need advice - Greenwing

[Dana64]

Hi everyone... as I'm sure a few of you are aware, Greenwing's are my "dream bird". I have an opportunity to adopt a 10 year old GW. She (they think) was rescued from a bad situation about 6 months ago and they are realizing that she is "too much of a bird" for them to handle. By the sounds of my conversation with the current owner, they know what they are doing (they own a BFA) and their heart is in the right place, but the wife is just too afraid of the GW and the GW knows that and uses it. She says she feels the GW is better with women. She said the GW has been "aggressive" but not "blood-drawing".

I personally believe that I have the patience and knowledge to handle this challenge...

I have alot of respect for Anna and I beleive, in large part, what she says about "the parrot picking the owner" not the other way around. If that theory is correct, is it an instant "connection"? I am going to see the Greenwing on the weekend and the owner has told me I can take the GW home with me, if I want to...

Edited to add: I just don't want to make a mistake and have this poor bird go through more trauma/heartbreak/chnage.... someone has to "step up" and do right by this GW and I want to make sure I'm the one to do it....

Would really like everyone's "2 cents"...

[magdalena]

Originally Posted by Dana64

I have alot of respect for Anna and I beleive, in large part, what she says about "the parrot picking the owner" not the other way around. If that theory is correct, is it an instant "connection"? I am going to see the Greenwing on the weekend and the owner has told me I can take the GW home with me, if I want to...

I'm not sure how easy it would be to tell if you have an 'instant' bond with a bird in an at home situation. You could probably tell pretty fast if the bird wants nothing to do with you, then again the bird may want nothing to do with anyone new. In a rescue situation it is a lot easier because the people at the rescue have seen each bird with different potential adopters and know when there is a positive change in the bird with one person.

Zooo was like that, I thought she could care less about me but the rescue people were like WOW what a change! Even a lady that was there working with her bird she was adopting said she had seen Zooo with someone else and it was like she was a different bird with me. All I could see was the shaking and fly downs but I brought her home a little hesitant and sure enough she LOOOOOVED me from that first day.

If I were you I'd watch the bird a while in its cage, maybe come close, see what it does and how it reacts to you. Ask them how it normally behaves. Spend a bit of time there. Maybe there WILL be an instant connection, the bird could move closer to you, not try to take off your arm, etc. You won't know until you see it.

I'm kind of going through the same thing wondering about the two we are picking up on Saturday, what if they HATE us? It is a lot wiser to go visit first than commit to taking a bird sight unseen.

[Michelle & Fids]

Oh I can't wait, I have to post;) Here's my 2 cents: I think every bird and person is different, so there is no sure fire answer to your question:) I know a GW is your dream bird, but what about it?? You have to look at what you really want from the bird and go from there. If you can bring her home with no expectations other then you are getting a GW, then go for it!!! Even if you go see her and she steps up and you think the two of you "click" there is no saying it will stay that way once she is home. And vice versa , she may hate you on site and love you later. There are also many in betweens the relationship could end in.

Here's my GW's for example:

Sydney's two former homes before coming here were both with women. I was told he was a woman's bird. Well I have the scars to prove he is not a woman's bird.(The bird that has ever left a scar) He doesn't mind talking to me or taking care of him, but it better be from a safe distance. John however can do what ever he wants with him and he is super sweet to him. I have not held him in 4 years, because that is what makes him happy.

Jesse came from a single male household before coming here, so she was a man's bird. John brought her home and in the two miles from the store to our house she nailed him 4 times. No matter what he tried to win her over she bit him and there are chunks out bites. She loves to talk to him though and has taught the other birds to holler for Dad. I can do what ever I want with her. When it is time for nails I just pick up her foot and trim, it was the same with her wings back when I clipped. I would say it's been about 6+ years since John has held her. There was one exception with Jesse letting guys hold her. About 8 yrs ago she had to go to the Vets. I wasn't home to take her so John did. I walked in and she nailed both John and the male Vet tech. They both said how well behaved she was until I got there:)

