Rehomed B&G -- Advice

[AndrewH]

Hello,

I rehomed a 12 y/o B&G (the guy thought she was about 12 but didn't know for sure) about a week ago. I was originally looking to upgrade my U2's cade, but saw Lucky for sale. Her past is not know to me. The person I bought her from was keeping her in his garage and he was afraid to interact with her. He said he was selling her for a friend.

Anyway, I felt bad for the bird. She was scared, but not aggressive. She allowed me to pet her and she stepped up on my arm, but she wasn't affectionate like my U2. She will bluster sometimes to see if I'm afraid of her beak (which I am but I don't let on), but she hasn't bitten. Just grabbed my finger with her beak a few times. I've been taking it slow with her and she is now fairly friendly and allows me to scratch her neck and put her in on the shower perch (which she loves).

That's with me...

With my wife and kids, she is less friendly. She hasn't bitten, but she has nipped at my wife and son, although they can feed her if I'm out of the room. I have a feeling she is sensing their fear and this is causing fear and stress in her. Neither of them (wife/son) have worked up enough courage to ask her to step up or pet her. In the interest of avoiding a painful bite, I told them this was wise and that we should give her a few weeks to adjust.

So, my question: is there a better way to get the bird used to my family?

Finally, other than her interaction with the family, she is an easy macaw to be around. No screaming. No plucking or overpreening. She has a 7 word vocabulary that I've heard so far. She was throwing her food and water dishes out, but I just replaced them with fixed bowls...no more issue there!

If anyone has any pointers, I'd be happy to read them!

Andrew

9 y/o Umbrella Cockatoo (Samantha)
12 y/o B&G Macaw (Lucky)

 

[greycloud]

Hi Andrew and welcome! Poor girl being kept in a garage. Makes me wonder if she may have been a lost or stolen bird. Is she banned?
She probably tolerates you because her past owner was a man. Remember she has only been with you a very short time. She needs to build a bond and interact with everyone on an individual basis. First you have to remember she is nothing like a cockatoo. B&Gs can be cuddlely but she may have never been raised that way. Also, they are very big birds and some people are intimidated by them. Especially when they play the lunge game.
Each person should spend private time with no one else around. They should sit by her cage and talk, read and sing to her. Praise her for having eye contact and reacting positively. Drop treats in her bowl or offer with fingers. If she accepts, praise her. In time she will learn that each person brings fun and yummies and her bond with strengthen. Once this is accomplished, others may begin with direct physical contact. Hope this helps.

 

[Bobby34231]

Hi Andrew and welcome to the forum, greycloud gives good advice as always, it sounds like your on a good start as you have some interaction already, time and patience are the key to gaining the trust needed for bonding well with the new bird, I don't know if you quarantined the B&G away from your Too or not, you didn't mention it, but its very important to get at least the B&G avian vet checked, good luck with your new fid (fid=feathered kid), let us know how things progress

 

[AndrewH]

@greycloud: Thanks for the advice! I will start implementing it immediately. She has an ankle band, but it is so worn, I can't make out any of the characters. I checked craigslist but didn't see any ads for lost or stolen birds.

@bobby: Thanks! I have the birds separated, but not quarantined, if quarantined means separated by walls and distance. That is, they're both in the living room, but they do not interact. I should have taken her to the vet already, but I was torn between wanting to have her checked out and risking putting her through a bunch of stress so soon after brining her home (avian vet we take our cockatoo to is just over an hour away). I should be able to take her this week.

As an aside, what would be the best way to allow my U2 and the B&G to interact (after vet check)? Or is this not advisable?

 

[Bobby34231]

Hey Andrew, well its a little late to close the barn door now that the horse is out..lol, since you didn't quarantine I would suggest that when you take the macaw to your avian vet that you remind him you have another bird in the house (U2) and that you didn't quarantine, that way he/she can decide what tests might be appropriate to help protect both birds and also better advise you on what course of action to take in allowing the birds to interact, if you can afford it, making an appointment for both birds would be great, I don't know how long you've had Samantha, but even birds that appear to be healthy can still be the carriers of diseases without ever contracting them themselves, just some things to think about, maybe when calling for the appointment you can ask the advise of the vet on that matter

 

[greycloud]

Hey Andrew, can you tell me what city and state you are in? You can PM me if you want.

 

[HRH Di]

I don't really have any advice to add...just an emphasis on taking it slowly with the poor girl.

And kudos to you for giving her a loving home. They were keeping her in a garage??!!?! Good heavens!

 

[AndrewH]

Sure. I'm in the Dayton, OH, area.

 

[AndrewH]

Update: I took a really close look at the band and I believe I can make out the breeder code, but can't quite make out the numbers. Do you know how to do a search on this to find out about the bird's history?

 

[AndrewH]

Another update: Lucky is doing very well. I was able to determine that she is almost certainly an imported bird. She has an open band from Fl. This would make her at least 18 years old, given that Macaw imports were outlawed in 1992.

 

[greycloud]

If it is an open round band then she was probably wild caught. This would be her quarantine band. She was put in quarantine in FL.

 

[Cowtown]

Welcome to the forum... the people here are very kind and will help you anyway they can...

Congrats on getting Lucky.... He is lucky you came into his/her life.

 

[Bobby34231]

Not all birds that have open bands are imports, but it is pretty likely.....if you can read the info on the band you can be sure, birds imported into Miami would have bands with 58A thru 58F or USDA-F or USDAM if it was an import into Key West it will be FL-T, unfortunatly these bands will not tell you year of import.....if it is a USDA band there may be a chance that USDA Administration Office Department of Agriculture, Fish, & Wildlife might still have the import records..........

 

[AndrewH]

Thanks All!!! This is a great forum for tapping into lots of bird knowledge.

Bobby, I'm sure you're right. I'm almost certain the letters are FFI followed by 3 numbers that are very worn.

 

[AndrewH]

This is my last update on this thread.

Finally took Lucky to the avian vet (bit of a drive). Everything is good...healthy bird. Psittacosis test doesn't come back until later in the week, but all looks to be ok.

The vet estimated that she is between 10 and 20 years old, probably no older. Also, he said she should put on some weight (904g currently), but he current weight is probably due to poor nutrition.

At an rate, that's the latest.

Thanks again.

 

[Bobby34231]

Thanks for the update Andrew, glad to hear that everything is going well!