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kaperc
Top Gold Member
USA
62 Posts |
 Posted - 06/01/2006 : 11:50:43
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Well, we're having the expected ups and downs with our new flock member, Julie the BGM.
She came to us with a pseudomonas infection and we started treatment last weekend. The first few days were okay, but now of course she knows when we're going to jab her. I'm afraid we are eroding whatever trust was building up.
As with her prior household, she does not like to be picked up - I don't believe she ever had step-up training so to speak. I'm working with a behavior list online to see if we can give her more confidence in hands, but the injections are not helping in that regard!
We do give her a treat immediately and tell her what a good girl she is - she will even accept some stroking. And I'm continuing to feed her warm food with my fingers in the morning. But her nippiness is increasing and we are both feeling a bit down about it. I know, it's early days yet, but ...
She obviously wants to have contact. She tries to regurgitate several times a day when I approach her. And she will put her head down, ruffle her head feathers, put her foot up, etc. But half the time if we try to respond, she nips. When we bring her foot toys out in the evening on the big table, she is beginning to get very aggressive.
Because of her infection and the fact our weather was quite damp in the mornings for a while, she is sleeping in a crate in our bedroom at night. This seems okay as long as I give her some dry food to munch on - in the middle of the night we can hear her munching away. Even though she has food wherever she is all day, when we feed her something (no nipping then!) she takes it as if she hasn't eaten for a month.
Ah, well, time will help, I'm sure. If we can beat this infection, things should get better. I'm also back reading the feedingfeathers list, refreshing my knowledge (or lack of) about diet.
Thanks for listening. 
Kathleen
Owned by Sunny ('tiel), Princess (BFA), and Julie (BGM)
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Toy
Top Gold Member
USA
390 Posts |
Posted - 06/01/2006 : 22:11:17
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Kathleen:
Is it possible to switch to a liquid antibiotic? I'd call the vet & ask.
B&G's tend to be very forgiving, so once you're thru this you will probably have to start over winning trust, but it will come in time. Try to explain to Julie why she has to take the injections or any other meds. If you switch to a liquid always put it in the left side of the beak a few drops at a time. JaJaBinks was on a large dose of Amoxicillin for a few weeks. I discovered placing her on my knee was the easiest way to give her the meds & she seemed less stressed & more willing to take the meds. She got so she'd just turn her head so I could grasp her beak. What a bird!!!! :).
Diet wise you want a variety daily. I feed a good seed mix that contains dried fruits & 5 different kinds of shelled nuts. I buy a good seed mix & add to it. A few nights a week I toss in a hand full of Zupreem Natural pellets. I also feed 2 hand fulls of in shell nuts nightly & in the AM thawed veggies. Fruits are served as treats. Some table food like hamburger (lean well cooked), noodles, chicken bones, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, etc. Also Chamomile tea. I buy the "Sleepy Time" kind with the bear on the box. JaJaBinks loves it especially iced. it can help to calm them, but not make them dopey.
Many are afraid to feed so many nuts, but I quickly discovered that it brought out the best in JaJaBinks, not only feather color wise, but they seemed to satisfy her as well. She is active, so I don't worry about the fat content. Macaws require higher fat than most other species of parrots do. If I don't feed her the nuts she opens the containers & helps herself to them. She is in perfect health. Due to her leg injury we had allot of tests run & all of them are perfect. Liver, kidneys, calcium, etc. She's been eating this many nuts for the last 5 years.
>>When we bring her foot toys out in the evening on the big table, she is beginning to get very aggressive. <<
In what way? Is she trying to chase you away from them? If so she may be trying to protect them as she would say eggs. If not she may see them as a treat. It's hard to see things the way our birds do, but if you sit & watch them closely every thing they do, every move, every sound has a meaning. Once you learn the movements & the sounds use them to earn her trust. Ask her to do things & then phrase her for doing them. Act all silly, bob up & down, sway back & forth, laugh, etc. Macaws are silly by nature & they thrive on FUN.
Toy wise the 2 best things you can give a macaw are a swing/boing/orb & toys she can beat the crap out of & not destroy. JaJaBinks has a "rollerball" toy she loves & beats up daily. Also wood toys to help fill the need to chew if your bird is a chewer.
