New Macaw owner here!

[lindak]

Hi -I'm new to the forum in general but also have added a B&G macaw to the family about a week & 1/2 ago. She is 18 yrs old and was very bonded to her last owner. Her last owner, however, had to give her up as he had a toddler & twins on the way and they needed the room...not to mention the concern over little fingers going near her cage.

Things have seemed good so far...she will take food from my hand, dances when I sing to her & usually seems happy to see me...she even calls to me when she hears my voice. Now for the BUT...she is so afraid of me. She is always excited to see me but at the same time visibly shakes when I stand over by her cage & will finally stop if I sit by her for awhile feeding her treats & talking softly to her but we go through this every day. Each day she's scared all over again & I have to reassure her all over again. I can tell it will take quite a bit of time just to get her comfortable enough to come closer to me. She will come just close enough when I have the door open to take the food from me & then hurry back to the back of her cage.

Any suggestions on getting her more comfortable with me?

 

[schristensen13]

Just time...keep doing what you are doing and move slow with her. Lots of talking and treats...she will come around. Maybe sit next to her cage while reading or watching TV so she can just learn to relax with you sitting there. Best of luck and be sure to keep us posted!

 

[lindak]

Thanks. She actually let me pet her head a little last night when I was giving her treats!! I was so excited & her feathers were so soft. But when I tried to do it again she gave me a look like, "WHAT are you doing?" so I see this will need to take baby steps. lol

 

[Tammy]

With my Amazon I had to just accept that everything would happen on his terms when he's ready. I respect when he's not "in the mood" to play or be touched. It took well over a month when I first got him to be able to handle him comfortably. Now, 18 months later I can tickle his tummy & yell "Tag! You're It" and he'll fly after me as I sprint through the house. Sounds like you're doing everything right. Patience, at least for me, has had the largest rewards.

 

[lindak]

When I got her I was expecting it would take lots of time for her to get used to me but was surprised about her being so timid & feel bad every time i see her visibly shaking. Granted I've only met maybe 6 or 7 macaws but i suppose I was expecting her to be more stand-offish with attitude rather than very fearful and shakey. I am absolutely falling in love with her, though. She's such a beautiful bird & I am so glad I added her to my flock.

 

[Rio Mom]

You're doing great with what you're doing. Giving her time, treats, and kind words please share pictures!

 

[MikeyTN]

Like it was mentioned plenty of time, patience & time!!! But I was lucky all my parrots came to me from day one, I didn't have much issues. Except JoJo, forgot I had to work with him and had him trained pretty good after a week. Or maybe because I've owned birds for so many years....

 

[patterson]

yea it def takes time for them to trust weeks /months just keep taking to it at the cage offer treats etc its all a new experince for him

 

[triordan]

we got our bird last september (btw is was the 1st bird we ever owned, yes we went BIG), he was 13 and was with the same owner his whole life, very bonded with him...it has only been recently that I feel comfortable holding and handling such a large macaw, he's a gw~ i definitely respect him and his beak! He now asks for scratches and reaches for me when he wants to come, I figure we have many years together so why rush things~

 

[lindak]

Hi - haven't had a chance to log in for awhile but wanted to give an update. I think she likes me! She came over to the side of the cage and let me rub her beak, then she went back to her perch and regurgitated food. That's a good sign, right?

 

[oled]

Thats a really goog sigh. Just keep on

 

[lindak]

Okay, thanks!

 

[kerry]

Well yes, 'tho I guess it depends on your perspective about parrot regurgitation. It is a sign of mate bonding & affection, so yes, I would take it as a positive sign.

 

[little1al]

I adopted a B&G about 3 months ago who had been with his old owners for nearly 9 years. At first Geroge wouldn't let me anywhere near him if I opened the cage door. He preferred me to stroke him throught the bars. He would walk over on his perch, put one leg on the bars and tilt his head towards me so that I could give him a scratch but he didn't like me trying to touch him through the open door.

Again it just taks time. George is now fine with me having the door open and stroking him and playing with him. I think yes, regurgitating food is a good sign. My B&G does that a lot and started doing it quite early on as well so it shows you are getting there. Mine likes to hold my finger in his beak while he tries to regurgitates his food which is quite gross but its all about bonding. Most of the time I don't actually let him get to the point of regurgitating but he likes to go through the motions.

Just spoil her a lot and she will get used to you.

What are her favourite foods?