• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Helpppp, I just adopted a 22 yr old B&G, that plucks and only likes hubby

Adopted a new macaw and hates me when men around and how 2 stopmplucking

  • good

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • bad

    Votes: 1 100.0%

  • Total voters
    1

USMCWIFE

Checking out the neighborhood
Joined
8/17/16
Messages
3
Real Name
Nicole
I adopted a macaw last week from a great family. Theguy got this bird from his mother that has had the bird since a hatchling but she's sick and can't care for the bird so he took her home 6 months ago. He works 2 much and the bird started to pluck worse.
He said that the bird prefers men and that proved true since Tango lunges at me only when my hubby is around. Yet when it's just me and tango, she let's me pick her up, and sometimes pet her head.
she even regurgitated on me yesterday.
My question is, can I stop her from lunging when my hubby is around??? Also, how do u stop pkucking??? Shes literally naked on her chest and legs
 

Chopper

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
6/12/14
Messages
3,490
Location
Maryland
Real Name
Mary lynn Snowman
I got one of those too and mine lunges at me every time I'm near her cage. If she is on someone else's cage I am able to scritch her. She does let me scritch her beak but she has to put it through the bars for me. The lunging had almost stopped (after three months) and then I moved and now she is lunging more again. But she still wants me to scritch her beak. :D

The plucking evidently has stopped because her feathers are coming in and there aren't many (if any) on the floor of the cage. Try and bathe her every day if you can but at least twice a week so that the feathers coming in are softer than if you didn't bathe her. I've had mine almost five months and about half of her feathers have come back in. They may never all come back in but she looks much better. Somewhere I read two to five years can be expected.

Thank you for taking her in. Time and patience will get you there.
 

USMCWIFE

Checking out the neighborhood
Joined
8/17/16
Messages
3
Real Name
Nicole
She let's me pick her up, pet her head a little and she plays with me when she's on her cage, then my hubby walks in the room and she changes into another bird. She LOVE HIM. And then won't let me near her. It's so weird. I've only had her for 4 days, and everyone keeps saying that it's amazing that she's letting me pick her up already, so I'm happy about that, but I want her to like all of us, including my kids. And stop plycking. I will try the bath and see if that helps.
Thank u
 

Jaguar

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Avenue Spotlight Award
Shutterbugs' Best
Joined
7/11/14
Messages
3,243
Location
British Columbia, Canada
Real Name
Ry
It's not weird at all - hubby is her mate, you're just a friend. When he's there and you're around, you're just competition, and so she'll try to drive you away. Phoenix is like that with my SO ;)
 

JLcribber

@cockatoojohn
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Shutterbugs' Best
Avenue Concierge
Joined
10/16/09
Messages
22,620
Location
Alberta, Canada
Real Name
John
Tango lunges at me only when my hubby is around. Yet when it's just me and tango, she let's me pick her up, and sometimes pet her head.
First off I'd like to thank you for taking in this bird.

I'm sorry to say that as long as your husband is around you were going to be the competition/intruder. You will never have the same kind of relationship he has with your husband but in time (likely years) you can establish your own relationship on a different level.

Give this article or read. It will give you some insight into what's going on.

Site Name - Articles - Behavioral - Sex And The Psittacine
 

JLcribber

@cockatoojohn
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Shutterbugs' Best
Avenue Concierge
Joined
10/16/09
Messages
22,620
Location
Alberta, Canada
Real Name
John
When hubby is around and interacting with the bird you will need to step back and be on guard. You will come to realize over time that it will be best that hubby doesn't really spend too much time with the Bird especially during hormones.

Macaws are also known to be bluffers. Lunging is one of those things they do.
 

Chopper

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
6/12/14
Messages
3,490
Location
Maryland
Real Name
Mary lynn Snowman
Macaws are also known to be bluffers. Lunging is one of those things they do.
I sometimes make a game of it and lunge back. It usually shocks her and then she makes a game of it. Right now she isn't playing. She is mad at me and I know it. We are slowly getting to know each other.


As for her letting you pet her and pick her up and it's only been four days. Yoohoo!
 

