new to the forum. Just got a Macaw

[mmr]

Hello, I am new on this forum. I have a 10 year old umbrella cockatoo. And as of Friday I have an 8 year old B& G macaw.

I need some advice from anyone with a macaw. He is aggressive and tried to be a bully. I haven't taken him out of his cage yeat because he is always trying to bite. Any help, tips advice would really be appreciated. And of course time, time, and more time!
They are both rescues. I have had Ellie (my too) for a year now. She I have a very good handle and relationship with. It is teal who I have been getting to know for only 3 days.
So all you macaw owners out there please help me on how you got your macaws to not bite when you first adopted them.

[texbird]

This question comes up repeatedly.

Is there any way to create a sticky thread we can just point people to?
"How to tame an aggressive new bird"

Perhaps in the training forum since this applies across species?

[KimM]

Hi MMR. SInce you just got him, just try the patience thing for now. His whole little world has been turned upside down and he doesn't know where he is.
One tip I found very effective with the "biting" issue is wrap your arms in a couple of ace bandages for the first few days. I did this with my Scarlet for the first couple of days. Actually he liked the bandages because my arm didn't wiggle as much and he could also get a good grip with his feet on my arm. After two days he stopped biting. He still tries a good pinch now and then, but he's not even leaving a mark now.

Oh by the way, a macaw's MO is to try to intimidate. They're pretty good at it. Try roll playing with your birds that you have a good rapport with on the floor next to the B&G's cage - very quietly and softly. Try not to make too much direct eye contact. It frightens them and he sees you as a predator.

They're too curious not to come and see what's going on. Don't force him out of the cage if he's not ready. This will just take some time and patience as you already said. Just be patient for now and learn his personality and that will also help you figure out how to handle him.

[Irish]

Has anyone mentioned the danger of cockatoo dust to macaws, especially Blue and Golds? You may want to keep your birds separated in different rooms, and get good filters. Over the years, cockatoo dust can do irreparable harm to Macaws, and BGs are especially sensitive to it because of their large, un-feathered nares.

I know you didn't ask about that, but I thought I'd throw it out there, so you can take preventive measures well before it's too late to do anything about....

As for getting your new guy used to y'all, time, patience, compassion, consistency and an ace bandage to wrap your arm in are good advice. As far as I can tell, unless a bird falls in love with you at first sight, there is no fast and easy way to earn their trust and love. You just have to keep working at it for as long as it takes. As a Macaw's body language is considerably different than a Cockatoo's, you may want to take time to actively observe how your macaw reacts to situations. They're drama queens, they're "honest" in their emotions, and they're rarely sneaky. What you see is usually what you get when it comes to Macaws--unlike Cockatoos, who have a whole different way of looking at and responding to their world.

[ljhassell]

[quote=Irish;898167]Has anyone mentioned the danger of cockatoo dust to macaws, especially Blue and Golds? You may want to keep your birds separated in different rooms, and get good filters. Over the years, cockatoo dust can do irreparable harm to Macaws, and BGs are especially sensitive to it because of their large, un-feathered nares.




This was the reason all our Cockatoo's had to be rehomed! I fought this for years and even with seperate rooms and Hepa expensive filters does not do the job, and 2 of our Macaws have respitory problems from me being bull headed and not giving in sooner.It was a Hard lesson learned!

[Macaaaw]

This respiratory issue has me puzzled. What dangers to humans and other pets are there? I have heard of Cockatoo dust, but know nothing about it. Someday I want a large, bold noisy Cockatoo.

[RMSacha]

Originally Posted by Macaaaw

This respiratory issue has me puzzled. What dangers to humans and other pets are there? I have heard of Cockatoo dust, but know nothing about it. Someday I want a large, bold noisy Cockatoo.

Keep in mind, avian respiratory systems are much more delicate than mammalian... As for owning a too... please to to mytoos.com!

I truly think toos are lovely but they are such complex creatures and there are so many that are in foster homes... please, I beg, before even thinking of getting a too, do a lot of research...

Thanks Irish for bringing the macaw/too issue up...I was gonna then I saw your post...

[ljhassell]

All About Bird Diseases and Humans


SpringerLink - Journal Article



This is what was sent to me by our Family Dr. I have to do get my lungs Byopsied(sp) Cause Ive had symptoms over 6 months.I grew up with Macaws, and Cockatoo's and now 43 with having parrots all my life and living with them for 28 years, in my own home.


Bird Keeper's Lung Disease
by R C McDonald
A Place For Canaries, Robirda's Birds
Copyright © 2004


SpringerLink - Journal Article

"You should probably get rid of all of your birds," my doctor said, eyeing me seriously. "There's been many cases of problems like yours amongst bird-keepers, and the best solution is usually to get rid of the birds."

I gaped at her, speechless. Get rid of my birds? Unthinkable!

But it was clear, too, that something had to be done, as to not be able to breathe is unthinkable too. I had recently had a three-month long bout with a serious flu, and had emerged at the other side with multiple allergies and seriously damaged lungs, and my doctor believed my birds were making it worse.

But I couldn't believe it. I had even noticed that my breathing tended to be worse when at work, and improve a little at home - but that could be a time-delayed reaction, she argued, saying that allergies to birds and bird dander were common, and tests were not really needed.

Still, I insisted that tests be done - I was not going to give up my birds until I had solid proof that they were making me worse.

