Should I be concerned?

[Weezerj]

I sure hope this works out for all parties involved.....

 

[Solo]

JerseyWendy. I am completely aware. I have handled a couple Macs, but non with serious behavioral issues. If she's not a good fit for me I will pray she finds a good home, but understand that its not with me. I'm avoiding having any kind of attachment until its a sure deal. Just want to know exactly what I should be looking for. Thank you all for the wonderful advice.

 

[Puck]

That seems to be a universal macaw truth...

They don't bother to bite pressure train. Then the bird bites once or twice. They become afraid of the bird. So the bird gets locked up.

The locked up bird then gets angry and starts screaming... And an angry mac is gonna lash out at the person who pissed him/her off first chance that bird gets. You can pretty much set your watch by it.

So now the bird doesn't get handled. And a bird that doesn't get handled doesn't stay tame... So now he CAN'T be handled until he's retrained from start to finish.

And we enter a downward spiral. That's the old familiar macaw pattern.

Stop me if you've heard this one before! LIKE TEN MILLION TIMES!!!

Idiots!

It really is so sad. I have a (semi) friend--she is friends with my best friend and jealous of me for being friends with my best friend (are we sensing her maturity level here?)--who got a big mac from some breeder on the cheap and within a month she declared that it was "her dad's bird" because he watches TV all day in the room its in and she didn't want to play with it anymore. As I understand it the bird now sits in his cage all day long with nothing to entertain him as she collects more and more animals. A cockatiel. A parrot whose type she won't disclose to me that she "felt bad for" at a pet store. A bearded dragon because my BF has one. A puppy. All living in a small trailer with her and her parents. I swear she is going to be on Animal Hoarders someday, but the macaw makes me feel the worst. I think she just wanted a big mac so she could call herself a "bird person" (because having a macaw is what really makes you a REAL "bird person"), and then she was done with it after the newness wore off. Why don't these people go and get themselves a freaking canary? At least it won't go stir crazy when you leave it with nothing to do and it would be fairly easy to rehome seeing as it tweets pretty and CAN'T REMOVE PART OF YOUR FACE. Every time she gets a new bird, it's WAHOO for a couple of weeks then you never hear about them again. Ever. I have nothing against people picking the big macaws as their first birds, but you had better be prepared to dedicated a big chunk of your time, money, and love to it or else just stick with the canary. Or better yet, get a really soft stuffed animal.

My rant also over.

 

[Solo]

While I completely agree with the statements being made, I apologize if some of the information I provided hit an understandable nerve. I felt that it would be prudent to inform the forum of these things so that I may receive more accurate information pertaining to the Macs physical and emotional state. I would like to thank you all for the wonderful information provided.

 

[labell]

While I completely agree with the statements being made, I apologize if some of the information I provided hit an understandable nerve. I felt that it would be prudent to inform the forum of these things so that I may receive more accurate information pertaining to the Macs physical and emotional state. I would like to thank you all for the wonderful information provided.

My goodness, don't you feel bad, this poor girls circumstances are certainly not your fault and we can help you more if we have as much information as possible.
Any of us that have been around parrots for even a short time know there are thousands of parrots out there receiving less than great care, flipped and abused and left to linger and die. It's heart breaking but a single person can only do so much and as I said earlier rescuing all the ones a person would like to is not possible without quickly becoming overwhelmed.

 

[Puck]

Oh no ones upset at you--don't feel bad for posting!!! It's just more of a general angst over how people treat these birds! I'm pretty sure we all feel that way ANYTIME we see a bird in less the awesome circumstances!

 

[amusic20]

People need to realize that, without proper care, birds -- especially big ones like macaws -- can neglect preening and/or even pluck, sometimes so much that their feathers won't grow back.

 

[veimar]

Oh my gosh, I just got to read this thread.. very sad. Hope you can help this poor bird. Keep us posted!

