MacEnthusiast
Meeting neighbors
I've refrained from the subject of my fiancees B&G because it isn't my bird, but things are starting to get worse with Bo's behaviors. Let's start with a little backstory. I was looking to adopt an African Grey and happened upon one online that seemed incredibly neglected. After reaching out to the individual, I learned that she also had a B&G macaw and that she has had both of them since they were hatched in 1999. Being inexperienced with larger birds, I was planning to be picky about the bird I bring home. I wasn't planning to take on a project bird, let alone two, and was willing to look around until I found a match. Unfortunately, the situation was that I had two very neglected birds living at an animal hoarders house and we couldn't leave them in those conditions. In the end we opted to bring both of them home immediately, got them cleaned up, set up with new cages and toys, a vet visit, and onto an acceptable diet.
At first, I was looking for a new home for them, but with time they seemed to warm up to us. Both birds ended up bonding with my fiancee and he decided to take them in as pets. The CAG (Ruby) is happy, well adjusted to the environment, and healthy aside from a couple feather issues we're working through. However, Bo hasn't been so successful at acclimating.
She almost immediately bonded to Greg (my fiancee) and became obsessively clingy with him. She freaks out over anything that would even imply that Greg is walking away or leaving. If he stands up, she freaks out. If he moves, she freaks out. If he leaves the room for even a second she freaks out. We had to go so far as to have me hold a blanket up while he walks away so that she doesn't see him leave in order to keep her from having scream fest. It's also not a normal scream, and isn't that loud by macaw standards, but it sounds like abject fear. We've been able to control this behavior by knowing what sets her off and how to avoid it, but lately she has been getting progressively worse. When she's out of the cage she'll get spooked by the tiniest movement, or change in the environment. In the cage, she'll start yelling and frantically rubbing her beak against the cage bars. This has even happened in the middle of the night.
I know from her past that the owner ignored Bo almost entirely, and gave Ruby all of her attention. She was malnourished, ignored, without clean food or water and covered in her own feces. We also believe that her owner would beat her with a glove when she got noisy. I'm sure she has a lot of anxiety and abandonment issues, but we've been unable to break through it and I don't have any experience rehabilitating a parrot.
Are there any local resources or experienced parrot owners in the Tampa area who we could reach out to as a resource? How do you think we should proceed with Bo's training, and what kind of time commitment do you think it will require?
Edit: I uploaded photos of their home with their previous owner.
At first, I was looking for a new home for them, but with time they seemed to warm up to us. Both birds ended up bonding with my fiancee and he decided to take them in as pets. The CAG (Ruby) is happy, well adjusted to the environment, and healthy aside from a couple feather issues we're working through. However, Bo hasn't been so successful at acclimating.
She almost immediately bonded to Greg (my fiancee) and became obsessively clingy with him. She freaks out over anything that would even imply that Greg is walking away or leaving. If he stands up, she freaks out. If he moves, she freaks out. If he leaves the room for even a second she freaks out. We had to go so far as to have me hold a blanket up while he walks away so that she doesn't see him leave in order to keep her from having scream fest. It's also not a normal scream, and isn't that loud by macaw standards, but it sounds like abject fear. We've been able to control this behavior by knowing what sets her off and how to avoid it, but lately she has been getting progressively worse. When she's out of the cage she'll get spooked by the tiniest movement, or change in the environment. In the cage, she'll start yelling and frantically rubbing her beak against the cage bars. This has even happened in the middle of the night.
I know from her past that the owner ignored Bo almost entirely, and gave Ruby all of her attention. She was malnourished, ignored, without clean food or water and covered in her own feces. We also believe that her owner would beat her with a glove when she got noisy. I'm sure she has a lot of anxiety and abandonment issues, but we've been unable to break through it and I don't have any experience rehabilitating a parrot.
Are there any local resources or experienced parrot owners in the Tampa area who we could reach out to as a resource? How do you think we should proceed with Bo's training, and what kind of time commitment do you think it will require?
Edit: I uploaded photos of their home with their previous owner.
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