Abby

Blue and Gold Macaw

Age or Hatch Date: June 21, 2000

Gender: Female

Best qualities: Very sweet and fun

Favorite food: Fruits, veggies and pasta. Loves shell-on nuts for treats.

Favorite toys: Cardboard, wooden toys, rope swing, hanging coconut.

Challenges/Quirks: Feather picking and barking like a dog when she doesn't get enough attention.

Gets along with other birds: Yes

Gets along with dogs: Unknown

Gets along with cats: Yes (but if they are too close to her she will tell them to back off)

Gets along with kids: Unknown

Dowel or Step Up trained: Yes

Vocabulary: Very large, but she only talks on certain occasions.

Known health issues: None.

Other comments: Hi, my name is Abby! I'm a Blue and Gold macaw. I can be a bit shy at first, but when I come out of my shell, I am an absolute sweetheart. Don't be turned off by my missing feathers - when I don't get enough attention I get lonely and stressed and I feather pick. Some of them are growing back in now that I'm with my foster parents. Despite missing some feathers, I am still a beautiful, healthy girl who is looking for her forever home with a family that will give me the love and attention I need.

I love being offered a variety of fresh foods. Some days some things seem better than others, so if I don't want it one day I will want it another day! I nosh on peas, carrots, beet sticks, spaghetti squash, tangerine slices, blueberries, grapes, sweet potato, nectarines to name a few. I can usually be convinced to try something I see you enjoying, especially if you are making a big deal about how yummy it is! I absolutely love noodles and you will make me a very happy bird if you share some noodles with me at dinner. I will stay very happy and healthy if I have a family who will make me chop and offer me a variety of healthy foods to pick through, along with my pellets. Once in a while I get seed, but only as a treat! It's not healthy for me to eat everyday. My favorite treats are nuts with the shell on - I especially like hazelnuts and walnuts.

I communicate very well with my beak. I have never drawn blood on my foster parents, but I can pinch, especially if I'm on top of my cage and I don't want to come down. (In that instance, you can use a large dowel and I will step up for you). I am generally really good about stepping up, however. I have stepped up for friends of my foster parents and hung out on their shoulders. Like all macaws, I like to mess with humans sometimes. I do this by barking in their faces, because I think it's funny to scare them and make them jump! It's kind of a game to me.

It takes me a little while to earn your trust, but when I do, I will love hanging out with you, and spending time in your lap cuddling and playing. When I really like someone I will crawl off my stand and travel the house looking for them. If we're not that close, I usually stay put. I scream like any bird does, but only a couple of times throughout the day, or when I am really lonely and want to be out of my cage. I can be very loud, so be prepared for that!

I would do best in a home with one owner or a couple who have adequate time to give me lots of love and attention. I get nervous when there's a lot of noise or chaos going on, so I would probably not do so well in a home with a lot of young children. I do pretty well with medium to small birds (but I should always be supervised around them, because like all big birds sometimes I get territorial and can accidentally hurt a smaller bird!). My foster family has three cats and three small birds and I tolerate them all just fine, as long as they respect my space. I lived in a home for a while with a lot of other large birds like me, and their screaming made me very skittish and nervous.

I love looking outside and I would be so unbelievably happy if I had an owner who could build me a little outdoor aviary so I can spend time out there! My foster Mom is working on harness training me because she knows how much I like the outside, but because I have my wings we need to make sure I'm safe before we go out. I haven't gotten used to the harness yet but if my person was patient enough I bet I could be convinced to finally wear it. One of my favorite toys is my circle rope swing. I love to swing on it. Because I'm such a large bird, I would really enjoy it if my family could make me a little jungle gym with a rope swing in the ceiling. I also really want a stand made with tree branches. My eyes light up every time we go to the bird store and I see one of those stands.

I need a lot of toys to keep me entertained, and I especially love shredding things, so save those egg cartons and paper tubes for me! Foster Mom hides nuts in little cardboard boxes and I have a fun time shredding those apart to get the treats inside! I also like to chew on paper like gum and like wood toys. I have a plastic ball that I play with on the floor with my foster parents and that's fun too. If you're doing laundry, let me help. I love tossing socks in and out of the basket - that is another fun game!

Did I mention I also love to dance? Turn some music on and dance with me! Foster mom also made up a song for me that she sings, and I like hearing it so I dance to that too. I also will wave to you whenever you come by! I tend to talk the most when I'm in the shower or the vacuum is running. Sometimes my foster parents hear me talking when I'm alone by myself. I say "Hello!", "Pepper", "Good Boy", "Good Girl" and various other things and sounds. I also mutter my full name a lot, "Abbatha". I'm a very sweet, loving and fun macaw and with trust I will be wanting to hang out on your shoulder, seeking scritches in your lap as well as give you kisses by licking your lips with my tongue!

Last updated: 6/14/2020