Newly Adopted Blue and Gold

[Scarlet_King]

Hi All,

I recently adopted a 5 year old B&G. I picked her up Friday morning and drove her back to my house (10 hour drive). During the drive she was freely perched in the backseat and didn't make a sound. During gas stops, I'd offer her a treat and water and she'd take. Fast forward, she's been in and out of her cage but she's still been extremely quiet. She'll eat and drink water but when she's out of the cage she's still abnormally quiet for a Macaw. I've doing some target training and have been trying to get her to step up but to no avail. She is just basically sitting atop her cage with very little activity. I'm figuring she needs time to warm up to me and her new environment but figured I propose it to you all.

Do you think the quietness and lack of activity is normal?

Thanks all!

 

[noodles123]

Hello and WELCOME!!!!!!


Have you ever had a bird before? That is a legitimate question-- not a snarky one. I ask because if you haven't , there are lots of really important threads I would like to share with you.

You are going WAY too hard, way too fast...Rushing would be an understatement. You could actually end up harming your relationship if you do not allow her to adjust first, so YES---this is normal...

I am guessing this is your first bird, and if so, you really need to do a lot more research, because you have basically taken a toddler into your home, away from everything it knows and away from all security...and now you want it to be buddy buddy with you when you are a stranger...and its life has been overthrown..TIME...you need to build trust (and not on your terms). Your bird is scared and unfamiliar and realizing that nothing it knew will be back anytime soon..

That having been said, stress DOES impact their immune systems and can cause dormant illnesses to flare up etc-- so if eating, drinking, droppings etc change, don't just chalk it up to the change. If you don't already have an appointment scheduled with an avian vet, you should make one, because they need at least 1x yearly veterinary care/check-ups (bare minimum) and initially, you will want blood work as well.

Also- for your bird's safety, I would STRONGLY advise against free-perching in cars unless the distance is like 5 minutes and the speed is like 5 MPH...A sudden stop could break her neck (at least a cage prevents some of the tossing/leverage that could happen in an accident).

 

[Scarlet_King]

Thanks for your response. No offense taken.

The free perch wasn't by design at all but the lady didn't bring her carrier so I was stuck.

This isn't my first bird but it's my first in this scenario, if that makes sense.

 

[noodles123]

Thanks for your response. No offense taken.

The free perch wasn't by design at all but the lady didn't bring her carrier so I was stuck.

This isn't my first bird but it's my first in this scenario, if that makes sense.

Can you elaborate so we can help you more?
Do you mean, like first bird in 20 years...or first adult re-home...or first bird this size (or all of the above)? (or none of the above)-just trying to provide applicable resources.

Crazy that the lady didn't bring a carrier! Glad you guys did okay! That's insane.

 

[Scarlet_King]

First rehome of this size and age. My previous was a Severe Macaw but I had her from a very young age.

I was a wreck driving home because I absolutely had no plans for her to be free.

 

[macawpower58]

I think Noodles has given you excellent advice.

Also be prepared, as the bird you see now is not who that bird is. You'll see that over time. Now, you are seeing a bird in survival mode, being quiet and trying to be unnoticed. Once she is more relaxed you'll start to see the real bird that she is.

Be patient, forgiving, and understanding. Do not expect miracles, be braced for troubles to arise. If none do, wonderful! But if they do, realize it's normal and deal with it the best you can, then come and chat about them. The members here seem very caring and knowledgeable.

Many of us will have dealt with a similar problem, and if not, we can at least commiserate.

 

[noodles123]

I CANNOT imagine driving 10 hours with a brand-new in an un-caged situation. OMG....STRESS!!!!

I am so glad everything was okay and it SUCKS that you had to do that!

So, basically, build trust and take it super slow. I will find a few threads on this.. It always feels like it takes FOREVER after the "honeymoon" period, but don't push it and you will see that your bird will grow to accept you etc. If you screw up, always go back to slowing down and building trust (it's never a lost cause---it just comes down to how patient you are lol). Inevitably, you will do something that scares or pisses the bird off- and just remember, it isn't over (you didn't RUIN anything---you just withdrew a few bucks from the "trust bank", which means you will have to deposit more to get back to your original balance ) So far- sounds like things are okay.

I wouldn't push training too hard right now. DO NOT reinforce behavior that you do not want to see, but you probably shouldn't do anything too demanding right now. You kind of want to be a free lunch at this point (until things are settled).

 

[mica21493]

You've been given some great advice and I'd just like to add about the quietness. I recently adopted a 10-12 year old goffins cockatoo. She is the quietest bird I've ever owned and I really thought there was something wrong with her. But it's been 6 months now and she's been making more noise. I think it just takes some birds awhile to warm up.
She also didn't play with toys at all at first and now she can destroy a wood macaw toy in a matter of days.