Bonding Question

[Kristi]

I've got a new little Hahn's Macaw that I've had since Wednesday...he's doing MARVELOUS! He's learned to step up now and I can have him step up and come out of his cage with no problems now, which is fantastic considering he screamed bloody murder for the first couple of days!
Anyway...this little Hahn's (who we've named "Goliath"!) is my husbands bird...how can I keep this little fellow from bonding with me? I really want him to bond with my hubby, so I've been careful about handling him for the last couple of days. (He will vocalize with me and seems to prefer me. He likes my husband, too, but up until yesterday I've been the main one working with him.) Is it even possible to dictate to a bird who he bonds with???

[Alika]

First of all, congratulations on your new fid!

You really can't chose/predict whom a bird will like the best or bond to the most, but you can minimize over-bonding by introducing him to as many people as possible, in as many new situations as possible. This is called socializing, and is very important to do with any bird, especially when they are young.

He's still going to chose a favorite, but, hopefully, if you socialize him well, he won't try to kill anyone who is not his favorite.

[Cowgirl Chris]

I agree with Alika, I am really the only one that deals with my birds and my mexican red head amazon still choose my DH over me even though I was the one who feed him, cares for him and plays with him (my hubby does none of this) and he still chooses my hubby over me. So the best thing for you to do is both of you spend time with him. You new baby will pick who he likes best no matter what you do