Getting really stressed with greenwing!!

[bansIro]

Hey everyone! Ive never posted in a forum before haha But I seriously need advice!
Las sunday, after waiting 5months for my baby GreenWing, I finally picked her up! I was THRILLED. Ive wanted a macaw for years. This week has been interesting though.. From my massive amount of research, I knew it would be a challenge.. but wow. Im tearing my hair out at this point and its already been a week!!
Im 21 and live at my parents house. Im still at college, but its summer right now so Im working. What my issue is, is that I wake up around 630am to take her out and hand feed her ( still feeding 3times a day ) then have her on her stand for most of the morning until I go to work. Everything is fine, and she isn't screaming.. But then when I get home from work, she's SCREAMS and jumps onto the cage door, and doesn't stop until I'm in the room and near her. I understand she wants to come out, and probably wants some food. But How am I suppose to train her that she can't come out if she's loud, if she needs to eat. She also has a habit of jumping to me, and screaming. But I then put her back in her cage, and leave the room.. yet the screaming continues for so long, and then repeats if i go back in the room. Im so lost and stressed with what to do haha .. I can't leave the room without her screaming. Even if i go in the room she screams until she comes out. but if she jumps i say NO, then put her back. She's never quiet unless she's been out for a while haha

help?

 

[WharfRat]

It's only been a week!!!! You have taken a baby from where she felt safe & protected to a brand new routine & brand new surroundings at the same time. You'd be freaking out as well. Do your parents interact with the bird at all during the day? Basically it's this, from what I can tell you're the only one she "knows", you're gone all day, she has no idea where you are & then you come home, yea, she's gonna be a little on edge. I'm assuming that even though still on handfeed she has food & water in her cage? A week is a very short time in the lifespan of a GW, and a week is not near enough time for her to get settled in. It's hard to add without knowing what your schedule will be like down the road, they really need a structured time schedule, not sure if you can do that living at home & going to school. But none the less, stay positive and give the bird attention on a "regular" basis each evening and on the weekends.

 

[bansIro]

Thanks so much for the advice!
Yes, she has a water bowl and two food bowls.. one with pellets she occasionally eats, and the other with fruits.
I definitely don't expect her to be fully settled in, but what should I do about the screaming? Should I ignore it before taking her out or give her the attention because she needs it. Even if she's quiet and she comes out should I put her back if she screams?
Again, thank you! I guess I should take it easy and stay positive.

 

[Conuregirl]

i think you should remember she is still very much a baby and they like to be held and talked to. they are flock creatures that need socialization and company. when you are gone you could leave the tv or radio on so she doesn't feel alone.

you can train her as she gets older to be more independent.

 

[Aims]

It's only been a week and she is only a baby. ignore the screaming for now, once she starts to trust you more and realise you are giving her attention etc. that might ease off. It's the only way she knows how to communicate at the minute, the only noise she knows how to make and get your attention.
When my Ecky was a baby he would screech at me when I held him. He stopped as he got older. He is now the total opposite he whistles and chatters away to himself in his cage but when he is out and on me he is as quiet as a mouse, with the odd "Hellllooooo"

Hang in there and let her get used to you and your routine.

 

[luvmytooo]

She's a baby for goodness sakes !! How many hours between feedings ?
What time do you get home from work ? Does she get any attention other then you when your gone ? She shouldn't be alone right now for any long length of time.
If you knew you were getting this baby , IMO , you should have made sure you had the free time to raise such a young bird. Three times daily means this baby is extremely young and you shouldn't be expecting much at all from her except to eat and poop.
Forget about training right now !!
This is a very crucial time in her life and you need to be completely available to such a young chick.....maybe you better think this over , are you ready for such a commitment ?
Do you have the time ? If I were you I would talk to the breeder you bought her from and maybe you could let them take over the feeding until she is eating on her own completely.
Im not trying to be nasty here , but it just doesn't seem like this baby fits into your life right now. What do you plan on doing with her once your out of college ?
Reading books and learning everything you can is awesome , but it doesn't make you experienced .....have you ever done this before ?

 

[WharfRat]

To make a point, when I got my first GW, I was able to leave work at lunch everyday to feed her & spend time with her, once I got home she got ALOT of attention. This next 4-5 months will be critical in her upbringing & maturing, you MUST make extra time for her to get comfortable in her new home.

 

[azdesertrhino]

How long from the initial feeding in the morning until you are "home from work?"

Seems there might need to be a feeding at mid day or so.

 

[Didomum]

Sounds like baby is hungry and as soon a she knows your home she want her food. She's calling mom and that's what you are right now. Feed her as soon as you can when you get it and with luck the screaming will ease up were you given her feeding time? Your need to keep to it for a while if she is young. Good luck it takes time for any baby bird to settle.

