Rosie - HELP

[kendrafitz]

A little over a week ago, my mother had a medical issue and needed my help. She lives about 1 1/2 hours from us, so I stayed with her for about a week. All is fine with her and life is again good. :)

However, since I have returned Rosie is a mess. She WILL NOT LET ME OUT OF HER LINE OF VISION. Anytime I walk out of the room, she screams, and screams, and screams some more. I think she is insecure that I am going to leave again. I am not sure what to do. I try to ignore it, but then my daughter starts crying and screaming for me b/c Rosie is so loud. I try waiting for a break in screams before I reappear telling her softly she was too loud and to use her words. But nothing is working. It is so bad that if she is in my bedroom and I walk into my closet she goes nutty. I can't even shower by myself b/c she will not stand for it. I know that it is an anxiety thing and that it must be as unpleasant for her as it is for all of us. But my families patience is worn extremely thin and to be honest, I feel like I am getting a bit nutty myself. I am not getting much done around the house and work is difficult b/c she wants to be on me and then proceeds to try to eat my desk/chair. So all in all, I am an unproductive mess with hearing loss, an anxious bird and an annoyed family. ;)

Does anyone have any suggestions to alleviate her anxiety?

[Blancaej]

When I went away for 3 days last month I noticed the same behavior with Savannah. Maybe not as much as Rosie. But I found after a week or so she stopped doing it so much. I did all the typical things and ignored it, etc. But really, I think once she knew I wasn't going anywhere she finally started to calm down. Wish I could help more! But maybe you just need to give it a little more time. I did make it a point to spend a little extra time cuddling and always let her know when I was leaving that "I will be back". So she knew I was coming home.

[ShellyBorg]

It will just take time. Act like nothing is wrong, but I would add lots of foraging to the cage. Even if its just balls of paper with food/fruit or nuts inside. If she is busy looking for Noms she will be quieter.

[spiritbird]

Try giving her a flock call periodically to let her know you are nearby. "Hey Rosie I am here honey" or something like that. Perhaps a new, mental and physically stimulating toy would be enjoyed and distract her. Most of all just keep up the reassurance. If all else fails I would call my vet as there could be some holistic method of treatment such as avi calm.

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[PlaxMacaws]

I agree with everything that Blanca and others have stated. Rosie sounds to be quite insecure in her anticipation of your absence. But it's hard to really blame her. After all, she loves you and when you leave her it's not possible for her to know for certain that you're going to return. And I'm sure that's especially true when you're away for an extended period. Perhaps Rosie has realized that abandonment is one possible scenario in life. Moreover, a Macaw can easily develop a codependency kind of relationship with its caregiver. However, I personally don't believe that forcing a Macaw to be more dependent is the right thing to do in most cases. IMO, as Blanca and Dianne mentioned, reassurance can be a helpful thing. And be mindful that since Rosie is the only bird in your home, the feeling of being alone and the fear of potential abandonment may be extra frightening for her. Perhaps you can get her more connected with your daughter or another of your human family members who may be able and willing to 'step in' during those times you must be away for a while? Other than that, I think Blanca is probably correct in her guess that Rosie will begin to desensitize to your absence as time progresses (at least to the point before you had to be away from her for a week).