No Nip Help

[ParkersMom]

i am having a little trouble with Keiko
she is starting to bite a little harder than I like but when i try the no nip by putting my fingers in/near her beak she doesn't bite down so there is nothing to correct... she has also been lunging and beaking/scraping my arm but not biting...she also does the lunge at my fingers and and just kind of puts them in her mouth and then lets go and repeats the process
any ideas

 

[Jtbirds]

Your macaw is getting to that age that soon a change of life could happen meaning sexual maturity. THis shouldn't happen till 5-7 but is not uncommon in this new age to stat happening sooner so that would be my first bet. With the grabbing harder then you respectably want teach her the word "gentle" and what it means. This will give you a word to say each time she gets to rough just say gentle and stop playing. She will eventually pick up gentle means I need to be... Gentle!. As far as the age goes just teach her the best manners you can and don't back down, big macaws And even mini macaws love to play the lunge game to see if you will back down from them or show fear. Just push through and tell her to be gentle.

Hope this helps.

 

[WharfRat]

I personally don't think "sexual maturity" has anything to do with it. Macaws are just "beaky" as it is, regardless of age. I agree with teaching them when they're biting too hard though. I usually grab their beak and tell them "no" when they're going overboard. I have an easier time with the GW's than the Zon's when it comes to biting. Knowing how strong those beaks really are will make you appreciate how hard they aren't biting you I need to replace our Zon'r cage due to the GW's shredding the bars off of it.

 

[Jtbirds]

i would like to say we resuced a green wing and he was 6 loved me to death i could do anything with him, he had the amazing green wing personailty. then he hit sexual maturity i believe because he was a second home bird and no one taught this big goliath manners his sexual hormones got the best of him. he is now very nippy and turny we are working with him but he is young and full of you know what. so i do believe sexual maturity is a big park in these parrots, usually when they are not taught manners in the first home. and wow i grab my macaws beaks to when they get to rough.

 

[plax]

i am having a little trouble with Keiko
she is starting to bite a little harder than I like but when i try the no nip by putting my fingers in/near her beak she doesn't bite down so there is nothing to correct... she has also been lunging and beaking/scraping my arm but not biting...she also does the lunge at my fingers and and just kind of puts them in her mouth and then lets go and repeats the process
any ideas

Heather... if you're referring to the beak grasp method in the video clips I posted (currently in a sticky thread), the technique is really only effective if you react and apply it very quickly after your bird has squeezed or pinched you beyond a threshold of comfort. That is, as soon as your bird nips, get your fingers correctly positioned between its upper and lower beak and spread the beak apart while firmly stating "too hard!" (or a similar statement of your choice). A key to success when using the beak grasp is to be consistent so your bird learns what to expect each time it violates the squeeze threshold. They generally DO NOT like someone spreading their beaks apart in this manner, so the technique usually serves as an effective deterrent once they learn it's going to happen every time. Again, you'll have to be consistent with it for a while before expecting to see the desired behavior modification.

 

[Grinder]

Hi Plax - just curious if there is a danger of the Macaw deciding he REALLY didnt like us spreading his beak and biting down really hard? We don't have a biting issue, but if/ when it doesn happen I would like to know what I may be getting into.

 

[plax]

Hi Plax - just curious if there is a danger of the Macaw deciding he REALLY didnt like us spreading his beak and biting down really hard? We don't have a biting issue, but if/ when it doesn happen I would like to know what I may be getting into.

If you do it incorrectly, yes. But if you apply the method correctly you'll be able to spread the beak to the point where your bird's leverage, and thus its squeezing power diminish significantly. The wider you open a bird's beak, the less squeezing leverage it will have.

 

[Grinder]

Ok, so it's pretty much the reverse of an alligator. I believe their clamping power is emmense, but the muscles they use to open their jaws are weak.

Thank you for the quick response - and all your videos!

 

[plax]

Ok, so it's pretty much the reverse of an alligator. I believe their clamping power is emmense, but the muscles they use to open their jaws are weak.

Thank you for the quick response - and all your videos!

Well, it's not really the opposite of a crocodilian. Similar to the jaw muscles of crocodilians, birds have far more leverage to close their beaks than to open them. It's more of a gradient curve on mandible position where squeezing strength is multiplied as the two beak halves become closer.

And you're welcome.