Scarlet Blues

[BirdieDad]

Question to any Scarlet owners. Today I was purchasing some new perches and the person I purchased them from is a long time bird owner, breeder, and just someone who has more knowledge about parrots than I do. He made several observations:
1. Scarlets are poor parrots to keep as pets.
2. When puberty/hormones arrive then my Scarlet will most likely become unmanageable and I will be forced to give the bird up or put her in my outdoor aviary with a companion bird.
3. He suggested that I should get her wings gently clipped.
4. Because I am the my birds favored person, that my wife is in danger of eventually being attacked.
5. Trying to socialize but my home just consists of my CAG, wife and myself. So that has been difficult.

He painted such a dark picture for our likely future it was quite depressing. Has then been the experience of most Scarlet owners? Should I plan on getting her a companion bird. While I never planned on being a Scarlet owner, when I went into a store and she came to me and curled up in my arms. She was in a small cage and terrified of hands. Currently, she is 14 months old...finally got her correct date of birth. Since I brought her home about 7-8 months ago it has been pretty great. She pinched my arm up pretty good at first, but never in aggression. Whenever I am home and not working we have loads of fun. Should I be ready for huge change in the next couple years? Should I just be mentally prepared?

Last thing. I received some tips on the forum to improve my wife's relationship with the Scarlet. It has worked but only when I am not around. When I am around, she will duck my wife's hand when she tries to pet her and if she persists then she will give a very gentle nip as if to say "no". When I am gone then she will cuddle with my wife and play with her. Is this how it starts? Will this likely become an issue as the bird gets older.

 

[Laurasea]

Parrots are a lot of work , but those of us that love take the trade off.

Puberty can be a difficult time, not always tho. All relationships take work. Having a good foundation, routine, foraging, socializing, ways to burn off energy help a lot. Most of us have to deal with hormonal burds at some point during the year, to some extent.

I dont like clipping wings.

If your bird is letting your wife know that it doesn’t want a petting then should stop nit force interactions. There are times my burds dont want to pet I respect that. I have a very small GCC and she bites, we have more people in here with GCC biting issues than I have ever seen with the gentle giants the macaws. Yes they have a way bigger beak but the seem to use it much less.

I hope our macaw owners post and offer good advice, I know we have macaw owners who are happy with their parrots.

Parrots are social and have extended interactions with flock mates. Yiu may be the preferred person , possible the only one who can preen your bird, but your burd should be able to be polite to your wife, step up, take treats nice, and hang out with, just maybe not pet

My little Quaker’s sbd GCC will step up for my friends and family. But they are less likely to allow pets. My GCC has never allowed anyone else to touch her. But she will sit in their hand or shoulder and talk to them and take treats. But I have to hand my burds off to people, they would not allow someone to take them from the cage or from my shoulder. Maybe others do, but fir me I have to hand them off

Anyway I think you can have a good relationship and things aren’t as dire as you are told..

 

[LokisMomma]

I don’t agree with anything this guy told you. While it is true that our birds go through hormonal changes and they can become different in personality or possessive of their favored person, it is not a given that these things will happen. Lots of socializing and attention with positive reinforcement from more than one person goes a long way towards keeping your bird polite. And the fact that he would tell you your bird will become unmanageable in the future is insane. Many many people have birds that are 5 years old, 10 years old, 30 years old, etc, and they are perfectly manageable. Even sweet and friendly. Scarlets specifically have a reputation for being “nippy” but I personally feel like each bird has their own personalities and their particular breed doesn’t dictate that personality.
Don’t let this person make you worry about your future. Just do what you already do by keeping your baby happy and healthy, deal with any minor issues as they come, and enjoy your relationship with your bird.
Just for an example, I know someone with two macaws age 10 and 12 that they have had since they were 16 weeks old. Those two birds are just as sweet and manageable as they were as babies. Yes they matured and they may not cuddle so much now, but they still love head scratches, they still want to be with their humans and play, and they both can be handled by everyone in the household.

 

[wrench13]

Friend, you really need to read al the stickies at the top of the Macaw sub forum. And read 'em again.

As far as your breeder 'knowledgeable' buddy, in most things he is dead wrong

1 As birdman666 has told you afew times, they can be beaky, but if properly trained are not more of a problem than other macaws. BTW, he is as close as we have here to a macaw expert, and ALL the explerienced owners respect and value his input.

