Ahhhh parrot hormones....Okay when do the RF's hormones kick in for the first time? Just need a little heads up. I've gotten through the worst of Jasmine's hormones (female ekkie), getting into Bailey, my B&G's, hormones......

Alright, great Jared, thanks again! Any other information you think of...please do share it with me/us.



Oh yes, Chloe is beginning to hover and turn around in air now...it just blows me away! I actually have some photos of Chloe flying outdoors. Please remember she is still learning, and I am also still learning how to follow and keep up with her...and figure out which way she is going!

Chloe in one of her daily flights in our back yard... on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Backyard flights on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Flitter flutter flight! on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

In the videos, you'll see that I obviously need a longer "leash", and I need something that absorbs the shock, so she doesn't get flung back........

Anywho, here is here WHOLE photo/video gallery: Chloe -- Red-Fronted Macaw - a set on Flickr

There are infant photos, handfeeding videos, etc. etc...It's her photo blog

So Missi - up to your old tricks I see! What a darling bird. Congrats! Sounds like she's a handful & I bet she learns everything you try to teach her. She already knows so much & your experiences with her flighted are going to be great reading.

Hope she & Bailey are good pals. I didn't know anything about this type of Macaw until about a year ago & I would really like to meet one.

So glad to hear all is well with you.

Hey thanks Jac! She IS SUCH a handful, but she fits in the flock so well! We all have been spending a TON of time together (I've basically given up my social life, if I want to be social, I have bird-loving friends over lol) and I've really been noticing all of my flock's new behavior as they mature...and even Princess, the Patagonian. She was mature when we adopted her almost a year ago, but she is just NOW starting to realize she has a forever home in out house...and starting to finally settle in.

Today Chloe recalled to my very nicely. We do about 5 recalls, enough so she learns it is a good thing to do, but not too many so she does not get bored of it. New photos in my photo gallery...link found in my signiture.

Also, I'd like to bet that she is just about weaned! She didn't beg for a feeding today, as she does usually every afternoon, but I offered her one anyhow, and she took about 40 cc's.

Bailey tollerates her better than any of the other fids. Its funny...even though she looks totally different, I think he knows she is a macaw as well! Do you guys think? I just don't need any B&G x RF babies!

IIRC they kick in the second year and get a bit worse each year but always subside.

From my own experience I would be a bit worried about your macaws bonding (or at least the RF thinking its bonded). As you must have noticed RFs are VERY affectionate and attention seeking. I'd be cautious about letting your RF spend to much one on one time with your other macaw. Gary seems to have had good luck but I notice that Merlin will attack me during certain times of the year if I try to separate him from Ariel (GW) so I never allow them to perch together.

The thing that seems to reinforce bonding between my RFs and myself the most is just to smile at them and call them good birds until they puff up.

Honestly? I think RFs are easy birds, just give them love and patience and they will return it in spades.

EDIT - Oh yes, my own RFs are fearless, this needs to be monitored because they forget that they are 1.2 lbs. They are also jealous andprone to attack other things I spend time with. Like all living creatures, YMMV.

Oh WOW...okay, I am reading all this for the first time. I didn't read anywhere before reading your experiences how affectionate and attention-seeking they are. I mean, I experienced it for myself, but was thinking she's being this way only because she is a baby. I will certainly NOT let Chloe & Bailey perch together any more. She is fearless. Sometimes she will try to land & perch on Bailey's head. Being a dramatic B&G (and aren't they all!), he does not want anything to do with that! Okay, so I am concerned about Chloe just bonding with me. I am already noticing that when my husband tried to hold her and I am around, she'll wiggle away from him and fly to me. Any single-person bonding with your RFs?

This made me smile! I do notice at times when I'm not smiling and cooing to her, she'll be uneasy....like the first few times when I was trying to put her harness on her, I was biting on my lower lip and probably had my eyebrows furrowed...she didn't want anything to do with it.....but when I eased up a bit and held her close and coo'ed and told her she was being a very good, patient girl, she would hold still for me....

UGH! AMAZING BIRDS! I had no idea! I truly couldn't find good info on them as pets anywhere so Jared, your insight is very valuable to me! THANK YOU! Please feel free to share much more

Roseta is friendly to both Gary and I, but because she was bonded with Winged Victory for 4 years before coming to us, they want to play the majority of time together. When we play with them separately, we take them to another room. Gary and I have to split our time with each of the birds to make it work, otherwise they would bond to one of us or the other and then it would be difficult for us both to take care of them. We really try to have all of our macaws interact with us both plus the rest of the flock for a more peaceful home for us all.

I think that is a great idea - working with your partner or others too. It is easy to get into a rut with the birds & accept their preference until one day you need them to be good with someone else. This was another reason to teach step-up to a perch in our case. Sadly we are still having trouble with Rio on this one aspect. Laker will step-up to anyone as long as they ask nicely.

That's what I was thinking, however I am more the one who is passionate of the fids. Joe likes them most of the time...but could live with out them...so...when she does leave him to come to me, he just lets her........



I will try working with him, though...

I'm pretty fortunate that all of the birds seem to be semi-bonded to both Jen and myself without any real effort to maintain this. Ariel likes me more, Chaco likes Jen more, Merlin switches every few months, but they all like us both. I let the birds play when I'm actively monitoring but ever since I took a few attacks the whole preening/snuggling stuff is over. I never realized how much those little RF beaks could hurt.

What happened?