Samuel (Sam) is my Scarlet. He comes with a little bit of a story. Some of it, I was only told so I have no idea what the truth is. He was bought from the woman that I got him from off of craigslist.
I was told that he's around fifteen years old, and given his paler eye color I'm inclined to believe her. He and my eclectus came from the same place - and he picked me, danced every time I showed up, and called after me when I left. I visited for about a year (to make sure I was committed and to prepare for everything - got used to buying food, making/buying toys etc) before they came home. They came from a friend/former rescue so she wasn't re-homing them to anyone she didn't know.
He and the woman who had him never got along (she lost her Scarlet, and her husband got her Sam to try and help her, they re-named him Archie but he doesn't respond to it like he does to Sam) but she was excited when he reacted the way he did for me. When I first met him, he lived on top of a large cage filled with cockatiels, he didn't move much - just shuffled from side to side, only climbed to the top when she tried to towel him or when a stick appeared. But, he took the fresh food I brought (she insisted that I was spoiling my two by giving them fresh food; all they really needed were seeds, most birds would starve before eating pellets etc) and was very gentle, he'd preen my hand. After reading EVERYTHING I could (I'd never thought that I'd have a macaw, or even the possibility of having one, they aren't birds for people who've never had birds before can usually handle) I decided to try. He'd never had a toy, or so she told me, so I bought him a small wooden toy. Needless to say, once he figured out, he destroyed it happily.
Right away, I bought him his own cage, perches, toys; everything and anything to make him comfortable. Sam is a special needs macaw - his left wing is broken, he can only extend it about 25% and no one really knows what happened to him to make it that way, maybe abuse, maybe an accident, who knows. He was a meek guy when I first met him - nothing like the other macaws I'd read about (and he was nothing like the female Blue and Gold that she had) but, little by little he became more confident. When he finally got on/into his own cage, he really became a macaw; started climbing, showing a little bit of that attitude, still a sweetie but he obviously felt a lot better about himself. After that, his diet didn't seem great to me, lots of sun flower seeds, so I got pellets and a pellet/nut/dried veggies and started him on that while he was there. She wasn't thrilled but I was paying for it, and he loved it.
Sam came home a little while ago, so he's finally off the seeds (he had them offered to him but other than to scoop them onto the floor, ignored them) and eating fresh food like a champ. He doesn't like to be touched (except a little on his beak and head) and I'm not sure he even knows how to step up but, I don't care. He's my boy (could be a girl - have no DNA test to verify either way, still doesn't matter) and I love him.
Never thought I could handle a macaw but, he insisted that I try (having grown up with horses, the beak was less concerning than my inexperience). He doesn't speak much, he'll say "Hello" and the first time I called him Sam he replied with "I love you" and he's said "Bless you" once, mostly he makes quiet and loud macaw sounds, and he can dance with them best of 'em!
Sam at home after a bath.
people who neglect these precious creatures...sp glad she got to know love before passing. 
Tucker came to join our family a couple of days ago after being given up by his first family. Not sure what the whole story is, and it really doesn't matter, he needed a home and we have one! He joins our eckie, cockatiel, and 2 cats. He's a bit of a rascal, and will bite everything and anything that gets close enough for him to reach. He will not leave his cage at this point, and definitely doesn't want us intruding in his space. We are hoping that with a healthy diet, and lots and lots of patience, he will learn that ours is his forever home and we are so very happy to have him. He's a cute little guy, isn't he?