Avalon was bounced from home to home before coming here so I don't think he preferred either sex. John picked him up about 4 hrs west of here in a big truck. Well Av sweet talked John into letting him out of the carrier and he rode all the way back on his shoulder sweet as pie. I met them when they got back and Av stepped right up for me, gave me a kiss and turned and nailed John's arm real good. Ever since he wants nothing to do with John. He hardly wants anything to do with me in the last few years either, his heart belongs to Jesse:)


Ha was for sale in a pet store within walking distance from our house when he was a baby. At the time we didn't have room for another Macaw so I went to visit him every day. When we was about a yr one of the young male employees bought him. He would still come and visit at the pet store,so I still got to see him the 4 yrs he lived with him. Then one day me and the boys were at the pet store and Ha was there with a 4 sale sign on him. Me and the boys worked on John hard to get Ha because we now had the room, but we were unsuccessful, that was until one day we stopped for a bag of seed and the owner asked us please to buy him because he really wanted him to go to a good home. John said yes and put Ha on his shoulder. When the guy who owned him tried to pick him up to say good bye Ha nailed him. And I also have never been able to touch him since that moment. Some say birds don't have emotions, well I think they do and Ha hates me!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has no use for me what so ever and even tries to nail me when I'm feeding them.

Gazo was a surprise Christmas present for me. When I finally got to see her the friends of ours who she stayed with until Christmas told me she was a mean bird that bit everyone and anything she came in contact with and had a mouth that would make a sailor blush. I however have never seen any of that from her. If you saw the two of us together you would think I was her one and only owner, we have such a great relationship. She tolerates John and will go to him, but does all she can to get back to her Mama.

Samson & Dalila are wild caught former breeders. They stopped breeding in their last home and didn't want to here either. Samson is sweet and will let me pet his beak and head. Dalila prefers John and will let him pet her beak and head. She dislikes me though and tries to rearrange me face every day:(

Oz was parent raised and pulled from them at 9 mths. When we brought her home she was a wild child that was scared to death of us. She is now one of the sweetest birds and will let either of us do what we want. Anyone else better stay back though:)

And last but not least Corky. Corky became very unhappy after her last family moved to a new home and decided she didn't like anyone and would bite anyone who got near. Here she is as sweet as pie and has not bit anyone since she bit John the night he picked her up to bring her home. She was mostly the mans bird and does prefer John, but has never even attempted to bite me.

Whew, I bet your glad I ran out of GW's to talk about:)

[chapala]

I too think it's hard to form an opinion when the bird is in familiar surroundings and possibly not interested in socializing with you. Once you bring the bird home and she begins to settle in is when you will be able to tell about how the two of you will get along.

[debbielabella]

I haven't had any birds I brought home not pick one of my family members. There were two that I clicked with immediately at the bird store that did not choose someone else over me when I brought them home. My 2 internet birds, one of them picked my husband and the other my son, no matter how hard I tried. They are not large macaws though, and I think their minds work differently.

[debbielabella]

Originally Posted by Michelle & Fids

Oz was parent raised and pulled from them at 9 mths. When we brought her home she was a wild child that was scared to death of us. She is now one of the sweetest birds and will let either of us do what we want. Anyone else better stay back though:)

I just want to thank you for posting all of that. Your story about Oz made me feel very optiimistic about Emily, who was also parent raised, but she is much smaller, and less scary than a greenwing!

Your post also reinforced so much that I have seen where birds really do decide who they want as their person, it is so much better to let them pick you if you can.

[wildirish]

My tak eon "instant". I met Roarke a couple of years ago while he was being boarded at a pet store. I knew the owners of the store very well, they said he would bite.

He started tapping his foot, was told he wanted me to sing to him. So I sang Old MacDonald, he tapped his foot the entire time, and swayed and bounced. Within about 15 or 20 minutes I was preening his head feathers. They told th eowner about she was shocked. I was later told by her that she had had him since he was 10 weeks and no one else had ever been able to touch him like that. She invited to her home, she brought him out to the kitchen he ran the counter and up my arm and sat on my shoulder. He was feeding me and everything, when she tried to pick him up he bit her. She let us take him home, she felt he had chosen us, she had recently lost her husband and had feared not finding someone to be able to take Roarke! He was 12 at that time. He has now been with us for almost 4 years.

GW's are great bluffers and love to try to be large and in charge LOL! There will never be a dull moment!