Help/Tips for the stores Macaw!

[reptileguy]

Hello im new to this forum and birds together. A little background, im in college and work at a local pet store. The store is family owed and is not a chain so the store tends to get a little more exotic animals than the average petsmart. I started working at the store about 7 months ago with a pretty good background with animals besides Parrots. I was eager to learn and quickly bonded and with the Goffin Cockatoo and Quaker Parrots but as they sold we were left with the one parrot we had left, a soon to be 2 year old scarlet Macaw. my boss has vowed to never get any Macaw ever again, everyone in the store is afraid of him and ive taken upon myself to make a better life for this bird.

Im at the point where i can get him out of his cage (the cage is 3ft long, 3 deep, 6 high) and put him directly on his perch. He always bites my arm and fingers, i have a arm full of scars and marks from him. Ive been working with him singly for about 3 months trying to make him nicer and we have made some progression, its strange but first thing in the morning (before we open and fish lights are on) i put him on his perch and take him to the fish "cave" where it is super dark and quite and there i can pet him and scratch under his feathers, but normally he just tries to bite me. He also tries to climb up to my shoulder which i know is a big no no.

So i need some advice. Am i helping this bird by trying to interact with him so much? Is it a waste of my time because he will never be nice to me? Is it bad for him to start to like me only to be sold in the future? When i hold him and he bites i just try to take it and ignore it but damn it hurts! i know you are not suppose to punish a bird (or other animals for that matter) but is there something i can do to help deter to biting??

Also, one day a man came in who owns a Macaw and i asked him about the biting and the loud squawking and how he handles it....but he said that when his Macaw did those thing he smacked the bird/ cage with his shoe and "it learned real quick". Now i would never recommended this to anyone but how did that happen?? did he just get lucky or is it a ticking time bomb till the bird flips out or something?? i mean call it wrong but ive seen his videos and he has a scarlet Macaw that dosnt bite or act up so i was just wondering what thats about, and as a note i would never use this technique even if it did work

sorry for the book but im eager to turn this guy around!

 

[Jtbirds]

Well one big thing is if he is biting you and you are putting him on the gym still, that is a no in my mind. You gave him a reward for biting you by still letting him out, what I do and this is not to start a debate but I put them back in there cage for a time out. 10-15minutes is all that is required and then go back for some more and rinse wash and repeat over and over and it works with this. Now if the biting is being caused by a trigger effect meaning something in is environment you need to find that and work around desensitizing him or removing the so called trigger.

I believe you are doing the most right you can by handling this guy, it doesn't deserve not being handled just because it has an issue and really I'd ask the owner if you could just take the macaw as he isn't moving and it's not fair to him and your making progress with him. So see if the owner would allow you to take him possibly if you'd like to have him or her...Ignoring isn't doesn't really work it only works if the bird gives up but not all give up, I suggest. Strict no! Or no bite! If he is still holding on I see nothing wrong with a gentle tap of the beak and no! I do not mean the commonly taught beak flicking I mean a touch like you pushed a button and said no! Macaws in the wild when acting out of line will touch each others beak in a pretty forceful manner soo by doing just a gentle touch and no means a lot more to them then ignoring the bite.


What that man did was slightly abusive IMO, you should never do that and he sounds like a cruel man. How'd he like it if I stuck him in a cage and kicked the cage, would he learn real quick or just get mean, submissive, and worse? The bird is a time bomb you are right one day the man will get it back once he does this enough the bird will lose all trust and show him a taste of his own medicine and I sooooo hope it is a good bite honestly because the man is a down right jerk.

This is just something's to think about I will add more as others respond and offer there thoughts, I'm Alittle stressed on time so sorry it's not full of great content for you.

 

[reptileguy]

thanks for the reply!

it makes sense what you are saying about when he bites me!
if im trying to get him out and hes acting nippy i do leave him be for at least 10 min (during that time all i hear is "up up" in the most pitiful voice haha), but i get bit most when transporting him. like he hops on my arm or hand, i lift him up and out then the biting happens. so you would advise i put him back in the cage no matter when he bites?

