Help with my lunging B & G please

[mab]

So here is the tale I have owned this bird for around 8 weeks when I went to view the bird it was in a family environment the lady of the house got the bird out of the cage with no issues the man of the house was present but didn’t show to much interest, I sat for a while talking about the bird and other things all this time the bird was sat on the arm of the settee next to the lady of the house and her husband was sat next to her he did talk to the bird a little she then asked if I wanted to hold the bird now not being used to this bird I was kind of scared but said yes so she brought the bird over and the bird stepped onto my arm and then walked up to my shoulder (which I don’t normally allow) this bird was fine with this it just sat there nor really doing anything I soon agreed to buy the bird and collect the day after which I did.
When I got the bird home I put in fresh food and water which it ate for quite some time appeared to be very hungry the cage was in a disgusting state but didn’t want to take the bird out to give it a good clean when I’ve only just brought it home it was planned to do the day after (which I did) I let the bird sit on our settee as it had done at the last owners house all this went very well he was just left to be for the rest of the day giving him time to get used to the new house and family, the day after we would go to the cage and he would lower his head for the Mrs and myself to tickle him with no nipping a day later we let him out of the cage and sit on the top and he just sat there without a care in the world he would still let us tickle him on his head and sometimes lift his wings for a further tickle. A few days later while I was out the Mrs let the bird out and he was on the cage at first then walked down onto the settee and allowed her to tickle him as per normal she put him back on the cage using a perch this went on over a couple of days I was also doing the same with him, we have had him around a week he was out on top of the cage and the Mrs went to change his water and he lunged and bit her taking a chunk of her hair out in doing this she then put him back in the cage using the perch as we always do since this incident all the bird ever does is lunge at her when she goes near him he has even walked across the settee and bit her leg quite hard drawing blood, he is fine with me I can get him out of the cage on my arm and put him back in again in the same way. Its got to the point now where I have to leave him in the cage and just take him out on my arm then into another room spend some time with him then put him back in if the Mrs comes in the room while he’s out and she happens to go near him he will again lunge at her trying to bite her have you any advice on how I can overcome this thanks

 

[goalerjones]

Everything I have seen and read about macaws and experienced with my own is that they are boundary pushers. They will test everyone to see what they can get away with.

With that being said, they can also be cage-aggressive. So maybe no bird-in-cage water/food changes from now on. Also get toys for him to play with to keep him stimulated.

There's also the socializing aspect to consider. If the bird has been a one-person bird then it will take time to resocialize him for the whole house.

 

[goalerjones]

Oh, and, as an aside, you are keeping your other birds away from him in quarantine, correct?

 

[mab]

all the birds are in the same room now he had a 4 week quarantine
He is fine when i feed and change his water the mrs cant go near his cage
he has toys in his cage but he never seems to play with them he has the last week started to shread the paper in the bottom of his cage and seems to spend a lot of time down there on the bottom, when ive had him out the cage as soon as i put him back in he goes down to the bottom of the cage and just sits there moving the papers around he then goes back up and sits on his perch

 

[Tammy]

How old is the B & G? One month isn't very long to get situated. It took Mr. Precious many months to settle in. He figured out quick who he could push around & who he couldn't. He did develop an extreme hatred for my mother & I actually have to move him to a different room or lock him up for her to get in her closet (her closet is in the spare room with his cage). Sometimes she'll try to sneak in quick getting ready for church but inevitably ends up running down the hall half dressed yelling for me to save her!

He may not ever like your wife but there's plenty of people on here with good advice to see if he will tolerate her.

 

[mab]

He/she is just under 4 years old

 

[Ronald]

I am currently going through the same with our B&G. From everything I have read and it kinda makes since is this.

Here are the facts....
The bird knows you are dominate.
He is going to test everyone who interacts with him to establish pecking order. Not everyone is going to be able to establish dominance over the bird.
Some people will be too scared to try.

The best way to explain it is... The bird knows you are dominate, you have to correct his behavior when he lunges at people. Once he understands this, as long as you are present he knows he can't bite anyone. He won't like them and will bite as soon as you leave the room, but now your family members can establish dominance without bites.

Remember while punishing a bird NEVER use physical punishment, it shows them they can use it too. A dirty look is often more effective than anything else. Most birds absolutely hate being on the floor and will step up to anyone while on it, but they will also remember who put them on the floor, so don't do it too often.

