Hi (and help needed)

[Milan]

Hello people,

my name is Brigitta and I found this website when desperately looking for help with our new familymember Rock, a b&g macaw. We used to have a greenwing macaw named Milan and he was my everything. He came to live with us when he was about 50 yrs old, half dead, handicapped because of the abuse he had to suffer, and we were his fosterhome that were able to give him some more beautiful years. He wasn't easy, but we all loved him so much and when he just dropped dead one day, my heart was broken. I didn't even want another parrot anymore, cause I knew I would always compare them with Milan and that wouldn't be fair. He was the best pet ever, he was even more than a pet, he was amazing.

I live in Europe, so I hope my english is good enough, cause it's not my first language .

I also have 3 dogs, 10 cats, 2 guinea-pigs and 1 lizard, and next to that I also foster dogs for several animal shelters (very old or sick dogs that can't stay in the shelter, so they stay here untill the shelter finds them a new owner).

I hope to find advice here what to do with my new macaw, cause I am desperate .
And it's nice to read all peoples stories and see all the beautiful pictures, especially because I love the way most people here handle their parrots. In my country the general idea is that a bird (pet) needs to be locked up in a cage and you can't be too good for him/her cause then they get too dominant, blablabla...here I read so much love for the birds and it makes me feel very much at home .

Thank you for reading this .

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

welcome I am glad you joined your english is quit good I hope you enjoy the forum

 

[allison]

Welcome to the Avenue. Good luck with Rock. Feel free to ask away with any questions you have.

 

[Wasabisaurus]

Bless you for your work with animals. Your English is fine. There are very knowledgeable macaw people here.
What are the problem issues?

 

[WeasleyLover]

and

 

[Big Blues]

Welcome Brigitta and Rock, there are many wonderful macaw owners on AA, ask your questions and I am sure you will have many members ready to help. Do you have a pic of your new family member?

 

[TextsFromParrots]

Welcome to the avenue!! It sounds like you want the very best for Rock, I'm sure everyone here will be eager to help you. And we do love pictures!

 

[Coco's Momma]

First, welcome. Second - wow! I would have never, ever guessed that English was not your first language! Excellent job! Congratulations on your new companion; I would love to see pictures of Rock. Are you having any problems in particular?

 

[suncoast]

Welcome, your English is excellent. I am very sorry about Milan, and bless you for taking such good care of him in his advanced age. What is going on with Rock? We have very many Macaw owners here who have performed miracles.

Ginger

 

[Milan]

Thank you for welcoming me .

My problem with Rock is her agression. Now, the agression towards me I can deal with, but I am terrified about my 3 kids (and 2 have autism, so they don't really understand the danger). And I know macaws can be agressive and like to test people, but Rock goes a little step further with it.

Today I decided not to show her my fear and I was standing next to the cage. She attacked me and got a piece of my shirt and started to shake it, like a dog does with a prey. I was already afraid of her, but that scared me even more. I lost part of my finger 11 yrs ago when I saved a dog from another dog attacking, so the whole biting thing is already a sensitive thing for me. And I don't mind working on it with Rock and training her (and myself , but she is even worse with my children. If they walk by her cage, she will throw her whole body to the cage trying to attack them. I have never seen that with macaws at all, so I have no idea what to do.

I did call a birdspecialist this week and we could come by with Rock, but there we already have a big problem: I can't get her out of her cage. I can't even take her bowls out, I first have to lure her away and then I can take them out really fast, while she is throwing herself at me again.

The tension is really getting to me, and that after only one week . I am constantly afraid she will hurt my kids. Her cage is in the livingroom, cause I don´t want her to be alone in another room, she needs the attention. But this does mean I have to constantly check where the kids are, even just going into the kitchen to get a drink is already making me nervous!

Easiest thing would be to give her away, but then what? We are her 5th or 6th home in 2 yrs time, and I hate letting her down. Again . But I also have to protect my children. So there´s so much stress. I want to work with her, but I have no clue how. With my greenwing Milan it was so easy, I just knew what to do with him somehow. He could also be grumpy and trying to bite, but not this fanatic as Rock, with her it´s almost as if she goes for the kill, you know?