 

[Jtbirds]

Yes I do advise that, unless there is a trigger present. First I'd say do the no bite! And so on and correct it then put him or her in for a time out. It is really annoying when they step up then proceed to bite and best is to correct it while they have gotten the bite and then "punish" directly following the correction. So no bite and stop her and then right in for a time out and completely leave her for the allotted time, then come back and do it all again works. As long as there is nothing that is making her bite you just her trying to be a handful and a macaw.

 

[Karigan]

You could start with target training to make him a little more sociable and to have a chance to reward him for good behaviour.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I agree, target/touch training is a very succseful method of training with birds. I always use a clicker as the bridge.

 

[reptileguy]

thanks for the advice!

some quick questions, is it bad for me to hold/interact with the other birds in the store and him see it? will he get jealous with me and make it harder for us (the macaw) and i to get along?
i think ive read that his cage is at the minimal size for a macaw, i think this could be one of the biggest factors for him being pissy? would being out on his perch greatly help this problem? i never recommend the bare minimal for anything but we have no choice at the moment.
I also have a few costumers that he/she just loves. they can stick their hands in his cage and in his mouth and just rub and play with him. Now i wont lie but im scared to stick my fingers too close to is mouth, ive tried once but got a good chunk pulled out. The people doing it say you just really got to stick it in their and be confident and he will "false bite" and use his tongue. does that sound like a hospital trip waiting to happen?

 

[Tosca]

I was told that if you are transporting a bird on your arm and get bit, drop your arm just a bit to cause the bird to become off balance. Is this good advice?

 

[noblemacaw]

I personally think by dropping a bird from your arm is trust breaking behavior. You want to perform trust building techniques with the macaw instead of breaking the trust you are building up. You want the interactions to be positive and use positive reinforcement when working with the Scarlet.

Reptile guy have you noticed what kind of people the Scarlet is responding to positively? What gender? What do they look like? Does there seem to be a pattern to the clients he likes vrs clients he does not like?

Teaching the parrot to step up onto a stick from the cage using positive reinforcement (give him a treat for getting on the stick on command. Give him a treat after he steps onto the perch successfully.) I think by having him step up onto the stick instead of you will help save you on some bites. He can go ahead and bite the stick instead if he thinks that biting after stepping up is trained in him.

I think it is very wonderful of you to want to help the Scarlet learn some manners and help him learn to be handled better. I think if you are consistent with him and he learns what to expect from you and trust building techniques are used he will be a better behaved parrot.

Once he learns better behaviors and training be prepared that someone may end up buying him. Unless you want to purchase him and keep him always have it in the back of your mind that the more work you put into the Scarlet and the better behaved he becomes he will probably get sold. I think it is very admerable that you are putting in the work to help this bird become a better behaved parrot.

 

[Jtbirds]

Noble I agree with you on what has stated, but the part about a certain gender should not be taken into consideration.. Gender has no effects on a birds training and is a myth made up by people with stereotyping minds... Sorry but this is how I feel and that bird needs a clean slate not one ridden by stereotypes or gender preference and the whole nine yards.


I won't advise unless you have previous expirence with macaws to stick your fingers in his face that is pretty much an invitations to getting hurt at this moment and time. As for the cage this could be an issue and I believe if he doesn't have toys and entertainment he needs that as well as it could resolve some of the energy he has.

Being confident towards him will defiantly help, but confidence and stupidity as sticking your fingers in his face isn't really confidence. So be confident around him, but do not do such acts lol!

 

[reptileguy]

Ive already started implementing the new tips and im seeing success already!