 

[mab]

Thanks for the replies i have never put him on the floor for doing anything wrong when he lunges at the mrs and im there i just tend to ignor the fact he is doing it and when he has stopped i will stroke him and talk to him i would never hit on him at all as he needs someone he can trust with his life and that person is looking like me but i do need the mrs to be able to feed him without being attacked. i'm wondering if it could be a female bird and she is thinking she has a nest in the bottom of her cage and she's seeing me as her mate im kind of hoping this is the case and it will pass when her breeding cycle has passed what are your views on this ??

 

[RescueMe]

Macaws are definitely good at showing who is boss and will often play chicken. Now that he has bitten your wife, he has likely found that he can get a reaction from this behavior. It is usually good to give positive reinforcement, but in this case, if he is lunging at your wife, he needs a bit of a time out, not more attention. Does your cage have doors that can access food and water dishes without reaching into the cage, she needs to be the one interacting with the bird in positive ways, such as feeding, giving treats ect, she may also have to be a bit brave and withstand a few lunges that she is close enough not to get bitten. My bird seems a bit cage brave, and when she first comes out will do an aggressive display and lunge, I ignore her while she is doing this but I do not back off until the display has stopped and she is requesting interaction. This has greatly reduced the behavior and now she is much calmer. I have had birds that I have fostered that are not willing to tolerate a specific person regardless of all training attempts and the help of a behavioralist. Hopefully your wife will work on these suggestions so there can be more peace in the house. Good luck.

 

[Ronald]

Thanks for the replies i have never put him on the floor for doing anything wrong when he lunges at the mrs and im there i just tend to ignor the fact he is doing it and when he has stopped i will stroke him and talk to him i would never hit on him at all as he needs someone he can trust with his life and that person is looking like me but i do need the mrs to be able to feed him without being attacked. i'm wondering if it could be a female bird and she is thinking she has a nest in the bottom of her cage and she's seeing me as her mate im kind of hoping this is the case and it will pass when her breeding cycle has passed what are your views on this ??

Putting him on the floor is a good way to calm him down and a good way to get him used to your wife. If you put him down, she should be able to pick him up and put him on his cage, just be careful because once on his cage he will turn to bite. This is the "rescue" method and can be very effective but if you do it too much he will stop stepping up to you in fear of going to the floor. I suggest using this once a day because your wife will get the positive interaction of saving him from the floor.

Don't ignore the lunging and reward when it stops because he will learn that when he stops he gets a reward.... it can't stop if it doesn't start, he will start just so he can stop or he will think you are rewarding the lunging itself. Like I said before the dirty look during unwanted behavior really gets their attention. Our macaw and african grey stop whatever they are doing when they get the stink eye. Our quaker, lorikeet, and cockatiel don't seem to care. The sun conure we broke of constant biting actually leaned as far away as possible when he got the stink eye which of course turned the stink eye into laughter which didn't help.

 

[JJones1719]

Okay first things first, You have to keep in mind that most Macaws and Parrots are a one perosn bird. Sure there are Macaws out there that will go to everyone and anyone but the norm is most like either Men or just Women only.
With this being said, in order for your Mrs to bond with this B&G macaw, she must be the Alfa in the relationship, Your B&G must see her as the leader, protector, and flock mate. This means she needs to be the only person giving treats, food, and water to the Macaw, she is now the provider.
Your Mrs if she wants anything to do with this Macaw will have to learn how to handle them, this mean to stop using the perch to pick them up.
The proper way to pick up the any Macaw is with a closed fist, only use the forearm, never allow the B&G to be higher then your or your Mrs's eyes, You mentioned that you allow your Macaw on top of the cage, this is a huge no no, Macaws and most parrot on top of the cage will show agression and be aggressive towards you and the Mrs.
it is better to purchase a play stand or play gym for the Macaw and to keep them under your eye level.
To train the Macaw to step up, your Mrs needs to have treats or a favorite toy of your B&G and to use them when the Macaw steps up, reward with the treat, i use almonds. If the Macaw start to lunge or hiss, use the toy to get their attn or block a bite.
Macaws respond to positive actions from their owners but there maybe times where a timeout is required.
Example, If your Macaw lunges or tries to bite the Mrs, she needs to say or yell in a stern loud voice one word and that is (NO), if the Macaw tries to lunge or bite again, the Macaw should be removed from where they are and placed back into their cage, use a cover for a timeout. no more then 5-10 minutes at a time. After 10 minutes or so, the Macaw will have forgotten why it's being punished.
once the Macaw calms down or allows scratches, reward, reward, reward and say what a great macaw they are.
Soon, you will be able to handle this Macaw, when this happens, your Mrs needs to eat, play, and even shower with the Macaw, these are all actions that Macaws do in the wild and see the Mrs as a flock mate. Best of luck to you and the Mrs. Joe