 

[Christinenc2000]

Ever. I have nothing against people picking the big macaws as their first birds, but you had better be prepared to dedicated a big chunk of your time, money, and love to it or else just stick with the canary. Or better yet, get a really soft stuffed animal.

My rant also over.

My first Fid was a Mac. Only reason is he was in a Vet that had no Bird exp and he was just sitting in a dog kennel all day. Yes They are a lot of work. Would not trade it for anything but took total dedication on my part to read everything I could and ask all the silly questions that did get me some rude comments at times. I love my Mac and try to do the best by him. But true some just see it as a trophy

 

[Christinenc2000]

I was not offended just reinforce what you said. They are not a bird to take in and think they will just sit and sing to you. They are demanding and require a lot of attention to keep there heath in check. I spent over $1000.00 the first two months to make sure he got what he needed. ............ and still spending LOL

 

[Solo]

Should things work out, the current owner will have to agree to have the Mac vet checked(at my expense) before payment is exchanged. What all should I request the vet to do? Just a regular exam, or any special blood work or fecal tests?

 

[JerseyWendy]

Other than the regular overall check, I'd have the vet do a cloacal swab, fecal test and blood test. Looking at her feathers, I would have her tested for PBFD, just to make sure.

 

[houndoomwolf]

Sorry for asking but how do I know which category the post goes

 

[JerseyWendy]

Sorry for asking but how do I know which category the post goes

It's all right, ask away.

This member had questions about a Macaw, so the member chose to place it in the Macaw section, which is the absolute right location.

You have a cockatiel, so most of your questions should be placed in the Cockatiel section, located here: Budgies, Parakeets & Cockatiels - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

I sent you a message not long ago, with photos on how to post. Please look that message over again.

 

[Solo]

Well, no news as the lady has booked someone else to view her first and my possible opportunity to see her has moved from this weekend to middle/end of next week.

 

[Selph85]

poor poor poor baby.....

 

[Solo]

She was apparently adopted by the previous owners "friend". I at least hope she's in a better situation now.

 

[June2012]

She was apparently adopted by the previous owners "friend". I at least hope she's in a better situation now.

Best of luck to you to the parrot hunt! Hope you don't see her in the ads again. :3

 

[margaretmacaw]

Solo, sorry you missed out on the B/G, but another will come along. Sad to say, there are many macaws out there in need of homes. Unfotunately, many of the people who are looking to dump a bird with behavior problems also expect to get a premium price so they can recoup their "losses"- and when they find that they can't get that price, the bird sits, neglected and isolated, while the owner claims that they are demanding a lot of money "to ensure a good home."
My guess is that this bird will be available again soon. It sounds like there are plenty of behavioral issues and unless the new owner is really knowledgeable and really patient, the first time she bites them really hard, they'll be rethinking how much they want her.
I adopted an 18 year old female macaw with serious issues 2 years ago. She was frequently very aggressive. After the first week, I thought we were making progress, and I was sitting on my bed, talking quietly to her as she walked around on the bed. I was congratulating myself on what a brilliant bird trainer I was, when she sauntered over and casually leaned down and bit my wrist so hard that I think I saw stars. There was an area on my forearm that was actually numb for 3 months. Today she is much, much better, but it has been, and continues to be a lot of work. It is worth it though. I had previous big parrot experience, so the Rescue guy that had her before me was willing to let me try. She still tries to bite occasionally if she's mad at me, but she is much better behaved overall and continues to improve. She is a joy, hysterically funny and really sweet most of the time. The thing is, a macaw is capable of inflicting not just tremendous pain, but also disfiguring injury if they bite you in the face. It's understandable that once someone has been bitten hard, they become afraid to handle the bird again, and from there it goes downhill fast. You really have to be prepared, especially with a second-hand bird that has been abused or neglected. But if you make the committment, read everything available, and are firm as well as loving, and really consistent, even a really naughty bird can usually be retrained. Good luck, I hope your dream bird is available soon!