I brought home a blue and gold macaw

Hello everyone! I'm new to this website, but that is not the case yesterday I brought home a blue and gold macaw with all my allowance, and I named him/her Eleven. (Yes I named it from stranger things my favorite show). And now I put it on my stand (because I don't have a cage yet) and speaking from experience my aunt had a greenwing macaw (who was previously owned by my uncle) and he is a male, when I was 8 in 2015/2016 I was in love with him but he but he used to open his mouth when put my hand close to him and I was scared but then I gave it seeds from my hand then he ate the seeds. And I was happy then I would sit on the floor and he came from the cage to my lap and he would allow me to open his wings and pet him but the 3 years later my family was annoyed with him and gave him away to uncle then, the same day my birthday party came he was sold by my uncle, I cried. But now I would have seeds from the palm of my hand and instead of eating it, her/he bit my finger I tried my best not scream. And I giving you people a question how can make him to trust my and to stand on my arm? Hope you will give me some answers.

Thank you.

You need to go to the Macaw Sub Forum, and read everything started by or contributed to birdman666 who is out expert on macaws. I hope you have you parents support in this adoption, because parrots and macaws in particular are not cheap to feed , house, and in general. They need lots of toys to destroy, regular vet visits and a LARGE cage to keep them in when they are not outside the cage( destroying and chewing up things).
Not a bird for a 13 yr old to just say , 'I like birds so I got a macaw'. I may sound like a meany but i am thinking of the birds well being, not yours. Read the birdman666 threads, out loud to your macaw , they love being read to.

Hey--sounds like you are new to bird ownership, so here is some advice that I think every new bird owner needs to have read:

also---because you are new to parrots:
Here is my "new to birds" post that I like to share with first-time bird owners. It is long and you probably know some of it already, but since there is a large learning-curve, I hope it is helpful!

I copied and pasted from another "new bird owner" post. Sorry it's so long!!!

When you have a bird, any sort of heated mechanism (anything that heats or is intended to be heated) and contains PTFE/PFOA/PFCs/Teflon will be out of the question (and most things that heat up or are intended to be heated DO contain these chemicals)--This includes things like pots, pans, cupcake trays, cookie sheets, cake pans etc, but it will also things like include hair-dryers, straighteners, curling irons, curlers, rice-cookers, SLOW COOKERS, popcorn poppers, air fryers, microwave meals (including certain types of microwave popcorn), steamers, irons, ironing board covers, electric skillets, griddles, George Foreman Grills, drip trays, toasters, toaster ovens, poaching pans, electric blankets, humidifiers, heat lamps, SPACE HEATERS, Scotch Guard etc etc...Here 2 links about it: https://www.ewg.org/research/canarie...on-kills-birds
To find out what contains PTFE/PFOA/PFCs/Teflon, you have to call and be a bit insistent about it over the phone (and in some cases, you won't get far--but sometimes it is a matter of how you ask). Almost always, it will take a few days (and numerous holds) for them to get back to you and you must provide the full chemical names, abbreviations and brand-names. Shopping when you have a bird is super annoying because cannot visually ID these chemical coatings, as they can be colored, transparent, or mixed into metal/fabric during the manufacturing process. Teflon and chemically similar products have killed birds on separate floors with the doors shut. Similarly, while DuPont claims that off-gassing only occurs at higher heats, there have been myriad bird deaths (even within academic circles) at temperatures well within the 300 degree F range! There is a reason they used canaries in coal-mines and it is because they die very easily due to even low levels of fumes of any sort. Some specific accounts: https://www.ewg.org/research/canarie...-death-diaries
Here are the abbreviations and full spellings of the chemicals you need to ask about when inquiring about a product (give the name, spelling and abbreviation of each):

Teflon= common brand-name using the chemical types in question
PTFE= Polytetrafluoroethyline
PFOA= Perfluorooctanoic acid (sometimes known as C8)
PFCs= Perfluorinated chemicals

Sleep=essential to hormonal and immune function. Different species have different requirements, but 12 is pretty much the average. This means that someone must be there to cover and uncover the bird at the same time each night and that your home must be conducive to sleep.

