“Foster” BG - Michael - Questions

[Miss Annamarie]

We are home! He was very awkward when I lwt him out of the carrier, he kept stepping up willingly and then going back to sit on his crate probably about 6x in a row
Right now hes sitting on a stand and I'm giving him some nuts
I genuinely don't understand how they were so scared of him when they have an amazon and a grey, the husband would give him pistachios with tongs. He is such a good spirited bird but definitely sad and nervous

 

[expressmailtome]

I just wanted to say that he is striking! Also, his name is great!

 

[Clueless]

Remember you are going through a honeymoon stage.

 

[Miss Annamarie]

Remember you are going through a honeymoon stage.

Definitely! He has lunged at me for sure, right now he only steps up when he asks for it, and thats only to get places, which is more than fine. He definitely will bite but for me its more just confusing to me why they were so scared of him in general though. I can understand being respectful and not nearing his boundaries that they knew he had. But from what I saw at their house and videos they showed me I feel like they were a lot more cautious than they needed to be. Definitely still cautious at the point hes gotten to, but probably 25% less from what ive seen. But then again, I dont know him

 

[Miss Annamarie]

Michael let us do a tiny bit of target training already, we did about 4 touches until I stopped to not overwhelm him.
He REALLY wants to interact but from afar. My bed is about 6 feet from his cage, and when I'm sitting there he will put up his wings or lean towards me and move them up and down or flip his head back and forth, and we will copy eachother from a far, but if I get up and get closer he steps to the other side of the cage.

 

[Toy]

He's trying to decide if he can trust you. From what you've posted so far it sounds good. Macaws love silly, so dance sing & just act silly. Talk to him, explain things to him & keep your words consistent so as not to confuse him.

 

[Finchbreed]

Sounds like a good start.

 

[zoo mom]

He is handsome.

 

[Miss Annamarie]

This sweet bird, I hope he knows I'm not going to let him just sit up there all the time alone
Hes moving very fast in so many things
From stepping up willingly this morning for breakfast
To just now I was setting up a rope perch for him to climb on from his cage to his tree or my bed, he likes having direct access to things as he won't even try to fly or hop. But i was clipping on the rope perch onto the cage and he lunged at me once and I assumed just because I'm in his space. But then he climbed down about 2 feet to get onto my arm and put his beak against my cheek before climbing back up i swear i almost teared up

Heres a picture of him eating the huge walnut I gave him as a reward for that

 

[Finchbreed]

He seems a little conflicted - understandably - Angry at space incursion - and grateful for your care and consideration.

 

[Miss Annamarie]

You guys are never gonna believe it...

We've been outside today and he let me preen him for probably like close to 10 minutes!!!!

 

[Miss Annamarie]

About an hour later we had our first bite as well lol
I had him go back inside and he was already upset about it, but then i closed my bedroom door too fast while bringing him back to his cage and it scared him pretty bad.
He got my whole thumb in that beak! Ow! I haven't been bit by a macaw in so long I forgot how crushing those beaks are! I'd rather that than the shredding of a cockatoo any day though!

 

[alshgs]

Cody (my 23 year old foster B&G) usually pinches pretty hard when i go to put her back on her cage when she doesn't want to go...so I feel you, lol!

 

[Miss Annamarie]

Does anyone think its worth a try to possibly try to teach him to fly in the future? With younger foster birds who didn't fledge well I've been able to but I'm just concerned with his age and everything. He will flap his wings to get my attention because he knows I'll call him pretty, but if he's slipping or anything he doesnt use his wings in a practical way at all.

 

[Toy]

My previous B&G Macaw (passed in Aug. 2020) hardly flew, even tho she could. We'd fly her thru the house, down the stairs, etc., but She preferred to walk.

My current macaw refuses to fly. I got her at age 4 months & she is now 5 years & 4 months old. They had flown her a few times & then hard clipped her. She has a fear of falling, so she grabs skin, OUCH, to hang on. I've tried tossing her on the bed, sofa, etc. She grabs on to my arm & refuses to let go. JaKhu is very bullheaded & is a constant work in progress.

I'd say give it a try & see what happens. He may surprise you.

 

[Miss Annamarie]

My previous B&G Macaw (passed in Aug. 2020) hardly flew, even tho she could. We'd fly her thru the house, down the stairs, etc., but She preferred to walk.

My current macaw refuses to fly. I got her at age 4 months & she is now 5 years & 4 months old. They had flown her a few times & then hard clipped her. She has a fear of falling, so she grabs skin, OUCH, to hang on. I've tried tossing her on the bed, sofa, etc. She grabs on to my arm & refuses to let go. JaKhu is very bullheaded & is a constant work in progress.

I'd say give it a try & see what happens. He may surprise you.

Ow! I bet that doesnt feel good. He fell the other day and it was like a total rock, didnt even try to put his wings out. In a couple weeks when he settlea in more we might start trying

 

[Miss Annamarie]

Also in case anyone wants to see the bite lol
It doesnt look nasty anymore since the blood stopped flowing but i swear finger bites hurt the worst!! I've definitely had worse and im 1000% sure he'll give me worse
He tried to bite me again abour 20 minutes ago but not very hard at all, hes definitely testing boundaries and I don't think he likes that he gets no reaction and I leave the room
He tries to laugh when he lets go and sees that I leave and just stares at me confused lol

 

[Miss Annamarie]

When I came home today and let him out, after we greeted eachother he climbed straight from his cage to my bed to say hi!



P.S. apparently we've been moving ao fast and well we are TOO good of friends now

August 27, 2025

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[Miss Annamarie]

I dont know whats so appealing about me guys half the store birds would like to get with me too when they dont try with anyone else and arent really prone to hormonal behaviour

 

[Finchbreed]

Have you looked in the mirror to see if you are growing feathers.