2. All parrots get nutty during puberty but properly socialized and trained birds less so. Its just something you need to put up with for awile. This too shall pass. Sounds like your 'bub' is setting you up so he has another breeder . Or sell you another macaw as a "friend", which is BS, becasue an additional parrot can backfire, badly, sometimes. You get another parrot because YOU want another one, not to give your current bird a friend.

3. Wing clipping is a personal choice, some do some dont.

4. Not if your wife maintains a working relationship with your macaw. Keep up with the bribes and socializing - your a flock now.

5. ditto.

And 6. I suggest your really consider closely any 'advice' from those who may have a vested interest in your macaw.

 

[chris-md]

Birds are tricky things. Your person can be right, or they can be wrong. SO MANY things go into determining what your birds personality ultimately will be and what your experience ultimately will be like.

It all comes down to how the bird was raised and trained in conjunction with its own unique personality.

As previously stated puberty can be difficult for most birds. Hormonal experiences fall on a spectrum: some birds barely experience anything, most others will experience moderate to severe puberty marked by unpredictable behavior. You never know how your bird will be when puberty hits. It’s a craps shoot. It won’t be all aggression all the time. There will be plenty of times where the bird can be super sweet, then turn on a dime. It’s th unpredictability that marks hormones, not a constant onslaught. It’s temporary and will eventually pass.

It’s all nature/training vs nurture. one person birdness is a prevailing challenge many bird owners face. But with proper training and raising, Past puberty most birds can more or less get to the same place, behavior wise: tolerant of Most people. If problems arise, there are techniques to bring them around, and trainers who can help you get there if need be (more people would benefit from trainers, as most resign themselves to birds aggressive to all but one person).

I’m hoping the point is clear here: birds are WORK...and more often then Not are like a box of chocolates. Some need more work, others are perfect angels And you never know which one you’ve brought home. Good news is half the equation is in your hands and under YOUR control: raise them right with love, stimulation and exposure to new things, people, trick training and situations every day. Do that and you’re more than halfway to a well adjusted, well behaved bird.

 

[chris-md]

Also heed this: What your person told you could be said about most birds period. From conures to caiques and eclectus, to macaws and cockatoos. It was very generalist predictions.

Again it may be right and it may be wrong. A lot is in how you raise the bird, you’re own control.

 

[BirdieDad]

Parrots are a lot of work , but those of us that love take the trade off.

Anyway I think you can have a good relationship and things aren’t as dire as you are told..

Parrots are definitely active pets, but honestly, my wife and birds are my family. Now that I have a macaw, I just want to do my best to provide a great home. I do not believe in taking away a birds ability to fly.

Yea, when I am no around both of the birds do well with my wife. The macaw just wants less to do with her when I am present. Which is weird because my wife works from home and spends all day with them. The CAG on the other hand is pretty honest about how she feels about my wife, almost all the time. She is polite to a point, one or two head scratches and that is the extent of it. She steps up for her sometimes. We just guessed the CAG was stubborn, and she is!

 

[BirdieDad]

Friend, you really need to read al the stickies at the top of the Macaw sub forum. And read 'em again.

As far as your breeder 'knowledgeable' buddy, in most things he is dead wrong

Thank you. The guy is not a friend, but just someone who has been working with birds for some time and he put me in a "disappointed mood". I have read the sticky, taken online classes, and reviewed training videos to try and be aware. It is a great hobby for me and sort of difficult and relaxing at the same time. Birdman666 is a great resource and I have read all of his posts. TBH, the reason for the post is on more than one occasion people have who have bird experience have told me that my life is going to turn upside down when the Scarlet matures. So, I am trying to prevent it and plan for it, just in case I cannot prevent it. Hard for me to imagine because she is so much fun and really sweet at this time. The only thing the Scarlet does not like to do is go to bed, it can take a long time to convince her it is bedtime. Her preference is to sleep on a T perch next to me, but I don't trust her not to get into things. I appreciate your thoughts.