Bird-Keepers Lung is the term most commonly used for a respiratory ailment that can afflict, well, bird-keepers, (and their birds). One of the most widely held theories is that it is caused by inhaling too much of the airborne dust from feathers, seeds, chaff, and dried droppings that is so often associated with keeping birds indoors, especially when there is a lot of them and cleanliness is not scrupulously maintained.

It is most often assumed that this problem is due to an infection in the lungs - but the fact is that allergies to inhaled substances can often have very similar symptoms.

I already knew, due to my recent research on my newly developed food allergies, that factors such as allergies to seeds, seed dust, or even seed-dust mites could be involved. As I read more, it seemed that these factors were seldom considered, yet I had a feeling that such details could be quite important - maybe even as much as the 'cleanliness' issue.

Testing for the exact allergens my body was reacting to called for multiple visits to the usually-crowded allergist's office, with a long wait often in store, but I found I didn't mind. That office was stocked with magazines filled with the exact same information I was trying to research, and more than once, I stayed longer than I had planned, because I just had to finish reading some article or another.

Among other things, I found that what kinds of seeds go into making up seed dust can make a huge difference in how people might react to it (or not), as can the age of the seed, and the presence (or not), of a tiny, seldom-mentioned critter - the seed-dust mite. These little bugs are relatives of the house-dust mite, but live and thrive in seed dust, just as much as their cousins do in house dust.

It seemed that older, dusty seed, if looked at under a microscope, is often found to be swarming with these little critters, and that many people react very strongly to them. Just as with the house dust mite, they are known to trigger allergic reactions, especially if breathed in.

In fact, just as with house-dust mites, I read that if somebody without any allergies was exposed to heavy concentrations of these tiny bugs for long enough, their chances of developing an allergy to them would grow increasingly high. I also noted that they tend to be very few or non-existant in fresh seed, and that freezing would kill any adults (although not their eggs).

But one article I found, tucked away in a magazine dedicated to allergists world-wide, fascinated me no end.

This article did not mention birds, but discussed research on reactions produced in people through the inclusion of a certain seed in the diet, both ground as a component in prepared foods, and as an extract (as in oils).

But that seed is common as a component in seed-based pet bird foods, too - they were talking about canola.

It seemed that studies in hospitals in Britain had shown that canola, especially when inhaled in particulate form, can be what they termed an 'allergen trigger'. This meant that they had found that regular exposure to the dust of this seed could begin to trigger a body to produce allergic responses to multiple substances in the diet or environment, not just to the seed itself.

They found that the longer the exposure, the higher the odds were of general allergic reactions to all sorts of common substances beginning to develop.

This information fascinated me, and thinking back, I realized that I had begun to show mild allergic reactions within a year or two of beginning to live with birds in the house, although I did not at the time recognize them.

There doesn't seem to have been much attention paid to this research yet amongst the allergy-oriented community at large - but I believe it could be a factor in understanding why allergies sometimes so suddenly arise, in some people at least - and I especially believe it could make a huge difference in many bird-people's lives.

My test results, when they finally came in, reinforced the ideas that were slowly developing in my brain as I read. I was relived to find that I was not allergic to my canaries, my finches, my waxbills or my softbills - but I did react very strongly to parrot dander, chicken and chicken eggs, and dust mites. And yes, I was allergic to canola.

I had to face the fact that I could no longer keep my hookbills, and began with a heavy heart to look for good homes for them, while at the same time taking some basic steps to remove as many house-and-seed dust mites from my environment as possible. Seed was bought in smaller lots and kept in the freezer, and I bought a vacuum that used water for a filter - I could vacuum to my heart's content, and no dust would ever escape that filter!

At the same time I removed all canola from my house and diet. I began to scan labels when shopping, and stopped buying any foods containing canola or canola oil, and I designed special seed mixes for the birds I was keeping, containing NO canola seed. This generated some surprise from my dealers, as canola or rapeseed is a common ingredient in most small-bird seed mixes.

Finally, I bought and set up air filters. After some research on initial cost, filter-replacement costs, and overall effectiveness, I settled on small units that used easily-available and relatively inexpensive Hepa filters, and included a built-in ionizer to increase their effectiveness. I found that these worked quite well, although it was true that I had to replace the filters up to twice as often as the manufacturer recommended.

To my great relief, once these steps were accomplished, I immediately noticed an improvement in my breathing. I also find it very interesting that over the longer term, I have noticed a gradual decreasing of the number and degree of my allergies - if this keeps up, within a few years, I will be back to having few if any allergies at all!

My birds have continued to do well without any canola in their diet. I was careful to see that my new seed mix presented a similar balance of nutrients as the mixes that include canaola, and my birds don't seem to miss it.

It's certain that there's a lot more to learn, on these issues - but I find what's come to light so far v-e-r-y interesting indeed. My breathing continues to slowly but steadily improve - and more than ten years after my doctor told me I would probably have to get rid of all of my birds, I still have most of them!

[Macaaaw]

Negative Ion Generator. In my opinion, that should clear the air. It will mean more dusting, but that is what you want. I own three of the larger units. One of mine is large enough to do fire restoration if you crank it up.

Negative ion generators and negative ionizer air purifiers products online

[mmr]

Just wanted to update all on progress with my rescued macaw. He is coming along very well. Still can be grumpy as all get out. But such a LOUD joy to my flock. Here are pictures of all my flock (feathered and unfeathered)!


mandymmr - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting


Also He has gotten a new cage since then! He is a happy boy even though he calls me a "looser"!!!