- Mar 27, 2012
- 1,023
- Media
- 8
- 2
- Parrots
- Red Front Macaw, Elvis, 10,male RIP
Red Front Macaw, Erin, 1.5,female
Goffin Cockatoo, Blossom 2,female Rehomed
Blue & Gold Macaw, Oscar, Male, 21 years old, Rehomed
American Bulldog Mix,
I had a previous flightless red front macaw. Well, he has been passed for almost a whole year now (vet put him under for blood work and he regurgitated), so my husband and I bought a new one, but a female. She is over a year old now and was greatly bonded to her sister. We met her last fall around 7 months old or so. We sat down with her and she did nothing but fly and bite. We went back to the same store again last weekend (Bird Paradise) and her and her sister were still there. We talked about getting her in the winter, but they said they'd probably get rid of her by then because they'd have new birds coming in, so we decided we'd have to get her (we don't want a breeder coming in and leaving her in cage all day to be bred). We sat with her two hours and there was a big change.
She was still hard to handle though. We were told to put our hand under her chest for her to lean on while we picked her up by her rump. She clearly doesn't like it, but if we don't hold her rump she quickly takes flight, but if we do she gets very stressed and goes into a biting frenzy.If she is on her perch, she will accept food and pets on her head and back and she even puffs up a bit and starts to close her eyes and relax just 5 minutes into a petting. She is a sweet heart and perfectly healthy, but not very used to be handled. My previous red front couldn't fly, so on top of her being a biter she also can fly and escape if I accidentally let go or even put her down for a break, so it's a big difference. Any advice to help get her used to the stepping up?
We are bringing her home this weekend and are quite afraid to put her in her cage for fear we wont be able to get her out without tremendously stressing her by using a towel. She doesn't seem to have trust issues with us because we can pet her anywhere-head, cheeks, back, chest, etc. She either does not like to be picked up or just is not used to it. She is very quiet and somewhat shy with every one for the first 5 minutes or so. We have tried coaxing her on our hands with pine nuts, but with no avail. She seems to want to be on my shoulder (its where she tries to escape to when trying get out of my arms), but knowing my last red front I am sure there will be a nip or two on my neck in getting her down or off, so I am discouraging it for now. They say there will be a big difference when we bring her home after the first couple of weeks because she won't be with her sister (they have been caged together since they were born). Does any one have any advice on handling her?
My last red front was very aggressive with everyone, but after a couple visits over the years and summers spent with him he came around to just me. I would like to have my new red front socialized and friendly with all and be able to trust her in public. My last one, as I have said could not fly, so I took him everywhere without a harness or leash. I do not know if I will ever be able to do that with the new one. How and when should I introduce her to a harness?
For her safety (escaping outside, running into things in the house when she is scared) should we clip her wings until she is more calm and tame? I don't want to clip her, but if it keeps her more safe I would, but I'm not sure there will be a huge benefit of doing so.
She was still hard to handle though. We were told to put our hand under her chest for her to lean on while we picked her up by her rump. She clearly doesn't like it, but if we don't hold her rump she quickly takes flight, but if we do she gets very stressed and goes into a biting frenzy.If she is on her perch, she will accept food and pets on her head and back and she even puffs up a bit and starts to close her eyes and relax just 5 minutes into a petting. She is a sweet heart and perfectly healthy, but not very used to be handled. My previous red front couldn't fly, so on top of her being a biter she also can fly and escape if I accidentally let go or even put her down for a break, so it's a big difference. Any advice to help get her used to the stepping up?
We are bringing her home this weekend and are quite afraid to put her in her cage for fear we wont be able to get her out without tremendously stressing her by using a towel. She doesn't seem to have trust issues with us because we can pet her anywhere-head, cheeks, back, chest, etc. She either does not like to be picked up or just is not used to it. She is very quiet and somewhat shy with every one for the first 5 minutes or so. We have tried coaxing her on our hands with pine nuts, but with no avail. She seems to want to be on my shoulder (its where she tries to escape to when trying get out of my arms), but knowing my last red front I am sure there will be a nip or two on my neck in getting her down or off, so I am discouraging it for now. They say there will be a big difference when we bring her home after the first couple of weeks because she won't be with her sister (they have been caged together since they were born). Does any one have any advice on handling her?
My last red front was very aggressive with everyone, but after a couple visits over the years and summers spent with him he came around to just me. I would like to have my new red front socialized and friendly with all and be able to trust her in public. My last one, as I have said could not fly, so I took him everywhere without a harness or leash. I do not know if I will ever be able to do that with the new one. How and when should I introduce her to a harness?
For her safety (escaping outside, running into things in the house when she is scared) should we clip her wings until she is more calm and tame? I don't want to clip her, but if it keeps her more safe I would, but I'm not sure there will be a huge benefit of doing so.