20 year old rescued macaw

[Sicilysangel]

Hey everyone, I adopted Roscoe about a week ago n I absolutely love her. I know its been a short time and she still needs to adjust but I am curious about certain things. This is my first macaw and I know I made the right decision is choosing the bird rescue route. she has a certain respect for me but still has no problem giving me a hard time n will try to bite me if I dont pay attention to her mood. What can I do to not be so nervous that she will bite? They can sense fear.

 

[sonja]

It's going to take time to get to know her moods and body language. She also has to learn to trust you, too, so be calm and consistent and let her know what to expect from you, too.

 

[Sicilysangel]

Thank you I will continue getting to know her. Do you have any advice on how I can handle her while she is in a mood?

 

[MonicaMc]

You may want to look into target training her so that you can learn how to "handle" her without getting bit.


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4DjiRJu5gQ"]Part 1 - Target Training B&G Macaw with Barbara Heidenreich at Rodies Feed & Pet Supply - YouTube[/ame]



[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnlHAHKmP5c"]Part 2 - Target Training B&G Macaw with Barbara Heidenreich at Rodies Feed & Pet Supply - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Sicilysangel]

Thank you, I will try this although I know she will bit the target and my hand. Lol patience is gonna be a big part of this .

 

[MonicaMc]

Then reward her before she bites the target! All she needs to do is to orientate her head towards the target! Which you can see with the B&G in the video.


Also, if you can hold the treat just right so she has to reach for it, you may be able to avoid getting bitten. You could also try offering the treat on a spoon or inside a measuring cup to help protect your fingers some more.

 

[MikeyTN]

Patience is the key! There's different training methods available for you to sift through within the forum if you use the search option. But target training is a good method to start. It will take her some time to get adjusted to you but you need to practice training on a daily basis, several times per day. Must be consistent and persistent or it's not going to work as Macaw would try to run you over if you let them. When I brought Lola home last summer, same issue with her and I had to retrain her and work with her on a daily basis. She's a well behaved bird now. They will test their boundaries especially with a new owner.

 

[Sicilysangel]

Ive been working on the target training and she of course pretended to grab the treat from me and then went for the finger. Lol this is rough but she will learn I hope.

 

[MonicaMc]

She may need a bit of time to settle in and get used to you.

 

[Sicilysangel]

Thank you for being so friendly and insightful. I feel confident already )))