AM> Hello. It's been awhile since I have been here. But I have 
 AM> some questions I hope someone can help me answer.
 AM> I'm looking into buying a Green Wing Macaw. He is 12 years old. The
 AM> pet store  that has him is a really great store. All the birds they 
 AM> carry they breed themselves. This bird came to them from an 
 AM> individual however. He is very under weight but has a great 
 AM> appetite. He will snap at you through the cage, but they 
 AM> said that the man that brought him in there could handle 
 AM> him with no problems. They have only had him a couple of 
 AM> days and have not tried to work with him so they really 
 AM> don't know how he is with other people. She is going to 
 AM> give him a couple of days to get use to his surroundings 
 AM> and his new cage before she tries to work with him. He 
 AM> seems to be a healthy bird and is beautiful in color. My 
 AM> question is: if he has been with one owner for 12 years can 
 AM> he be trained and have a good trusting relationship with a 
 AM> different owner?
 AM> She said he is suppose to be able to say " Hello and Shut 
 AM> up" (some vocabulary huh). Can he still pick up words and 
 AM> talk?
 AM> I have experience with Conures and other birds but I have 
 AM> never delt with these birds before. This one caught our eye 
 AM> and we would like to know more about what we can do with 
 AM> him at the age he is. I undersand he has a long life span, 
 AM> but we just want to be sure about him before we sink this 
 AM> much into him.
 AM> Any helpful advise would be great.
 AM> Thanks!!  
 Audra, last year I "adopted" a bird with a very bad attitude!  Rita, 
 a blue-fronted Amazon, had been at a local pet store for two years.  At this
 stage of the game she was very "bitey."  Somehow she won our hearts and we 
 brought her home.  Using Bird Talk magazine and the book, Guide to a Well 
 Behaved Parrot, by Mattie Sue Athan, Rita transformed into a happier bird.  
 All Amazons can be aggressive, but we have learned her signals.  In time she
 learned to trust us.  The repeated use of the "up" command was vital in 
 taming Rita.  Based on my experience, I feel you have a decent shot with the
 green wing.  ;-)
 
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