How do you educate company

[Christinenc2000]

Without offending. Reason I am asking. A friend came over the same week I had rescued BB. Well BB seemed ok and liked the guy. I was so wrong lol. BB tried several times to bite him. I kept telling the guy to move away from his cage and leave him alone. I finally had to rude about it. This friend is coming over Saturday. Not seen him in a long time and now i am way over protective of BB.

Another friend thought she could just walk up and BB would jump on her arm like he does mine. Well BB put one foot out to step up . She had a watch on and he got his foot caught . Reached down to help himself up with his beak and she backed up. Poor fella was doing the splits. Lucky I was standing right there and he reached me.

I hate to be rude but serious . We really do not get a lot of company and the few others that have come over have been great about doing what I ask. So how do you guys handle it.

I know you have to socialize the Bird but how do you train the people LOL

Friends from next door that come over he is great with. He knows he will be fed almonds and get a few scratches. So far he does not want to step up with them. It is a older couple ( 80's ) So it is for the best . They are just amazed by him and he loves her voice .

Anyway I am just curious if anyone else has run into a situation of having to deal with a not so tame human house guest :54:

 

[JerseyWendy]

Christine, I actually tell people who come into my house "Do NOT touch the birds, do NOT tease the birds unless you want to lose a limb." Of course I'm exaggerating, but friends and family know now that unless I physically put any of my fids on them, they are to keep their distance.

Ask me if I care if I come across as rude..... :54:

 

[Kiwibird]

"This is BB. Did you know a macaw's beak can apply enough pressure to break and adult arm bone and can easily sever a finger? Oh, and did I mention, he doesn't take kindly to strangers". That should do it

All joking aside (actually, I wasn't completely joking), sometimes you do have to be rude and/or really exaggerate the "danger" of your bird. If someone is that dumb they don't heed a nice warning, then I don't trust them around my bird and will do whatever it takes to keep them away. I had to do that with a friend who's little kid was WAYYYYYYY too misbehaved to be around Kiwi. I told her he'd bite the kids fingers off. You better bet that kid wasn't allowed near his cage to harass him:54:

 

[Christinenc2000]

Thank you SO much. That is close to what I told him today. But will make sure to repeat it this weekend. Less the rude words I added

 

[Christinenc2000]

"This is BB. Did you know a macaw's beak can apply enough pressure to break and adult arm bone and can easily sever a finger? Oh, and did I mention, he doesn't take kindly to strangers". That should do it

All joking aside (actually, I wasn't completely joking), sometimes you do have to be rude and/or really exaggerate the "danger" of your bird. If someone is that dumb they don't heed a nice warning, then I don't trust them around my bird and will do whatever it takes to keep them away. I had to do that with a friend who's little kid was WAYYYYYYY too misbehaved to be around Kiwi. I told her he'd bite the kids fingers off. You better bet that kid wasn't allowed near his cage to harass him:54:

Thank you ! I really was worried I was being over protective. Glad you guys handle it close to what I did .

 

[thekarens]

I don't allow people other than family in my house. That solves that problem

 

[SoCalWendy]

Just tell them from the beginning the bird bites, because all birds "do" bite :54: So if they want to interact then just offer a treat... This way the bird isn't threatened by the advances of your friend/s, and he gets a nice treat. Win win. The bird is happy (treat) the friend is happy too.

 

[Christinenc2000]

I don't allow people other than family in my house. That solves that problem

OMG I was on a business call listening and all of a sudden cracked up reading this.

 

[Mariar]

Because doolie (YNA) bite everyone who walk thru the door and actually became the attack bird to many people when he was alive ..most my friends have learned their lessons.. But I still have a few that haven't..thinking it's funny when sissy gets all puffed up. I alway tell them as nice as I can that they will get bit and I won't care. Now a friend brought her small son over and he didn't listen..thank goodness sissy only drew blood, she could have done a lot of damage to that little brat who was bothering her

 

[kq_fan]

I have lots of warning signs that say in big neon letters CATION BOTH BIRDS WILL BITE! Do not touch the birds OR try to see if they do bite! And other then that I just say please keep all fingers to yourself for they bite extremely hard. But for some reason that is hard to comprehend for non bird owners.

