Need help reading my Macs

[Lis]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks you for all the help you have been while I'm heading down this new path. I love reading everyones threads as it is so helpful. Sorry if this is a repeated topic. I didn't want it to post it in general bird behavior as Im curious about this is with other Mac people.

Most of you know I have only had my boys a little over a month. I really can't complain about anything and feel really good about their overall adjustment to a new home, owner and another Mac. I did have some reservations about getting Pepper due to his age and impending hormonal teenage period yet to arrive, but he has been a sweet heart. I don't believe we have ended the honeymoon period, I'm not sure if it's the season beginning to change or if he is getting overly attached to Duke? I keep them in separate cages across from each other to sleep or nap or if I'm not home. Most of the time they are on perches in the room I'm in, either together or separate stands.

We go out for walks a lot to our little downtown area to enjoy what few nice days we have before a long winter. They seem to LOVE that. Pepper talks so much more and is always acting like a clown if people are around or not.

So here's my questions... Pepper has bitten me once really hard, but it was my own fault, but recently started some little nips or acting like her was going to bite me. He nipped the inside of my upper arm while carrying him and I think he has thought about it a couple of times, but I was able to distract him. I believe this time was because he really wanted me to let him up on my shoulder. I have only allowed Duke on my shoulder and only plan at this point to allow Duke up there. I don't need a power play above my head. lol This weekend when we have been out and about downtown sitting on some benches, he has not wanted to leave and will act like he might bite or peck at my arm when I tell him to step up. I have responded like I would to any toddler, had Duke step up and act like we are getting ready to leave, which he didn't seem to care much. so then I kept Duke on my one hand while giving Pepper a couple of minutes and then telling him to set up again which he came back over to my arm and stepped up.

The other time he responded this way about leaving, I was giving him an extra couple of mins to come over to leave. I got distracted by Duke adjusting on my shoulder and Pepper lunged for my hand, which my response was not to get bitten, but being startled. I stood up and basically picked him up by the hook of his beak, which prevented him from biting my finger and he wanted a place to stand so was happy to have my arm. It all happened so fast he didn't act mad when he was on my arm at all.

Now the new Java Tree, it's for both of them. I can't tell if Pepper it trying to act like the big bird or just being silly. He crowds Duke sometimes on branches and when I come up to talk to them he always comes over seeming like he wants most of the attention. He will wavy and want to shake my hand, but I noticed there were a couple of times he thought about nipping my hand. Then when he had Duke close to the end of a branch Duke lifted his foot for me to help him out and Pepper did a half hearted lung. He didn't seem to like that I had Duke, but I could tell for sure if he was jealous I had Duke and not him or if he didn't like me having Duke away from him??

Any suggestions, advice would be great. Thanks Melissa

 

[MenomaMinx]

I so didn't want to be the one to tell you this, mostly because my credibility would be in question based on how long I've actually lived with a macaw versus all the other bird species I've been dealing with all my life. Seeing as no one else answered you, here's the bad news:

Accurate macaw behavioralism as it applies to the nuances of every day life is absolutely nonexistent unless you come to message boards like these and continuously mine them for information-- which is always antidotal, but when confirmed by enough sources, you can get a feel for what is and isn't specific to all birds of the species
(including subspecies of macaws/hybrids
) or specific to just that single bird they're working with. It takes an incredibly fast reader to get anything done this way, but fortunately I am incredibly fast reader.

I've got a list I've been compiling, if you are really that interested, but let's deal with what you're talking about right now.

There's a behavior in macaws which is macaw specific, which is like fake out lunge, that's kind of a test of character to the person they do it to. You react, and they'll write you off as not worth their bother. I've never seen this myself, but my friend Jackie had it done to her by my Kumiko and I've read about it elsewhere numerous times.

The other thing you might be dealing with is the concept of whoever's nearest gets it. That's a very big risk with pretty much all parrots – regardless of species. If they're perturbed they will lash out at the nearest person, even though that person may have had nothing to do with what they're upset about. I won't bother to tell you about the implications of allowing a macaw on your shoulder given this is universal parrot behavior acknowledged by just about anyone who has experience on the subject {just because it never happened to you, doesn't mean it will never happen}

On the hormonal thing, look online for things that are suggested to encourage macaws to breed – then don't do them. There's also antidotal evidence that feeding them animal protein makes the problem hundred percent worse, so don't give your bird meat if you want a smoother transition.

Now I don't have any Quaker or green wing experience, but I've handled younger blue and golds and have decades worth of African grey experience – which begs the question:

You have a 17-year-old Congo African grey in the house and you're not letting that bird handle your other bird problems for you?

Actually, the gray could probably handle any of your pet problems for you – provided the gray in question is convinced they are in charge of the other birds/pets and is actually interested in doing so. This may seem antithetical considering the size difference of the birds we're talking about, but grays have a very strong sense of hierarchy. Unless there's any particular reason these birds should not be in the same room together(and you should never leave them alone together unless caged), the African grey will make any corrections that you've made to the misbehaving macaw, with addendum's of the African gray' s own volition. Granted, this is a Band-Aid solution while you get your real one up and running, but I have seen it work with both dogs and parrots and at least one cat-- in addition to the humans being lorded over by the small bird with little red tail.

You need two free hands pick up bird who doesn't want to be picked up and a collection of birdie towels(which you wrap around your hand, not around the bird). One hand goes in front of the bird and the other goes to the back under the tail. Because the beak can't be in both places at once, and turning around is ineffective, this usually works. If it doesn't, get the birdie towel and wrapped it around the hand you expect to pick up the bird with. I use distinctly patterned dollar store washcloths myself, but anything that will wrap around the hand will do provided you only use that particular pattern of towel for that particular purpose. Just make sure you say you're going to get get the birdie towel right before you get it, simply because you want the bird to associate this as your last straw – as opposed to a punishment. It's just too dangerous not to have a bird step up immediately if something goes wrong – especially since you said you take them outside(me too, and the aforementioned birdie towel is always in my purse).

Your Java tree issue is probably going to have to involve getting a second Java tree eventually if this turns out to be an ongoing bullying thing. The cheaper way to deal with it is to understand that macaws have an inherent genetic fear of the ground(if you believe the science journals) and if the blue and gold is on the highest point, the natural instinct of the green wing is going to be to try to crowd to that same highest point. Also, you might want to take into consideration the green wing probably does want all the attention. Find some way to reward the green wing every time you are able to pick up the blue and gold without incident(I'm thinking treat). Which means, of course, you have to give the other bird the exact same treat as soon as your out of sight of the first bird , or else risking a whole other type of mess on your hands.

As a very last resort, mostly because I hate automaton parrots, buy a clicker and train what you actually want the birds do in day-to-day situations – they're not just for tricks. They are, however, an option.

I hope I'm not leaving you more confused than you started out as, but at least now you've gotten the conversation started


~I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking 12 preferred voice recognition software to type~