New Macaw Owner

[amcb10]

Hi all

I have recently purchased a Blue and Gold Macaw but would like some advice.

The breeder advertised she was hand reared and very tame but reading some threads in here seems like a common story.

Yes, she has been hand fed but not handled leaving her very timid and I am still feeding her with formula, apparently she is 14 weeks old.

I appreciate that it will take time to bond with her and I already have her hopping on to my hand by using "Step Up" and "Step Off" as commands.

Although she is doing this ok she still seems very timid and freaks out if try to approach her or give her a tickle etc.

I do not intend to abandon her and she will be with me for the long haul but would appreciate any advice.

Thanks

 

[Flboy]

Welcome, you are in the right place for help!

 

[Flboy]

I would recommend you post something in this section, your situation is quite serious!

Breeding/Raising Parrots - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

 

[SirEdwin89]

Wish I could offer any advice, but I've only ever had older birds. I don't know the first thing about weaning a baby. That said we do have many members who are skilled with hand feeding and the whole fledging process that I'm sure will be able to give you any pointers you might need.

I can however extend a warm welcome to the forums! Glad to have you, and I hope you enjoy it here. We have some really great people.

 

[Anansi]

Hello, and welcome to Parrot Forums!

Let me ask, are you asking for advice on weaning? Or on increasing your macaw's comfort level during your interactions? It seems to me like you are asking the latter, so I'll address that one.

If she's hopping up on to your hand at command, chances are she's started down the road of trusting you already. As you mentioned earlier, it will take time to deepen your bond with her. In the meantime, bribery works wonders. Give her treats and lots of praise for every positive interaction between you.

Also, teaching her new interactive skills is a great bonding opportunity. Target training is great for this. Once you've associated a link between doing as you ask and getting treats, she'll begin looking forward to your training sessions together. Keep those sessions relatively short, between say 10 and 15 minutes, so she doesn't get bored. And be consistent with all that you do.

Another thing. Keeping your movements relatively slow initially will also help with her comfort level. I don't mean moving in slow-motion or anything, but with a deliberate motion that won't surprise her or freak her out.

Please keep us updated on your progress!

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[Allee]

Welcome and congratulations! Best of luck with your baby B&G. We'd love to see photos.

 

[wrench13]

Welcome and be welcomed. You have gotten good advice so far here.
Only thing I can add is a point about consistency , once you decide on a command or sequence, do it the same every time , to not confuse the bird. Parrots are scary smart, so keep that in mind. Oh, and pictures .. we will haunt you for pics of your baby!!

 

[Scott]

Welcome to the forums!! I hope you will find the answers and continue to bond with your B&G!

 

[Marileen]

Hi amcb10!

You have come to the rigt place, so you get an answer to all your questions.
There is also a lot of fun to do and see.

 

[amcb10]

Wow

Thank you for all the kind advice, seems I am in the right place.

I realise that she will take time to bond and it seems she is already coming out of her shell a bit as she is now exploring her cage and all the toys, her bell is annoying, to say the least.

The breeder told me she was 14 weeks old and to feed formula for another 2 weeks but that seems too exact. Do I carry on feeding until she is confidently feeding herself or in tandem?

I didn't go into buying her blind and did plenty of research and don't mind hard work as she is a great family addition.

As requested I have added a picture below, she likes to sleep after I feed her :

 

[wrench13]

Oh wow, that's the advice from a breeder? Feed in tandem. Called abundance weaning, you feed her formula on her schedule, say X2 a day, and put out pellets and veggies and some fruit in hew cage. She will get curious about the food and start trying it on her own. Slowly she will start to take less and less formula. Macaws take along time to wean like this, but almost all owners will tell you it's less stressful for the bird. Do some research on abundance weaning.

 

[wrench13]

Oh, and she is beautiful !! Blue and golds are my favorite macaws.

 

[amcb10]

I currently have a bowl with fresh fruit in which I change daily and also a bowl with pellets and seeds etc (not many sunflower).

Thanks for the advice and I will look up Abundance Weaning

 

[GaleriaGila]

Welcome! Glad you found us.