We have fostered so many animals, even big dogs like rottweilers and pitbulls, and my instincts always told me how to handle with each individual animal. With Rock I have absolutely no clue at all and I think that´s what is making me so insecure. That and my fear of her. I am terrified of her. My friends laughed when I told that, cause they know I am never afraid, we´ve had 4 meter long snakes, huge tarantula´s, dogs who weighted more than me....and this is the first time I am afraid of an animal.

I would love to hear other peoples thoughts about that. I know it´s possible to train agressive parrots, but what if there are small children in the house? And what if the owner is terrified of the bird? And the bird is more agressive than the average macaw?

Sorry for the long story, but I feel so helpless. I asked people around me for advice and it´s shocking to hear people say to lock her up in her cage somewhere alone in a room where she can´t do harm. This breaks my heart, no animals deserves that. And I want Rock to be happy, but how can I do that?

PS I was crying typing this and when Rock noticed that she started to sing and constantly say Hello to me, as if she wanted to cheer me up

 

[Milan]

I´ve never been active on forums, so I will try to find out how to post pictures. She is worth showing

 

[expressmailtome]

Welcome! I am sorry about your problems with her. Your questions would probably get more answers if you put them in the Behavior Byway. I hope that you enjoy it here and that things will get better for you!

Matt

 

[Milan]

Thank you. And I will also start a thread there .

 

[suncoast]

Well I'm no Macaw expert, but I can tell you a few things in general that you might already know. Bird time and human time are two entirely different things. One week human time ='s about 3 minutes bird time. Also, she might like to be in a private place right at this time while she acclimates. It might be less scary for her. Not banished of course but somewhere close by where the kids can't get to her without your supervision and a place that makes her feel secure. Ideally her cage should back up to two walls. We had a member here who has to don a heavy coat to handle her Macaw to keep away the bites. Has she been vetted recently. It's possible she's ill or injured and that could be making her aggressive. Hopefully our Macaw Whisperer's will come on here and give you some specific advice. Don't give up.

Ginger

 

[Marc]

Hello people,


I live in Europe, so I hope my english is good enough, cause it's not my first language .
.

Welcome to Forum;
where are you from?

 

[Milan]

Yes, she has been tested and she is healthy, she also looks very well (except for her plucked chest, but even there the little grey feathers are growing again). The previous owner promised me to sent all her papers, so I hope to receive those this week, so I can check it all myself.

If I would put her in another room, for example the kitchen, then she would get so much fewer attention, so that's why I haven't done that yet (although I am constantly thinking about it, cause it would give me so much more peace ). I put her cage next to my desk in the living room, so when I'm working there, I can talk to her and make contact. I can see she likes that. I don't get the idea she is afraid now, but I'm probably missing a lot of her signals, seeing how bad things are going .

But maybe I should try moving her to the kitchen and see how it goes.

Writing here I notice I keep comparing her to Milan, as in:"Milan immediately fell at home ", so maybe I am expecting way too much?? Maybe I can keep her in the livingroom and put a little 'fence' around her cage (like we use on top of the stairs to prevent kids to fall off)...

You're right, I shouldn't give up. And just writing here already makes me feel so much better, so thank you so much for responding

It's almost midnight here, so I'll go to bed now and I really think I will sleep better tonight than I did the last few nights!

(and normally I am never so emotional, but for some reason the last days I was just too stressed and that made both the kids and Rock also more stressed which made me more stressed, etc)

 

[Milan]

Welcome to Forum;
where are you from?

The Netherlands. And my husband works in Italy, mostly in and around Milan, hence the name

 

[Cinnyluver]

Welcome to forums! I'm sorry you are having trouble with your bird. Was she ever bonded to a person? Sometimes macaws like one person, and they don't want to have anything to do with anyone else. Maybe she misses someone. I don't know for sure because I've never had a macaw. Good luck with her.

