G&B Macaw Eli - Hello !, and questions

[Karlos]

xoxoxoxoxo

 

[wenz2712]

Welcome to the forum

Eli is adorable.

I am not familiar with Macaws, but we have lots of Macaw Owners on here that will be able to answer your questions

 

[MikeyTN]

She's a pretty Blue & Gold Macaw!!!! Question 1 & 3 can be associated with Question number 2. Clicker training can help with that. The clicking sound it makes it letting the bird associate the clicking sound with rewards. She's still young and she wants to be somewhere high as most babies do that when they fledge. You just need to work on the commands a bit more and letting her learn to stay on you as she will destroy your shelvings eventually.

Question 4, you can take her in the shower with you or use a spray bottle, just make it fun and she'll be fine.

Question 5, that has to do with her still being handfed. Also they like tasting everything....Plus she's still a baby!!!

 

[Karlos]

She's a pretty Blue & Gold Macaw!!!! Question 1 & 3 can be associated with Question number 2. Clicker training can help with that. The clicking sound it makes it letting the bird associate the clicking sound with rewards. She's still young and she wants to be somewhere high as most babies do that when they fledge. You just need to work on the commands a bit more and letting her learn to stay on you as she will destroy your shelvings eventually.

Question 4, you can take her in the shower with you or use a spray bottle, just make it fun and she'll be fine.

Question 5, that has to do with her still being handfed. Also they like tasting everything....Plus she's still a baby!!!

Thanks, I really appreciate every advice. I will continue with the clicker training, I think that she slowly starts to get the idea. And if I understood right, the clicking sound is for her to be like "Click - oh this is a reward for what I just did" , right?

We are making huge progress with everything so far, she even flies on me from the top shelves, when I show her a treat - peanut Today she even went for peanut on my bed and I cuddled her on my belly - after a while she turned on backs - that made me sooooooooooo happy - she never did that, either she climbed up my shoulder or took the peanut and went on cage :-D

Is it better to do one training at a time ? I mean, if it is better to do just step-ups a few days, then if she learns it do something else, or can I combine it with more excercises? Like step-ups, lie on back on my hand, fly to me, shake hand etc etc

And one more thing about shower - how about drying? Should I use hairdryier? Because I am not so sure she will dry up by herself, and I fear she might catch a cold... surely not on sun because it is almost winter here

 

[JerseyWendy]

Hi! And welcome to the forum! Eli is SO adorable!! Just LOVE the picture of the flying in your garden. I personally would have a heart attack if that was my bird. :52:

No need to blow dry her after a bath. Just make sure she gets the bath early enough in the day so that she has all day to dry. And keep her out of drafts, of course.

Yes, clicker training is done so she associates the sound with GOOD GIRL/TREAT/I DID GOOD.

Eli will let you know when she's had enough with a training session. Sounds to me like you are doing quite wonderful with her.

PS. LOVED the video, too.

 

[JJones1719]

Hello Karlos and Eli, Welcome to the forum, you will get plenty of advise here on the care of your new Baby B&G Eli.

If I were you, the first thing I would do is purchase a playstand, T-stand, play gym, or Java tree. The reason being, most macaws who play on top of the cage or on top of a wardrobe over time can lead to cage aggression. you want to interact with her at your eye level or lower. By doing this, you become the Alfa in your relationship. Macaws in the wild will compete for the highest branch because the Macaw at the top is the flock leader, you must be that leader for her.
After you purchase a play stand and she flies to the top of the cage or your shoulder, then it's time to have her wings clipped, this will prevent her from flying into objects and will do what you command of her.
I would also reward her with Almonds instead of peanuts, peanuts are loaded with fat and Almonds are better for her. Plus Macaws love them and will do anything for an Almond.
Clicker training is a good thing but you can just as easy teach her the step up command by pressing your hand or forearm into the lower belly of the Macaw and ask he to step up, when she does, give an almond and tell her what a great girl she is. Stepping down, the same thing.
Judging by the video, she just loves you and she will grow to bond very strong with you, in fact, she may become a one person Macaw and perhaps this is the reason your girlfriend is not being greeted very warmly.
Macaw use their beaks like a hand so don't get confused with a bite VS the macaw just trying to pull herself up onto you.
Macaw also use their tongues as a kiss. If she tries to vomet or bob up and down to bring up her food, ignore this behavior or place her into the cage until she calms down.

