New to the forum

[ParrotLife]

Hi everyone, my name is Scott, and I'm new to the forum here. My small flock consist of a B&G Macaw named Nika and a Green Cheek Conure name Kiwi. Nika was already named and had the intentions of renaming her, but I figured I will stick with it. I adopted her a couple years ago. She was more or less a rescue. She was brought into a bird store in a cardboard box by people who spoke very little english and had very little information on her. At the time she was believed to be around 6-10 years old. She had serious plucking problems and was not good with people. She was a handfed bird, but she lived outside with limited social interaction. She didn't like anyone. After periodically visiting her, we started getting close until I eventually brought her home. She's become a very sweet bird with me, but is very testing with others. Her plucking has reduced, but she still plucks. She is indeed DNA'd female. I'm currently trying to get into clicker training (haven't started yet), and am reading Karen Pryor's Getting Started: Clicker Training for Birds. I did let her flight feathers grow in for awhile, but she is currently clipped. I also have a Green Cheek Conure named Kiwi, just under 2 years old that someone gave me a few months ago. He's friendly but skittish. He can be held in your hand on his back (without holding onto his feet) and he'll just sit there and let you pet him. He has not been DNA'd so his sex is uncertain. He was flighted when I got him, and would fly to me or my roommate, but has been clipped because he liked flying to Nika's cage, so for obvious safety reason, we had to clip. This isn't the only forum I'm on, but hope to get involved her as well.

- Scott, Nika , and Kiwi

[JacobBird]

Welcome!

[pennyandrocky]

i don't want to be mean but how is your safer crippled and not able to make a quick get away by flying away from your much larger ? if my was clipped my would have ripped him apart the first chance she got.flight also helps with plucking my is a plucker/chewer and has greatly improved with flight and is more tolerant of my since she gained her flight back.

[ParrotLife]

Pennyandrocky,
The Conure would fly to Nika's cage, and Nika would get very territorial. My fear was that Kiwi would get ripped apart by Nika. His main attraction in the house was Nika's massive cage, and he would frequently fly to the top given the chance- it is the highest point in the room at this time, although I have plans to build a play area my Macaw can climb to from her cage- I have vaulted ceilings so there is vertical room. He failed to recognize that Nika did not want to be friends. She does not exhibit intentions to go out of her way to attack him- aggression only occurs if he tries to get close to her or gets on her cage. I did indeed notice a reduction in plucking while Nika's flight feathers were in. That's interesting you have the same results. I'm currently allowing them to grow in now, but it will be awhile before she can indeed fly. I would love for Kiwi to be flighted, but it makes me very nervous.

Scott

[pennyandrocky]

penny does fly onto and into mya's cage and she does not like him, it's getting better with time, but penny is able to fly away from her when she chases him off.their relationship has only gotten better now that both can fly away from eachother. i've just seen the dangers to unflighted birds it's how i got penny from my cousin after his companion was ripped apart by her dogs because he couldn't fly out of danger. my cousin blamed penny for chasing the other out of the cage and into the jaws of her dogs. i would just hate to see the same happen to another.