Gimby

Jogging around the block
Avenue Veteran
Joined
8/16/16
Messages
646
Real Name
Katie Denski
Hi, how are you? I am sorry you are going through that. I do have experience with that situation. Regarding my finance, John, parrot named Suzy Q. Suzy Q was adopted to and is a B&G Macaw. Suzy Q is John best friend until ANY woman comes around. Suzy prefers women because Suzy was raised by a woman, if that makes sense. Most not all, but most parrots have a preference when it comes to male or female (as odd as that sounds). In general, Macaws are what I call "users". If they're preferred or "favorite" human is not around they will be cordial to those around them i.e. YOU because you are means of food and attention, even affection but, when lets say, your husband comes home you are no longer tolerated - lunged at, maybe even charged by your newly adopted macaw. They are mainly one person birds unless handed-raised and weaned and introduced to all kinds of men and women and children from an early age with good experiences. Now, from what I experienced, either your newly adopted macaw was raised by a male and this is why he/she prefers your husband when he's home OR this newly adopted macaw looks at your husband as a mate, especially if she's a female bird, and especially if he can take her out, pet her all over especially around the rump that's stimulating to a macaw(any parrot, really)and especially if this bird is acting protective as you approach while your husband is holding the bird. I don't know if you adopted from a rescue or CL ad whatever the case, in my experience, always ask, "Does this bird prefer men or women?" because most the the time, not all the time, most parrots have a preference. That preference stems from who raised them, where they owned by a man or woman beforehand, did they have a better experience with a man or woman. There is no way to know all this as macaws are not open book we can just read, you know but that's where you have to ask questions and know what ones to ask. Sometimes these rescues can't tell you the history of a potential adoptee parrot and that's where you just have to take a chance. I took a chance on my girl, Charlie, who's pictured as my avatar and it was the best decision I have ever made. John not so much, he has to work at a relationship with his bird and it's been 10yrs. As much as you want that macaw to accept you with your husband around, it may not happen, or it may take a lot of work on your part, bites to, but especially a lot of work on your husbands part to reprimand that behavior towards you since the bird looks to him as "favorite" and obviously has more respect to him. Now if it is this bird look at him as a mate and you as competition and this is a jealousy situation from the bird point of view that's a whole different scenario. First things first - Figure out what is going on in your new macaws brain - is hubby favorite or is potential mate? If you do not know I'd go back to where you got your macaw from and ask her/his history - who owned this bird, why'd it end up here, what'd they say about this bird when they dropped him off, where'd he come from, if you haven't asked this stuff already. I'd be curious to know if your bird was male or female. With my 3 birds - 2 of which were throw aways I, by their behavior could tell if they were male or female, I took my best educated guess, and took them to the vet to get dna confirmation and was correct. Watch your new friend, study her/his behavior, understand what behavior leads to what action. Never lose your temper and scream, or hit them, or throw a blanket over the cage you'll only deplete there trust in you and you will become enemy or predator. Neither is good. Hope all turns out well. It takes much time and much, much patience. You will be tested beyond belief especially with a macaw. It won't happen over night maybe not even a year from today. And DONT GIVE UP :) It can happen just make it and take your time doing so.
 

Gimby

Jogging around the block
Avenue Veteran
Joined
8/16/16
Messages
646
Real Name
Katie Denski
Hi, You reached out to me and I tried sending my response back, but it said I could only send 140 characters long. My response was much more than 140 characters :wideyed:. I wrote and posted to your question you sent me b4 I read what you also wrote at the top here. I posted according to my experiences and my knowledge. As for the plucking, there is no miracle cure. I don't care what that stuff on the market says. Ive tried it all. My GW used to pluck her underside and her legs and as you see from my photo of here, go ahead ZOOM in, she has stopped. Ive had Charlie for 5yrs. This is what I did for Charlie - I would go to the vet, an AVIAN VET not just any vet. A dog and cat vet isn't going to know how to handle a macaw, no matter what they say, believe me I have the experience plus they do not have the extensive avian knowledge unlike a vet who actually studied in avian. I have horror stories about vets. It took me a long time to find an avian vet. Now I travel 45min out of my way just to get my bird to the vet. I got avian blood tests run, all the blood tests don't cheap out lol and have him check her over - visually and physically. Overweight which can lead to egg binding? medical issues? lacking vitamins? bad diet? Blood tests tell all. There are so many reasons she can be plucking. Maybe she's just unsure - maybe she's just sick of being moved and feels she doesn't belong. Imagine you can't understand these people you've lived with this older lady for sometime then they say something in weird language now your at some man home who has no idea what to do with you and you only sit in your cage now your at a man and woman house. For a parrot this is upsetting mentally. They need a sense of belonging, a flock to call theirs forever. Your new friend needs to know she's home, this is home, and your wanted and staying here forever. The feeling of being loved, wanted, accepted can do amazing transformations. For now, give the bird some structure. What I mean by structure - a flock wakes up 5am to forage, enjoy the day, by afternoon there going to the clay deposits, by dusk back to the sleeping tree. REPEAT NEXT DAY. Structure for the unstructured parrot will give your bird confidence in what to expect day in and day out till your bird understands not allowing the bird to be unsure "am I being moved today, whats happening today, Im so unsure, Im going to pluck, PLUCK, PLUCK, PLUCK". Parrots are animals that need structure, need a schedule just read about their wild cousins or watch NAT GEO when they have a planet earth they usually throw parrots in some place depending where they are in the world. Next Toys, toys, toys galore - Hard woods, soft woods, sea grass mats is the newest toy out there(shreddables), foraging, interactive toys. Find out what types of toys makes your new blue girl happy. Maybe change location - birds love looking out windows I don't care what people say. Do you want to sit in a cage and stare at a wall all day? Or a tv that says stuff you don't understand and makes strange noises, or do you want to look out a window at he cheerful, the green grass the blue sky and all those people walking dogs, mowing there lawns, cars and trucks passing by at least that triggers a parrots senses. Windows can be entertaining to sit in front of all day. Get her an avian lamp and light bulb for lacking sunlight vitamin. Im almost 100% sure this bird didnt in its previous homes get to enjoy the sun or the fresh air. Maybe your new bird just needs some vitamin A (sunlight). DO NOT take your new friend outside unless harnessed, especially, since you do not know this bird. You need to establish a bond and trust first and foremost which can take a year. A window and fake sunlight will do for now. Music is wonderful. Put a radio on it's better than tv. What kind of music makes your birds toes tap?
 
Top