O/T Angel, B&G Macaw is HOME!!

[LoveBugs]

As you guys know, I answered an ad about a B&G macaw, and after talking with her owner, the owner gave me Angel, her HUGE cage that seriously I can comfortably STAND in there, her manzanita play gym, her carrier, all her food/toys/books etc for free because I seemed like the "perfect candidate."

Well, SHE"S HOME!!

I went to pick her up today, and it was so sad...the owner was crying and everything....

The reason why the owner is giving up Angel is because, according to her, she made a mistake by not setting rules on day one, and therefore, Angel thinks she's in head of the flock and does what and when she wants. If requested to do something, she will bite! The owner showed me a HUGE bruise on her arm that Angel has given her because she wanted to put her back in her cage.

While there, Angel was very quiet, but the owner says once she's comfortable, she talks up a storm. When we got in the car, she started saying "Hello" to us...it was hilarious.

However, once we got her home and out of her carrier, I placed a few new toys I had bought for her arrival in her cage....my brother was near her cage, putting some other toys in that I couldn't reach (the cage is MUCH bigger than me...I'm 5' 90lbs.) and Angel LUNGED at him...

So I KNOW he needs lots of work...

What do you suggest is the first step? RIght now, I'm giving him some alone time to get used to his new surrounding...

and I promise..

Pics as soon as she gets comfy!

[linda040899]

Two macaws are part of my flock so I can associate with the bruise that results from the bite of a macaw!!!!! Mine are Militaries so they are about the same size. Believe me, Angel was not really trying to bite, just let it be known that she didn't like what the former owner was doing. Angel would have removed a chunk of flesh had she really been serious.

First thing Angel needs is time. She needs time to adjust to what has just happened and time to realize that you mean her no harm. Talk to her and offer treats for proper behavior. Praise must be almost instanteous or it will not be associated with what you intended the praise to be for. Teach Angel to step up onto a perch. That could save you a bunch of intended nips. Right after my ex-husband moved out, I gave my 2 macaws a different cage. The one they had put them way above my head when I approached, and that was dominant position for my hard to handle female. Not a good position to be in so this cage is lower to the floor. In fact, I removed the stand that it sat on and the cage is on a plastic mat on the floor. I'm only 5'0" so I had to do something to even up the odds.

When handling Angel, take her away from her cage so that she can't see it. Being a female, her cage is her home and she will protect it just like any other creature would do. Also be aware that the room where you keep Angel will be seen as "her cage." She has her main cage but she will soon incorporate the room into that. Until you get to know Angel, do not allow her on your shoulder! Shoulders are dominant positions and you can get some very serious, nasty bites by ignoring this. You can't react quickly enough so just avoid the situation. Hold Angel below eye level. Again, it's a dominance issue.

When I have Georgia (female) on my hand, I put my thumb over at least one of her feet. That gives me control over where she can/can't go. If she goes to nip, I change the situation by quickly moving my hand so that she's hanging upside down and then I proceed to swing her gently back and forth. She loves this and she forgets about what she intended to do only moments earlier.

Make no mistake about it. That beak can do a lot of damage in an instant so be careful until you get to know her. I've had Georgia since 1991 and I still don't trust her like I trust Dao, her male companion. I don't know that I ever will, as she's an extremely aggressive, sexually mature hen.

Hope this helps.

[Janie]

Yikes!!! I read your reply twice, Linda, and while I'm very happy for you, LoveBugs, I'm glad Angel found you instead of me! You "large" parrot folks are very, very brave! :D

Good luck with Angle and I'm sure Linda's advice will help! :)

[LauraO]

Congrats on Angel :). You are a brave woman :)

We've had our rescue Meyer's Cookie for about four months and I think he's made tremendous progress. We spent the first couple of weeks we had him just sitting with him, reading, talking, and staring. It helped that he was in quarantine so there were no other birdy distractions......I agree with Linda that stick training Angel will be invaluable, because you will be able to work with him more and to move him around when needed.....It would also be great if Angel's owner let you know what some of Angel's favorite foods are so you can feed them to him as well as letting you know what his schedule was to help him adjust.

Good luck

btw, how old is Angel?

[linda040899]

Just thought of a few more things....

I always use the "up" command with my larger parrots. If I take them out of their cages or off a perch, I tell them "step up." When I put them back, I also use a command. You can say "step down" if you would like. Mine understand that "step up" is either for coming to me or going back. Very important, as it sets paramenters.

Adequate sleep is a must or you will have a grouchy parrot! Dao and Georgia are in bed when the sun goes down. I don't turn on any lights in that room until after sunrise. Macaws will chew so be prepared to give Angel toys that she can destroy. If not, she may very well find something else to chew and you may not approve of her choices!!! Just for informational purposes, that beak has a force of 3,000 psi and mine can crack a Brazil Nut shell like it's crepe paper.

Bathtime with Dao and Georgia is a lot of fun and I don't know who gets wetter, them or me. I use the tub in my bathroom, as they are much to big to bathe in my kitchen sink. I clean the tub and then let tepid water run from the faucet. Water goes everywhere! I don't shower with my parrots, as bathrooms tend to be high in E-coli.

