New Macaw Questions (pictures)

[birdofparadise]

Hey everyone! I am new to the forums. I adopted a Green-Wing Macaw about a week and a half ago. She is a rescue from Pensacola, FL. I'm new to parrot ownership; however, I researched as much as I could a few months after I met her. Her name is Luna.

The recue that I recieved her from is privately owned and there were many macaws living there. Despite the number of people who came to visit the facility each year and time spent around many other birds outdoors, Luna is the most reserved macaw I have met thus far (granted, I haven't met very many). The other macaws seemed more outgoing and assertive (sometimes aggressive). Although she will step onto anyone's arm, her wings and body quiver as though she is scared. She did not seem as active as the other macaws and she is very quiet. She does not like to be petted but will tolerate it at times from my boyfriend. I believe this is because she knows I have a fear of her large beak and am therefore less confident than my boyfriend.

Diet: She recieves fresh fruits and vegetables every day with some pellets and different types of fatty nuts with the shell still on. Every other day I heat a frozen vegetable mix on the stovetop to a slightly warm temperature and she seems to like them. I have sprouted some mung beans that she picks at but dosen't seem to enjoy. I could try different sprouts and soak them for only 24 hrs to see if they will be better recieved.

Sleep: Luna has her own room and I take her to it at around 7:30 pm when the sun begins to go down. When I go to her in the morning at around 7:00 am, she is already awake.

My Questions:

Luna seems very sleepy in the morning from 7 am to around 11 am. She is active in the evening. Is she not getting enough sleep? She sleeps in a totally dark room; however, my boyfriend and I talk to each other and walk around the living room which is right next to her room. We don't watch TV much. She sits on her java stand with her beak tucked in her wing and her eyes flutter closed. Could we be waking her up?

Another thing - she has many feathers coming in on her head. Dr. Ron Hines has an article on feathers that I read in order to attempt to understand molting. I still do not know if she is molting or not. What are the specific signs to look for?

When Luna stands on my arm or when I talk to her while she is on her stand, she seems to be looking at me with distrust in her eyes. Is this my imagination? If not, how can I make her feel better?

I do not understand all of her body language. When she is active and when I talk to her, she will sometimes shake or "snake" her head back and forth very quickly. There is a link at the bottom on youtube if you would like to see what it looks like. Is this happiness, anxiety, or overstimulation?

I am taking her to a vet next week. Unfortunately, the nearest avian vet is in New Orleans. Should I establish an emergency contact with a regular "cat and dog" vet, just in case something happens?

Youtube video of Luna's head movements:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXLdW403hNY"]Green wing Macaw beak whipping or snaking? - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Karigan]

Congrats on your companion! I don't have a Macaw, but as for molting, the bird should have pin feathers on multiple parts of her body, but the ones on the head are often the most noticeable because the feathers are shorter and you can feel them when you give scritches. They often molt at warm times of the year, and every year or two they seem to go through a severe molt.

They cannot groom their own heads or necks, and in the wild rely on flock mates to groom them. This now falls to you, though the bird may be hesitant about letting you do it if she doesn't trust you. Frequent showers and scritches make pin feathers supple and flake, and in severely dry and irritated birds, aloe juice can be sprayed on them as well.

The only feathers that should be rubbed are the ones encased in a white sheath. If they still have black in them, the feather isn't fully formed and should be left alone. the white will flake off like dandruff.

Pin feathers on other parts of the body should be ignored, as she will groom them herself and birds don't always like having their bodies touched.

If the pin feathers are concentrated in one spot only, it could be a sign of plucking. Keep an eye on your bird and see if feathers just fall out during grooming or if she's actively pulling. Check for broken feathers too.

Hope this helps!

 

[aliray]

Beautiful bird .I have no experience with Macaws but to me she just looks like she is having a good time with the head movements and may have picked it up from watching other birds or gotten a good feedback from a previous owner . All three of my parrots are now doing the HAPPY DANCE which started with my quaker bobbing his head up and down. We named it and started clapping and encouraging him and now all three are doing it and enjoying the applause sweetie pie bobs his head and sqwakes at the same time when you tell him to do the HAPPY DANCE It is really cute

 

[JJones1719]

Hello and welcome to the forum. First, congratulation on your new GW Luna.
To answer your questions, it does take time for a rescue GW to adjust to their new surroundings so give it time.