Make sure you aren't using any unsafe products around the bird. This is pretty much everything with a scent (and some things without).
No perfume, carpet cleaner, flea shampoo, aerosols, solvents, air fresheners, paints, smoke of any kind, vaping, sunscreen, bugspray, candles of any kind (organic or non), insecticides, certain soaps/shampoos, fire-places, burning or heated oil/fat, self-cleaning ovens, gas and any household cleaners (e.g., bleach, windex, lysol, fabreeze, scrubbing bubbles, kaboom, pine-sol etc)...You will seriously have to re-think your entire home and your cleaning routine will change a ton.
NEVER use the self-cleaning oven function or try to season cast iron around birds.
The list goes on. Birds have VERY sensitive respiratory systems. Essential oils are also fairly unsafe due to their ability to be absorbed into the blood-stream and due to a bird's sensitive air sacs.
In terms of safe cleaning alternatives: White vinegar + water (as long as you don't heat it), grapefruit seed extract + water, baking soda (for scrubbing), some (but not all) natural cleaning products sold in pre-mixed formulas, and then avian-safe veterinary disinfectants, such as F10 SC (the yellow/clear concentrate has to be mixed with water but it is super safe and more effective than vinegar at killing bacteria etc).

Fumes make traveling with a bird complicated, as it is very unsafe to bring your bird with you into a location where teflon or chemical cleaners are being used. My bird does travel with me, but it is important to consider the safety of your final destination, as well as car temperature and any stops along the way (if you plan on bringing your bird inside).
I would recommend getting an air purifier (non-ozone producing/non-ionizing) to help with dust/mold etc (which can harm birds). Please note- a purifier will not protect birds from cigarette smoke, vaping fumes, teflon/ptfe/pfoa etc. It will only help increase the quality of the air to some extent. You cannot use unsafe chemicals around the bird just because you have a purifier.

Generally, you should only pet birds on the head/neck and you should not allow any shadowy spaces in the cage (boxes, bedding, crumbled paper, tents, blankets, low furniture, in clothing etc)...and so are tents/huts/hammocks etc. These things are hormonal triggers and they can cause health and behavior problems and snuggle huts can also entangle birds and cause blockages.

Birds hide illness like crazy, so there is nothing intuitive about their diseases. You have to be ready to study your birds poop and behavior daily, because even the slightest change can be a huge indicator. Blood work must be done yearly (at minimum) and should be done soon after you get a new bird. Birds can carry and spread deadly illnesses without showing any symptoms, so play-dates and exposure to boarding facilities etc come with risks of their own. PBFD, ABV and PDD are all very serious and very contagious diseases that can be spread by things like feather dust in the ventilation system. These diseases are also notorious for producing false negatives in infected but asymptomatic carriers (when tested).
Bottom line: make sure that you have a certified avian vet (CAV) near you. Exotics vets who see birds are not the same thing. If you don't have a CAV near you, your life will be much more anxiety-ridden than if you do (and the difference between a CAV and an exotics vet can mean the difference between life and death for your bird in certain instances).

Birds are very sensitive to temperature changes and drafts. Any temperature change of 10 degrees or more puts significant stress on their systems. If you have to take your bird out in the cold, make sure you carefully cover the cage and pre-warm the car. Also, make sure you don't have any air-fresheners in the car or vents blowing directly on the bird. Extreme heat can also be harmful. Over time, birds can adjust to a wide ranger of temperatures, but this adjustment has to take place over a long period of time. Anything too quick is going to shock their systems.

Dowel perches that are smooth/even in texture lead to a disease called bumble-foot. Textured perches prevent this---look into dragonwood, manzanita and pummice perches. There are numerous guides to appropriate sizing online.

Birds move in slow motion and especially and establishing real trust can take many months. Do not push physical contact early on. Do quiet things near the cage, read a book out loud etc. The goal is to form positive associations between low-stress, rewarding situations and yourself/bird. Don't push anything your bird isn't comfortable with while building trust.

A baby bird will generally be friendly to all (much like a baby human), but teen and adult birds experience significant hormonal changes which impact their personality and preferences. Puberty is particularly bad in many cases. Although it passes, an adult bird will never be as nice as a baby and it will come with a whole new set of preferences, desires and rules.
It is very important not to engage in behaviors that will eventually be inappropriate for the bird as an adult, as this sets an unsustainable precedent. You must teach independence, refrain from allowing the bird to graft itself to you all day, do not spend excessive time with your bird due to the fact that they are a new and exciting new pet (because you will be expected to keep it up long-term), pet on head/neck only and do not provide your bird with access to fleece huts, huts in general, tents, boxes, blankets, pillows, bedding etc, ignore screams for attention and attend to the sounds you will be able to tolerate long-term, ignore biting when it happens and do not scold/react unless you know why it happened---you don't want to reinforce behavior by reacting in a way that will strengthen it. There is also information on this forum about "the shunning" method which can work for some birds depending on who is being bitten and your relationship with the bird.

Birds often bond closely to a specific person-- also, they change a lot at puberty, so a baby macaw is going to act WAY sweeter and more trusting of people than a bird that is older (just like teens vs. babies in the human population).