JaJaBinks also didn't know step up or did she want to be touched. I took a few good nips & still do now & then. However I would get her on my arm & take her for short walks thru the house, explaining every thing to her as we went, touching things, letting her beak them. Then place her on a gym & walk away. This showed her I wouldn't stuff her back in a cage & let her there. It showed her things in the house were safe. By doing this every day I quickly earned her trust.
The hardest part is getting past the baggage/issues she brought with her from previous owners/homes. Hang in there, be consistant & in time Julie will turn around.
Toy
Life is too short to sweat the small stuff. |
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kaperc
Top Gold Member
USA
62 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2006 : 11:33:49
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Thanks for the response, Toy.
I think the vet chose this med because the culture growth was so heavy and she evidently had this infection for a while. We are also giving her nose drops, which she is very good about. That's what I do, put her on my knee, talk to her - she looks up at me like a love sick puppy and it just kills me. If we have to have another round of meds, I will ask for liquid - we'll be done with this round on Monday. We're to take her back for a re-culture in six weeks.
She tends to get wound up when she's playing with her foot toys - kind of like 'Amazon overload.' She likes to drop everything off the table, of course, and if I lean down to pick them up have to be careful, as she will lunge. She is so funny, hopping on the table with a ball in her beak, then choosing just the right place to drop it over the edge. We had a bath sheet on the table at first, but she seems to enjoy the sound of her nails tapping (it's tempered glass) on the top. She wants us to play with her toys - she will often drop something in front of me so I can toss it for her. I have no problem being silly with her, believe me!
Last night, after her injection, we put her on the bed to explore. She checked out the perimeter - rubbed her face on the towel and blanket (she seems to enjoy textures, but it could be itching from the infection, too), tried to regurgitate - just generally calm and interested. She put her head down and fluffed up, accepted some stroking, then proceeded to nip all along my arm. I told her gently not to bite, but she continued and the bites got worse, so we put her to bed. This seems to be the pattern - she initiates contact, then bites. I've tried holding still, but she will bite down hard.
You're right, she loves her boing. Her favorite toy is a small 'treasure chest' that has pieces of wood in it to be worked out of the holes. It's hard to keep full - I'll have to get hubby cutting up scraps this weekend.
I'll try the chamomile. She's a pretty good eater, except for greens. I'm going to make up some mash this weekend, as she likes all gloppy food and I might be able to sneak some in there. She loves oranges. Our Amazon came from Phoebe Linden, was raised on Scenic pellets, and still has them warm for breakfast. I bought some of the Macaw weaning food and Julie loves the stuff. She'll eat it on her own, but likes it when I feed her by hand - she will back off from the bowl so I will take over.
JaJaBinks (I love that name!) sounds like a real love, too. Aren't we all lucky?
Thanks for the encouragement!
Kathleen
Owned by Sunny ('tiel), Princess (BFA), and Julie (BGM)
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kaperc
Top Gold Member
USA
62 Posts |
Posted - 06/03/2006 : 23:20:48
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One of the odd things Julie does is a funny 'hiss' sound. As I mentioned, she plays this game where she practically begs for a head scratch, then tries to bite when we oblige. Occasionally, she will add this sound, it's like a hiss with her mouth open. Is this something macaws do or is it one of her own 'special' things? ;-)
The nippiness seems to have hit new highs the past two days, but she now sits with just a hand lightly on her head, to have her nose drops done. I wonder if she is fighting off the infection now and so getting a little more feisty? She is such a study in contradictions, this girl.
At least I get lots of loving from our BFA - thank goodness she is not showing any jealousy...yet! One thing about Princess, she's right out there with her opinions, no effort needed to figure her out! :-)
Kathleen
Owned by Sunny ('tiel), Princess (BFA), and Julie (BGM)
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Toy
Top Gold Member
USA
390 Posts |
Posted - 06/04/2006 : 22:09:30
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Second hand birds can be very hard to figure out, because you don't know everything that was done to them or how much they were neglected or what they were taught. It can take months or every years to understand some of the things they do & why. By paying close attention to their every move & sound you can understand allot of it. Once you learn these things you can use them to re-train them by making small changes. Use the same movements/sounds they use, but apply a small change or sound. As your training goes forward keep adding small changes until you reach the desired goal.
