New to the forum, and meet Punky! GW

[dknight8919]

Hey guys, I am new to the forum. I have just rehomed a new Green winged macaw. We have been bonding with him through the cage, he seems to have taken a liking to my fiance more than he has me, but he still tolerates me, takes food from me, etc. but it seems like he perks up when shes in here. We have had Punky for about 2 days. I have a few questions for y'all based on your personal experiances.

1. How long was it before you let your macaw out of its cage? What conditions did you have for letting him out.

2. Is it probably so that he will take a liking to me as she is going back to college and wont be here much, so he will have to bond w/ me and talk to me. When she leaves the room he throws a fit, starts talking and stuff. He seems more active and playing games and stuff when shes around. How can I change this?

3. How can you finally tell that a macaw is used to your household and is ready to be let out.

4.How does your Macaw's poop usually look? How long did it take your macaw to have normal poop after he settled in his new home?

:red:
I am taking my time with Punky, I am hoping it pays off. If you guys have any more advice, just let me know!! Thanks! I will include a pic of Punky.

 

[suebee]

welcome an i am sure you will get more macaw owners replying next yr lol

it really depends on how the bird was kept before hand, nut was out of her cage from day one, as she has regular out time before she came to us, also she was very confidant, poop should generally look in 3 parts, clear water, white an colour solid, but dont worry too much nut only drops water part when she has had a lot to drink or lots of fresh fruits etc
the morning poop should be huge!!! if not feed more at night before putting your bird to bed, bed time should be around 10/12 hours

 

[dknight8919]

I have put my hand in the cage to get something he has dropped and he hasnt offered to go after it or anything like that, so I dont think it would be much of a problem I think he would do just fine on top of the cage, but should I wait until I am off so I can moniter it?

 

[dknight8919]

He also seems to only like one perch, its the highest one..

 

[dknight8919]

ALSO, his poo is really runny. I take it this is beacuase he is new to this environment/

 

[suebee]

any worries take him to the vets, but if his drinking/eating lots of wet food, that could be why, if not then vets to be sure

nut likes highest perch in her cage

when you have time, and there is a quiet moment in the house, shut doors, windows and just open cage door an let him wonder out, and let him go back in, i normally find there fav treat/food works best, thats how i get nut into her sleep cage, she see's me putting in a dish of seed/treats an then i walk off, she goes in (sometimes crying lol) then i shut door on her, less stressfull for all involved (and less being bitten for me!)

 

[dknight8919]

It should just be the stress from the move though right?

 

[dknight8919]

He has been eating alot of grapes, haha

 

[cd4565]

Grapes will make his poop really runny no worries there. Never let him out unless you are there to supervise, too many things he could get into or get hurt from. Macaws like any other bird are very inquisitive.

 

[cockatielfan17]

when ur bird has settle in it will start playing and making noise thats when u can start handling him he may be nervous the first couple of times be patient it tends to help if u quietly sing to him or talk to him dont make loud noises or move ur hand to fast or else he will get startled and then it will be harder for him to gain ur trust and also welcome to the forum

 

[oled]

Welcome and congrat to the new bird!!

 

[mtdoramike]

First off, welcome to the forums and thank you for adopting your Green Wing Macaw.

BUT, I hope you have some kind of previous bird experience, if not then I would have strongly recommended against getting a Macaw right out of the gate. Macaws are very beautiful birds, but also very tempermental. They will constantly test you by lunging at you trying to intimdate you. Once they have intimidated you, it's very hard for you to regain control of the bird. This is one of the reasons there are so many macaws looking for new homes. It's not a question of if you will get bit, but more like when you will get bit. All birds no matter how tame can and do bite. Green Wing Macaws can break a finger.

I wouldn't let you Macaw get on top of his cage, if you do, it will be very hard and stressful for the bird and you to get him off. If you don't have a seperate play stand, get one. Then let him out on the play stand. Now if I have scared you then I have accomplished my goal, because you need to have a healthy respect for your new aquisition. You should go online and read everything you can about Macaws, Greenwings in particular.

So my main question to you is, what is your background regarding birds and what is the background of your new Macaw, did he come from a breeder, hand reared, neglected, supposedly hand friendly??

So remember, patience and don't let him know that he has intimidated you.

 

[dknight8919]

He came from a guy who seemed to have treated him good, he was hand raised. I do have experiance in other birds, smaller parrots but this is my first parrot of his size, yes.

 

[mtdoramike]

Great, you should do fine then.

 

[dknight8919]

I have had him about 4 days, havent let him out of the cage yet, still letting him adjust ot his environment, im going to invest in a playstand on Wednesday. MtDoraMike, how else do you think I should handle this and appoach him? He is taking food from me and stuff through the bars, How do I know if he is ready to let me hold him?

 

[triordan]

just curious if your curtains are still in one piece?? hehe

 

[dknight8919]

They are actually, lol!!

 

[triordan]

oh and to keep remington off the top of the cage, otherwise he eats the ceiling, i use a box turned upside down, it works well

 

[JJones1719]

Welcome, You should always remove the Macaw after being in the new home after 24 hours. You can remove them in several ways, either with your forearm or perch also called stick training.
Once out of the cage as stated before never allow your GW on top of the cage, it's always best to have the GW eye level lower then yours. You must be the alfa in your relationship.
Many Macaws are a one person bird, this means that although they might put up with you, their hearts maybe with another.
Birds tend to see humans as their flock and sometimes even their mate. Seeing you as their mate is never good. Once the GW is Mature and tries to hump you, it's best to place them back in their cage to settle down.
I always play with my SI Male Eclectus and GW on the floor together, like you would with a baby. Give them lots of toys, treats and have a blast. Sing to them, eat with them, take long showers with your GW. This is all bonding time and your Macaw will soon see you as their flock and not just someone who places food into their cage.
Best of luck Joe

 

[roxynoodle]

Can someone here explain the game macaws play to the OP where they kind of say, "Blah!" and jump at you with their wings out a bit? I was trying to find a video on youtube of this, but wasn't successful. It's some kind of game I've only seen macaws play but don't know what to call it. We are wondering if his/her macaw is playing this game or lunging from fear or to intimidate. I've seen a lot of macaws do this and they are actually playing, but it can look scary to the uninitiated.