Make sure seeds aren't his main diet BTW--- pellets and chop (mixes of fruit/veg with more veg than fruit) should be primary---seeds should be given in moderation as they are too high in fat and low in nutrients.

This is basically like having a child, so I hope your parents are on-board because you will need their help in order to make the home safe and in order to provide proper socialization and financial support (vet, toys etc). Your cage should be HUGE and stainless or powder coated iron---DO NOT get anything galvanized and make sure it is free from lead and zinc.

Welcome to you and Eleven!! As others posted, reading from the Macaw Forum and learning the many hazards that can harm parrots is essential!

For starters, a large cage is extremely important. Macaws are curious with powerful beaks and can cause great damage and/or harm themselves if allowed unconditional freedom.

While any parrot can bite, macaws seem to have less tendency to do so unless threatened. They are, however, bluffers and can intimidate. Check this out: http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/56384-big-beak-o-phobes-guide-understanding-macaw-beaks.html

All due respect to our new friend here, but is anyone else profoundly perturbed that this bird was purchased 1) with an allowance, and 2) before a cage was ever bought?

chris-md said:

All due respect to our new friend here, but is anyone else profoundly perturbed that this bird was purchased 1) with an allowance, and 2) before a cage was ever bought?

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I am glad he is here to learn for sure...Sometimes people just don't know (but that is what frightens me most, because a bird like this is SUCH a massive responsibility and they can be traumatized or even killed so easily by owner mistakes).

That is why I mentioned the importance of parental involvement. A parrot like a macaw is literally a life-long commitment and it takes a whole family being on-board (socially, financially and in terms of safety/products within the home). Think about having a 3 year old who is allergic to everything and can fly/ destroy furniture forever (it isn't like a pet that lives for 12 years and dies, or a pet that has a lower intellect---we are talking about a bird with intelligence that rivals apes).

The cage thing is most concerning...this is a place where a bird feels safe, so not having one isn't entirely fair and definitely not safe.

I would encourage the OP to get a very very large cage ASAP, and I am hoping that his parents have the money to help him do so, as it will likely cost close to $1000 to get an appropriate cage for a macaw...if not more...

OP-- we are not trying to scare you off or judge, but as parrot owners, it is concerning. Everyone makes mistakes so don't let our questions frighten you---it's just that we have a deep respect for these animals and their tremendous intellects and too often they are passed around among owners as though they were objects or simpler animals. The reality is, they bond deeply and depend very much on routine and interaction to stay mentally healthy. They require a great deal more work than most pets because a home environment is so unnatural and hazardous for them. That is why your post is raising questions. I am hoping you already know all of this and the lack of cage can be explained in some other way. Again-- YOU ARE WELCOME HERE!!--if you don't know this stuff already, you should be here!

chris-md said:

All due respect to our new friend here, but is anyone else profoundly perturbed that this bird was purchased 1) with an allowance, and 2) before a cage was ever bought?

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I am questioning a lot of things about this post and await the OPs response to what has already been said before offering any advice:33::33::33:

chris-md said:

All due respect to our new friend here, but is anyone else profoundly perturbed that this bird was purchased 1) with an allowance, and 2) before a cage was ever bought?

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Being in the region where I live currently.... not really :/
Some cultures view parrots more like Pokemon, trading them freely and 'upgrading'. Many times when it comes to vet bills, if it's cheaper to buy a replacement than pay for the bill, then why not make that financially savvy decision. The fact that the family considers a stand an adequate substitute for a cage indicates to me a non-Western background - it's incredibly common where I live for macaws to not have proper cages.

Not judging either way - I've family members on both side of the spectrum. But I know I lean more one way - you can see how we treat Cairo

Welcome Eleven! May you have a Happy joyful healthy life!
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/300-parrots-bill-rights.html

Keys to happy healthy parrots are a good diet that includes lots of vegetables. http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

Provide social contact.
An enriched environment with lots of things to destroy and chew and play with. http://go.skimresources.com/?id=162...tz=300&xuuid=5050d7795bc93a3d6adb4eac400bef6e

https://bestinflock.com/2008/04/25/your-parrot-wont-play-with-toys/


Foraging activity, you teach your parrot to work an search for food, but this is taught you never deprive your parrot of food. Often you can make these things yourselves.
https://www.beautyofbirds.com/foragingfood.html

Lots of exercise! Keep you bird flighted and work on teaching him to fly to you in the house. If you are able to have an outdoor avairy for your macaw that would be great too. https://www.windycityparrot.com/blog/2010/04/13/flight-important-parrots/#ixzz62HloSvKV

https://www.parrots.org/ask-an-expert/wing-clipping-vs-flighted-companion-parrots

Is your new bird weaned? And has he fledged a very very importance step in a parrots life.