My macaw is cage bound

[hcurab]

I recently added my first macaw, he’s a 6-year-old B&G macaw.

He’s doing very well. It was a rough start with diet conversion and initial training.


The hardest part currently is the fact that he’s cage bound. He’ll stay on the highest perch on the left and will rarely if ever step up to come out.

He will lunge and try to bite if I try to approach him when he’s in the cage.

Once he’s out of the cage, he’ll easily step up.

I was thinking of lowering the perches because he’s obsessed with being high. He shoulder rushes, doesn’t like to step up when on top of his cage, although I already solved those issues. However, I can’t get him to step up when he’s on my shoulder, so I need to crouch down and get him to step off on the couch himself.

Basically, he’s lower, he’s behaves better.

Does anyone know how to get him to not be so obsessed with his cage? I clicked and target trained him. He also knows that if he steps up, he gets a treat—He’ll actively search for my hand when he’s out of his cage, but when he’s inside, he will never search for my hand.


Edit: I just lowered the perches and it seemed to instantly change him.

 

[Macawdamia Nut]

My amateur advice from almost 50 years of experience with my macaw is: give him time. The cage is his safe space. He will come out once he is ready. Have patience. My macaw waited 10 years before he mustered up the courage to step foot on the swing I put in his cage. TEN YEARS! He loves his swing now, but it was a scary thing for a good long while. Others may give different advice, but I am a big believer in giving your bird the freedom to do his thing in his own sweet time.

 

[PrimorandMoxi]

I've got my B&G Macheath, for ten years ago when he was twenty-three.

Your bird is just a baby and you are in complete control you just have to let him think he's in control,
Build a bond at his pace, read everything on this site that you can.
give a reason to come out and show him that life is so much more interesting outside of a cage.

He's not cage bound, and patience is best advise.

It will be great.

 

[MacawLoverOf3]

Try sitting of the floor with your back towards the cage and start playing with some toys such as tossing a whiffle ball into the air all the while ohhing and awing and making it into a fun game then ask him if he wants to play with it while you offer it to him. Macaws love drama and want to be included in things and you need to create yourself into the fun person he wants to be with.

 

[RCUB]

Try sitting of the floor with your back towards the cage and start playing with some toys such as tossing a whiffle ball into the air all the while ohhing and awing and making it into a fun game then ask him if he wants to play with it while you offer it to him. Macaws love drama and want to be included in things and you need to create yourself into the fun person he wants to be with.

 

[RCUB]

OK , my experience is lower the perch and do not let him on your shoulder. my first macaw it was ok to ride on my shoulder by I still could not let him sit above me in a chair. The macaw I have now is a very sweet bird but, I had to learn quickly he cannot ride on my shoulder or sit above me. It is like having the highest limb in the tree, it makes him top of the flock. someone on here may say I'm wrong but try it, ride him on your arm and lower the perch, it only took a few days for my bird, and it made him so much easier to get along with, ( the bird I have now we've had 10 weeks, he is 21yo)

 

[hcurab]

Update. The macaw only liked women so I ended up rehoming him to a great couple, and he was immediately tame with them.

 

[kme3388]

Unfortunately parrots do at times become bias. One of my parrots will come out for me, and won’t go near my husband (and will seek him out to bite). My other parrot prefers me, but doesn’t try to eat my husband. My conures are more accepting of multiple people, and have yet to become opinionated to that extent. I’ve been at 2 shelters, and one being a very large shelter. There were a ton of parrots that had preferences in their owners. There was a double yellow headed Amazon that is NEVER to be adopted out to a woman. He only lets 2 men handle him period! The shelter will only adopt him out to someone with extensive Amazon experience. He is a lot to handle.

I’m sorry you went through this process

 

[saxguy64]

@kme3388 that's very true as far as their preferences, but I have to say, once in a while there's an exception. Case in point, my YNA Baxter. Also considered unadoptable after a year in the refuge. Super picky about who she liked, which was pretty much nobody except a very few women with short hair. Period. Somehow from across the bird room, she chose me and started screaming hello hello hello. I asked if I could go meet her, the owner was apprehensive, but said okay and warned me... But... She put her head down for scratches and that was it. Love at first sight. Snuggliest girlie ever, but only for me. THAT is the beauty of rescues. Opportunity to allow a bird to make their choice. They just know, and they're so much better at it than we are.