Her diet is fine with the fresh fruit, veggies everyday. She should also have at all times pellets like Zupreme. I would advise you to feed nuts like almonds that are the Macaws favorite, walnuts, palm nuts, I would advise you to stay away from peanuts in the shell, they are full of fat and not really the best nut to give her.
Fresh water 3 times per day. I would also include 1 hard boiled egg with shell and remove the yoke 1-2 times per week. This is great for their feathers, skin, nails and beak. Specially when they are molting.
From the video you provided, she is not molting. You would have a hand full of feathers in the bottom of the cage if she were. Macaws tend to have new feathers come in all over the body throughout the year.
Shaking her head from left to right is known as the Stevie Wonder. This body language is telling you that she happy, excited and really enjoys being around you or your boyfriend.
GW tend to be a one person bird and perhaps she is at her happiest with your boyfriend, sometimes GW will select a male or female to bond with. not sure why this happens.
It's great that she will allow you to hold her but she will need to learn that both you and your boyfriend are her new flock and both of you are the alfa in her relationship.
She must see both of you as her protector, provider, and flock.
Do not show her fear when handling her, Macaws are very good at reading your body language and if you show fear, this is telling her that you cannot be trusted and perhaps will cause a bite or atleast a bluff as if she may bite.
Do not allow this to happen. Stand your ground always when handling her. stay in control.
Macaws require 12 hours of sleep. You did not say if she has a sleep cage or does she sleep on a Java tree. I find it's always best to put the Macaw in a cage at night, cover it with a thin blanket.
Do not walk on egg shells when she is sleeping, let her get used to the noise and she will soon feel safe. Remember, Macaws are prey animals so do everything you can to remind them that they are safe.
Please make sure when you take your macaw to the Vet for the first time to get a complete blood work. Make sure that the Vet you are taking her to is an Aviary Vet, most Vets are not and takes special training in this field.
Please ask lots of questions and we all will give you advise based on our own expierences. Best of luck Joe

 

[horsesculpter]

Beautiful bird! it appears to me that she does a little regurgitation move at the end of your video. That is certainly acceptance and she appears happy and trusting. My rescue macaw only wants petting on her terms. Not all birds are snugly and I don't know all her past but she obviously loves us and likes to be on one of us if she can. My macaw sleeps from 12 to 14 hours at night and likes her cage dark and draped. She will complain if it isn't or we turn the light on for some reason. Yes they are prey animals and I think Sunny just feels safer cocooned in her cage.

 

[birdofparadise]

Karigan- Yes, I see tons of white tube looking things on her head. She won't let me near them! I always ask her, "Can I get your tubes?", and she just gives me this look that seems to say, "Try it and see what happens".

aliray- It's a relief to hear that she is happy while she's moving her head like that. I looked everywhere on google and I couldn't find an exact answer for what she was doing. Your quakers sound so cute! Maybe I should encourage Luna to do that!

horsesculpter- We were wondering what that little head bob is at the end of the video. I'm so glad to hear that she likes us!

 

[plax]

Karigan- Yes, I see tons of white tube looking things on her head. She won't let me near them! I always ask her, "Can I get your tubes?", and she just gives me this look that seems to say, "Try it and see what happens".

Hi. Since your boyfriend is able to pet Luna a times, perhaps he can gradually gain enough of her trust to allow him to crack off some of the feather sheaths on the top of her head and the back of her neck. It would also be a way to get her more used to hand contact in her new environment.

Good luck with her!

 

[birdofparadise]

JJones1719- I know it will take Luna time to adjust, it's just that she seems happy one minute and grumpy the next - not at all like a dog. She is on Zupreem fruit flavored pellets which she seems to like more than fresh fruit and veggies. I will start giving her the egg yolk once a week, I'm sure she'll like it.

