Reddit reviews The Parrot Problem Solver

Take him to the vet. Have him checked out to rule out any health causes. I second the advice to have your gf take a backseat in taking care of him. She and you will need to be on the same page about this 100%.

I also highly, highly recommend that you read and practice daily what you can learn from the following books:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/clicker-training-for-birds-melinda-johnson/1006112405?ean=9781890948153&pcta=n&st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Core+Shopping+Textbooks_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP17&k_clickid=3x17

http://www.amazon.com/Parrot-Problem-Solver-Barbara-Heidenreich-ebook/dp/B004H4X7ZU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453917288&sr=8-1&keywords=parrot+problem+solver

My bf spent a few months reading and practicing what he learned from these two books. He went from "barely tolerated while lunging at you to kill you" to "I LOVE YOU FATHER, WHERE ARE YOU GOING? I LOVE YOU" with our quaker within a year and half of consistent work. I think there's still hope for you and your parrotlet. Give these a go.

You know your mother. Do you think that she'll read a full book on parrot ownership of you give her one?

A few words of caution about literature that you find. Look at the date that information was printed or shared online. Knowledge of how parrots live, their diets, their social lives, and things that are toxic to them has all improved over the past decade or so. Just make sure that articles you or your mother are looking at online aren't quoting something from 1972 or something like that.

This [author](The Parrot Problem Solver by Barbara Heidenreich http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004H4X7ZU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_udp_api_mx.CxbSSTKDBZ) is pretty good.

I want to specifically call this out because it's easily going to solve the "she shouldn't have a parrot" situation if she's not aware of it. Get rid of all Teflon pans and aerosol air fresheners, etc. as they're toxic to parrots. Teflon releases a gas when it's heated that has been proven to kill parrots very suddenly. This is an example of something that was proven in 2002 and was beloved to be conjecture until that point.

Ask questions here if you have them, or go to avian avenue and ask them there. Macaws are big parrots and aren't simple, but her new parrots age and personality will play a big role in how easy it is to deal with.

If there's are some things (outside of Teflon and poisons) that I'd highly suggest researching they would be:

1. socialization - the more people that can handle the parrot the better. This will make it less prone towards being territorial and just all around easier to live with.
   
   
2. diet - seed mixes are easy to come by and sold like they are a one stop shop for perfect nutrition. They're not. Pellets and veggies are ideal if she wants that macaw to live a long life (i.e. Into its 20's - it can live into 70's if it has a good life)
   
   
3. entertainment - toys and things that it can do inside of its cage. It's a smart animal and needs mental stimulation. Not giving it this can cause the bird to get depressed.
   
   This isn't research, but it's good to do..
   
4. cage cleaning - can't set it and forget it. Papers at the bottom of the cage should be changed every 2-3 days at a minimum. Parrots can get sick if everything isn't cleaned out frequently. I purchased a hand cleaner to clean off the cage bars every Saturday for our parrots. It sure isn't a glorious job, but it keeps them clean and healthy.
   
   There is so much more that I want to keep going down the list, but this is a good start.
   
   Good luck with this situation. Hopefully your mother is taking it more seriously than you imply... I can certainly see the appeal of a macaw, but that's a whole lot of bird.