Im glad to here about the gender stereotype because i had that understanding as well! i own two pitbulls so i love showing up the stereotypes. All that being said he only interacts with males expect for one young lady....but this young lady is a lesbian and you would call her a guy if you didnt know better.
He does have two toys in his cage, they are modified dog toys because he destroys all the bird toys in hours. The store is loosing money on this macaw. he is priced at $1800 with his cage, is that really expensive?
Some have suggest me take him personally, i would like to but i live in a apartment for college and i would be murdered if i brought him here (in a couple years if he is still there when i get my own place than i will buy him, but i really hope he finds a home). I know that as soon as i get attached to him and become friends thats when he will be sold, but i am prepared for this and its the main reason to try and tame him some to show that he isnt the big mean bad bird and just misunderstood.

some other questions about macaws that may only pertain to the one im working with.
1. does anyone know why he turns into a different bird when put in the dark?? he will try to bite me on his perch stand, be moved into hard to see darkness, then pulls his wings up for me to scratch under. is this super strange??? i will say i really like it because this time is strictly mine and his time together and i feel like he learns to trust me most during this time.
2. He freakin loves it if i blow in his face. he sticks his tongue out and wiggles it around. when you blow on his tongue he will then let you pet him without him rearing to bite. anyone know about this behavior?

sorry if my questions seem very novice and i hope im not annoying the more experienced keepers. i know i could google some of this but i really want to hear it first hand from the people who work with these amazing creatures the most. i will most likely be posting random questions over the week so i look forward to talking to you all more, everyone has been very helpful in this forum, including sending me pm for personal help, i enjoy forums i can get information from without the hassle!

 

[reptileguy]

also, i noticed that Scarlet Macaws are not as common on this thread as far as owning them....is there a reason for this?? haha

 

[Jtbirds]

The two questions you asked seem like things the bird likes individually not so much macaw things, the tongue sticking out is normal and wing out behavior is normal but the others seem more the birds preference.

I believe less own Scarlets on here, because they aren't as commonly breed in my expirences plus people don't vibe as much with Scarlets and militarys it seems. There are a few on here with Scarlets or hybrids of Scarlets. I love Scarlets personally just don own one ATM.

And es I believe he is pricey as he is now no longer a baby plus he has his issues... I'd say you deserve him for free fr what you are doing, but that's me.

If you need any help feel free to post and you can pm me if you'd like I am available to help you anytime you may need. Glad the forums are helping you so much that s what they are meant to do!

-thanks Justin

 

[reptileguy]

Ya i thought it might just be his/her personality. they really are like kids its crazy.

im glad you like scarlets jt, because most people i talk to say "they are the more nippy/ aggressive type". but this has pushed me more to prove them wrong. ive seen the video on "no nip" training was wondering if this applies to scarlet macaws too? idk about sticking my hand in his mouth and hoping my position is stronger than his bite, i want to try it but im very intimidated to try haha. any advice on how to approach this?

 

[Jtbirds]

That phrase nippy and so on came from breeders stereotyping them long ago... And has just stuck through till today honestly.. I love Scarlets they can be great and so can any bird no matter the past... Some just need certain people to be involved with them

The no nip training applies to not only macaws but any bird I believe so yes you can use it on him I'd suggest having a better relationship with him first that doesn't involve him forcefully biting you. That method I'd used to adjust the beak pressure they use during play or when hey get nippy not biting. Not when they are meaning to bite you.

 

[reptileguy]

lol ya that makes sense. well i have high hopes for the big guy, im not leaving the pet store soon and dont see him leaving any sooner. thanks again for all the great advice! i look forward to the day i make the thread "how to turn a scarlet macaw around!" filled with personal tips for new owners!

 

[reptileguy]

One more thing! anyone know any treats (fruits, veggies, etc) that you recommend over others for bonding? is there a certain treat that he would really look forward to me bringing everyday?? he gets peanuts know as a reward treat.

 

[Jtbirds]

haha before you make that post get a couple years of macaw expirence.

i use pistachios as treats and some dried fruit as training treats cut into small peices, i never suggest peanuts as they can kill a bird quickly if they eat an infected one, so there are better treats then a fatal one.

 

[reptileguy]

thanks again man! once again i didnt know that! its kinda funny, i could write books about snakes and fish and dogs but im finding out more and more how inexperienced i am with parrots!

 

[Jtbirds]

hey ill tell you what ive done this for years even though i am only 17 and i have studied hard and done a lot, but i learn something new about parrots daily... parrots just have so much information and body language we can learn and i thinks that is why i have stuck to this since i was 10.. and why i love rescuing and working with these animals.