On showing fear and biting - the main reason why I am intimidated by her beak is that she has already bitten me once. I was attempting to pet her on her smaller stand because my boyfriend petted her earlier. She beaked me several times and raised the feathers on her head. I read somewhere that you should tell them "No" firmly to stop this behavior. I pointed my finger close to her face and said "No" and she bite my finger hard enough to break the skin a little. I now know that what works for dogs does not necessarily work for other species. I know it was the wrong thing to do; however, now I feel as though she would bite anytime she feels like it. It appears that some days she is more tolerant of physical contact than others so I feel like I should not even try to pet her at this point; either she is unpredictable or I'm just falling short in reading her body language.

I would not even try to pet her were it now for my boyfriend. I'm aware that Macaws sometimes choose people they like and will bond to them more than others. As wrong as it sounds, I feel like I'm in a competition with my boyfriend for her affection! Today she allowed him to pet her with no protest; I can't pet her without her pushing me away with an open beak and making some sort of warning noise.

I read somewhere on Jamie Leigh's birdtricks blog that there should be a 60-40 relationship with the favorite person being 60% close to the bird and the less prefered person being 40% close to the bird. I really don't know how to judge this though.

I will do as you say and try not to show my fears when handling her or changing her food and water. It seems like she tries to test me at every turn. She will lunge and act like she's going to bite and she never does. For a person new to Macaws, it is VERY difficult not to flinch and pull my hand away, especially when changing food and water. I'm always thinking "what if this time she's not buffing?". I've also heard that you should try to respect the bird's body language and not invade their space. I guess I need to establish a balance somewhere in the middle of being firm and respectful. Sounds like it will be a challenge.

She sleeps on the highest point of her big Java tree in her room. I'm thinking we will get a cage later on. It does sound like she would feel safer in one.

I'll try to remember to ask for a complete blood work done at the vet.

Thanks for answering my questions!

 

[plax]

I would not even try to pet her were it now for my boyfriend. I'm aware that Macaws sometimes choose people they like and will bond to them more than others. As wrong as it sounds, I feel like I'm in a competition with my boyfriend for her affection! Today she allowed him to pet her with no protest; I can't pet her without her pushing me away with an open beak and making some sort of warning noise.

Sometimes they will view one person in a home as a potential mate and thus view that person's spouse or significant other as a competitor. Some birds have been known to even fly or run at the perceived competitor periodically. I'm not sure that's what's happening with Luna. It's merely food for consideration.

 

[JJones1719]

Birdofparadise.
Do not give her the yoke of the egg, only give her the egg whites and shell.

Here are some tips to win a Macaw over, I hope this helps.
First, you have to in control or the Macaw will know as soon as you and Luna make eye contact.
Look for raised feathers, lowering of the body, wings slightly open, the eyes change in size. These are all attack modes and if you see them, back off, don't make a big deal of it and come back once Luna is calm. This will help prevent a bite or bluff. If she does bite you, never pull away, rather then press whatever part of your body she has in her mouth towards the back of the throat, this does two things, it will get her off balance and the first thing a macaw will do is let go.

Once Luna is calm, make sure she is lower then your eye level, make sure her wings are clipped. This way you are in control and she cannot fly away ot climb higher then you.
Alway ask her to step up or step down. Always use these words so she learns the meaning and command. Always carry almonds, when she performs a action that you like or ask of her, reward, reward, reward. The best way to teach a Macaw is through the belly or crop in her case.

Petting the Macaw should be something that she has to earn, don't just offer it as she will not have to work for it.
Petting should be performed while holding the Macaw not when they are on a T stand, Java tree or cage. Petting while holding the Macaw one feels good for the Macaw but also teaches them that you are the alfa, you are in control over them. if Luna allows you to pet her, reward her and tell how great she is and make a big deal of it. Whenever my boys do something that I ask from them, you would think they have just won the lottery and they really want to do that action again for me as they know it just made me smile or pleased me.

I would also advise you that once you feel comfortable around Luna and welcomes you, this is the time to really bond with them.
Eat with her, share you food with her, play with her toys with her, bath with her, take her on trips around the home and introduce her to new things, windows, doors, mirrors, furniture. let her know how much you want to be with her and allow her to make up her mind that she too wants to be with you.Even cleaning her cage, bowls, or Java tree. This is all bonding with you Macaw.

The best thing about the GW as they are known to be the gentle giants of the Macaw world so this is enbedded in their DNA and now it is up to you and your boyfriend to bring this out in her.