I would guess the "hiss" is a pre-warning she is in overload or not wanting to be touch. JaJaBinks has also done this "hiss" sound at times & I've learned to watch my fingers. There's one thing I discovered that will calm her down pretty quickly ...I tilt my head back slightly & say AWWWWWW is a calm low voice. She too will then tilt her head back. This is a position they would be in to get feed from their parents so it sort of puts her in that time frame & she calms right down. I have learned to read my parrots pretty good & can tell when they're having a bad day, so we let them alone to prevent bites.
I can not really hug JaJaBinks. She will give me beak kisses & allow me to pet her, but she too will turn & grab my fingers. Often she tries to pump & regurg with my fingers in her beak. I only allow so much of this to follow thru as it leads to sexual/breeding desires.
Once they reach breeding age (around 7) any petting/touching can lead to sexual/breeding desires. I too would love nothing more than to be able to hug & pet JaJaBinks allot, but I know it should not be done for her sake. So we play allot of grab the feet, grab & shake the beak, chase, etc, games.
Weather also affects their moods. All of mine seem to be a bit nippy if we have several days of clouds. Winter in the northast brings weeks of no sun, so we try to include them in as many daily activities as possible, play games, etc to use up any energy & keep them from becoming too aggressive/bored/depressed. Again on a "bad day" we don't do allot.
Having parrots is not easy, like many assume it is. It's a daily struggle to find ways to keep them happy & healthy.
Keep watching & listneing & learn her movements & sounds then use them to your advantage.
Toy
Life is too short to sweat the small stuff. |
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kaperc
Top Gold Member
USA
62 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2006 : 00:31:57
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Toy,
It helps so much to hear what is normal and how others have handled things.
Julie also does the pump and regurg thing. If she is playing with any toy she can hold in her beak crosswise (say, something shaped vaguely like a dog bone), she will hold it and pump for all she's worth. The regurg thing seems to be an honorific reserved for me alone - I try not to make a thing about it. I do worry a little about hand-feeding her, but occasionally it feels like the right thing to do. She seems to regress at times. We have a constant problem with our BFA about breeding desires and really have to limit hands-on time. The cockatiel only has eyes for the BFA, but even he gets broody at times. These are the sometimes comical but very serious things nobody tells you about when you become a bird person. :-)
Today we had a success - anything that pleases her is a success! My DH put together a bed for her and we installed it this morning. It took five minutes for her to be on it and she stayed there for hours, preening.
Two more questions for you, Toy. Is it normal for macaws to sit with their mouths open most of the time? I'm wondering if her nose is stuffy. She has sneezing fits at night, but only sneezes periodically during the day, yet she often has her mouth open.
Second, if you were going to get one book about macaws - for a good grounding in general knowledge and their care - what would it be?
Thanks again for all the help,
Kathleen
Owned by Sunny ('tiel), Princess (BFA), and Julie (BGM)
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Toy
Top Gold Member
USA
390 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2006 : 08:33:53
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B&G's are noted for feeding things. JaJaBinks feeds EVERYTHING...her feet, toys, my fingers, my clothes, anything she can hold in her feet or beak, etc.
As far as the open beak/sneezing thing.... it sounds like Julie may have an infection. You mentioned you were giving her nose drops. All of the larger parrots sit with a small "gap" in their beak, but open as in a big gap is not normal. If this continues once you're thru the meds I'd ask the vet to take a good look at her sinuses. They may need flushing.
Sorry I can't help you with a book. Most are very outdated. When it comes to diet, training, behaviour issues, etc. You'll find more & up to date info on sites like this one, than from a book. The basics would be:
Diet: a good seed mix, nuts, fresh veggies & some fruit daily. People food (meat-well cooked, chicken bones-washed to remove grease after cooking, pasta, etc) is OK, but foods to avoid are sugar/salt/avacado/onions/caffeine/chocolate/carbionated drinks/alcohol.
