Big parrot, medium parrot, small parrot...ahhhh!!

[dani]

What a day today was.... *sigh* I am just sitting down for the first time today, and I feel as if I've fought a war. I'll start with the small parrot. Lately Haku has totally changed, he's like a new, different bird is coming out of somewhere deep inside. He is totally playful and light and fun, and just hilarious. I bought him a bunch of new toys, and I sat playing with the toys to attract him to them, and he got so hyped up that he finally made the first move toward me, and came to the cage door, begging to be let out. Ahhh! I've been waiting four months for this:D For the first time my little lovie let me rub his beak and scratch his perfect little feathers. :blush:
but then...
I left Ammy's door open for a split second and he was out of the cage like lightning... big parrot problems. (*smacks self for leaving door open) The cage he is temporarily living in has a playtop, which is a problem, because given Ammy's large size, and my own lack of stature, he was way too high above me, which made it nearly impossible to get him down. Ack.:x i tried EVERYTHING. I left him there for an hour or two because he was so happy, and he yakked away and flashed his eyes and danced... but then three hours passed... and four... and then i realized that Ammy would not move:x . I probably tried the "step up" command a million times, but that's the thing with having birds who are dangerously close to being smarter than you are... they outsmart you...and you become the lowly, pathetic one in the flock:( Ammy bird then decided that he would put one foot on the dowel but keep one firmly planted, no matter what. Then, he decided to curl his big toes around both the dowel and his perch... and he remained planted like a cement slab.:x I did not want to unnecessarily use force with him, because with that big beak i would have had to restrain him with a towel or something, and he is already fearful of hands. And then after about five hours of haranguing poor Ammy and listening Ammy screaming in full macaw volume and listening to my five dogs yelp their hearts out at Ammy, i had what can only be called an existential crisis.:cry: I could feel myself getting irritated with Ammy for something that really really is not his fault, of course I would prefer freedom too if i were him, of course he's new to the household and he's unsure, of course he's a macaw and is going to scream like a macaw... duh duh duh.. but i got all caught up in my stress, and when i realized that i was getting angry, i turned on myself:x and blamed myself for being a bad fidma. Ugh. somehow in the process of the day, (i had a hard day otherwise to put it mildly) I also managed to sprain my ankle. SIGH.
Enter medium parrot. sometimes I think that Evie is easily in control of me, Haku, Ammy, my dogs, my family etc... and that we are all pathetically better off that way. While I was cajoling Ammy, Evie girl decided that she'd had enough. Long story a little less long, Evie managed to get Ammy to hop on her cage and chat, and I discreetly lined up the cages so that he waddled right into his cage door afterward, and began chomping away as if nothing had ever happened. :omg:
Then everybody had a good, earbleed inducing scream, and went to sleep:whistle:
Tomorrow, mama will be making extra treats for everyone to make herself feel less guilty for at least thinking of losing her temper. They're wonderful birdies. I could never really get mad at them.

[linda040899]

Dani,
Birds truly are amazing, aren't they!! I can sympathize with what you went through with Ammy today, as I live with 2 macaws and I know the decibels they are capable of producing! Anyone whose dream it is to have a large bird in the future should have spent today with you and just listened!!!

Bottom line for Ammy was that he was having fun!!! The more fun a macaw has, the louder they can be. After all, he was out of his cage and in control/out of your reach so he had a good time while he could. God bless Evie! She's really a gem!

The one thing that I can think of that might have calmed Ammy down might have been a mist bath. My larger birds love it and they will spend hours preening while their feathers dry. He might have been more controllable after a bath, too.

When Lucky, my ex-husband's B&G macaw stayed here for 4 months (long story, don't ask....), all she did, day and night, was scream! Believe me, I can understand starting to get angry because the constant noise will make you crazy. I came close to that a few times and had to go outside for a few minutes just to cool off.