As far as the 60-40 issue, I would say that if she feels closer to your boyfriend, then you must step up to the plate and spend more time with her rather then your boyfriend.

Like you mentioned, Luna must know the word NO as a command that means she did something wrong and needs to learn from that action. Once she has a cage, use time outs, they really work. Place Luna into her cage, cover it for no more then 5 minutes at a time, more then 5 minutes, the Macaw would have forgotten what they did wrong.

Best of luck with Luna, hand in there it will get better. Joe

 

[birdofparadise]

Since you told me a method of escaping that tremendous beak of hers (pressing back toward the beak instead of pulling away) I was more confident with her today. I'll admit that yesterday my feelings were REALLY hurt and I felt like Luna hated me. Then I realized that Macaws probably think completely different than we do, she is away from her home, and it is nothing personal against me if she prefers my boyfriend over me. Yesterday I was angry at her and today I feel like I love her very much and will continue to feel that way even if she never lets me pet her in the future.

I feel sorry for her because she is having to switch homes. We are home a lot; still, I feel sad when we have to leave her alone in her bird room when we go to classes. I'm thinking about getting another macaw later to keep her company; I know that will carry a whole slew of issues (sometimes birds dislike each other, sometimes they bond too closely, etc.), however, I feel like it would benefit her to have another bird of her size to communicate with while we are gone. Thanks again.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

My galah does that figure 8 with her head when she's very stress out and yours has the exact same body language as Rosie when she does it (even has the same uneasy eyes).

When She took the 15 minute drive home in a crate she did it the entire way, and also if she is in a situation she doesn't like. For a while I had to make sure I had her home from outings before the sun went down because she'd do it in the car once it was dark. She'll sometimes do it if I'm about to put her somewhere she doesn't feel safe. Now that she's bonded to me and feels safe with me she hasn't done it for like 5 months. If I put her in a crate she probably would do it, but since she has her harness I never have any need for a crate.

Once your macaw has settled in and really trust you it should stop doing it.

Here's a video of Rosie when I hadn't had her for that long yet. At 15 seconds you can see her doing her figure 8 a little and then through out the video she does only one motion at various times. . My friend and I of course didn't know it was bad and praised her for doing it.

[ame="http://youtu.be/dY2OOynpPjo"]Rosie the galah cockatoo - YouTube[/ame]

 

[birdofparadise]

That's why I was so confused by the "Stevie Wonder" head movement. I've looked at various forums; there were just as many people who claimed the head movements were happiness as those who claimed it was fear or nervousness. Those who said the head movements were due to happiness tended to be owners of large macaws. I also noticed that your galah cockatoo does not do the figure eight movement consecutively as Luna does; your galah moved her head, waited a few minutes, and moved it again. What of the regurgitation move at the end of the video? I don't know if the body language of macaws and cockatoos differ. I guess the only way I can know for sure is to wait and see if this behavior continues once she feels more comfortable.

Another thing she will do when music is playing or if we are talking to her is "dance". She will move back and forth on her stand with her head just slightly bobbing straight up and down. I call it a dance because she will do this in a rythmic motion. Her wings are usually spread out. I have seem what the territorial strut in large male greenwings looks like and our girl is doing something completely different. I wish I had a video to show you all. Maybe you can tell me what it means when she does this.

I was happy to hear that her head movements were positive; however, I don't understand why she would be happy with us already as we have only had her for two weeks today.

Luna's history might be helpful here: The rescue center that we recieved her from is called Sandy's Macaw Bird Park located in Pensacola, Florida. Although the owner takes in local birds that are unwanted, he decided to breed two of his favorite green-wing macaws about nine years ago. Luna was the result of that breeding so she was born at the center and hand raised by the owner. She was the owner's absolute favorite; he never would have given her away if were not for his old age and terminal disease (bone cancer). My boyfriend Charles and I decided to visit the place just to look around and Charles began discussing with the owner his plans after college of rescuing an adult macaw. We are moving to a large family owned house with a lot of acreage so we would be able to build a large flight cage.

