Hi . I am here to learn

My Name is Christine. I will be re-homing a Blue and Gold Macaw Friday. Rescue . The owner had Died and her husband could not attend to the bird. They were a older couple. He adopted the bird to a young girl who did not take care of him / her at all. When animal control was called the bird was flying free alone in the home and only old bread and a small pc of cake could be found that the bird was eating. He is at a Vets right now. In a room with a lot of other pets. Dogs / cats no other birds. Very sad. I visit him every day at lunch or after work. I will be taking him home as I said Friday. He has a HUGE cage ( he is not in that right now ) I have done nothing but read for a solid week . I found this site and so excited that there is a place I can go and ask questions.

Chris

Hello Chris, I'm glad you joined us! It sounds like this poor bird has been through a lot. Thank you for giving him/her a chance at a better life. I'm glad you're doing a lot of research before you bring your new companion home. Looking forward to photos and updates. You must be so excited.

Yes very excited and a little nervous but after coming here I feel a lot better knowing there is a place I can come and ask questions. This is my first Macaw so I have a lot to learn .

Thank you for the welcome

Welcome! This is a great place for answers. So glad you are able to take him out of a bad situation.

Hi Chris and welcome!
I bet you are counting the days until he comes home on Saturday I am so glad you are giving him a home.
There are lots of folks on the forum with years of macaw experience so you have come to the right place for info
Please post pics of your new family member after you get him home. Does he have a name yet?

Welcome to the forum and sounds like this bird was really needing a good home. Thanks for giving him one! It's great that you've done your research too, but undoubtedly you will encounter some problem or just not be sure if something is ok ext... and this is a great forum with lots of experienced parrot owners to help. Best of luck with your new birdie. Look forward to photos and what you decide to name him

There are several people on this site that are experienced at macaw fostering, rehab and retraining.

I'm sure we can handle anything this bird can throw at you.

Thank you so much. I have been reading over the threads. You guys are great !! Hats off to you for helping here.

Sad but No one seems to know what his/ her name is or how old. I read enough to look for a band but he has no band on his leg.

I went to visit again at lunch today. He loves Banana .
He keeps reaching out of the cage with his claw to grab my finger then just holds on . He has bent his head down appears he wanted to be scratched but I am not 100% secure sticking my fingers there yet LOL Birdman I did read about your tip on towel and closed hand I will remember that. He bit a worker at the vets last night. Nasty bite . Drew blood. She later admitted she was to close and fast trying to show off for me how she could hand feed him. Way to much confusion around him right now.

I have a grocery list ready with fresh fruit and veggies They are letting him eat peanutbutter out of a jar right now . Yes organic but I thought it was bad for them.

Any tips appreciated.

The good news is, macaws can live 80 years, so even if he's 40 or even 50 he's still got many good years left! Big parrots live as long as we do, though it's pretty much impossible to determine age once they are sexually mature (7-9 for macaws, I believe).

I would have him home a few days, let him settle down from all these traumatic changes in his life before I touched him. You can keep feeding him treats and sitting close, talking to him softly ext... to build trust though And peanut butter is not toxic or anything, just fattening. It's like birdie crack (as in, they go nuts and would do anything to get it), and a good TREAT/reward to use in trust-building activities (though should not be a large part of his diet).

Great He will hold a spoon and it the Peanut butter off the spoon. So at one time I know this bird was well loved .
He does come with a 5 1/2 maybe 6 ft tall cage. Not sure about the width. I am 5'4 and its over my head so just guessing. Its so dirty I will have to place it in the yard and scrub it down before bringing it into the house. He will have to stay in that small cage he is in until maybe Friday night. Poor baby

Sticking feet through cage bars is generally macaw for "let me out and pick me up." (That one is pretty much a universal truth.) Only way that could be more clear is if the bird were screaming "OUT! OUT! OUT!" or "UP! UP! UP!" while sticking his feet through the cage.

Put your arm up, and let him stand on it through the cage if you can't take him out. I'm betting he will.