Giving her a bath is the fastest way to bond with a Macaw. I would advise you to purchase a shower perch for her. Get into the shower with her and bath together, Macaws in the wild all bath together as a flock and let's face it, you are now her flock leader and flock mate. Macaws love the water so this should be quite easy for you.
Once your have wet her to the bone, I towel dry my boys, place a dime size of aloe vera 100% into my hands, rub together, then wipe the Macaw down. In Maryland, it is very cold so I always blow dry my Parrots. If you live in a warm to hot climate, then blow drying is not needed.
The aloe vera is very good for their feathers, beak, nails.

You also asked about how to cuddle with the Macaw. If you have her wings clipped, she cannot fly away from you, cuddling should be done while sitting down, hold her close to your body so she feels safe, hold her with one hand while slowly petting her with the other. the more you do this, the more she will grow to trust you. your video of her reaction to you appears that she will allow you to pet her and she seems to really enjoy you.

I hope the best for both of you, you're off to a great start and will have so much fun as she matures. Love the pics and video by the way. Please ask more questions so we can offer advise. Joe

 

[njgray21]

Someone correct me if I am wrong but the purpose of the clicking sound is to mark the good behavior so she knows exactly what behavior earned her the reward. Sometimes you just can't get her the reward fast enough for her to associate it with the desired behavior.

Guess I should read more thoroughly because it appears someone already addressed that question. Sorry for the repetition

 

[triordan]

Someone correct me if I am wrong but the purpose of the clicking sound is to mark the good behavior so she knows exactly what behavior earned her the reward. Sometimes you just can't get her the reward fast enough for her to associate it with the desired behavior.

Guess I should read more thoroughly because it appears someone already addressed that question. Sorry for the repetition

Yes it is used as a "bridge"~ also make sure your treat reward is small, otherwise if it takes too long to consume they may forget why they earned it.
Your bird is adorable and it looks like you are doing a great job with her! My macaw hates the blow dryer, you need to be careful about teflon inside of some of them~

 

[MikeyTN]

She's a pretty Blue & Gold Macaw!!!! Question 1 & 3 can be associated with Question number 2. Clicker training can help with that. The clicking sound it makes it letting the bird associate the clicking sound with rewards. She's still young and she wants to be somewhere high as most babies do that when they fledge. You just need to work on the commands a bit more and letting her learn to stay on you as she will destroy your shelvings eventually.

Question 4, you can take her in the shower with you or use a spray bottle, just make it fun and she'll be fine.

Question 5, that has to do with her still being handfed. Also they like tasting everything....Plus she's still a baby!!!

Thanks, I really appreciate every advice. I will continue with the clicker training, I think that she slowly starts to get the idea. And if I understood right, the clicking sound is for her to be like "Click - oh this is a reward for what I just did" , right?

We are making huge progress with everything so far, she even flies on me from the top shelves, when I show her a treat - peanut Today she even went for peanut on my bed and I cuddled her on my belly - after a while she turned on backs - that made me sooooooooooo happy - she never did that, either she climbed up my shoulder or took the peanut and went on cage :-D

Is it better to do one training at a time ? I mean, if it is better to do just step-ups a few days, then if she learns it do something else, or can I combine it with more excercises? Like step-ups, lie on back on my hand, fly to me, shake hand etc etc

And one more thing about shower - how about drying? Should I use hairdryier? Because I am not so sure she will dry up by herself, and I fear she might catch a cold... surely not on sun because it is almost winter here

It's easier to do one training at a time yes. BUT babies learn VERY quickly in my opinion. So you can do multiple training at a time but it's easier to do one until she gets a handle on it.

You can use the hair dryer during the colder winter months or just turn up your heat inside the house.

 

[MikeyTN]

The video of her is adorable by the way!!!!

 

[Karlos]

Thanks for the responses. I really appreciate it.

She already is flying all around the place, on cage, even on me when I call her (thats great !), but I dont want to clip her wings. I want to train her for free flighting, when it gets warmer here So no clipping

I am already looking for a playstand or something like that, I know it is not the best right now to play with her on cage, but it is the only place she feels safe for now to play (except sometimes, I can play with her on bed). I am always above her, when I play with her (got a small chair for that). It will be hard to train her to stand on that playstand, I can see right now that she will just fly back on cage like she always does, when she is not comfortable

We will try to bath together tommorow, so I will post some feedback how it went, really looking forward to it I will also look up for the shower perch, it looks great. I am not so sure about the tower-drying, I think she will hate me for that :-D

I know how to cuddle with her, and yes she really enjoys it. It is just that when I try to cuddle her on cage, she 95% agrees, but when I try to take her to sofa or some other place, she almost always fly back on cage But yesterday I showed her a peanut and she flied on me while I was lying on bed, and I cuddled so much she almost fell asleep on her back, will post a photo