I do my own wing trims and nail clips. Unlike lovebirds, most macaws will need their nails cut. I have to towel Georgia to do her nails, but I just lay Dao on his back in my lap. I use large nail cutters or you can use the same type of nail cutter you might use for Fido. To trim flight feathers, you need wire cutters. Scissors will not cut the shaft of a macaw primary feather. The shaft is very thick and I can't exert enough force for the scissors to do their job. Sometimes it's worth what your vet might charge to do this! :)

[Robin VZ]

Janie,
My Timneh Rocky decided I was ok right from the start. I was VERY lucky to get him and over the 2 years I've had him, he's only pinched my twice. Both were warnings rather than serious bites. Once was for moving his cage with him inside it (not much of a move but he didn't appreciate it) and the other was for insisting that he step up when he didn't want to. While he's not nearly as powerful as a macaw, I still have a very healthy respect for the beak. Usually when I pick him up, the first thing he wants to do is give me a kiss. He's a sweety. On the rare occasion that I must move him and he won't step up, I can get him on a dowel but he does NOT like it.

[Janie]

Robin, a TAG is my dream bird! I'm glad that Rocky decided that you are OK! :D I held a baby at the last bird fair and would not have touched it, :lol, except that it was not for sale. Three months old and just precious!

[Robin VZ]

Rocky was 8-9 years old when he came to live with me. He belonged to a good friend of a good friend and she wasn't home enough for him to be happy. She wanted to place him with someone who knew birds and would be good to him (and be around). She brought him for about an hour visit before making up her mind and I got to ask all the questions I wanted. She gave him to me cage and all with the understanding that if something happened and things weren't working out that he would come back to her. I didn't try handling him until he'd been here for about an hour and had gotten comfortable. He's a very confident bird though and he doesn't shake up easily. He's quite a character. She definitely had his best interests at heart.

The only true bite I've seen him deliver was premeditated. He lured my adult nephew into putting up his hand to step up onto. As soon as he got on the hand, he grabbed as much skin on the top of his hand as he could get his beak into. :eek: He had decided he was gonna bite that guy and lured him close enough so he could do it. And people doubt thier intelligence.........

[linda040899]

And people doubt thier intelligence.........
No one at this address doubts their intelligence! I've seen it too many times and they also have remarkable memories!!!!!!!

Since Dao and Georgia have gone on chewing sprees, they are locked up in their cage when I'm not here. When I let them out, I put my hand in the cage and tell Georgia "step up." That's her signal that it's OK to come out. I can leave the cage door open and she will wait for that command as long as I'm in the room. Dao is a bit more anxious but Georgia listens to me. I've been making some excellent progress with her lately, ever since "jail time" became mandatory when I'm not here.

[jknezek]

The larger birds are a challenge at times. My ekkie, a medium sized parrot, was a dream to train. I got him at 10 months and he was coming from a not-so-good situation. the owner loved him, but she also allowed him to rule the roost. he ate everything, drank her coffee, she smoked in her house. his feathers were awful but he had a great personality.
fast forward 6 months and he's learned not to try to get on my shoulder when i'm standing. he does when we're sitting on the couch because he uses it to get back and forth from my to the couch back and then up to his cage. but he knows he can't sit there. he has to move off. that was step one in his training. once i established that i was in charge in this one major area, other things started to fall in line. he stopped trying to get at most of my food. he now understands certain commands are commands not requests. for example "step up" now causes him to lift his foot automatically. but I had to establish that first very important step.
also, since he is still pre-puberty, there will be lots of work ahead yet. I fully expect him to regress quite a bit and to go through an adolescent phase where he tests me again.
one thing that might really help if you run into problems is a yahoo group called PBAS. It is part of the LLP training classes and covers a lot of ground if you need help. however, it is also a very structured group and there is a lot of homework and reading. still, it can really help you understand what is going on and why when unwanted behaviors appear or persist.
good look with the new b&g. what a great adventure you've embarked upon!

[mjm8321]

Of course, I'm late at posting, but after a hellish week of vacation, I'm back....

We are dealing with two birds at the moment with issues. Both bite, but one worse than the other. Yes, your B&G needs some time to settle into the new home, but you might consider doing some reading like the book(s) by the following author http://hometown.aol.com/gbirdinc/books.html. We have done extensive reading, research and even brought in a bird behaviorist to help re-train Ripley and also re-train us. The process is slow and patience is the key but also nipping the issues "in the bud" is important. Here is another link that has more good info http://www.parrot-behaviour.info/library/sg_friedman/llp.html

Good luck with your new friend!

[LoveBugs]

Angel has been showing off more and more of her vocabulary, which is so cute!

I was told she was not a big veggie eater, but loves meat and egg...So,while I was scrambling an egg for her (of which I of course snuck in some veggies!!!) she was waiting patiently at her perch for me to put it in her cup. Then she told me to "C'me here!! Get in your cage!!!'

Then she kept saying "hmmmm!" as she ate it, and then asked, "Is it good?"

Today was also the first time I heard her say something kinda bad too!! When I was outside talking to my brother, I was being kind of loud, and I heard her screaming at me from inside to "SHUT UP!!!" She said it three times!!! lol

[linda040899]

The sad part of learning the vocabulary of a rescue bird is that you know they heard the words they repeat over and over and over again. When Lucky, B&G macaw, first came home from the pet shop, she would scream "Bad bird; bad bird; bad...bad...bad...bad...bad!!!!! It broke my heart to hear her say it, as you know the person who taught it to her was reprimanding her for doing something wrong. If my birds get into something that they shouldn't, it's my fault, not theirs. If I find Dao, Georgia or Ginger heading somewhere with a mission in mind, I simply tell them to go back to their cages. They understand the message!

[LauraO]

If I find Dao, Georgia or Ginger heading somewhere with a mission in mind, I simply tell them to go back to their cages. They understand the message!


:rofl: :rofl: