For those who have rescued....

[2greenconurestostart]

Our family went to a rescue about 45 min from our home. It's a beautiful area with a huge outdoor aviary. They are also a sanctuary for some birds who they designate not adoptable. The majority were Macaws and toos . They are very nice and expect a lot from potential adopters which is no issue for us. My question is, when I asked about Macaws, the comment made was they were pretty much all aggressive. Same with the amazons. I guess I was a bit discouraged as it didn't make it seem like many were adorable. I am not sure if it's to make people think ?

 

[Dopey]

Well - they are aggressive IF you aren't into Macaws or Amazons. I have three Macs and they all give you the sweet "come 'ere" look and call and when you get there they - lunge. That's what they do.

I am not an Amazon person. At the bird store that I go to we have a good laugh about it. I will walk a big circle around an Amazon but give me a macaw and I will walk right up to it.

I do believe that there are people out there for every bird species and if your's is Amazon or Macaw do what you can to get one.

These birds are beautiful and too many people want the bird for the look and don't think about the aggression.

Good luck and thank you for rescuing.

 

[Birdman666]

Zons and big macs are two of my all time favorite things in life. Give me the goofball birds every time.

Macaws that are angry and have not been handled much, do not stay tame and can become very aggressive... and most of the birds that end up in the rescues are there for a reason.

I WORKED WITH THE AGGRESSIVE ONES... UNTIL THEY WERE NO LONGER AGGRESSIVE. But you have to know how to do that safely, or you'll be missing digits and/or have scars up and down your arms. I had a very high success rate with both my zons and my big macs.

Macaws that get handled and worked with are the opposite of aggressive. These are lap birds.

The fact of the matter is, most folks don't work with their birds enough, and most big macs get rehomed an average of 5-7 times in their lifetime. At some point, they can become difficult to work with, or traumatized by the people in their lives that they are better off living in a flight with their own kind, than living with human interaction.

Woody was one of those birds. He was kept in a storage unit for 32 years until he was half-mad from sensory deprivation. People ruined that bird. In a flight with 30+ other macaws, he quickly became the flock leader and gets the attention he needs from them, he has a mate, and he remembers what it is to be a bird. HE IS NOT ADOPTABLE!!! NO ONE IS EVER GOING TO TAKE THAT AWAY FROM HIM!!!

Maggie has only been rehomed once. I finished abundance weaning Sweepea. I'm the only home she's ever known. Neither of mine are the least bit aggressive. These are "people" birds. Mine would lose their minds if they didn't have people in her life... walk in the door and the foot comes up. Pick me up! I wanna be with you...

AND THAT'S REALLY THE DIFFERENCE...

TOOS are TOOS... The neediest of the needy birds. Most people aren't prepared for life with a large too, especially a scream 'n' pluck...

Scream N Plucks are usually better off with a flock setting, than in a private home.

 

[Birdman666]

Also, there are places like the Oasis, and a few others, for example, where owners donate their birds, along with a sum of money to provide for them, and they are signed over to the rescue with the legal and binding Will Proviso that they will be cared for the rest of their lives, and live well, and will NOT be adopted out to some stranger... (who pays an adoption fee and then god knows what happens to the bird.)

So some of these birds may have been accepted on that basis as well.

 

[riddick07]

I would probably tell you something close to the same thing if you walked into the rescue I work with. All the amazons are not nice...though we did just get an incredibly gorgeous NICE pair of amazons in the other day (miracles do happen).

The large majority of our macaws aren't nice but our shelter is owned by macaw people that try to work with some of the macaws consistently. If not for that all the macaws would be labeled problem children/aggressive. Unfortunately, there just isn't enough people or time to work with them all consistently so they get labeled unadoptable/aggressive. It's not that some of them don't have potential there just isn't enough time to work with them all.

I do know there are a lot of places out there that don't know how to handle a problem macaw or even a fairly nice one. We have gotten some transfers that were labeled aggressive and we had no idea why since the bird wasn't bad with us.

 

[Birdman666]

I do know there are a lot of places out there that don't know how to handle a problem macaw or even a fairly nice one. We have gotten some transfers that were labeled aggressive and we had no idea why since the bird wasn't bad with us.

They were PISSED OFF at their former owners over something... (probably lack of attention) and demonstrated that anger with their beaks. THAT IS AN EASY CALL! Seen that one more than once. When a big mac seeks out attention from a complete stranger, and lunges at his/her owner... Yeah. We will take this one. No worries. (You can leave now... preferably before the bird bites me because he's mad at you!) OH, YES, THEY DO!

With us, we told them they CAN BE, and this one needs behavior modification for these problems. AND since I was the one who had the final say in the matter, I essentially had prospective owners work with me, and the bird, to see how they interacted before proceeding with the adoption. THAT to me was more important to me than those "home inspections." Can you actually control the bird, and have you formed a bond with it. Sometimes it's more useful if the prospective new owner does the behavior mods. (Once you progress them to the point of simple step up, no bite, control your bite pressure, of course.)

