Is my rescue Macaw trying to mate with me?

[EloiseAndMonty]

Hello,

I got a 30 year old semi tame rescue Macaw 2 days ago. On the drive up he was regurgitating a lot but I assumed he was stressed.
Since I've put him in his new aivary he does this dance for me.

He climbs up on the mesh, turns his back to me, opens his wings a few inches at the top but closed at the bottom and lifts one foot off the mesh and starts "dancing." Flapping his wings slowly at the top but never opens them. I tried filing him but when I get the phone out he stops. He started this when I asked him if he could dance so I'm hoping it's just how he was trained to dance . This morning when he woke up I went to say good morning to him and we had a chat, I told him to stretch his wings over and over and I stretched my arms to show him then he opened up his wings facing me and started the slight slow chicken dance again. I then sat on the bed next to his indoor avairy (hes got half the spare room as an aviavry) and he went on the mesh and did the dance again. It's very subtle unlike what I've read a macaw mating dance is like.
I'm new to macaws and though I've tried to do my research as much as possible but I have no actual experience. I just want to figure out if it mating so I can nip it in the bud if it is.

Thank you guys and gals

 

[ChristaNL]

I have no scientific/ lots of experience based clue.
My girl is insane in the membrane anyway, but



from what I understand: opening the wings on top but not feathertippart is showing exitement in general.
Sometimes it signals agression, a warning, uncertainty, just general being pumped up about something., etc.etc.


The rest of the body clues you in about the rest: very smooth head (+neck)feathers are usually "not good to approach"- especially if the eyes go flat and the beak open without the tongue showing as well.
But if the face remains relaxed and the headfeathers in normal position (or even a bit fluffed) it 's just "HEY I AM TALKING TO YOU!"


Usually cuddly and sexy are in the same area, fluffed up feathers all over the place.
(So is extreme agression, but you cannot miss that- completely different bodylanguage.)



I am very happy that guy is trying to bond like crazy with you-- just a word of caution: make sure the rest of the flock spends (lots) time with him as well.
Otherwise you may face what a lot of amazon-owners go through: your bird will attack anyone else because he is defending his mate.
(If they are flockmembers already the agression will hopefully be a lot less than for example a stranger/ intruder.)

In your turn you may receive some serious warning chomps because he will try to send you off to safety while he deals with the (for him) threatening situation.


So: socialize his socks off!
Especially when you have the chance/ he is still adjusting to everything else, so -without completely flooding him!- this is the time for new rules and another outlook on life (if you can manage it).


(It is not easy to convince them a lot of the time- my greys were easy, but came from an active if not interactive familysituation. Sunny spend a lot of her most recent years on her own and she is very unsure about other people now. She has know one of my friends for over a year now and is still not comfy when he is within armlength-distance -> yesterday she accepted a toy from him when she was out of the cage and sometimes she will accept treats through the mesh from other people, but that is as far as she wants to go for now. But she is a hurt bird, so not the norm!)

 

[EloiseAndMonty]

Thank you for that info!!

When he's doing it if I'm not looking he will say "Look" and "Good Boy" and "I really like it" and his face is relaxed and his feathers are definitely happy feathers. By his flock do you mean my family? If so yhey have spent as much time with him as possible and he seems fine with them. Definitely trusts me more though even in such a short time. Dogs and cats see him too. My aim is to get him tame enough and trusting enough to step up so I can take him round the house with me to socialise as I cant spend forever in the spare room.

I'll make sure I watch out for any signs of aggression. He seems head strong but not aggressive so far.
I think hes a bit poorly though so will see how he goes with his health check!

Thank you

 

[EloiseAndMonty]

Another thing worth noting is that he keeps coming towards me and lowering his head (I'm assuming for a scratch) but I'm too scared to touch him as it's only been a couple of days and his previous home (for the last year) wasnt a tame one and he never did this according to them. I think in his first home for 29 years he would ride a parrot bike and do tricks so he must have been very tame!

 

[noodles123]

Hello,

I got a 30 year old semi tame rescue Macaw 2 days ago. On the drive up he was regurgitating a lot

It is possible that he was actually vomiting. Some birds can get car-sick. I would get some basic blood-work down, and a gram stain etc. I would say that is necessary anytime you get a new bird (symptoms or not). I am also not saying he is sick-- a car-sick bird can throw up and be healthy. Nevertheless, transitions are hard on birds and stress can lower immune function etc, SO I would get him to the vet (like I would any new bird).

 

[EloiseAndMonty]

Fabulous thank you.

He goes to the avian vet today and I will get bloods and faecal done. Just need to go get him a carry cage now

 

[ChristaNL]

If his health checks out you just may have hit the jackpot with this bird.
If he was up to tricks as far a riding a bike. he must have been very trusting and very tame indeed.

You can always use a step-up-stick (or short fat rope) if you are not comfortable near the beak (a short T-perch) and it if helps (and he loves to perfom, so I think it will be a breeze):
try clickertraining!
It is very basic (and very clear) way of 'talking to each other': he * knows* when he did good, because you clicked on it and he got a reward.
No room for mistakes there.


Best of luck getting to the vet and the exam there, keeping fingers crossed.


(I second the car-sick option btw/ Japie also puked his guts out the last few minutes of the ride home, the poor guy.)