Novice Wants B/G

[Gene]

I have 2 sun conures and really enjoy them. I have always wanted a B/G. Found a 9 year old female on Craigslist and drove 440 miles round trip today to visit her. Took cash to purchase if all went well. $500 for bird 2 cages and play station. Owner said due to poor health he had not interacted with her in 2 1/2 years and she would need patience and work. She was in a room alone. Her feather were a mess almost no tail feathers and some of them only quills. I offered my arm and she stepped up. When I became tired I offered the other and she moved to it. I lowered it she moved to my shoulder and began rubbing her head on my neck and giving me kisses on the lips with her tongue. With her on my shoulder we walk through the house to view the 2nd cage and while I was looking at it she quickly moved her head in front of my face and took quite a bit on my upper lip. It bled for over an hour before it stopped. I left with out the bird. I feel really sorry for her. The only thing she said (repeatedly) was shut up! That said a lot to me about her treatment. Should I consider making an offer and bring her home? Will kindness, patience and a lot of caution turn her around. I have no experience with big birds.

 

[GinaF]

She stepped up. That's a big move for a bird that doesn't know you.

You're going to get bit. No way around that. The trick is to minimize the bite. The biggest mistake you've made was allowing her on your shoulder. That bite wouldn't be quite so bad had it happened on your hand or arm. But a bite to the face can not only leaving you disfigured, it hurts your feelings more.

I wouldn't take that bite personally. I'm sure she didn't intend to inflict harm on you. There's no telling what that walk through that house and what the sight of the other cage meant to her. There's no telling what's she's been through.

Time and patience. LOTS of it. You need to establish rules and boundaries with her. No shoulder. Target training. Learn to speak macaw and identify their body language. Macaws are great at letting you know when they're going to bite. They tend to give you plenty of warning. However, on the shoulder, you can't see the signs, which makes it even more of a bad idea. Never let a bird you don't know on your shoulder. For that matter, be apprehensive about letting a bird you DO know hang out there. It's also a dominance thing. The higher they are, the more powerful they feel. In her mind, she was bigger than you.

Read everything you can. If you take her on, expect that you might have a rough patch here and there. Expect some setbacks. Don't set her or yourself up for failure. Take it slow and build a healthy relationship with her. Always put her back in the cage on a positive note so she knows she's not there to be punished.

90% of a healthy relationship is a healthy diet. I don't know what she's being fed, but seed is like candy. It's not healthy. Get her on a healthy diet of pellet and cooked foods and that should straighten her feathers out. Macaws are kind of vain. They feel good when they look good. If she doesn't look good, she's not being fed very well.

Above all, ask questions here. There are so many knowledgeable people on this site.

 

[ShellyBorg]

I second the no shoulder. I have never let a bird on my shoulder until I really know them. Danny my zon is not allowed on my shoulder. Paris my B&G will also not be allowed up. Spirit and Demon have proven to be trustworthy and even then if they start standing vary upright or getting wild off they come.
That poor girl was testing you to see if you were worthy of her. If she stepped up you are over halfway there. If you have the money and feel like you can do this we are here to help as much as we can.

 

[Chesphoto]

Gina and Shelly gave some great advice.

My advice would only be that you get the bird because you really want to make the commitment to owning a parrot and know what all is involved with the care and not that you just feel bad for that bird.

The fact that the bird did step up for you is a great sign. Just keep her off your shoulder unless you have established a huge level of trust. When a kid reaches up to pet Skittles without asking for permission, I tell them why pirates always have an eye patch...

 

[Featheredsamurai]

To me it sounds like your visit went wonderful, and it's amazing that she stepped up and switched arms. The bite was your own fault, it was unfortunate but large parrots(especially birds you do not know) should never be allowed on your shoulder. Don't take it personally. I would never allow my grey there, but my galah Rosie is allowed to sit on my shoulder because I'm not afraid of being bitten by her if it happens. Kenji(my grey) could do serious damage which is why I would never let him.