Toys: heavy duty - metal, PVC, acrylic are good for long lasting "beat the crap out of toys". Wood - untreated pine is good for knawing & wearing the beak down naturally. Visit your local Lowe's/Home Depot or any place that uses/sells wood for scrapes. Most will give them to you. Avoid cotton rope as it can get unwound & then become dangerous. Too many parrots end up with it around their necks or feet causing injury or death. Sisal rope is safe, but do NOT buy it in the local stores, as it has been treated to prevent rot. You have to buy it from bird catalogs or bird sites. Polly Rope, designed just for birds is good for stringing toys parts. You'll find it on bird sites & bird catalogs. Junk mail is a cheap toy. Mine love to chew up the envelopes. Old phone books-remove the colored pages, drill hole in middle & hang in cage. Treat cages are good for stuffing with fresh greens, nuts, etc.
Swings/boings/orbs.....every Macaw should have at least one or two of these. They NEED to swing daily. This not only burns off energy, but also helps to calm them. When JaJaBinks was stressed from her leg injury she would swing non-stop for hours.
As far as training - use their movements/sounds & use them to your advantage. Learn to "read" them.
Some things you won't find in a book:
Eyes pinning means excitement- could mean a bite is coming, or just wanting to play/talk, but it's best to use caution & not reach for them.
Beak swiping - allot of back & forth swiping of their beak on anything means they're looking for something to get into & are in overload. Note: They do wipe their beaks after eating, so that wouldn't be the same.
Wing slapping usually means they're tired & want to go to sleep.
Constant swaying usually means stress/illiness get them to the vet ASAP.
Beak open wide, wings up, head/neck feathers puffed & moving towards your spouse or other peson. This means you are their chosen mate & the other person is a threat to them. A "mate stealer" & they want to chase this person away.
Crouching on perch or wrapped up in toys making a wheezing/hissing/low scream sound is usually a mating/wanting to breed sound. This sound also may make you think they're in distress. Note: any non-normal sound should not be ignored just in case they are in distress/caught in toys/etc. If the bird is female & they do this wrapped up in toys/crouching/sounds off & on for a few weeks expect an egg at some point.
Explain things to them: They will better respond if you explain to them why you want them to step up, where you want to take them, what you want them to do. Explain what it is you think they see, new items, why you must put them in their cage, where you are going-work/store/etc.
Talking on cue: To parrots our "words" are just sounds to them. However they can be taught to use them in context. Every word/sound has a meaning be it related to an item or action. So be consistant in using words/sounds & they will quickly understand when to use our words on a daily basis. Also watch what you say as they pick up everything.
An example of how they can be taught to understand: Bird is on floor & you open the frig door. Bird tries to climb in, but you want to shut the door. Use your foot & gently shove bird backwards saying "back up I need to close the door". After a few times they will just back up when you say the words.
Another example: I taught my U2 to shake after her shower. I use a cement/acrylic table perch from Polly Pastel as a shower perch. I set it in the tub & set the bird on it. Once she is soaked I like her to shake her whole body, like a dog does, to get rid of some of the excess water. So I just stood there & shook my upper body & told her to do it. Took several showers to get her to understand, but now she will do a "BIG shake" on cue without me shaking my brains out, LOL.
How they put words/sounds together: JaJaBinks beats up her toy- it's a metal toy called a "Rollerball". It swings back & hits her. She says OUCH, stop that, bad. She is telling the toy is was not nice it hit her & to stop it.
Another example:
JaJaBinks is in the dining room on her cage. I say "time to do the dishes, are you gonna come help?". Pretty soon she waddles to the kitchen, climbs the dog gate & I set her on the counter. She grabs the pans, soap bubbles, etc. When we're all done she gets set on the floor. I tell her to go back to her cage & off she goes. I could go on & on of the things she has learned & the words/phrases/sounds she uses. These are all learned responses that didn't take to long to teach, especially if they find it FUN. To a Macaw life needs to be FUN. By doing a few fun things a day it wears them out & also makes them feel like they were included. This is a major need on their part.
Training to do things on cue/command. Tricks are pretty simple like waving their foot or wing, dancing, etc. Getting them to NOT do something is not easy , as they will want to test you over & over to see if they can get away with it. They're like a 2 year old that NEVER grows up, LOL. I have a phobic U2, can't get near her but only a few times a year. The rest of the time she is stuck in a hormone phase. I can get her to go in her cage, come out of her cage, etc just by asking her to. Since she does this my CAG now will do it for me on command. She learned just by payign attention to my U2. JaJaBinks has always gone back to her cage when asked. If their cage is their safe place they will willing go to it.
JaJaBinks likes to torment me. This is her way of playing. So she waddles into the kitchen yesterday morning. I was cooking breakfast & loading the dishwasher. I sat her on the counter. She grabs dishes from the sink & drops them back in the sink. I make sure she can only grab plastic stuff, non-sharp knives, etc. She also tosses the cloth to the floor, etc. This is FUN to her and her way of helping. Yes it takes me more time, but if it gives her joy then it's worth it. Next she gets set back on the floor. Many won't let their birds on the floor as they can become aggressive, but I have yet to have any real problems with that. She grabs my toes, I give her a gentle shove, she growls, tries again, etc. this goes on. I've gotten good at dancing around to prevent toe nips, LOL. I grab her feet & she squeals. She follows me back & forth around the kitchen, rolls herself up it the rug, etc. When it's time to eat she sits on the corner of the table & eats with us. I don't cook with salt so eggs/potateos/toast/etc are all OK. Afterwards she gets her beak & feet washed with a wet cloth. She knows this is a must, so she lets me do it. I grab her beak & wash it off, next up comes a foot, I wipe, up comes the other foot, I wipe & then back to the floor & she waddles back to her cage. She LOVES her cage & will sit on it for hours just looking out the window, preening, etc. If she feels liek it she goes in her cage. She can come & go at will, as long as I am home. She always puts her self to bed at night, as her cage door is let open.
Life with parrots can be hetic or you can make it joyful just by including them. A content parrot is not a screamer, but one that talks & plays allot. This can be done by keeping them busy with toys, playgyms, including them in your daily activities, a backyard aviary, etc.
Toy
Life is too short to sweat the small stuff. |
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Donna M
Top Gold Member
USA
69 Posts |
 Posted - 06/05/2006 : 13:30:24
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| Kathleen, Sounds like you ahave received a great wealth of information from Toy. I think we all have some similar stories to share with adopting older BGs. I have been lucky that Joey has not been too nippy with me. After about a month here she did try to reorganize the chain of command, but I just didn't let Joey get away with it. One nip that's ok, plus it could have been an accident. Two nips, she gets a verbal warning. She knows what's going on becasue she will sometimes says "ouch" or "stop that" before my warning. Three nips and she's back to her play area. I try very hard to never let her know it hurts. She is just not a serious biter, though. My biggest challengeis to teach her how to play on her own. She either wants to be with me constantly or she will just sit on her cage and preen. I don't believe she evr had toys. Keep up the good work and effort and with time you will see major changes, Donna |
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Toy
Top Gold Member
USA
390 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2006 : 22:31:28
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Donna:
JaJaBinks will also sit on her cage & preen, look out the window, etc for long periods of time. She also did NOT have toys when she was young. When she's out in the aviry she will start with swinging on her swing, move to the boing, then the Orb (if Jasmine will get off it, LOL) & then hang on the side of the aviary or sit on a perch & jabber away. She seems to have certain times of the day she prefers to beat up on her toys & the rest of the time is set aside for preening, swinging, resting & picking on me.
Toy
Life is too short to sweat the small stuff. |
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kaperc
Top Gold Member
USA
62 Posts |
Posted - 06/06/2006 : 13:41:50
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Thanks Donna. It really helps to hear from other BG friends. Toy, my husband read your message too and found it very interesting. We're beginning to understand ways that we're going to have to relax things for Julie compared to the other birds.
For instance, because the 'tiel is small, we don't let him wander around on the floor. If he jumps off his play perch he has to come straight to me or he goes back to his perch. Also, he is in love with the BF - he once jumped on her back during a really intense session of serenading - so he is kept well clipped. She, OTOH, thinks he is a snack, and will try to remove his head if he gets too near. She was raised with nothing smaller than an AG around, so I don't know if she thinks he's a real bird. She doesn't like to be on the floor. Also, they both get very aggressive if they spend time on their cage tops. So far, this is the easiest spring we have had for years with regard to hormonal rages.