[Eliza]

Oh, Dani... I couldn't help but chuckle a bit when I thought of you trying to get beautiful Ammy down from his playtop. Parrots seem to know EXACTLY where to go when we humans would prefer them to be somewhere else, right? I can't believe how Evie came to your rescue! She must be a momma's girl ;)

Take heart in knowing that you are DEFINITELY not a bad fidma. Even on your worst day I doubt that you are anything but wonderful to Evie, Ammy and Haku (handsome little devil that he may be ;))

Congratulations on Haku beginning to open up to you! Isn't that a wonderful feeling?

Hang in there, chica. We all have "one of those days."

-e-

[dani]

The one thing that I can think of that might have calmed Ammy down might have been a mist bath.
I'd thought of that, but then I've gotten so used to Evie becoming hyper-birdie when she has a bath but then again that's Amazon behaviour i suppose. You're right though, a misting would have probably helped, i notice that Haku is alot calmer and more receptive to human interaction when he's had a misting. i'll try it next time... which hopefully won't be tomorrow :x

[wilkiecoco]

oh dani - i admit - first i smiled a little at the thought of you struggling for five hours - then in comes evie using her charm, which worked like a charm. what a precious girl she is. next time though, tell her to step in just a little sooner please! :wink:

you really had your hands full, so no one - and i mean no one - would blame you if you did lose your temper. and yet, even though you were frustrated, you didn't take it out on your fids. you are one great fidma, and never think otherwise. you have made great strides with haku and ammy - you are doing a great job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Elle]

Oh Dani! I can only imagine your frustration which is completely natural. It is okay to get upset and frustrated you know. What is wrong is to take it out on them, which you have not done in any way shape or form. That makes you a really good fidmama :)

When I initially got Max, we had a hard time getting him off the top of his cage. He was higher than we were and would use his beak to bite us away. What worked for us is getting a step latter so we would be higher than him when asking him to step up. And that worked. With time and practice, we no longer need to be higher than he is. He is alot more confident with us, trusts us more and well, we're family now. :blush: (and he likes being with us so being picked is treat now but don't tell him I told you ;)

[butterfly1061]

The cage he is temporarily living in has a playtop, which is a problem, because given Ammy's large size, and my own lack of stature, he was way too high above me, which made it nearly impossible to get him down.Dani,

While most people go ga-ga over how gorgeous macaws are (& I agree), they are alot of work on the owners part. I can sympathize with you as we have a B&G named Bosco who is almost 3 yrs old. He has a cage with a playtop and it's hard not to fall into the predicament you were in yesterday. I can get him down (he thinks I walk on water & I don't know why), but my mother can not and right now he lives at her house. When she lets him out, I tell her she'll just have wait him out. Fortunately, he love pistachios and if he sees you putting some in his bowl, he will go back into his cage. That beak can do some major damage and it's not something I'm willing to take a chance with. He doesn't scream as much as he use to, but he can make you deaf in a second as well as the neighbors wondering if you're killing him :rolleyes: Dealing with a macaw can be very stressful, but you did good waiting it out. Sounds like Evie is a jewel!

[Janie]

Dani, I can't even imagine what life with a Macaw would be like but I have to admit, I had to laugh a time or two (or three, :D) while reading your thread! Without really being there, your description of the events made me feel like I had a front row seat. :D I agree, you are a very good fidma and kept your cool under stressful conditions. Thanks for sharing and I hope today will be a better day for you! :)

[dani]

That beak can do some major damage and it's not something I'm willing to take a chance with. He doesn't scream as much as he use to, but he can make you deaf in a second as well as the neighbors wondering if you're killing him

I am slowly getting over my initial beak-terror :lol but I still am not crazy about the idea of struggling with Ammy, firstly because of the obvious reasons!! his beak is big!! and secondly because he is afraid of people and he's been mistreated, and i want him to learn to trust my hands.
Today was a better day, everyone was no worse for wear after yesterday's drama... except now Evie is teaching Ammy to shout out words :x and they are both screaming out simultaneously now. I have to admit it's hilarious, because Ammy can only say "hello", so each word Evie shouts out, Ammy will reply "HELLO!!" immediately after, at the top of his voice. The (loud!!!) conversation goes something like...
Evie- "hi mama!" Ammy- "HELLO!" Evie- "where's joshua?" Ammy- "HELLO!" 'Evie- "Hi Haku!" Ammy- HELLO!" And then when Ammy got tired, he just barked like the dog for an hour while evie screeched with laughter in the background and Haku tried very hard to make himself heard. :lol
And three weeks haven't even passed yet... i can just imagine how much percentage of my hearing will be lost by next year...
Thanks everyone, this forum has saved me from insanity quite a few times. There comes a point when my boyfriend does not want to hear about blood feathers and molting and regurgitation any more. :lol

[butterfly1061]

Dani,

How old is Ammy?