Lowering the head and poofing up is macaw for either: (1) scratch my head, or (2) evil macaw manipulation for, "Oh please, just get that finger within range..." Probably "scratch my head" but be prepared for "GOTCHA!" JUST IN CASE...

Don't show fear. Don't be intimidated. Don't over react. Don't trigger or reinforce bad behaviors.

DO be prepared to control the beak with two fingers...

Christinenc2000 said:

I have a grocery list ready with fresh fruit and veggies They are letting him eat peanutbutter out of a jar right now . Yes organic but I thought it was bad for them.

Any tips appreciated.

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It's high in sugar. But it is a favorite macaw treat... We used to give woody ONE plastic spoon with peanut butter on it a day. He would hold the spoon and suck it down...

Limited quantities it won't kill them, and they do love it. If he's been malnurished he could probably use the fats right now.

Welcome! And it's great that your taking on this big bird. I'm sure all he needs is someone to love and love him in return and then he will be fine. You've gotten a lot of great advice already and I hope everything works out! Good luck!!!

Christinenc2000 said:

Nasty bite . Drew blood. She later admitted she was to close and fast trying to show off for me how she could hand feed him. Way to much confusion around him right now.

Any tips appreciated.

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Nasty bite? Or simple blood draws.

Nasty bites from a macaw (where they intend to inflict damage) are either (a) deep puncture wounds, or (b) Need a trip to the ER for a few stitches to close. (I've had two of the latter in my 15+ years of working with them)

REALLY nasty bites require surgical reattachment or reconstruction. (I've also seen two of those from macaws. Two more from amazons, and one from a CAG.)

So, I'm guessing this was a very stern warning from the bird wanting someone who was doing something he was uncomfortable with to back off...

This does not sound like a true "biter" to me. (And most of the time I worked with "the biters.")

When you start working with him, remember to STAY CALM, BE DELIBERATE AND DECISIVE IN YOUR MOVEMENTS, BE PREPARED TO DEFLECT THE BEAK, AND MAINTAIN EYE CONTACT.

Thank you so much. @Birdman. I thought that but was not 100% lol actually 20% sure. He would just hold my finger. After I get home and him settled I will try. He talks up a storm Bye Shut the F up hahahaha and what . Vet says he will say a lot more but most of the time its hard to understand.
Well no matter what his past I can promise he has a forever home here. I have a lot of years left to give him
Again you guys are amazing and made me feel so welcome. Get ready for a lot of questions LOL

No it was just blood. She jerked when he got her finger and I actually think she did more damage by doing this. She jerked so hard it pulled his cage almost off the table I kept it from falling. After that he bowed up his wings for lack of a better word and just kept strutting in frt of her.

She did something that pissed him off by the sound of it.

There are a couple of different dynamics to be aware of here.

A friendly macaw will often hold onto a finger, or beak your fingers while you scratch them. There is no ill intent there. When you over-react to something like that - they react to your reaction... (i.e. by overreacting you can provoke a bite.) The bird had no intention of applying bite pressure, but since the person decided to be unfriendly to the bird's otherwise friendly overture... the bird gets mad and applies pressure. (That's a human error.)

BUT, they can also latch on and apply bite pressure when they get angry. This is a no-no. "Oh, did you think I was being friendly?! Gotcha!"

So, it's two completely different dynamics. And how you approach the bird depends on which one it was.

If it was the first one, she caused this, don't worry about it. Make a point to NOT stress over it.

If it was the second one, don't scratch the bird through the cage bars. Cuz he will pull a gotcha...

Thanks again Birdman. This is the first bite that I know of. He has been eating from her hand. He took the peanut cracked it and dropped it. She was looking at me and put the pumpkin seed toward him that's when he got her. I can't wait for Friday. Like I said I was a little nervous about this . I am really excited after reading all day on these forums. Thanks again

Every morning, my redfronted macaw actually grabs my finger and appears that she is going to really chomp down on it... lifts the head up and "lowers the boom" on it... (Or so it would appear to a stranger... )

What she is actually doing, however, is regurgitating for me. (Which is the ultimate macaw expression of love.) If I were to pull away when she was regurgitating for me?! It would be like rejecting a lover... and you could expect hurt birdie feelings and possibly even a hard pinch. (Mine have been taught to pinch instead of bite. Still hurts, but it doesn't draw blood.)

