Noble macaw update #2

[kiwination]

so last post i was working with a couple problems ive had with my baby noble and some are now pretty much corrected, while others... not so much!

her fear of other people is getting better. she will let others approch her with out getting to nervous and will actually stay perched and not move instead of freaking out. shes even let a few people pet her!

her fear of new things was the easiest to correct however she doesnt like bigger things than her unless its a toy which i find reasonable, these bigger things can be like a box or a stuffed animal which by just spending a little time with her with the item she gets over it pretty quick

the last and the biggest problem im having is getting her to stop screaming for attention. ive tried the method of putting her alone in her cage for 5-15 minutes. she doesnt make a peep in her cage the whole time. but i cant go 15 minutes with out her screaming for attention!!! its gotten to the point where even if i handle her she'll scream unless shes on my shoulder,which ive never allowed in the first place!!???(i dont shoulder any of my birds except my gcc)
at this point i certain that shes getttign some sort of kick from it... she starts talking and bobbing her head, opening her wings a little, like she inviting me to play... im not sure how i perpetuated this but i simpley say echo trouble and no screaming? should i just say nothing at all?
Ive also tried just leaving her and ignoring her and thats when she'll really go off.

the time i spend with her is mostly cuddling since that is what she likes to do the most, however i still do attempt to play with her with toys but she isnt interested as much when shes on me and rather try climbing to my shoulder constantly. ill usually have to cover her with my hand and scratch her and preen her to get her distracted from running up my shoulder.

should i just let her go on my shoulder? i dont let my birds exept pete because i know he wont tear my ears off, where as echo (the noble) with tend to pinch/ do this weird kissing/clawing thing with her beak that kind hurts adn leaves markings. she dont bite my ears, but will always pull my glasses of and will not let go!! Im not too sure what to do next? should i leave her there longer? shorter? just suck it up and continue leaving her in her cage? im getting pretty weary and its taking a toll on my mental health a bit and discouraging me of doing just daily tasks.

 

[MonicaMc]

What do you want her to do instead of screaming? How can you reward that behavior?

If it's playing with toys, then any time you see her touch a toy (accidentally or not), reward her for that behavior. She may be a little confused at first, but may figure it out and start interacting with her toys more often to get rewarded more frequently. A reward could be a treat, giving her scritches, or whatever it is that she finds rewarding.

 

[kiwination]

yea ill try this thanks! gonna be hard since everytime i even just glance at her she just assumes im gonna pick her up, do you have any advice fo her constantly trying to climb on my shoulders?

 

[MonicaMc]

Shoulder climbing - station train her.

If you want her to remain on your hand, then try holding her with your elbow close to your body and your wrist up, kind of "V" shaped, but away from your body. Constantly reward her with a favorite treat. Small pieces that she can quickly eat and just keep shoveling them out to her. Then slowly decrease the amount of treats she gets while she continues remaining on your hand.

 

[DannyA93]

Ahh the infamous attention scream! Lol well it's not always easy but being persistent and not giving in will pay off! What I did with my baby sunny when he started testing his screaming boundaries is I would leave the room all together and he would SCREAM!! Idk how he was able to scream so much lol so I didn't say a word, didn't even look at him. I just turned my back walked out and pulled up a chair, sat outside the door and got comfortable, no matter how long it took I didn't even touch that door till he was quiet for 10 seconds. Then I'd crack the door open. And yes he'd start up again. screaming and screaming So once again I'd shut the door and I sat there and waited till he was quiet. Eventually he got the point that when he screamed that door would shut and it wouldn't open until he quieted down. Or he would NOT get any attention if he was misbehaving. It was an absolute miserable week of working with him like this for hours a day but after that I was able to obtain one of the quietest sun conures I've ever seen! He only screamed when he got extremely excited and even then he would look at me like he thought he was in trouble! Of course I didn't mind normal screams but it was the excessive screaming that I had an issue with but hey! In a house full of non bird people it was wonderful

This method was extremely effective with my baby. Yours may or may not respond but it will take a while no matter the method.

 

[Ginnybird]

When Gin was always trying to get to my shoulder, I turned it into laddering step-ups. About the third time I did that, she got frustrated (hey, I keep stepping upward and yet I never get anywhere!) and nipped my hand.

I gave it a break (set her down) and then the next time she tried for the shoulder, I laddered again. But I changed my own mindset to "this is a game/trick/fun" and since the birds are so empathic I think that can come across. I said "step up...good!" about every time she stepped up. In laddering, this gets repetitive fast. But it seemed to help this become a diverting game. And diverting is super helpful (if difficult sometimes with a headstrong birdie!).

Anyway somehow this combo of things turned some behavioral headbutting into a useful exercise.

She doesn't try for shoulders with me often now.

Side note, kind of... more story than suggestion. But I actually love her on my shoulder when she's calm. She can be a big coo-cooing cuddlebug. I find it hard to give up completely. My personal compromise was to treat going to and from my shoulder as a trick, and that she is only allowed there for limited periods, and only when I offer it. And I only offer it when she's not trying to get there. During the laddering process, though, she just became more comfortable staying on my hand. I still ladder occasionally but mostly she doesn't try for shoulders now. And at this point when she's relaxed on my hand, she typically shows no interest in my shoulder when I offer by the usual word and gesture.

Since doing this, I've read that some trainers have reduced or removed a less desirable behavior by teaching an animal to do it as a trick, and thereafter never cueing that trick. I wouldn't suggest that because it does feel prone to error... yet I see a parallel with what I've been doing with the shoulder thing.

Well, that was long.