Personally I would have taken the bird home if you think you can afford a new bird check up and are prepared to change the diet if necessary.

 

[MikeyTN]

Like it's already been mentioned above, you should never allow a large parrot on your shoulder, especially one you do not know well enough yet! You were quite lucky that it was only a nip as it can be a lot worse. I also think you did quite well with the macaw considering he doesn't know you and he went from arm to arm with you when you just met. It is actually a good sign when they do that with you from the beginning. To adopt him or not, that decision is up to you! Personally I would take that bird considering the situation he's in. Broken or damaged feathers do grow back with care. Diet can be changed. But are you willing to take on the task on owning a macaw? If your expecting something like a puppy to come up to give you love and kisses from the get go, then your wanting a puppy not a parrot. They have their moment and once hormone hits, things change too. Please do be aware of all that before going in for a parrot. That's something you really need to think it over, once you decide to take on the task, ask any questions you may have on here and we'll be glad to help you through it!

 

[brianlinkles]

She did great, especially for a first visit!! It has already been stated that you shouldn't let a parrot on your shoulder, that is a big no no! In fact most very experienced bird owners NEVER allow this. (the only thing that I disagree that was stated is the dominance thing, this is an old wives tale. It is just that it is dangerous! It is hard to read their body language and many times if something does go wrong it is hard to remove them.) If you are prepared to bring home a bird that obviously has had a tough life and all the baggage that she will be bringing with her then I say go for it! You already had a great beginning. You need to be able to forget the bite, as stated you were walking through the house and to her other cage, you never know what triggered that bite. This is the difficult thing with rehomes/rescues you just never know what will set them off. As stated, you are going to get bitten, this you will have to accept. I had horses for many years, if you are a rider you know you are going to fall off, it's just something you have to accept, just like the bites from a bird. The point is to minimize the bites. You need to do everything possible to avoid getting bitten, it really is a matter of learning her behaviors/quirks etc. You need to read, read, read and ask questions here. It sounds so promising that she stepped right up for you, like she was asking for help! The only other thing I would say is NEVER to allow her to kiss your lips. This is for several reasons the biggest being we have bacteria in and around our mouth that is very bad for our birds. The second is it's dangerous for you with a bird you don't know. But truly, don't let her do it do to the fact that she could get sick. Let us know if you decide to get her! Good luck!

 

[Pajarita]

Are you kidding? She was GREAT! I would NEVER even dream of asking a strange bird to step up for me! So I agree with everybody who said you should get her BUT make sure you are prepared and willing to take in a bird that might (notice I say 'might') have aggression issues. That poor bird sure needs rescuing but taking her in just to rehome her in a month or so because you realize after the fact that you were not prepared it's not kind to the bird.

 

[Gene]

Thanks to all of you for your responses and information. I understand my mistake. From you comments it would appear the bird took a liking to me and we may have the possibility of developing a bond/friendship. Please correct me if I'm wrong. A couple more questions.

The diet is seed. The owner said she refused pellets. How do I get her to eat the right diet? Considering the fact I will most likely take her to a vet for a physical on the way home and her sad appearance; should I pay the asking price of $500? There are 2 cages and a perch stand included.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Please check out THIS link: http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/23367-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html Phenomenal information on how to change a poor diet.

Also, please check out our Parrot Food section. TONS of recipes there. Parrot Food, Recipes and Diet - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

I personally believe $500 to be a great deal on the B&G with all the accessories, but it never hurts to try and see if the price could be lowered. You could mention that the Avian vet visit will take a good chunk out of your wallet.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Thanks to all of you for your responses and information. I understand my mistake. From you comments it would appear the bird took a liking to me and we may have the possibility of developing a bond/friendship. Please correct me if I'm wrong. A couple more questions.

The diet is seed. The owner said she refused pellets. How do I get her to eat the right diet? Considering the fact I will most likely take her to a vet for a physical on the way home and her sad appearance; should I pay the asking price of $500? There are 2 cages and a perch stand included.