My husband is of a mind that Julie will just have to learn 'the rules.' :-) He's a mechanical engineer, can you tell? I think the rules will change a little and we'll cope! We finally finished the dreaded shots and drops last night, so now we can relax a little. We'll get her re-cultured and the quarantine will end about the time we get the results back, so that will be another good step. Toy, her mouth is open just slightly - it was just that neither of the other birds does that, so it looked odd to us. The sneezing is lessening, too.
She will only bite hard if she gets hold of a finger - as if it's something to eat and she needs to get to the core! Other than that, she grabs the skin and pinches. I have bruises on my thighs where she pinched through my jeans! She's beginning to really enjoy her head scratches, though. Her before mom thought she would hurt her if she did anything but lightly stroke her feathers in one direction. When I showed her how to help get a feather out, she was amazed. Julie will allow help with the feathers that are half out or really ready, I just let her tell me. If she objects, I stop, or ask where? She will often turn her head to show me. Of course, this doesn't last too long! The best time is when she is sitting on her bed in her cage - she loves me to massage her head.
She does play with foot toys on the table, but when in her cage the only toy she plays with is a treasure chest with wood pieces in it. She's also begun to say 'step up' when she wants to move from/to her cage or play stand. Playing on her own would be a good thing - and I'd love to teach my Amazon, as well - it's something she has not done since she was a baby. I love to hear the 'tiel beating up on his toys.
Kathleen
Owned by Sunny ('tiel), Princess (BFA), and Julie (BGM)
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Toy
Top Gold Member
USA
390 Posts |
Posted - 06/06/2006 : 21:49:05
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Kathleen:
>>Toy, my husband read your message too and found it very interesting. We're beginning to understand ways that we're going to have to relax things for Julie compared to the other birds. <<
Glad I could offer suggestions. The hardest part is understanding everything, as so much of the info out here is wrong or way out dated.
>>My husband is of a mind that Julie will just have to learn 'the rules.' :-) He's a mechanical engineer, can you tell? I think the rules will change a little and we'll cope! <,
She will in time, but remember she is & always will be a wild creature driven by her super strong wild genes. She will always be testing you, but will understand what is permitted & what is not as you teach her the boundaries....aka "rules".
>>We finally finished the dreaded shots and drops last night, so now we can relax a little. We'll get her re-cultured and the quarantine will end about the time we get the results back, so that will be another good step.<<
I hope the tests come back negative for both your sakes :).
>>Toy, her mouth is open just slightly - it was just that neither of the other birds does that, so it looked odd to us. The sneezing is lessening, too. <<
Sounds right to me. Most smaller parrots have a closed beak. U2's & M2's really hold their beaks open with tounge sticking out. You can almost slip your finger thru the opening. When I first got my U2 I thought she had a beak problem, but learned otherwise. The antibiotics will continue to work for a few more days, so hopefully the sneezing will stop.
>>She will only bite hard if she gets hold of a finger - as if it's something to eat and she needs to get to the core!<<
This is usually a "test bite". She's trying to see how hard she can bite before you respond. One thing you can do is quickly twist your finger out of her beak before she gets to do a major chomp on it. Then just walk away & ignore her for a few minutes. In the wild if the flock ignores them, it's sort of like being cast out, told they are not wanted or doing things that are not permitted. So this is one way of teaching them what is not permitted. Even tho she will learn this hard chomping is not permitted she will still try it again & again.
>>Other than that, she grabs the skin and pinches. I have bruises on my thighs where she pinched through my jeans!<<
I feel it, LOL. They do pinch pretty good at times. This can be a combo thing. 1). she is demanding attention 2. she's testing you to see how you will respond. A response means they scored & you lost, LOL.
>>She does play with foot toys on the table, but when in her cage the only toy she plays with is a treasure chest with wood pieces in it. <<
JaJaBinks won't play with foot toys in her cage either. She prefers hanging toys she can beat up. www.grahamsparrottoycreations.com carries some heavy metal toys, including the rollerball toy. Check them out & see if there's any Julie may like. Esther, owner of the site & member here, has 5 or 6 parrots, including a Military Macaw.
