Need Advice On Blue/Gold McCaws

[Northstar106]

I am about to get a Blue & Gold McCaw. I recently had a Conure that I brought home & he totally freaked out in the new enviorment & wouldnt come out of his cage & wanted nothing to do with people at all. I dont want the same experience to happen with the McCaw. Though I hear that it won't because the Conures & McCaws are so different that you really can't compare the 2 birds in behavior. I was wondering if some McCaw owners out there would mind sharing their stories of when they first brought the bird home & how it went so I will know what to expect & maybe get some advice on what to do upon the first few days of having him at a new home. A little last minute info: I am buying a baby from a breeder & will be visiting the bird & helping to feed him until he is weened prior to bringing him home. Thanks in advance.

[JSimko]

I have a Blue & Gold Maccaw and my experiences with him have been very good. I also have a green cheek conure who is demanding but sweet, a parakeet who is in love with the conure but gets nothing in return, and a goffin cockatoo. Maccaws and all other pet birds need to be purchased as babies and hand raised. I would also recommend watching the video called birds of a feather, it is about owning parrots. You can probably find it on the internet. How old was the conure when you got it? Feel free to email me or send a private message if you prefer.

[dlaura]

Our B&G, Taz is developing into a wonderful bird/companion. Taz is actually my son's bird - but since they both live at home Taz has become a family bird.

Jason, my son, visited Taz virtually every day while he was being weened and also learned to hand feed Taz the formula. The key here is to be sure to visit as often as you can prior to bringing your B&G home. Taz came home with us happily and virtually purred in the car coming home. ( 45 min drive) Tax adjusted to his new cage quickly (same day) and has been a perfect angel.

The most important key here is bonding with your bird before bringing it home. This way it is only the environment that is new to the bird - and since he knows and trusts you through his visits it will make things easier on the new bird.

We have a green cheek conure and he came home and adjusted well also. He was very young, just weaned and he is just a little character. Einstein can be very bossy and a little Hitler so we do let him know when he is over doing it. What kind of conure did you have recently?

Angel, our Goffin's cockatoo is a different story. I did not spend as much time visiting as I should have and was not sure if I was going to go thru with the purchase...............in the end it was a hard adjustment for her to come home. She would cry and carry on when she saw my husband - as she did not know him at all and it was a tough tough adjustment for ALL of us. We have had her for two yrs. and she just recently seemed to come around and has stopped the crying, loves my husband and myself and our son Jason. However, she is a feather plucker - another story in itself.

So, visit visit and visit some more and bring your bird home as soon after weaning as possible.

I wish you much Good Luck and Happiness with your B&G. What will you name the bird?

Keep in touch and let us know how things are going.

[birdygirl]

check out your other post.