My "problem biter" (99 2/3% totally evil) Ruby macaw actually went to a total nubie... normally not at all a good idea at all. But that bird actually had that "instant crush" thing going on. When birds pick their people, it's usually a good fit. And those two visibly doted on each other... They've been best buddies for well over a decade now. And that's what it's all about!!

You know, Come to think of it, I DON'T REMEMBER EVER GETTING A SINGLE AMAZON DROPPED OFF AT THE RESCUE THAT WASN'T CAGE BOUND - IN SEVEN PLUS YEARS OF DOING REHAB. That is absolutely a universal truth!!! They do bounce back, eventually, but you WILL get bit a few times getting them there. THAT IS ALSO A UNIVERSAL TRUTH!! (Mostly hot 3's and by some coincidence, they get dumped during breeding season. Somehow the phrase "this bird hates me/men/women/people" always seemed to come up. Cage bound/hormonal/hadn't been handled in years - sometimes decades.)

 

[2greenconurestostart]

thank you all for your responses....I had a feeling that was the case....this rescue has a long process including meeting the bird several times there before going home and then they check in consistently. I have read where several birds have been returned, so its so sad. I think I am going to check into volunteering to learn more.

 

[Birdman666]

thank you all for your responses....I had a feeling that was the case....this rescue has a long process including meeting the bird several times there before going home and then they check in consistently. I have read where several birds have been returned, so its so sad. I think I am going to check into volunteering to learn more.

That's how I learned a lot of what I learned...

And that's the thing. Nothing pisses me off more than rehabbing a bird, getting it in a good place, adopting it out to what you think is a good home, and then a year or two later it comes back more messed up than ever, because they lost interest, or got bit once or twice... and just stopped handling the bird.

I was always hands on. I did the rehab protocols, and I also did the bird handling classes.

If you wanted one of "my" rehabs, you had to demonstrate that bond, and the ability to handle the bird. And I was standing right there giving one on one instruction, trying to be proactive and teach...

AND IF IT WAS SOMEONE WHO I FELT WAS INAPPROPRIATE...

WELL, THERE WERE BIRDS WHO WERE A BIT MORE CHALLENGING TO HANDLE. (Ruby was EVIL! And didn't suffer fools gladly!) GUESS WHICH ONE I PICKED FOR BIRD HANDLING CLASSES WITH THEM...

THEY EITHER GAVE UP AND WENT AWAY, OR LEARNED VERY QUICKLY... Most of the "free macaw" people WENT AWAY.

"WHAT WAS I THINKING?!"

It wasn't nice, but it needed to be done...

 

[chris-md]

That's how I learned a lot of what I learned...

And that's the thing. Nothing pisses me off more than rehabbing a bird, getting it in a good place, adopting it out to what you think is a good home, and then a year or two later it comes back more messed up than ever, because they lost interest, or got bit once or twice... and just stopped handling the bird.

I was always hands on. I did the rehab protocols, and I also did the bird handling classes.

If you wanted one of "my" rehabs, you had to demonstrate that bond, and the ability to handle the bird. And I was standing right there giving one on one instruction, trying to be proactive and teach...

AND IF IT WAS SOMEONE WHO I FELT WAS INAPPROPRIATE...

WELL, THERE WERE BIRDS WHO WERE A BIT MORE CHALLENGING TO HANDLE. (Ruby was EVIL! And didn't suffer fools gladly!) GUESS WHICH ONE I PICKED FOR BIRD HANDLING CLASSES WITH THEM...

THEY EITHER GAVE UP AND WENT AWAY, OR LEARNED VERY QUICKLY... Most of the "free macaw" people WENT AWAY.

"WHAT WAS I THINKING?!"

It wasn't nice, but it needed to be done...

In the immortal all works of Hozier, "take me to church" I think I just got my life with that.

 

[Kiwibird]

Many birds who end up in a shelter are there for a reason. Not a whole lot come from a loving home where they were interacted with and had good owners and are just the sweetest bird ever. A lot had rough lives and are understandably untrusting/overly defensive. So, I don't think they were lying saying a lot have become aggressive. They probably have (rightfully so).

If someone is willing to give a rescue bird a real chance, most will come around. It can be a real test of patience and dedication with some birds. We were concerned at first Kiwi would never be a real companion bird because he was really nasty. We knew he was before we adopted him too (and found out just how much so as soon as we got him home). Once we started gaining trust and proving ourselves "worthy" of his friendship, he has slowly been improving ever since He is no longer nasty at all whatsoever. He has been taught alternative ways to express that he isn't comfortable with something or wants to be left alone besides lacing into you. He has rules/boundaries and has learned we have predictable reactions to infractions. I don't know if he was exposed in his prior homes or not, but we also have a pretty calm home, not a lot of arguing, screaming or other stressful behavior out of us. We also interact, play with and include him. Parrots respond to that stuff- structure, routine, boundaries, inclusion into the family and love.

 

[SailBoat]

We are Amazon Snobs (Amazon Only House) and everyone that has been thrusted (just sounds a little better than dumped) our way was sick from a poor diet and cage bound.