Are the cages in good condition? for two cages, and a perch and a B&G that seems like a very reasonable adoption fee. My local parrot rescue charges a adoption fee of about $500 for a macaw and that's without a cage.

You may be able to talk him down a little if you explain that you'll need to take her to a new bird check up, which will cost $350+

It takes time and patience to get a stubborn bird off of seed, but it can be done!

My galah is 21+ years old and came to me on a staple of sun flower seeds, it took me 6 months(yes MONTHS) to get her off of seed and on pellets. All it took was persistence, time, and patience. All very much worth it to see how much healthier she is.

 

[ShellyBorg]

I switched my amazon over in record time to pellets by soaking them in a little juice/water and then mixing the seed in with it. To get to the seed he had to move around the mash. Everyday I put less seed in till there was none, then I started to cut back the juice to water. Once he was eating fine like that I started cutting back on the water till he was eating dry pellets.

 

[Merlee]

Thanks to all of you for your responses and information. I understand my mistake. From you comments it would appear the bird took a liking to me and we may have the possibility of developing a bond/friendship. Please correct me if I'm wrong. A couple more questions.

The diet is seed. The owner said she refused pellets. How do I get her to eat the right diet? Considering the fact I will most likely take her to a vet for a physical on the way home and her sad appearance; should I pay the asking price of $500? There are 2 cages and a perch stand included.

I think the asking price is reasonable even without the accessories. Having all that stuff is a plus if it's all in good condition or repairable. A friend of mine took in a rehome amazon and was told it wouldn't eat this or that. As it turns out, the bird did without any issues. You just never know about what a bird will or will not do until you get it home.

Good luck!

 

[MacawLoverOf3]

If you decide to take her, I say don't take those cages with her, get her a new one because I think she has some issues with the cage. It will be a new beginning for her and she needs to know she left her old life behind if she is saying 'shut up', you know she has not lived in a great environment and you need to give her a better start in your relationship with her. Yes, a new cage is going to cost you more but to me it is better to remove that factor in your relationship so it does not carry over.

 

[ShellyBorg]

I would take the cages. You can always clean them up and sell them if you decide not to keep them. Cleaning a cage, putting new perches and hanging toys will make a old cage look new .

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I'd say take the cages and perch, and sell them then spend that money on new perches, toys a new updated cage will do her good, plus there are new regulations on zinc safety that a up to date cage will have.

 

[Gene]

Thanks again to everyone for your impute. Here's the way it has worked out: Yesterday I found a beautiful 2 1/2 yo DNA'd male, raised by a family (3 children) since 4 months old. Father is Army being deployed to Africa and wife and children going to live with parents. Great personality and stepped up the first time I met him. I bought him for $500 2 perches no cage. Owner said he had never used a cage and he would stay on the perch. So far he is correct. I couldn't get the poor macaw in Punta Gorda off my mind. I emailed the owner this afternoon and told him considering his bird's condition and temperament I could offer him $300 for the bird, two cages and the perch. He replied I could have the bird and the two cages; he is selling the perch separately. I'm bringing the bird home tomorrow afternoon (another 440 mile round trip). I'm sure I can provide this macaw with a happier and healthier life with your continued advise. I would have walked away from this if it had not been for your encouragement and advice.

 

[ShellyBorg]

YA! So two new birds! Let us know how it works out. Thanks for giving the older guy a chance!

 

[Chesphoto]

Wow Gene, some how this seems like it was meant to be. You get one parrot with no cage, and help another one that happens to have two cages...

Congratulations!

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Wow Gene, some how this seems like it was meant to be. You get one parrot with no cage, and help another one that happens to have two cages...

Congratulations!

I agree, sometimes things are meant to be.

Also, even though the bird stays on the perch he'll still need a cage. He's still young and may one day decide to explore and get himself into some serious trouble.

Are you able to take photos

You'll be able to give that macaw a much better life. I'm so happy the owner decided to let you take him for $300 rather than $500.