein in Rossi’s nails/talons and if you cut too much of the nail/talon, it will cause the nail/talon to bleed, however, if you start clipping a nail/talon, just the tip to start, the blood supply will recede back up into the nail/talon.....this method of trimming could take up to a year or longer, as you wait about a week or more before the next clipping, but will eventually get a bird’s nails/talons down to a proper length.....download the PDF at http://www.keepandshare.com/doc15/4205/toe-nail-clipping-pdf-50k?da=y

and follow the information accompanying the last image...if you have any trouble, post back on this thread & I’ll try to help you further, the way the forum is set up, you will not be allowed to send or receive private messages PMs until you have posted a number of messages to the forums.....

 

[Kiwibird]

A healthy birds nails don't get overgrown enough to ever need significant trimming (they wear down naturally climbing, playing ext...) so taking off enough to hit the quick isn't necessary and would be accidental or due to lack of experience trimming parrot nails. Clipping the sharp point is all that needs to happen. Literally 1-2mm off usually takes care of the nasty tip, so not much has to go. That said, I am unsure how "prevalent" parrots are in Belgium or if you have avian specialized vets there. A regular vet may know some about parrots, but if they don't see them often, they probably aren't really comfortable working with them. If the vet can't help and you feel uncomfortable clipping them, I'd suggest either glove-training or using one of the falconry arm-guards and having him step on your arm (to protect you from those sharp points!). The manicure perches help a little, but not as much as you'd hope. You can "trick train" parrots into willingly allowing you to clip or file down with a nail file their nails. You'll have to work with him more, but if you teach him to give a "handshake", you can easily tradition that into a sneaky nail trim/filing ALWAYS be sure to have quick-stop on hand if you do choose to clip at home, just in case. We clip our birds nails and once I hit the quick and he started bleeding. I felt bad, but he healed up fine and his nail is quite trimmable even after being clipped short once

Be sure he is getting fresh fruit and veg in addition to the seeds and nuts. Parrots need a lot of fresh produce to stay healthy, and may be resistant to trying if they've never had it before.

 

[RR123]

Hallo birdman & selestine & weco

thanks for the info, i'm not used to cut nails as little as those, because i'm a farrier (hobby) who did therapeutic horseshoes and correction to the nails (hoofs) of horses for more than 20 years, my toolbox is to big for Rossi

I will certainly try to get them right but wait a little until he is completely confident with me and allows me to do it.

thanks also for the little corrections in my text, that way i will improve my english writing

here a picture where you can see the length of his nails

ps can't get the pdf (my username is 'rogerroelandt')

 

[RR123]

hallo kiwibird, you post came as i was writing the one above

i'm not affraid of doing it myself, we have a vet about 30miles from here, but i only will go the moment i'm sure i can handle Rossi good enough to go over there if its not urgent

he gets fresh vegetables and fruits everyday, but is not used to it, so he only try's a little bit, and mostly if i give it by hand an not in his tray

 

[weco]

Nice looking bird RR...his nails/talons look to be about about 4.125cm long & maybe about 1.90cm too long.....

Got the ID, but who is your E-mail provider Roger? I'll get a copy of it to you.....while I don't think one of the moderators will censor your reply, given the content of this thread, but if you ever need to contact another member before you are granted PM privileges, you can message any of our moderators and request they do it.....

You know, it's interesting that other forums have an option for direct E-mail messaging between members, where a message can be sent via the forum's forwarding service, much like a PM, but instead of going to a PM box, it goes directly to the member's E-mail in-box and for those of us who rarely read/review/go to all these extraneous folders/boxes, it can be problematic.....but that's the way the forum is designed.....might be good fodder/conversation topic for the next Super Moderator's Convention ! ! !

 

[LeaKP]

I love your macaw! I believe in time he will be a wonderful family bird. They take time to adjust but when they do it's amazing. There are so many great teachers on this forum, it will be great! I think I'm jealous! Maybe we will rescue one someday.