IndianRingNeck.com

Hello everyone:

I would like to ask a few questions. First off I have an IRN which is very vocal (though she doesn't talk). She allows some petting in and out the cage and she accepts food and goodies with no problems. Though she is my bird since she is 4 months old she seems to be in love with my step father since he is the only one she allows to touch every part of her body. She loves landing on my head and sitting there for hours at a time, though in a few cases she has bit my ears and forehead. BTW her name is Baby.

Recently my mother decided to make my wish come true and she bought me a baby blue and old macaw. This baby is still being hand reared. I wanted to ask before bringing the baby into my own home since right now she is at my mothers house pending my decision with my IRN and how she will react. I am unsure if the baby macaw is male or female so Im not sure how friendly she is going to be.
Any suggestions, thought, or whatever.. Let me know please. I feel bad for the new baby as well as for Baby and I by no means intend on putting my irn on hold for the baby macaw. I was thinking maybe not feeding or over handling the baby macaw in the presence of my IRN until the baby was fully weaned. Any ideas?

~Mia

Congrats on your new macaw!

I'm not sure what the best course of action to take is, but as I'm sure you know, if you do decide to bring the macaw home, take things very slow

I would think you wouldn't over-handle the baby macaw anyway, so it can learn some independent play skills.

If you don't change the time you spend with Baby once you bring the new one home, it shouldn't be so bad.

I would be hesitant about letting them play together. Only because IRNs can be... mean... and a macaw has incredible beak power.

a friend of mine has a macaw that he hand reared from a baby and says its imporatant to let other people handle your baby macaw as well so it gets used to other people and won't freak out if other people are around, also so it doesn't just get attached to one person and get agressive when others people get close( I was often on baby macaw babysitting duty at my friends house) it's also important to massage and touch your macaws beak and tongue while feeding as a good while of earning his/her trust( my friend did this with his macaw and it is extremely tame and love being hand feed or getting a tongue massage)