[dani]

Jackie...
I can't be positive right now, but everyone's estimate is that he's pretty young. LInda thinks that he's between 6-8 months old judging from his pics. He's just getting feathrs in the leg area, under his wings, and around his face.

[butterfly1061]

Ahhh, he's quite young. Our Bosco is about 3 yrs old. When he was Ammy's age, he could only say "hello" too, but it didn't take long before he started picking up so many words. It will be fun when you hear him say something new. He's very much a "toddler" and will test you to the end. Bosco still does as he's still considered a young one too. He likes to mumble different words/sounds all the time and the next thing you know he's saying a new word. In fact, just the other day I dropped an old light bulb on the carpet and Bosco said "Ops" :rofl: I've never heard him say that. Too funny!

[dani]

Oh Ammy does that mumbling thing too!! :lol. Monday I came into the room without him seeing me, and I heard him mumbling very softly with alot of expression in his voice. Poor little Am, he is drinking up all the love and attention, I'm glad he's still young so he'll most likely adjust to the secure environment.

[mjm8321]

Dani, we took in Shiloh, my Illiger's macaw when she was just 9 months old. She was very scared of men and had some colorful language as the husband that lived in the home where she was, yelled at her all the time.

It took a few months for her to begin learning new words and sounds. Well, maybe not learn them, but to begin to share them with us. At 2 years old, she know has a huge vocabulary, quite the repertoire of sounds and is a pretty good whistler.

I am positive, once Ammy realizes he is perfectly safe, he'll begin picking up all the words you want to teach him; as well as somethings you don't want him to pick up. :lol Shiloh has gotten rid of her foul language, but now has mastered the fine art of burping. :rofl:

[dani]

MJ, I can't wait to hear what Ammy picks up!! It's very amusing the things which they choose to repeat. Evie recently started going "Awwwww..." when anyone ooohs and aaahs over her or tells her she's pretty. I just love when Ammy and Evie chatter away, mind you it's loud chatter...

Have a good chuckle over this one everybody, I took some photos of Ammy when he was having his Big Escape, you can just see the excitement in his face.
Some cute ones of Haku too.
From the 17th picture onward.
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2091123030

[Estee]

Wow, Ammy is gorgeous.

Am I the only one who thinks Haku resembles George Cloony in these pics? (Lucky George!) :whistle:

[michael]

Ammy sure is quite the escape artist. The expression on his face you caught is the perfect example of a very smart bird. Dani, you certainly have more patience then I have. When my friends amazons and macaws act up I have to leave the room their in. The noise sounds like poeple screaming in agony sometimes. At first he had to assure me they were alright as I thought one was in some sort of pain. After the first few visits I understood what all the commotion was about. At least some of it anyway. Although I have great respect for their beaks, they are the most adorable loving birds anyone could imagine. I hope you don't get too hard on yourself because you got angry. Its obvious your love supersede's any anger you felt while handling a difficult situation. You are by far the perfect momma, and even they get to share a little anger once in a while.......Michael and Goofy's sleeping

[mjm8321]

Haku is very handsome. Heather better not show his picture to her girls; they'll all be wanting to take a trip to Trinidad! :lol
Ammy looks wonderful. His feathers already have that shine to them that they did not have in the first pictures of him; a sure sign he's being treated very well. I love the escape series of photos; especially the wings out picture!

[butterfly1061]

Dani,

Great pics! Ammy looks so excited to have escaped :lol Bosco likes to show us his wings too. When we tell him "Oooo, what a pretty wing Bosco", he spreds his wing out - he a hoot. Don't hteir feathers look great after a bath? And I love it when they pin their eyes from excitment - beautiful.