 

[Karlos]

xoxoxoxoxo

 

[plax]

A very cute Blue & Gold you have there :emoticonc

 

[JJones1719]

I would advise you to clip the wings only to have more control over her at first, while she is training, it is very hard to teach her when she is flying across the room.lol.
It would be like giving a small child a cup of sugar then expect them to sit still.
Eli is very young and once you have trained her, then allow her wings to grow in and try free flight. Please use causion when free flying, looks for owls, hawks, eagles or else Eli is someone's dinner.
I give both my boys almonds in the shell so they can hold onto them while they crack them open and eat the nut.
Peanuts are loaded in fat and really not the best treat for her. You can also dry out some fruit and give it to her as a treat.
I hide both my boys treats in toilet rolls or paper towel rolls, I place the treat inside, twist both sides and let them find them and open them. They love this.

The reason Eli is biting you while you have her onto the cage is due to your finger being pointed at her, turn your finger side ways when approaching her and see if the biting stops. Keep up the great work and love the pictures and videos. Joe

 

[JerseyWendy]

A very cute Blue & Gold you have there :emoticonc

LOVE LOVE LOVE your new signature, Plax!!!!

Sorry for the hijack.....

And yes, I totally agree with Plax, too. Eli is one big cutie!

 

[Birdlover11]

Have you bought Nutriberries or Avicakes ? They make them for macaws. It's a mix of fruits , veggies, pellets and some nuts in their rolled up into a ball. My birds love them ! It's also stuck together, so your bird will have some time before she an eat which means she gets to exsecise her jaw muscle around trying to break it apart.

 

[plax]

LOVE LOVE LOVE your new signature, Plax!!!!

Thank you, Wendy

 

[Karlos]

So we had our first shower, and... she didnt like it very much (like I expected, she hates almost anything... ) and then I hair-dryed her, and that was like an agony, she yelled like I am going to kill her, LOL. I like her very much, but she is making it so hard for me... It is like she has her personality too soon, and it is like she hates everything I want to do with her

About clipping her wings, I know it would be easier, safer and stuff... but I just hate the idea of doing it. We dont have problems about her flying aroud our appartment, she is very good flyer, so we will keep her wings like that.

When we were in shower, she just wanted to climb up my shoulder everytime I put her or her perch, and when the water came too close to her she immediately went away on washer... so I at least washed her with my hands a little bit.

It is hard with her, sometimes she is just an angel when I play with her on her cage... but that is all the fun she can bring. I hope this will get better as she grows up, because I dont want a parrot that hates everything and wants to play only on cage :-( And I am doing all I can for this to not happen.

 

[Karlos]

Also I feel like she is not so interested in treats... I tell her to step up, give her a treat, she takes it and then I take her to sit down with me on sofa and she doesnt care anymore about the treat, she drops it and flies back on cage

 

[plax]

Hi Karlos.

It is hard with her, sometimes she is just an angel when I play with her on her cage... but that is all the fun she can bring. I hope this will get better as she grows up, because I dont want a parrot that hates everything and wants to play only on cage :-( And I am doing all I can for this to not happen.

Please be mindful that parrots are individuals, even at Eli's young age. You shouldn't feel that you have to force things upon her. If she doesn't feel comfortable when you try a new thing, you can always try it again. Certain activities require multiple sessions before a bird will become less suspicious and used to them. If there's no improvement in Eli's acceptance of a particular experience after a few attempts, you should feel content to take a break from the effort and perhaps try again at a later time. I'm sure the reason Eli is at ease on her cage is because she's used to it and feels no threats when there. With some birds it's best to gradually work them toward new experiences, a bit at a time.

Also I feel like she is not so interested in treats... I tell her to step up, give her a treat, she takes it and then I take her to sit down with me on sofa and she doesnt care anymore about the treat, she drops it and flies back on cage

It may be that you haven't yet found the right treat for Eli. Again, parrots are individuals. Macaws are no exception. Please have patience and be willing to experiment, trying different things with her. She can't help who she is or how she feels. She needs love, understanding, patience, and support from you. Please give her what she needs and, in time, she will reward you with a lifetime of friendship and fun.

Lots of folks have personal ideas about how to treat and train a young pet parrot, and how things should work out when utilizing those ideas. Unfortunately, due to individuality, such ideas may not produce the intended results with every bird. So please take your time with Eli. If something doesn't work with her, try something else. With patience, determination and persistence I'm sure you'll find some effective elements for your beautiful Blue & Gold Macaw!