Everyone of those Amazons had become bonded to one or both of us. Yup, got bit more than a couple of times. But if you start from the position of: Its Never Their Fault, the bits go away quickly.

In addition, we are a open cage household. A new Amazon, starts on top of their cage with the cage doors closed. Just cuts the whole issue of getting a cage bound Amazon out of the cage.

We have found that Amazons are the come-back-kids of the parrot world. Love them, respect them and create a world around them of 'good things happen when those new humans are around' and they all open up and out comes the lovers.

 

[Birdman666]

CAGE BOUND and AMAZON were synonymous terms when I was involved in parrot rescue... Familiar pattern: People got bit, they stuffed their bird in a cage, and they never let them out again!!!

 

[torrap]

Our family went to a rescue about 45 min from our home. It's a beautiful area with a huge outdoor aviary. They are also a sanctuary for some birds who they designate not adoptable. The majority were Macaws and toos . They are very nice and expect a lot from potential adopters which is no issue for us. My question is, when I asked about Macaws, the comment made was they were pretty much all aggressive. Same with the amazons. I guess I was a bit discouraged as it didn't make it seem like many were adorable. I am not sure if it's to make people think ?

The Rescue you went to is most likely the one I adopted my Simba from. She is as sweet as Amazon parrot could possibly be. I love her more than you can imagine. But she is the lucky one that had been through few but nice homes before me.
This aviary has many very nice and friendly birds. The trick is....... you have to be picked by a bird, not the other way around. I signed up to volunteer there without even thinking of adopting a bird. I was picked by Simba on my first day of vacuuming the lobby....... .
Going more often to the aviary and interacting with the birds helps to see what is there for you if anything.
I volunteered there for a while and had some birds that were very friendly, but there were cages I couldn't get into without protecting myself with a towel...... .

 

[torrap]

thank you all for your responses....I had a feeling that was the case....this rescue has a long process including meeting the bird several times there before going home and then they check in consistently. I have read where several birds have been returned, so its so sad. I think I am going to check into volunteering to learn more.

There we go! That's the best!
I can tell you for sure, it's a nice place. The reason they want you to take classes and the adoption is not a one minute thing there, is that they want to make sure the bird is going to a good home.
I adopted Simba after she went to a nice home from this aviary, stayed there for 3 years and then came back...... . I happened to be there when Simba came back.....Lucky me!

 

[Birdman666]

My red lored was so far gone before I got her that they were ready to PUT HER TO SLEEP...

This is the same bird that curls up on my shoulder and uses my cheek for a pillow.

She was a difficult 4 month rehab. One of the more difficult rehabs I ever did. But along the way, she became one of my most bonded birds... and she's been with me for around 15-16 years now.

 

[Birdman666]

Going more often to the aviary and interacting with the birds helps to see what is there for you if anything.
I volunteered there for a while and had some birds that were very friendly, but there were cages I couldn't get into without protecting myself with a towel...... .

And that's the thing. You have to work with these birds for awhile, and actually teach them to trust and accept humans handling them again... not all of us are like that. Some of us are actually fun to be around...

And once they "get that" you get birds that just CAN'T FRIGGIN' WAIT to see you, that light up when you walk in... That a lot of other folks can't even get within three feet of...

And that's what it's like.

There's no "whispering" involved. In fact, there's usually a whole lot of screaming... sometimes it's them. Sometimes it's "OOOOOWWWWW! Knock it off!"

 

[AirtransCrash]

My hands are covered in scars from the three rescues I've personally adopted, plus the Macaw's I've worked with at a local bird store/rescue.
My Amazon took a solid six months of patience before he fell in love and trusted me. My Macaw's took a couple of months each.

The shop loves when I come in because they know I'm ready to take a bite for the sake of the birds... One in particular didn't want anything to do with anyone but now gets excited when I visit and won't let me forget he is there till I get him out and play with him.

Rescues need someone who is patient and able to read a bird. It's eternally rewarding to take a mentally beaten bird and teach them love and trust again.
This is Chiso, he was extremely distrusting and aggressive. I worked with him a lot, my wife as well. He distrusted men because of previous abuse, now he is the biggest cuddler and loves hugs and loving attention. It is truly amazing and fulfilling when you see the turn around in a bird, and with humans a Macaw's eyes are the windows to its soul. Where I once saw fear and aggression there is now curiously and happiness.

 

[BeatriceC]

My Charlotte has been a lesson in patience. I knew she was going to be difficult and only took her because I knew I had this forum as a resource. At first she couldn't be handled without protective gear. I was able to handle her far sooner than I anticipated, but she's a "two steps forward, one step back" kind of rehab. She goes off kilter for the slightest thing: the latest being a slight change in my hair color.

It's only been two months, and while she's come a long way, she still has a very long way yet to go. And I've had two significant bites, neither one of them could have been predicted. She was literally happily on my arm and chomped out of nowhere. There's a third bite that's not her fault. She lost her balance and tried to use my arm to steady herself. It worked, but not without doing some damage to me.