>>She's also begun to say 'step up' when she wants to move from/to her cage or play stand. Playing on her own would be a good thing - and I'd love to teach my Amazon, as well - it's something she has not done since she was a baby.<<
JaJaBinks tells herself to step up/down as she moves from one perch to another in her cage, then she tells herself "good bird", LOL. As you teach Julie, if your other birds are within view, they will learn at the same time. Our CAG has learned many things by watching JaJaBinks & my U2, Jasmine.
You have allot of teaching to do, but take it slow & be consistant & things will fall into place. Remember try to make all training sessions FUN.
Toy
Life is too short to sweat the small stuff. |
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pbyeerts
Top Gold Member
USA
125 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2006 : 23:07:02
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Hi Kathleen,
My name is Pamela, and I have Nimo, our super feisty and wonderful 8 year old blue and gold macaw.
After reading all of the posts in this thread, I have to ask how old is Julie? Because the hissing, regurgitating, nippiness, and everyhing else all sound like classic breeding season behaviors to me. It's amazing how Nimo can be a peach one minute, and a monster the next because of the hormones. So if Julie is over 3, I would say a lot of her behavior can be explained by nature's rhythms causing her to be a bit out of control.
I apologize if someone has already suggested this to you and I'm repeating what has already been said. Work was on overload this week and I was there way too much. However, I wanted to check in on your post before I go to bed. Cheers, Pamela!
Pamela & Nimo |
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kaperc
Top Gold Member
USA
62 Posts |
Posted - 06/10/2006 : 11:34:26
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Pamela,
That's very interesting, Pamela. She was DNA checked in January 2002. The cerificate was in the breeder's name, so it's probably pretty close (her original owner is deceased)to her hatch date. I had considered that, as we went through a similar thing with our BF Amazon for several years (thank goodness we all handle it better now, as I have enough scars!). She was considered young at the time, though, so I thought Julie was a bit young, too.
That would explain her sudden changes, all right. She seems to like to roll over on her back to have her belly rubbed, which she has done the past two days, but then she tries to get a death grip on my thumb with her beak. I just push her away and/or break off contact if she doesn't stop. Does that make sense? She is finally starting to take things out on her toys, too. I moved a couple around because she was ignoring them, now they seem very important!
This morning I noticed a lot of downy white feathers in her sleeping cage - is that normal? Again, I can only go by prior experience. I certainly don't want a picking problem to develop, and her diet has changed considerably with us, as well as everything else.
Thanks very much for the input and please feel free to add more!
Kathleen
Owned by Sunny ('tiel), Princess (BFA), and Julie (BGM)
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Toy
Top Gold Member
USA
390 Posts |
Posted - 06/10/2006 : 22:59:37
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As weather warms up they drop down feathers to cool down. So it sounds normal. JaJaBinks will drop an easy 50 plus down feathers in one day. Also every few years they can go thru a "major" molt, where they seem to replace almost every feather on their body at once. JaJaBinks went thru that last year. She was a major mess with zillions of pins feathers.
The hissing/nippiness/regurging can be a sign of breeding, but not always. They will also do this during off-breeding times. B&G's don't normally come into breeding age until they are around 5-7 years old. However some will show signs pre the mature age. The better control you get of her pre breeding age the easier it will be to deal with her when the time does come.
Toy
Life is too short to sweat the small stuff. |
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kaperc
Top Gold Member
USA
62 Posts |
Posted - 06/11/2006 : 23:34:32
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Thanks, Toy! That's good news.
The past few days have been a bit better. I offer my arm (she is wary of hands) to her when I KNOW she wants to go either to her cage or play perch, and she is becoming more and more comfortable with this. I think I'm learning her body language a little better, too, and try to give her some room to choose what's going on. We still haven't found a good way for her to bathe; the only way so far is with her on the top of the shower door, me standing on the built-in seat throwing water at her. She gets somewhat wet, the floor gets wet, my arms are ready to fall off by the time we're done, and she never does get her tail in there! We've tried the sink, the tub, a pool outside, mister and dripping hose outside, her on a T-perch in our other shower (open, with shower curtain pulled back) - no luck yet.
The best thing has been the bed for her cage - she absolutely loves it. I got her a preening type toy and put it next to the bed and she leans her head on this. She never soils it and does not take food there, either. Sometimes we win!
Kathleen
Owned by Sunny ('tiel), Princess (BFA), and Julie (BGM)
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A little hand holding, please...
