New Bird Owner

[Acottrell20]

Hello everyone, I am a brand new owner of a severe macaw I adopted from a friend. A little backstory; apparently according to my friend she got him for free at a pet store and they said that he had been abused. He does not like men, which is true because I have had him for only 4 days and has seemed to have bonded with me but gets immediately stressed when he sees my boyfriend in the room.

Like I said .. I’ve only had him for 4 days. He was with his previous owner for 4 years. She kept him in a garage all day and he barely had any interaction, her reasoning for giving him to me is that she didn’t have the time. I was very scared he would be aggressive and not social, but he seems to be adapting okay.

However, I am struggling with “step up”. He has gotten used to my voice and face, I come in everyday for over an hour and let him out of his cage and talk to him and he seems receptive and wants to engage, he comes close to me but every tine we try to do step up, he will only put one foot on me and hesitates every time. He is a little scared of my hand movements.

Does anyone have any tips on bonding and socializing with a bird who’s already had a previous owner? I have heard they are one person birds so I’m scared he’ll never bond completely with me because I’m not his original owner.

Thanks!

 

[GaleriaGila]

Welcome!

Here's a handful of references...
Bonding, etc.

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

General Parrot Information - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

Blanchard PDF
https://journals.tdl.org/watchbird/i...view/1113/1092

And:
http://goodbirdinc.blogspot.com/2012...n-parrots.html

A more scientific article
https://fall2016.iaabcjournal.org/human-avian-bond/

(Thanks to Kentuckienne for these)




I think you've made AMAZING progress for four days! Don't stress yourself or the bird... you're at the beginning of what I hope will be a great relstionship. No need to hurry. You seem to have a very gentle and loving nature.

I love Severes.

I'm glad you two are here!

 

[Flboy]

Hello and welcome to you and your new baby! Take a read on this post, there is a lot of good information!
http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/53893-adopted-severe-macaw-need-advice.html

Also look up most everything by Birdman666, and for a different approach, do a study on MonicaMC!

You have come to the right place!

 

[Acottrell20]

Thank you both for the advice! Will check it out

 

[Abu Colo]

I'm skeptical of theories that birds prefer certain genders. I think it's more important to approach the bird at his level: be confidant, relaxed, and nonchalant.

If you offer him your arm, be brave about it and let him know you're a suitable perch.

If you approach him, do so with zen-like dispassion that does not give off any overly energetic auras.

If he is showing signs of stress, then benevolently ignore him, until he understands you do not want to eat him.

The rest is just giving him a good environment, good toys, good diet and good treats.

 

[CasKreie]

This is something I myself have dealt with. My blue and gold was a rescue. She was attacked by another bird though. Regardless, socializing was pretty difficult. My best advice for the beginning steps would be to use lots of treat rewards! Associating touch and your presence with treats and positive reinforcement is a big advantage in building your bond. Coaxing your MAC further onto your hand using treats such as grapes, blueberries, etc will help. If your bird is comfortable on the floor with you, it may be easier for him to stand on your hand while it is stable on the floor before raising him up. That worked with my bird. Stay confident and calm! If you're shaky or nervous, your bird will pick up on those emotions. They are similar to toddlers. Best of luck to you! He will bond with time! Have faith and stay strong!

 

[Kentuckienne]

I recommend searching for Birdman666's posts and reading them all. He has real insight into macaws, and has saved many birds from horrible situations, like being kept in a freaking storage locker. There is one post I printed out, which doesn't have the permalink for me to quote, but it was from September 11 of 2014 in the Macaws forum.

Read everything, because you aren't looking so much for a specific answer to a particular problem but to develop a gestalt for "macaw". All the various bits of info will accrete into something that gives you more confidence and makes it easier to deal with YOUR particular macaw.

Also, if you can find them, Sally Blanchard has a couple of excellent books. One is called "the companion parrot handbook" and you can get it directly from her. The other is called "the beak book" and it's harder to find, but also good. There is a book called "The Second Hand Parrot" that I read over and over again, because it has so very many little tidbits. And "parrots for dummies" is another excellent reference. Sailboat recommends sitting next to the cage and reading out loud to the bird, and so you can tame two birds with one stone.