 

[terri526]

Also I want to add .My Macaw is the loudest when she hears me come home from work.Shes doing her contact call to her flock [your her flock] Birds are social creatures please acknowledge her, dont be teaching her a lesson.Ive learned to come in the house yelling HI HARLOW and the contact call turns to better sounds.They need to be reasured.[your job is to help her learn confidence]Make a huge deal about her and put her on a realistic time with you schedule you can keep up with. Good Luck

 

[Alisana]

To make a point, when I got my first GW, I was able to leave work at lunch everyday to feed her & spend time with her, once I got home she got ALOT of attention. This next 4-5 months will be critical in her upbringing & maturing, you MUST make extra time for her to get comfortable in her new home.

^ True points. For myself, when I get my macaws, I've organised the dates to be when I know I am holidays and have time to spend at home.

And even then, my work allows me to leave in the middle of the day to go home for lunch.

She's a baby for goodness sakes !! How many hours between feedings ?
What time do you get home from work ? Does she get any attention other then you when your gone ? She shouldn't be alone right now for any long length of time.
If you knew you were getting this baby , IMO , you should have made sure you had the free time to raise such a young bird. Three times daily means this baby is extremely young and you shouldn't be expecting much at all from her except to eat and poop.
Forget about training right now !!
This is a very crucial time in her life and you need to be completely available to such a young chick.....maybe you better think this over , are you ready for such a commitment ?
Do you have the time ? If I were you I would talk to the breeder you bought her from and maybe you could let them take over the feeding until she is eating on her own completely.
Im not trying to be nasty here , but it just doesn't seem like this baby fits into your life right now. What do you plan on doing with her once your out of college ?
Reading books and learning everything you can is awesome , but it doesn't make you experienced .....have you ever done this before ?

In all honesty, the breeder should NOT have given you an unweaned macaw. =\ There are just so many risks involved with it.

See the post here for hand feeding: http://www.parrotforums.com/congo-timneh-greys/20990-can-someone-all-help.html
Quoted below:

See below on articles:

In the 20 years I worked with avian veterinarians, I have seen over and over how easy it is for an inexperienced hand feeder to do serious physical and psychological damage to an un-weaned parrot chick -- indeed, many parrot babies do not survive the human's learning process. From my experience, these helpless babies most frequently die due to one or more of the following causes: starvation, aspiration pneumonia, crop burns, and bacterial and/ or fungal infections. [...]
IF they survive, the long term repercussions include both chronic physical problems and some very serious psychological problems that could destroy their future potential as pets.

http://www.parrottalk.com/hand-feeding-dangers.htm

Many people have heard the myth: if you want a parrot to truly bond to you, then you should handfeed the bird yourself. Nothing could be further from the truth. More relationships between bird and human are damaged by improper hand-feeding and socialization during the early weeks of a parrot’s life. This damage is less obvious than that seen in cases of outright physical harm. Burned crops, malnutrition, pneumonia due to aspirated food, sour crop, and bacterial infections are just a few of the issues that arise when inexperienced people take on the responsibility of handfeeding a parrot.

Responsible and reputable breeders will tell you unequivocally that parrots can bond to you just as well (if not better!) if you allow the experienced handfeeder to properly care for your bird and wean it at the appropriate time. It is important for the public to understand this truth to prevent more needless deaths of baby parrots. Breeders who try to convince you that it is “easy” and that the bird will bond to you better are most likely just trying to save themselves a few weeks of work.

Dangers and Risks of Hand-feeding Baby Birds | Parrot Parrot

And a professional opinion by Dr. Wissman, a Board Certified Avian Special-ist

There is no doubt in my mind that many a baby bird has expired as a result of hand-feeding mishaps. Unweaned baby birds should not be sold or given to inexperienced hand-feeders for this reason. It is not necessary for a baby bird to be hand-fed by the family purchasing it in order for it to become "bonded" to them. Budgies are routinely tamed down as pets once they have fledged by the parents, and this can also occur with larger birds fed-out by the parents. Baby birds can also be hand-fed by the aviculturist, and be visited by the new owners to allow the babies to become accustomed to their new families. Weaned birds can be sold to owners, and they will settle in with their new families in no time. So, there is no reason for a baby to be fed by an inexperienced owner.

Top Ten Bird Killers

With regards to the screaming, as others have said, it's their contact call. She's welcoming you home and wants to ensure that you are safe.

A friend of ours taught their Amazon to turn his contact call into a loud, booming "HELLLOOOOOOO~~~!!!" If she calls out to you, call back to her so you let her know that a, you're OK, and b, you'll be there soon; then come and say "Hellloooo"; it's a good word for them to learn as they can call it out long.

Screaming can happen for many reasons - but you need to differentiate between a contact call, screaming happily or begging for food, or behavioural. If it's the first three, and you don't like it,... unfortunately, that's a macaw for you. They're loud. If it's behavioural, you can work on training, but you can't fault her for the first three - she's just being who she is. Denying her of that would be cruel.

Do you visit her during the day in between work? Do your parents help with care? If not, is there someone that can? Otherwise, I'd strongly suggest going back to the breeder, or booking time off work. Caring for a baby macaw is a lot of work and commitment - there is a reason why breeders try to palm this work off to unsuspecting customers. You'll need to be there to care for her throughout the day, or someone else will need to.