my new pet

catloverin_ks

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
10,177
Purraise
1
Location
Podunk, Kansas
I have adopted a blue and gold macaw
She is such a awesome creature.

Bless her heart though, she has been through so much. The woman I got her from got her from a man who kept her in an abandoned house, and went by like once a week to feed her
And the people HE got her from, they locked her in a garage because she was too loud, and their kids were MEAN to her.


I have never owned a big bird before so this is a new experience, but I am finding it to be very rewarding.
 

trillcat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
1,738
Purraise
2
Location
Wisconsin
Good for you for adopting her! Beng kept in those situations, I am supprised she was even adoptable, they can get really mean being treated like that (understandably) and with those beaks, well, nuff said. (they can easily take off a finger, nose, ear, etc)
Try to get her used to as many people as possible early on, birds can form an attachment to one person, in this case you being her rescuer, and be very mean to other people they perceive as a threat.
We would love to see some pictures!!!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

catloverin_ks

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
10,177
Purraise
1
Location
Podunk, Kansas
Originally Posted by Trillcat

Good for you for adopting her! Beng kept in those situations, I am supprised she was even adoptable, they can get really mean being treated like that (understandably) and with those beaks, well, nuff said. (they can easily take off a finger, nose, ear, etc)
Try to get her used to as many people as possible early on, birds can form an attachment to one person, in this case you being her rescuer, and be very mean to other people they perceive as a threat.
We would love to see some pictures!!!
Thank you
She actually is doing real well considering her before life. As far as handling her, that is a NO....she will take off a finger I am sure,LOL but otherwise she is very cool.
 

trillcat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
1,738
Purraise
2
Location
Wisconsin
Originally Posted by catloverin_ks

Thank you
She actually is doing real well considering her before life. As far as handling her, that is a NO....she will take off a finger I am sure,LOL but otherwise she is very cool.
Give her time to get used to you and others. You definatly do not want to handle her at this point if she seems like she will bite. Those beaks are nothing to take for granted! Stay close and talk to her a lot, lots of lovey dovey talk.
Treats are always good, will she take them from your hand? (leaving all your fingers in place, lol) If you are going to be gone, leave a radio playing or a TV on, it will reassure her that you are indeed coming back.
Poor girl, I get so mad about people who treat these birds like this. They get them because they are stunning creatures but then realize they can be a handfull, birds are not low maitenance pets, especially the bigger parrots, and they are LOUD, when they get going with the screaches, oh my goodness! But, that is their design, they don't realize they are not in the rain forrest and we can hear them just fine from across the room!

Make sure also you have a vet that will deal with macaws, not all do.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

catloverin_ks

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
10,177
Purraise
1
Location
Podunk, Kansas
Originally Posted by Trillcat

Give her time to get used to you and others. You definatly do not want to handle her at this point if she seems like she will bite. Those beaks are nothing to take for granted! Stay close and talk to her a lot, lots of lovey dovey talk.
Treats are always good, will she take them from your hand? (leaving all your fingers in place, lol) If you are going to be gone, leave a radio playing or a TV on, it will reassure her that you are indeed coming back.
Poor girl, I get so mad about people who treat these birds like this. They get them because they are stunning creatures but then realize they can be a handfull, birds are not low maitenance pets, especially the bigger parrots, and they are LOUD, when they get going with the screaches, oh my goodness! But, that is their design, they don't realize they are not in the rain forrest and we can hear them just fine from across the room!

Make sure also you have a vet that will deal with macaws, not all do.
Yes she will take food just fine from your hand,leaving all your fingers
Its fine that she doesnt want handled, its understandable....and she is loud LOL she gets angry when we all go into the other room, she screeches!! But all in all she is doing fine.
 

arlyn

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 9, 2005
Messages
9,306
Purraise
50
Location
Needles, CA
She's not getting mad, it's flock calling.
Birds like to know where every member of their flock is at all times.

To keep Murphy from screaming when I leave the room, or leave the house, I got into the habit of telling him bye-bye when I'd leave and greeting him when I came home.
He stays pretty quiet while I'm gone now as long as he gets a "bye-bye".
Murph is a Hahns Macaw, smaller bird, but Macaws of all species share a lot of personality traits.

Grats on your new addition, rescuing a problem bird has a lot of rewards attached.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

catloverin_ks

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
10,177
Purraise
1
Location
Podunk, Kansas
Originally Posted by Arlyn

She's not getting mad, it's flock calling.
Birds like to know where every member of their flock is at all times.

To keep Murphy from screaming when I leave the room, or leave the house, I got into the habit of telling him bye-bye when I'd leave and greeting him when I came home.
He stays pretty quiet while I'm gone now as long as he gets a "bye-bye".
Murph is a Hahns Macaw, smaller bird, but Macaws of all species share a lot of personality traits.

Grats on your new addition, rescuing a problem bird has a lot of rewards attached.
Thank you
Yeah, she will yell "bye" if we tell her bye, but sometimes she still does the screeching..I feel bad for her when she does it. Is there a certain way to help her stop doing it?
 

arlyn

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 9, 2005
Messages
9,306
Purraise
50
Location
Needles, CA
Nothing is sure fire with birds.
Eventually, she'll probably learn that you haven't left her.
Maybe answer her from the other rooms by whistling, possibly you can change the screaming to whistling, still loud, but slightly better on the ears.

Birds are creatures of routine, 10 times moreso than cats and changes upset them terribly, how they manifest this stress though is as individual as the birds themselves.
Murphy plucks himself bald when stressed, this is actually common in Macaws and Cockatoos and must be curbed before it becomes a self mutilation habit.
So screaming is the least of behavior issues with parrots.

Give her time to adjust to the routines in the house and never spend more time with her than you plan to spend with her every day, otherwise she'll come to expect all of that time.
Give her a set bedtime and a set morning time, never give her too much 'daytime' though or she could go into a breeding mode.
Breeding mode for both genders of parrots will get you a very moody, unpredictable bird, and with females it could set them to nesting which can lead to chronic egg laying.
If she does lay eggs, let her keep them until she looses interest, otherwise she'll just replace them if you take them away.

Join a good Macaw group like this one and the best of luck to you.
 
Top