Adopting a macaw

[Wolf]

I have no intent to offend anyone, in any manner. Sometime answering or even asking questions can be difficult, it is made more difficult due to not knowing the other person or in knowing what information is needed in order to answer these questions. I run the risk of offending someone every time that I answer a post and it is for this reason that many of the other member don't even attempt to do this. I can answer as if the person does not have much experience and I offend them because I am assuming that they don't know much. I can answer as if they are experienced and then I get the nobody told me about this when I asked and again I have offended them. Due to the large number of people that come here seeking answers, I had decided that if I am going to run the risk of offending everyone that I might as well do it by explaining things in as detailed a manner as I could. Most people don't seem to like it when they ask what they think is a simple question and you turn around and ask them a whole list of questions in return. The vast majority of the people have no idea of the nature of these birds and also expect that there is very little difference in them regardless of size or species which is simply not so. They are very complex creatures and are affected by so much more than the average person is aware of.
I do spend a fair amount of time apologizing for giving the answers that I do, because I assumed that someone lacked in experience or knowledge, when I am just trying to be both clear and thorough with my answers. I also get a thank you on occasion from people who have spent months reading about parrots and think that they are fully prepared only to find that caring for a parrot is far different than what they expected it to be like and discover that it is ok that no amount of study can really prepare them for ownership of their bird and that we are happy to help them in any way that we can. I really got tired of beginning each and every answer with I am sorry if I offend you by assuming this or that. If there is a way to tell which poster is which as far as knowledge or experience, I have not yet found it, but I am open to suggestion, I know that I am not the best at this, but the alternative is to not answer and watch the unanswered posts grow and grow because no one else want to answer them. I don't know the answer to this either, but I do try.
Although I am a member of several other forums, this is the one that I spend most of my time on, so in a way this is my forum too and I want it to be the best that it can be. I wish that more people would share their knowledge of these wonderful bird on the forum. Our different stations in life and our varied pasts can be a huge benefit especially when it comes to helping others with their birds. This is my way of trying to reduce the number of these wonderous creatures that get handed from home to rescue to home and so on. As far as I am concerned any help that I can get is wonderful. If someone wants to help with answering questions that is great, if they want to help me to become better at replying to other people, I am in their debt and am just as happy.
Just as importantly to me, is the fact that this is also your forum and you have the opportunity to help it to grow into more than it is today, everytime that you post you help it to become more like you want it to be. Me? I am here and will do my best to provide honest, accurate information to the best of my ability, the only thing I get is the knowledge that at least I can make a positive difference in some of these birds lives, and that is why I am here.

[Pajarita]

I am sorry you think we were negative but I can explain exactly what prompted my reply.

You said "I am certainly not one you have to warn about the responsibilities inherent with macaws...Having worked at a private zoo for years I've raised and cared for toucans, amazons, kookaburras and eclectuses". This tells me that you think your previous experience puts you at an distinct advantage over other people and it certainly does with people who have no experience whatsoever but I think you are overestimating how useful this previous experience will be, and I'll tell you why. For one thing, I worked in a zoo that had parrots and, in my personal experience, parrots in zoos are not at all like pet parrots. But, even if they were, amazons and ekkies are not at all like macaws. People tend to think of 'parrots' as one single lump with all species having the same behaviors and the experience on one been easily extrapolated to another but this is like saying that all canines are the same and that having experience with caring for fennec foxes and black jackals in a zoo gives you all the experience you need to keep a tame wolf in your house.

And, in a way, you proved this by getting bit on your first visit. I am not trying to put you down or 'lord it over you' but this is all the way up there on the list of no-nos of parrot handling: you never touch a bird who doesn't know you AND/OR invite the touch. It's like touching a strange dog (I did full time dog and cat rescue for 6 years), you don't do it. You observe, evaluate and befriend the dog first and then very carefully indicate that you would be receptive for a closer relationship and wait for the dog's acceptance or its own invitation to been touched. Same thing with parrots. I could share what I've learned about parrots and their bonding to other humans and/or parrots, their flock social structure, their natural distrust of strangers, etc but it all goes down to knowing how to treat them and, although I don't like to make comparisons to humans, it is similar to meeting a new person and putting your hands on him/her. You don't do that. It's intrusive, disrespectful and offensive to the other person. And that's why you were bit, namely, you gave yourself a right you did not have.

Now, this doesn't mean that every single person who is going to adopt or buy a bird should have enough experience! That would be ideal but also impossible to achieve. But it's why the good rescues insist on several visits before they approve you for a specific bird or even take the time of doing the home inspection - they want to make sure the bird already knows and accepts you and that you have shown enough experience to, at least, start off. I am surprised the foster people did not warn you not to touch the bird on your first visit, that it would backfire on you...

My other comment was also meant to be helpful and most specifically because you are a newbie with macaws. It's a fact that the larger the bird, the deeper they bond to their humans so, although a bird that is bonded to one human obviously has the capacity to bond to another (which is good for the prospective adopter), one that is deeply bonded to a human will pine for him/her for quite some time thereby delaying the bonding with the 'new' human. And that's why, in my personal opinion, it's better to adopt large parrots from rescues instead of the ones in foster homes, because they already 'lost' their human, are passed the mourning period and, most likely, more than ready for another one while the ones in foster homes went through this process and a step further and might have ended up bonded to the foster parent (as is the case of this particular parrot).

I hope that I explained the reasons why I replied the way I did and that I was able to clarify that it was not meant to be negative but a help on the particular situation you presented.