A bird that didn't have that training, I would expect would draw blood under those circumstances. "I was being nice to you, and you're being an a--hole!"
CHOMP! Human error. Not the bird's fault. And entirely predictable.

These are emotional, empathic, sensitive creatures. They have feelings, and they don't hold them back. They play. They love. They get mad. They throw tantrums. They are the most toddler-like of all the parrots. Raising a macaw is a lot like raising a human toddler. Positive interaction, Nurturing guidance and boundary setting is the key. Do that, and they are well behaved.

Permissive parenting? They will push the boundaries, and fight you when you go to re-set them. Better to set boundaries, and stick with them, than to try and "re-negotiate." THIS IS HOW WE BEHAVE BIRD!

Too much time in the cage. (They get MAD!) Generally speaking 4 hours a day is minimum. 8 is better. (My cage doors haven't closed in about 12 years or so... but again, I have a bird room, and mine are trained, and can be trusted to be out unsupervised. Many of them? Not so much!)

Not enough attention or interaction? They will find a way to get attention. Even negative attention (deliberately) is better than no attention. They self entertain fairly well, but macaws generally don't tolerate being ignored!

Toys? Give them appropriate things to chew up, and they won't seek out "inapproprate" things to chew up, i.e. windowsills, cabinets, furniture, etc.

It is very easy to inadvertently train a macaw to do things you don't want it to do. Screaming, for example. The bird screams when it wants something - like attention - or food - and you come running over and give it to them...

Guess what?! You just reinforced that he can get what he wants by screaming. "I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden my bird screams!"

Yeah. Stop me if you've heard that one before.

Biting and tantrums. The bird throws a fit, the humans scramble for cover - and guess what - the bird suddenly discovers just how powerful he is! WATCH WHAT HAPPENS THE NEXT TIME HE DOESN'T FEEL LIKE DOING SOMETHING... and if it works a second and a third time? Watch out! You just let the Genie out of the bottle! NOW WE HAVE TO SEE WHICH IS THE DOMINANT MACAW...

Whereas, if the bird throws a fit, and it immediately results in Mr. Towel, and time out... WHO'S THE DOMINANT MACAW IN THE FAMILY?! Hint: It's not the bird!

So, those are the basics.

These are big, goofy, mushy lap birds at heart. Even the otherwise big bad birdie, abused and neglected ones.

When you get the bird home, sit down on the couch with a blanket or a towel on your lap, and some treats, and some wooden toys, and just sit and talk and play with him. YOU JUST WATCH HOW HE RESPONDS TO THAT!

My greenwing hadn't been handled in 8 years when I got her. She's been my best buddy since DAY 4... 4 days, start to finish, to train this bird. That is literally all it took!

Christinenc2000 said:

Thanks again Birdman. This is the first bite that I know of. He has been eating from her hand. He took the peanut cracked it and dropped it. She was looking at me and put the pumpkin seed toward him that's when he got her. I can't wait for Friday. Like I said I was a little nervous about this . I am really excited after reading all day on these forums. Thanks again

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I'm not sure the dynamic on that one.
Sounds like he wanted the peanut back.
Possibly food aggressive, but not likely.

There is another macaw (and amazon) game.

Give me a food item I want. I drop it. Stare at it. Whine at it.
I won't go get it. You have to get it for me.
You pick it up and hand it to me again. I drop it again.
After about the third time around I finally eat it.

I don't want the seed. Gimme back my peanut! Play by the rules...
(I'M GUESSING HERE, BUT IT'S AN EDUCATED GUESS.)

BY SHOW OF HANDS, HOW MANY OF YOU OUT THERE HAVE PLAYED THIS LITTLE GAME WITH YOUR BIRD?!