 

[Williamsong]

There is a little girl that always comes over to my house asking to see the birds, she always wants to pet them and cuddle them but she is only maybe 5-6 years old and very spastic. I let her hold baby because I trust her around strangers, but I always tell her "NOT the big birds!" but of course she never listens, I will leave the room for 30 seconds to get a treat for her to offer baby and I come back in the room and she's got her arm INSIDE cookies cage! And cookie is mean to anyone accept my mom. I ran over to pull her away from the cage just as cookie lunged right at her! I sat her down and told her that bird could bite her finger off and does not like strangers, so please be careful and do not try to touch any bird unless I say its ok. And then of course she runs home crying and I get a phone call from her mother asking why I threatened her daughter, I just told her "Look your daughter disobeyed my rules in my house and almost got herself seriously hurt by doing something I explicitly told her not to do!" She understood once I explained the situation obviously, but still, that shows how easily something could go very wrong. I know i shouldn't have left her alone with the birds, but I honestly thought she wouldn't try and touch the big birds because she always tells me how afraid she is that there going to "peck" her, LOL

 

[Birdman666]

My "visitor's speech" starts with:

"Birds have to get to know you first. You never know how they are going to react if they don't know you. And even though they generally don't bite, THEY COULD. So, please don't attempt to handle them without my supervision."

To emphasize my point, I have a block of wood that Maggie bit in half. It's thicker than an arm bone...

I hold it up, and tell them this is the kind of bite pressure she's capable of. Then I hand it to them, and invite them to squeeze that block of wood until it shatters...

"SHE CAN!"

That tends to leave a lasting impression.

I've done some school educational programs with large macaws... and always pass around An ABC block of wood. Invite the kids to squeeze it until it breaks. You let two or three people try.
(I've been using ABC blocks as foot toys for over a decade. Hand that to one of mine, and they know what to do with it. CRUNCH! CRACK!)

That one usually gets the biggest Oooohs!

Then to show them not to be afraid, I turn the bird over on it's back in the palm of my hand and "beak wrestle" nose to beak.

"Respect the power of that beak. DO NOT FEAR IT. These are gentle creatures, but they will defend themselves if they feel threatened. That's why we have to be careful about how we approach them, and be aware of our movements. Because they are very aware of them. Birds are on the dinner menu for every predator species, including us. In order to let you pick one up, or touch, that bird has to know that it can literally trust you with it's life."

 

[Ann333]

Christine, I actually tell people who come into my house "Do NOT touch the birds, do NOT tease the birds unless you want to lose a limb." Of course I'm exaggerating, but friends and family know now that unless I physically put any of my fids on them, they are to keep their distance.

Ask me if I care if I come across as rude..... :54:

This is my house rule #1. I dont care if i am rude about it. My dogs and my bird live in this house, you dont. This is THEIR space, you need to be respectful of that.

 

[SoCalWendy]

No offense to you Williamsong, but I'm still at awe that a parent would allow their 5-6 year old child to go over to a neighbors house unsupervised.

 

[Birdman666]

No offense to you Williamsong, but I'm still at awe that a parent would allow their 5-6 year old child to go over to a neighbors house unsupervised.

I know, right?! Unless you knew your neighbor really well, it wouldn't be especially prudent parenting...

Even IF YOU DID know your neighbor well, uuumm... perhaps they don't want to baby sit your child at the moment. So, it's still not exactly a good idea.

 

[Birdman666]

I explain things politely the first time.

It's where my instructions ARE NOT FOLLOWED, I tend to become significantly less polite...

I have had words with a few of my daughter's friends before.

It's my job to see to it that EVERYONE in my household is safe. Birds safe from humans, and humans safe from birds.

 

[jasper19]

I just give a little prep course/talk before they come over, or if they want to meet her. I say, have you handled birds before? If you reach out to let her step up, do not pull away in fear if she puts her beak down. If she bites you do not pull away fast, thrash, or freak out. If you do you could injure my bird.

And i just say if you don't think you can handle to remain calm no matter what she does, then you don't get to meet her!

Safety first when it comes to people for me. I am personally more worried about angel over the people. Her beak wouldn't be able to break an arm like a macaw though. I am more worried she will go to bite someone while she is perched on them, they will thrash in fear and try and get away thus throwing her to the ground or whatever else.

 

[DexMom]

I have no trouble being rude to people who don't follow directions. If I tell someone not to do something in my home (like touch the bird or feed the dogs table scraps) I'm not at all polite to them if I catch them doing it.

 

[Giggleagain]

Ask me if I care if I come across as rude..... :54:

You make me feel better Wendy! I don't care if I come across as rude either. My birds. My rules.

 

[Williamsong]

No offense to you Williamsong, but I'm still at awe that a parent would allow their 5-6 year old child to go over to a neighbors house unsupervised.

Exactly! I tell her mother that she should keep a more watchful eye on her daughter, the little girl actually sneaks out of her house past her parents (who don't seem to watch her very closely) and runs down the street, un supervised and then comes to my house. Her parents show up an hour later saying they couldn't find her anywhere, meanwhile I'm stuck watching someone else's kid, and she REFUSES TO LEAVE and will throw herself on the ground and scream and cry begging to stay, ugh I don't even want to get started lol, it's just a nightmare