 

[BirdieDad]

I don’t agree with anything this guy told you. While it is true that our birds go through hormonal changes and they can become different in personality or possessive of their favored person, it is not a given that these things will happen. Lots of socializing and attention with positive reinforcement from more than one person goes a long way towards keeping your bird polite.

This made me happy. I appreciate your kind and honest advice. Well, for know my birds and I are having a great time. Several "experienced" bird owners have essentially told me that Scarlets are ticking time bombs. While I definitely appreciate "straight-talk" and the advice given by Chris-md and the like, some of the comments can get to you a little bit. I did not even mention the worse part, the guy said at some point I may want to trade my bird in for another better pet quality bird in the future. All I have to do is call him. While I am sure he was just trying to be helpful and let me know I had an out if I needed it, but I got incredibly angry. The guy was totally nice and we concluded our discussion amicably, but on the inside I was upset and unsettled. I just couldn't even imagine.

 

[Laurasea]

I would be suspicious, like he wants to buy your bird cheap ....or he was hoping to scare you into giving him your burd now...... maybe it’s just me but that’s the first thing I thought at your first post and now this post where you say he did offer to take it trade your burd!!!! ( alarm bells)

 

[wrench13]

Friend, you really need to read al the stickies at the top of the Macaw sub forum. And read 'em again.

As far as your breeder 'knowledgeable' buddy, in most things he is dead wrong

Thank you. The guy is not a friend, but just someone who has been working with birds for some time and he put me in a "disappointed mood". I have read the sticky, taken online classes, and reviewed training videos to try and be aware. It is a great hobby for me and sort of difficult and relaxing at the same time. Birdman666 is a great resource and I have read all of his posts. TBH, the reason for the post is on more than one occasion people have who have bird experience have told me that my life is going to turn upside down when the Scarlet matures. So, I am trying to prevent it and plan for it, just in case I cannot prevent it. Hard for me to imagine because she is so much fun and really sweet at this time. The only thing the Scarlet does not like to do is go to bed, it can take a long time to convince her it is bedtime. Her preference is to sleep on a T perch next to me, but I don't trust her not to get into things. I appreciate your thoughts.

Sorry if I cam off a bit brusque, its my nature. I also feel there is a lot of shady people in the avian pet business, where the "commodity" is of high value. Glad you voiced your concerns and I hope it works out for your flock.

 

[BirdieDad]

[/QUOTE]Sorry if I cam off a bit brusque, its my nature. I also feel there is a lot of shady people in the avian pet business, where the "commodity" is of high value. Glad you voiced your concerns and I hope it works out for your flock.[/QUOTE]

No worries wrench13. I did not take anything you said in a negative light. Appreciate everyone speaking up. Here are a couple of pics of my birds. My CAG is hiding in one of them.

 

[tfw]

All great advice. All I can say from my own research is that we picked a B&G macaw specifically because they *tend* to be more multi-person oriented. I didn't take it to mean it was guaranteed, but I felt it raised the chances that she becomes a family bird. I had read scarlets can be more intimidating and one-person birds, so we definitely stayed away even though I find them so gorgeous.

But like everyone said, with plenty of love, training, patience, and understanding, yours could skip any bad behaviors. My macaw prefers the hubs, but loves everyone here....tolerates the youngest -- so he's been giving her lots of treats everytime he in the room so their relationship has gone from full on freak out, to doing tricks for treats when he walks in.

I had a bad experience with a bird store when we first started this journey where the owner, when I asked how to "discipline" bad behavior, told me to put the bird in the bathtub, no water, just a dry tub, for a few minutes as timeout because they do not like the lack of foothold. Needless to say I walked right out. When you know a place is no good, you just know.

 

[chris-md]

Actually your bird store owner had it right. Substitute “isolated space where they can cool down” for bathtub, and you have one of the key tools to addressing misbehavior. This could be a side cage, a perch in another room, you name it.

Parrots are flock oriented. Those that misbehave are shunned in the wild, this setting aside for no more than a minute or two is how that is mimicked - that timing is crucial! Works like a charm if used consistently over time.

 

[wrench13]

Hi ! Just to amplify what Chris said above, consistency is critical when training or trying to curb a given behavior in parrots. Everyone in your family needs to react and take action the same way, monolithic-ally. Parrots are smart enough to say "Ah Ha, this person lets me get away with *******". They are master manipulators.