Newbie needs help

[dawgsgirl]

I have just gotten a Great Green Macaw. My bosses had this macaw and a parrot. These two birds fought all the time. My macaw's name is Sarge and he's 10-12 yrs. old. I took up with him about 3 months ago at work. He became very attached to me and me to him. At work he would hold my finger in his beak and lick my fingers or hand, and he would go to the bottom of the cage and lay on his back for me to pet his belly. I just brought him home yesterday and he seems well adjusted. What I need help with is how to train him to get on my hand. He will put one foot on my wrist and pick the other up and place it on my finger and then slide it off. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[wentcountry]

dawgsgirl, have you try wrapping a towel around your arm and holding out and asking him to step up on it, I know that has helped me in the past with new birds that I have adopted that had never been held before , that seems to work for them.
Let me know how it works for you.

 

[dawgsgirl]

I tried the towel and that really freaks him out. He bit me today and took a little chunk of skin. In the few months I've been playing with him he has never bitten that hard. Any other suggestions on taming him more and training him?????

 

[Mitilda and Banjo's House]

Try wrapping the towel over your arm and put on a sweatshirt over it. Or wear a couple of layers. Also try to find a pair of gloves that are skin colored. That may help. There is a technique that you take a pencil size rod and slowly show the bird. When the bird touches the stick you use a clicker and click. Then give the bird a treat. Move the stick away and place the stick to where the bird has to go to the stick. When he touches the tick with his bill again click and reward. The technique is on The Insider Secrets of Parrot Training Pro's at www.birdtricks.com. I think we got ours off of Ebay and it comes with a clicker. I don’t remember what we paid for it. Good luck

 

[TexDot33]

Here is the key with this issue ... you need to make sure that you are a steady, supporting perch.

When ever I handle any macaw (even aggressive ones that I don't know) I allow them to perch on my BARE ARM. The reason for this is that long sleeves (or anything else) does not ensure proper grip or footing (the sleeves slip around your arms and the mac feels like it's slipping) and they are less steady and move nervous when they can't perch comfortably ... I hate to be contradictory to anyone else, but I don't think that a towel is the best way to go with this one (and probably the reason you got a good nip - it wasn't a bite, but Sarge was either really freaked out and nipped out of being scared, or he lost his footing if he was on the towel and just tried to 'grip' with his beak).

Just keep offering your arm to Sarge, be a steady perch and let him get more comfortable with you ... patience and consistency is going to be the key with this one. If he knows the "step-up" command this should be a cinch ... forearm to the top of his legs with a "step-up" command and he should test the perch, and step-up on to your arm ... if Sarge does not know the step-up command ... teach him, make sure you can step him up from anywhere, anytime ... with big Macs this is an ESSENTIAL command that must be obeyed EVERY TIME it is given!

 

[dawgsgirl]

I have been working with Sarge barearmed. It is a major fight getting him off the cage but once off he steps up without a problem. Now if anyone could tell me how to get him off the cage without this big ordeal, that would be great. I offer him my arm and he acts like he wants to bite and I hold the back side of my hand up and he places his beak on there for a second and backs off. I can get one foot up and then he is off and the chase is on. Someone told me that I had to wear him down but I think it's mutual, I'm just as tired after catching him, lol. So, any advice on this would be great.