New B&G owner. Bringing baby home tomorrow

[JerseyWendy]

how accurate is sexing by the head? the breeder from whom I got my Harlaquin from assumed that it was a she, based on the beak etc. when the DNA test came back she was actually a he. Guess he is just on the smaller side. glad I went with a gender neutral name.

IME "head sexing" is NOT always accurate. My Niko had a clutch mate whose head was smaller than Niko's and the bird was smaller, too, yet "she" had hatched 3 days prior to Niko. When the breeder sent in the blood for both of them, she was convinced that Niko had a sister. Nope, Niko has a brother.

 

[vegas]

$200 is the first I've heard of for DNA testing, quite extreme, I believe average is $20-$30 for the DNA testing. I got my baby b&g a little under 3 mos. old, I have my own gram scale that I bought from an office supply store and I weigh him daily, cause weight is so important. I looked back on my calender and saw his weight at 3 mos ranged between 920-950 grams. And now that he just turned 7 mos his weight is 1000 grams varying, I still give him one hand feeding at bedtime but he is currently in the process of weaning with his daily vegetables and fruits, as well as his Zupreem rainbow pellots and nuts in moderation, due to the fat in nuts, hope I was some help, good luck with you're sweet baby!

 

[NightProwess]

Well, She's slowly adjusting. She'll eat from my hand and take treats from anyone who offers them. She squawks and backs away when I place my hand in the cage and ask her to step up. She has also been a little nippy, I'm hoping this is just from being scared of being in a new place.
She's been on her perch while watching TV with the family and does fine. She seems to be a quiet bird, at least for now, lol. She loves her toys and plays with them for hours.
I have enticed her with a treat to step on my hand a couple of times tho, and once, right before bedtime, she allowed me to scratch her head and relaxed into my hand. This lasted for a few seconds before she pulled away and remembered that she didnt know me.
Baby steps though. =) I will earn her trust.
Any suggestions on anything else I can do?

I took several pictures yesterday. I'll try and get the uploaded later.

 

[Birdman666]

I have enticed her with a treat to step on my hand a couple of times tho, and once, right before bedtime, she allowed me to scratch her head and relaxed into my hand. This lasted for a few seconds before she pulled away and remembered that she didnt know me.
Baby steps though. =) I will earn her trust.
Any suggestions on anything else I can do?

I took several pictures yesterday. I'll try and get the uploaded later.

Several.

First, if she loves toys, get a large wooden toy, and sit down with her on your lap. Actually hold the wooden toy for her while she chews on it.

Warm oatmeal or mashed sweet potato on a spoon, also on your lap. Lay a towel down, put the bird on your lap, and spoon feed oatmeal or mashed sweet potato on a spoon. Set aside a certain time each night to just sit and feed... then when she's full, get her used to hands around the beak by wiping it down with the towel. THEN do the head scratch thing when she's calm and contented on your lap.

Within a day or two, it will be something the bird looks forward to every day, and it will become a bonding thing....

And then, once that happens, the beak wrestling, and the toddler games like peek-e-boo begin... pretty soon you have a mushy playful lap bird on your hands.

Nope! Never done this before...

 

[NightProwess]

Thank you so much =)

 

[MikeyTN]

how accurate is sexing by the head? the breeder from whom I got my Harlaquin from assumed that it was a she, based on the beak etc. when the DNA test came back she was actually a he. Guess he is just on the smaller side. glad I went with a gender neutral name.

To me it is pretty accurate but you must judge by the body size as some are smaller ones out of the batch. By me having bred for years there's plump baby and there's thin baby, big and small, etc. So you judge according to their size.

 

[NightProwess]

Here's a few more pictures of her.

Today she has let me scratch her head and is stepping up better.
She has even stepped up on my family members when they've placed their hand in front of them.

I believe she is getting more comfortable with us. She still remains relatively quiet and entertains herself well with her toys.

Enjoy the pictures!

I think I've settled on a name.

RiverSong. and call her River for short.
The family isn't too sure about it, they've been calling her Bonita, but for any of you who watch Dr. Who, maybe you'll understand.
River is also a gender neutral name, so if she turns out to be a he...River can work for both.

 

[MikeyTN]

I like the name River!

 

[NightProwess]

Ok. New question. I'm looking at purchasing a harness for her.
What size should I get? they have Blue and Gold macaw listed as a large macaw and the harness size Large. but on the grams for sizing, it says 600-1000grams.
She's already 1.01 kg (at vet visit) so 1001 grams, and she's only now 5 months old.

Should I order the large? or go ahead and get the xtra large? 1000-1600grams.

 

[MikeyTN]

I would just get the B&G Macaw size. They tend to weight in a bit more at the beginning but will lose some weight down the road. But if you rather be safe you can get the xtra large as long as its not way too big. I'm sure they're adjustable.

 

[NightProwess]

I went ahead and got the large, the one recommended for the B&G.
Thank you for the help!
=)
I appreciate it.