 

[Holiday]

I am terrified about my 3 kids (and 2 have autism, so they don't really understand the danger). And I know macaws can be agressive and like to test people, but Rock goes a little step further with it.

Today I decided not to show her my fear and I was standing next to the cage. She attacked me and got a piece of my shirt and started to shake it, like a dog does with a prey. I was already afraid of her, but that scared me even more. I lost part of my finger 11 yrs ago when I saved a dog from another dog attacking, so the whole biting thing is already a sensitive thing for me. And I don't mind working on it with Rock and training her (and myself , but she is even worse with my children. If they walk by her cage, she will throw her whole body to the cage trying to attack them. I have never seen that with macaws at all, so I have no idea what to do.

I did call a birdspecialist this week and we could come by with Rock, but there we already have a big problem: I can't get her out of her cage. I can't even take her bowls out, I first have to lure her away and then I can take them out really fast, while she is throwing herself at me again.

The tension is really getting to me, and that after only one week . I am constantly afraid she will hurt my kids. Her cage is in the livingroom, cause I don´t want her to be alone in another room, she needs the attention. But this does mean I have to constantly check where the kids are, even just going into the kitchen to get a drink is already making me nervous!

Easiest thing would be to give her away, but then what? We are her 5th or 6th home in 2 yrs time, and I hate letting her down. Again . But I also have to protect my children. So there´s so much stress. I want to work with her, but I have no clue how. With my greenwing Milan it was so easy, I just knew what to do with him somehow. He could also be grumpy and trying to bite, but not this fanatic as Rock, with her it´s almost as if she goes for the kill, you know?

...

I would love to hear other peoples thoughts about that. I know it´s possible to train agressive parrots, but what if there are small children in the house? And what if the owner is terrified of the bird? And the bird is more agressive than the average macaw?

Sorry for the long story, but I feel so helpless. I asked people around me for advice and it´s shocking to hear people say to lock her up in her cage somewhere alone in a room where she can´t do harm. This breaks my heart, no animals deserves that. And I want Rock to be happy, but how can I do that?

PS I was crying typing this and when Rock noticed that she started to sing and constantly say Hello to me, as if she wanted to cheer me up

Hello, and welcome to AA. It sounds like you have the very best of intentions toward Rock, but it does sound like she may have a bit of a behavior issue. Of course, any B&G in a new home may show aggression toward his/her new owner. Mine did. It took weeks for her to stop lunging at me. But, I do not know if your bird has any additional reasons to be afraid of humans other than this being a new, strange situation.

Okay, actually, the first thing I'd recommend is that you put Rock in a separate room where she does not pose a danger to your children--I KNOW you don't really want to do this, and I understand why, but this is 1) temporary 2) necessary for now, so that you are not so stressed around her and she is not overwhelmed and in danger of losing a very good home with a very caring owner. I am always one to put the parrot's needs first, and I think it is in Rock's best interest for you to move her somewhere quiet for a while until she becomes accustomed to you. Parrots do thrive on family life, but only AFTER they become PART of that family. At first, a large number of children and activities can be overwhelming to them (stimulus overload in what they see as a scary new situation) so it is a good idea to transition her into the middle of things more slowly.

Ginger is also right--you have not had her long enough to see what her true personality is. It often takes months for a large parrot to settle into a new home. You will need to earn her trust gradually and carefully over a period of time. This will be much easier for you to do if you are not constantly worried about the safety of the kids.

What do you know about her previous environment? I get the idea that she may have suffered some maltreatment in the past, but I'll wait for you to confirm or deny that before offering any thoughts on that specifically.

Training an aggressive parrot takes time, time, time, patience, and a quiet, non-threatening environment.

When Rock has progressed to the point that she doesn't see the children and yourself as a threat, then it will be time to mainstream her into the family.

 

[Traveler]

Welcome to the forum!

This is an amazing place, Ive just joined about a week ago or so and already learning so much. The people here are awesome and very willing to help. They have already given great advice, I hope things with your bird start to take a turn for the better. Just dont give up, and it sounds like you wont! I hope the best for you and your family