Reptile & Amphibian Forums

At the beginning of January, i was given a blue and gold macaw that had been badly abused/neglected. Me and the bird had bonded really quickly. He would step up with no prolbems, talk just fine, not scream, didnt bite, and was overall very friendly. His beak was mishappen on one side, and late January i took him to a vet to have it trimmed. (one side of the lower beak was grown out long, making his bite to off to the side). At the vet, the vet had me put him into a small clear box so they could make him sleep for the procedure. My bird was very scared, and in the end the vet had to force him in. Ever since then, the bird has for the most part refused to step up on my arm.

When I put my arm up to him to step up, he just shoves his head down. he will also grab my arm with his beak and move it away, or move it to his wing for me to pet him. Overall he is a very loving and affectionate bird, but this has been bugging me. Is there any way I can get him to feel safe stepping up on my arm again?

First, was this a true avian vet? I have never had an avian vet put a bird under anesthesia for a beak, nail or wing trim, even on an eclectus we had in (who was very aggressive) and had a badly overgrown beak. (We actually do all of our own trimming now except if they are already getting a checkup then the vet usually goes ahead and does it since we are there) The only time any of our birds have been under anesthesia was for actual surgical needs. Our local vet who I don't and won't use does put birds under anesthesia and has had at least three die when they were only getting trims.

Okay now that I have complained LOL!

You will have to build your birds trust with lots of patience and work. Basically you were on the "honeymoon" period with your bird. During this time they will be more apt to be on best behavior and do well, but with this vet visit you have lost that trust. It does sound like your macaw at least still has some trust for you since he will still allow you to pet and touch him. Right now he is associating stepping up with being shoved in a box so you will have to change how he sees that. You may be able to use bribery (not always the best idea but can sometimes work well). Find a favorite treat. For the first couple times just give your macaw the treat without making him step up. Then offer him the treat out a little farther away so he gets it only if he reaches over your perch "step up" arm to get it. Then offer the treat a little farther away so he has to step onto your arm to get it. Be sure he is allowed to step right back off but so that he sees your arm is not a bad place. Then gradually extend the time before the treat but make sure if he acts nervous or really wants off that you allow him to go back to his perch or cage as soon as he wants. When he is perching on your arm on a more regular basis then you can begin moving away from the cage and to other places with him on your arm but at first try this only in his cage (or against his perch) so he feels comfortable and is able to move off your arm immediately at any nervousness.

When I went to him in the first place, he claimed he was. I doubt it now. For starters, he acted afraid of my bird. He wasnt willing to even come close to it until it was contained in the box. he refused to watch me do the procedure. He also trimmed the wings in a weird way without my permission. He trimmed a lot of the secondary feathers as well. they also did a fecal analysis as well. In the end, I got charged $350 dollars. I felt ripped off, and i am never going there again. The closest avian vet I know of is a 5 hour drive away. Is there any closer? My zip code is 67501.

At this point, my bird seems happy. hes very affectionate. Some of the affectionate things he does is climb off his cage and comes to find me, acts happy to see me (including asking me how my day is when i get home) and if i put my hand in his cage after his "bed time" he will pull my hand close to him and not let me move it.

somtimes I can coax him into stepping up. He is willing to step up if he is on the floor. its also difficult to get him to change arms when im holding him.

Here is a list of avian veterinarians in Kansas along with their zip codes, you should be able to go to mapquest or another mapping site and see how far they are from you. I saw some at least two around an hour from you. If the one you saw is on this list then he is an avian vet but not a good or experienced one and either way I would definitely find a different one for any other veterinary needs. An avian vet should have no need to sedate a bird unless it is a medical emergency and even then they should be able to calmly handle the bird. Some will use a towel or gloves to hold the bird to avoid bites during procedures especially on the larger birds since a panicked bird even a tame one can inflict a serious bite but unless it is surgery etc no sedation should be needed. For the amount of money you paid a full blood workup is usually included as well. Although some vets decide that if they specialize it means they need to charge more As far as your macaw is now it sounds like he/she is already at least starting to trust you, you will just need to be patient and consistent in your step up training until she will step up for you when asked again instead of just once in a while. It sounds like you are a good caring parront and willing to work through any problems so keep up the good work!!

Kansas

66049 ERMELING, H MARGUERITE, DVM Lawrence A*

66062 BURCHAM, J C, DVM Olathe A

66062 ROMAIN, MARK G., DVM Olathe A

66112 SWANSON, JAMES R., DVM Kansas City A

66214 MORRIS, DARLIA A., DVM Shawnee A

66502 COUGHLIN, PATRICK M. Manhattan D

66502 DELAMAIDE, JOY Manhattan D

66502 LLOYD, ALICIA Manhattan D

66502 ARNETT, ELIZABETH Manhattan D

66502 MURRAY, JILL, AHT Manhattan G*

66506 CARPENTER, JAMES W., DVM Manhattan A

66539 LLIZO, SHIRLEY YEO., VMD Silver Lake A

67212 WILSON, SANDRA, DVM Wichita A*

67212 HOGAN, LINDA S. Wichita B

67401 MUTLOW, ADRIAN, VetMB,MRCVS Salina A

67401 OKESON, DANELLE M., DVM Salina A

67401 ROBERTS, MARK Salina B