He gave us the impression that he was waiting for the right people to come along. He said he trusted us to give her a good home now that he is dying. Watching her interact with him was interesting. She seemed to almost have a grudge against him for not paying enough attention to her (I am told some birds do this if left by their people for a long time). The owner spent a lot of time with Luna in her first five years of life and in her last four years of life (when the owner's body began to wear out), he just put her in a big flight cage with another macaw. Her whole demeaner seems icy cold; I wonder if she will always stay this way. I feel she is a sweetheart, if only another bird that feels betrayed and does not trust humans (with good reason). Do you think she will always be a little cold toward us? I hope not, yet I'm not banking on her changing. It seems she was a "daddy's girl" that refused to bond with other macaws or interact with people who would visit the center. She was very different from all of the other birds at the center.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Rosie would do the figure 8 movement for extended periods of time but that video is the only one ever taken that shows any of it. she would also do it much smoother and even faster at times too. Since I've never lived with a macaw 24/7 I can only judge Luna's behavior based on what Rosie does.

Has she already had her first vet check up? if she's in perfect health and all her blood results are back in and clear I honestly wouldn't worry about it. She's in a new environment and she may just feel a bit over whelmed.

That sounds like a form of dancing to me, especially if she's doing it to music. My friends blue and gold dances by stepping back and forth. I'm not sure about the regurgitation movement. It does look like she's doing it but I don't know why.

Aww poor girl Eventually she'll learn to bond with you and you'll be amazed at the connection you'll have. After two weeks she's probably still sad, even if she was resentful he was still someone she must of cared about.

 

[plax]

My B&G, Jack, does the side-to-side heard twirl thing only when he's feeling unpleasantly anxious about something - with him, very clearly a negative expression of anxiety. When he was much younger he did it far more frequently than he does now. In fact, I can't remember the last time I've seen him do it.

Conversely, my Greenwing's former Macaw housemate, another B&G named Mango, does the side-to-side head twirl on command. Her owner (my late and great friend, Terrie) used to ask Mango to "do Stevie Wonder" and Mango would immediately respond by climbing to the highest point on her playstand then commence doing her figure 8 side-to-side head twirl for 10 to 15 seconds.

My Greenwing, Salsa, doesn't do the side-to-side head twirl thing at all. He'll hum songs or whistle and shake his head 'no' with the rhythm of the music (even when said music is created by him, alone). Or he'll pound his foot-fist to the tune. But you'll never see a Stevie Wonder move from him.

So, since my B&G does it when he's feeling uneasy about something, and since Mango does it on command as a happy and playful thing, and since my GW doesn't do it at all, I can only draw one conclusion. That is, the behavior appears to be enjoyable for some Macaws while being more of an expression of dread or uneasiness in others. I don't expect I've provided much help to you here but those are my observations.

I hope the best outcome develops concerning your bonding effort with Luna!

 

[JJones1719]

Thank you for posting about Luna's past, this does help and explain a lot about what she is going through and her body language too is telling the story.

Let's just think about this from the Macaws thought process.
She was very close at one time to her previous Male owner so she already knows that Male humans are the provider and protector. Seems she had very little human female interactions.
This is for sure the reason why she likes being around your boyfriend over you.
Luna went from being loved very much in her eyes by the previous owner and without her knowing why she was then placed into a cage by the previous owner due to bad health, she does not understand that and most likely felt that she was no longer close to the owner. This does a lot to many parrots who were the apple of ones eye. She learned not to get to close to humans and may have felt replaced or disgarded.
I'm very surprised that she did not form a strong bond with her cage mate, in most cases this happens.
Most times when a Macaw bonds with another macaw, you have pretty much lost them and to trust humans again.
Luna seems to be very special and time will tell if you and your boyfriend can bring out that loving, caring, and beautiful thing about GW Macaws is the unbelievable bond they form with them owners. Keep working with her no matter what. Don't ever back down from her, she will start to see you in a different light. Remeber, she had very little interaction with female humans and now you have to spend more time and win her over. Hang in there, she is worth the fight.

As for the Stevie Wonder and bobbing motions, these are all wonderful things most Macaws do when they are content, happy, playful, or just down right happy to be with people again and her little body cannot hold back her excitement.
I really hope the best for you and Luna so please keep us posted. I am now invested in both of you and fingers crossed that this relationship one day ends up like the relationship I have with both my boys. Thanks Joe