Haku is just gorgeous :omg: Too bad I have a house full of boys :rolleyes: Any girl would be lucky to catch his eye :D

[butterfly1061]

:rofl: :rofl: A pin-up lovie! :rofl: :rofl:

[dani]

Haku is even seducing the neighbourhood wild birds... They come around his cage and go "Ohh Haku, *chirp... you could be my love-bird anytime..." :lol. Actually I think they are stealing food from him. But don't tell him. It would be crippling to his ego. I would like to get Haku a little companion, but I am terrified about fights, eggies, etc since it's easier to find a needle in haystack than an avian vet here....I'm trying to do the responsible thing for the bird that I do have, and he is quite happy by himself, feeling like one of the 'big parrots', so i'll leave well enough alone... but looking at Heather's flock does not help.:( On another romance note... Ammy is in love with Evie :roll:. He gets devastated when she doesn't talk to him, and he does acrobatics on his perch, and squawks like if he's dying, and tries to stretch out and touch her. And Evie...(no I swear she did not learn this from me) will preen her pretty wing and play hard to get. Girl parrots are such flirts:blush:

[wilkiecoco]

i get such a hoot out of your flock!!! :) i swear your stories about them are better than a soap opera - all the romance, the mischief, the adventures, the love, the fun....... :lol Ammy is absolutely stunning, even when planning and executing his great escape. Evie is gorgeous, and Haku, well, he is just the most handsome lovie. :)

[michael]

Sounds like Haku is inviting all the pretty birds for dinner and a little romance. Perhaps maybe his ego might have grown a little instead? Hmmmm. We may need to learn a bit more about these three mysterious birds.....Michael/Goofy

[dani]

Hooray, Ammy finally got his new big cage today!! Tomorrow he will be moving into his new home (which has NO play top on it.) You all have realized I am a picture- taking freak, so of course I will put up some pics of Am in his nice new cage pretty soon. I am using the pictures to stimulate my vision in readiness for the fact that I will soon become deaf if the 'zon and the macaw keep their evening antics up :x

[michael]

Congratulations on Ammy's new cage! very exciting! Sounds like you may have to put kleenex in one ear and talk to them from one side :lol . A little house warming is definitely in store.....Hugs for all of you....Michael and Goofy

[butterfly1061]

Can't wait to see Ammy's new cage. Hope he likes it. My brother will soon be trying to take Bosco on the road with him. He's a truck driver and misses Bosco terribly. We are looking for a cage that will fit his cab and I suggested one of those "carseat" perches for the front of the truck.

[dani]

Hi everyone!!
Ammy is in his new cage, Evie is back in her cage after a good scrubbing (the cage, not Evie) and all is well in the Dani flock. I am extremlely excited about Ammy, if I am reading his body language correctly then his curiousity and trust for me is slowly growing. I offer him my hand to touch and familiarize himself with (EEK! and it's scary!) but so far he has been nothing but gentle and sweet. He'll nibble it lightly, touch with his tongue, and then when he realizes Omg wait... i'm touching a human:omg: he'll drop my hand and walk away quickly. In all this big-bird excitement, the fact is not to be ignored that little Mister Haku is also coming along wonderfully. I was able to stroke his neck after his misting yesterday without any nipping or skittishness. I am over the moon, I am so thrilled about my birdies. Here they are in their cages chillin out on my back porch after the big move
Here is Ammy's cage... which was TT$2,000:x
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb182/Dani86_album/1stjuly017-1.jpg
And Evie's cage which I bought in January was TT$1,500 :x (she likes her cage all jungle-equipped with a zillion branches in there)
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb182/Dani86_album/1stjuly020.jpg
one $US is something like TT$6
But the dance Ammy did when he realized he could spread his wings out inside his cage? priceless.:blush:

[butterfly1061]

WOW! Nice cage Ammy!! I can see why you are happy to spread those pretty wings :happy:

Dani, You did good. Now we can expect more pics with the new cage and stuff? :D

[Z28Taxman]

Wow! That cage is almost big enough for him to fly! :happy: