not aggressive, but cautious

[natalie]

I just brought home my blue and gold macaw last night. (thinking of name) The last owners did not do a lot with her, but she is handlable...but nervous about it all.

She'll let me pet her, but she will not step up, she wouldn't do it for her last owner either...she squawks and bites....or goes to where you cannot reach her.
It seems to me, she simply got used to doing this, got her way, and now won't let anyone make her step up. I think her previous owners were a little afraid of her....even after having her for 16 years.

She is sweet, just doen't know a lot. So, training needs to be done.

When is the best time to start? I have her coming to me by handing her a walnut, and just talking to her, and she lets me pet her. But she is nervous and trembles sometimes.

The last owner's mother lived in the house, and while I was there, she would poke at the bird, and if she bit at her, she waved fingers in her face, poked her more and then began to swat at her with a napkin. This made me angry and I thought..."No wonder she bites!"

So, I know I need time and patience with her ... but what are some good small techniques that you may have used to get respect from your macaws....because I think the main thing here is, she doesn't believe she has to respect people....but also, just doesn't know any better either.

when on the floor, she runs away and will not step up....screams and bites me, and I do not want to chase her around. In order to get her into the cage last night for bed, I had to put gloves on and grab her to put her in. I hate to do that to her, but I had no choice. I can't leave her out on top of her cage all night.

This seems to be our only obstacle at the moment, is the step up.

 

[Spiritbird]

Hello and welcome. I sounds like you need to step back a little and start over. What I mean is you need to enter into a bonding process as if she were just a babe. I would not put her in a position where you have to chase her. It is ok to leave her in the cage until she seem to be interested in you and the environment.
Suggest you leave the cage door open and be nearby. Talk to her in a soft gentle tone, read to her, sing to her or anything else she seems to like. She will need to accept you as a flock member and that may take a while (as in months) since she was mistreated by other people. You can try to get her to step up on a perch after she is more used to you. Let her cage be her territory. Let her make decisions that do not effect her overall safety. With any new bird one should seek out an avian vet visit.
Please do not be in a hurry for the bird to accept you and her new home. It will take time. We are here for you should you have more concerns.

 

[natalie]

That's exactly what I'm doing. She is sitting quietly for today, and I'm talking to her, singing, come over for a pet and a treat, nothing else. I'm not pushing her to do anything she doesn't want to do. She's out on the top of her cage with the door open and everything has been her choice to do....
but if I can't get her to go in an night....I suppose I'll try to have her step up on a perch....that's where the trouble is. She wants to be out, not stuck in, so I'm letting her do that. But at some point....I have to get her back inside for the night.
I guess it is hard, because as a new owner, you want to be friends right away....but the bird has other ideas at first. I don't mind waiting out the bonding period....I'm aware of all of that.
Thank you so much for your help.

 

[Spiritbird]

Reading you note again and thinking your bird may be hand shy from the previous owners. If that is the case then the perch would be good to try to get her back in the cage. How is she with toys? You have the entire world of parrots to explore with her and she has you to bond with. Most important have fun with all if it. You will do well.

 

[natalie]

Thank you so much.
So, her name is Holly.

I had her sitting out today and had to put her in to take my cat to the vet. So, I used a dowel to get her to step up on.... thank goodness it wasn't my hand because she nailed it hard as soon as it touched her breast. She screamed at it and bit.
So I took it away and talked to her then tried again, by the third time (and bite) she stepped backward from it, then I pushed up with it, she yelled, and then stepped up onto it and I got her into the cage without much trouble.

so, when we are ready to work on step up a little more, we will use the dowel until the biting stops. But we'll give it a few days first.

 

[Ecclipse]

SB, what about this for an idea?.........Natalie, Im not an expert and I dont own a macaw but my parrot was pretty much the same with me when I got him. I have had him for just over a year and he never has his cage closed - he was in a petshop for 3 months and hated being "cooped" up. What your doing is great, dont get in his face and remember that he isnt used to the quality attention - its like a child who has been abused and then shies away from physical contact. I used to leave the cage open and then at night gently begin to cover his cage - Im not meaning throwing the blanket over but moving from the back which made him automatically move towards the entrance of his cage. He would then go in and I would be able to let the blanket slide over the other side. Let SB comment on this first before attempting to do it - if it sounds logic to you. I would hate for it to scare your macaw further. I just thought I would share it with you - it worked for me.

 

[Spiritbird]

Covers are good for nervous birds. Suggest you check out the birds reaction to any type of cover (towel) first. Hold it in your hands, have it near Holly but go very slow with any covers. You may end up freaking Holly out more. One step at a time with a nervous bird. Each day try a little something new with her for bonding. Hand feeding her is a great way to start. If she bites you need to relax and not to react if you can. Use your palm when trying to feed her some soft mush like warmed oatmeal.
Have a peaceful night and send more photos.

 

[natalie]

It souns like a good idea....and I have not tried a cover on her yet because whenever the other owners moved her, they would throw a towel over her, wrap her in it, and then move her.....
UGH
So I'm not sure if trying to cover her cage would be a good idea or not .... I hate to try and then see it scare her or stress her out....

I can honestly say, she has not seemed all that stressed, scared, or nervous throughout today. She seems more or less like she just wants people to leave her alone. ... Which makes me sad .... Too much attention seems to make her grouchy.... So I've been giving it in small doses.
Here, have a nut...walk away
Hi baby! .... walk away
"Pet??" Pet under her wings...walk away
And that has been the day.

She did bite me good on my thumb once she decided enough petting at one point....so something we will both have to learn to deal with.

 

[Spiritbird]

What you are doing now is just fine. If Holly wants to be left alone so be it. They are flock animals so she will not want to be alone for long. Let her come to you. She will in her own time.
I am signing off for now.

 

[antoinette]

Hi Natalie
SB and Ecclipe have given some great tips.
Found an interesting link about macaw's, you might be interested in.
Great info giving lots of training tips, biting etc.
Good luck
Bye for now

Blue Gold Macaw Facts

 

[natalie]

Thank you.

Day 2 ...she is warming up a little bit more this morning. Lots of pets are welcomed today. She went down to her perch so I could reach her better, opens her wings and I can touch her all over her body. she perfers me to not touch her feet, so I just slightly brush them with a finger as I pet her to get her used to the fact that feet should not be a no-no touch zone. She seems to be accepting this well.

I walk away in the middle of the pet so that she wants more and welcomes me when I come back.

I played music a little while ago and sang next to her...she got excited. She held very still and watched me, then dilated her pupils and began to move her beak a lot....but made no sounds yet. But she really looked interested....so we'll try music again later.

She is also starting to dance a little when she goes into her cage.

Still mostly likes to be left alone....still bites the dowel when I have to use it to put her in .... and still trembles at times. But all in all, she is doing great.

I'd like to share more pics of her....but it says I have to wait 5 days?

 

[Spiritbird]

Hey Natalie I knew you would do well and will continue to do so. The pupils changing is called pinning and it usually happens when birds are excited so it is a good sign she was enjoying you.
What are you feeding her? Any seeds should be given in moderation, mostly as a treat. Pellets and what is recommended. Many of the bird people I have met and my vet suggested Harrisons. Would you still call Holly cautious? They love it when we dance around and act silly. Keep up the good bonding fun. She may stop the biting once she gets to trust that your hands are not going to poke her as before.

 

[natalie]

Thank you SB
We bought her a mix of different foods to get her started on. She has always eaten seed mixes, and I'd like to move her to pellets. So I bought seed and pellet to introduce it to her and then make the change....but she has a lot of seed to get through. I might have my outdoor birds help us along in getting it gone.

I've realized that most of the problems seem to be only when she is on top of her cage. She is actually quite grumpy up there. She is so high up that she knows I can't reach her...she bites anyone who tries to touch her and WILL NOT step onto anything without a horrible fight....
Once you have her either on your shoulder or in the cage, she is a different bird....very sweet and wants to be pet...

sooo, I'm taking away her right to sit on top of the cage UNTIL she is stepping up onto something for me. I can't keep fighting with her, it seems like it may do more damage than good. I also want to look for a portable stand for her, something NOT taller than me where she feels she has the advantage.
The more I'm getting to know her, I'm realizing that I don't think she's cautious after all.... I think she is used to intimdating people with her beak and getting what she wants. 16 years of being owned by people who barely picked her up just seems to be a problem..... Trying to get onto the dowel is just horrible. She grabs the cage bars so tightly, bites at the dowel....shoves it away from herself and it turns into a push and shove match to get it up under her....then to step on it is just as difficult....and she screams.

so, I see no other choice but to keep her inside the cage until we can learn step up without so much attitude and nasty biting.

ok...but once I had her today, I had her sit on me instead of go right into the cage...so I walked around to show her the house. She liked it. And I introduced her to the bird in the mirror...she really liked that! Then she put her wings up and let me pet her and she pruned me back. She even gave me a big kiss on my mouth and pruned my eyebrows....

so .... not a mean or nasty bird....not overly cautious of being handled....but refuses to step up or to be touched while on top of the cage....
but inside the cage, she is very sweet too ..... puts up her wings and lets me touch her all over to pet....
so why the difference??? .... I think somewhere along the lines she has learned that being on the cage makes her superior to humans .... or something like that.

Still trying to figure her out

 

[DustyBZoo]

Be patient and read your bird. Blue and Golds have such an in depth personality. I had the pleasure of spending time with a BG named Titan. Titan was rehomed several times mostly because the owners didn't get his sense of humor.... He had a rule, you had to let him scream in your face before you were allowed to pick him up. Oh how he loved to scare people. However, once I learned he was bluffing he let me handle him.
My point is love and enjoy everything that makes your bird unique. Don't try to mold him, just be his buddy!

 

[natalie]

Thanks dusty, that is excellent advice.

 

[HRH Di]

I may be wrong on this, but I think that I've read something somewhere that the height thing is a show of dominance. If Holly's higher than you physically, she is socially as well. If this is true, a play perch that is about as high as your chest is a good thing.

They can be a bit pricy and pet stores - $100 or more. My husband and a friend made perches for our 2 birds and our friend's bird out of pine and poplar lumber from Lowes and a large metal pizza pan - all for about $40 total for our 2 perches. Our birds love them - especially, my Max who's wings are clipped so he's dependent on us for his room-to-room mobility. These are extremely easy to clean and repair if necessary.

 

[Spiritbird]

According to a speaker I heard from Phoenix Landing height dominence is an old theory that has proven not to be true. Any comments from others welcome. Some birds become very posessive of their cage. I guess she is that way when on top. The stand is a very good idea. Are you able to get ahold of a natural perch instead of a dowel? She may like that better. You can find safe wood for parrots in the internet. The two I know of because I have them is willow and burch.

Link to height dominence article: http://www.naturalencounters.com/images/Publications&Presentations/Height_Dominance-Steve_Martin.pdf

Here is another link to safe woods for parrots: http://www.mdvaden.com/bird_page.shtml

 

[natalie]

Thanks for the added info. I had also read about height dominance before, but never knew if I agreed with it or not, because I've had other birds that never seemed to get any attitude problems when perched high.
I think Holly's issue is feeling protective over her cage....it's HER space, therefore, she doesn't want to be invaded in it.... so, we are trying to slowly show her that sharing her space is ultimately what she should be doing....but, she still has other ideas.

The dowel is the only thing strong enough that I have to withstand her biting. I mean, she attacks anything that I use to make her step up on, including my forearm ... so I have to go with the dowel for now.... watching her, I don't think it matters to her what it is made of, although it was a good suggestion.
Today, I'm working on getting her fro the cage, so I used the dowel for a step up .... it went a little better than yesterday....she got up, but would not transfer to my arm. I had to slowly turn the dowel upright while pushing my arm on her to make her step up onto my arm....even then, she does anythign she can to not let go and make the step..... I think she is just very confused as well as determined to not oblige. BUT, it was a little better today and I got her on my arm without sustaining a nasty bite.
So we pet and then I had her perch on the back of a chair to hang out with me in the kitchen for 10 minutes....she liked that and ate a walnut. Then making her step up again to my arm to take her back....well, she seems to think that all I'm trying to do is knock her down ...lol ...so she holds on tight for dear life.... so I'm telling her "Holly step up" and touching her back with my other hand as I press up and forward with my arm.... but she just doesn't step until I'm literally having to push her off whatever she is already standing on..... so I don't blame her for getting angry about it....but i do want her to stop biting me.
This has been the only obstacle we have .... she is such a good girl most of the day...but she doesn't seem to like my husband at all. He has not been able to pet her without getting bit yet.... poor guy. So, it seems like she might be a one person bird.
Too soon to tell for sure.

 

[Spiritbird]

I have one more suggestion. You can get in touch with your vet for a recommendation or inquire elsewhere about using the services of an avian behaviorist. They are very good at what they do.

 

[logan-x]

Hey,
Our b&g was a little like that at first. He belonged to a woman who pass a while back and her husband didnt like birds, so he was he a little scared at frist. Now niki is my first macaw, so i stay firm with him, but loving too, and he has responded very well to it. idk if this goes for all macaws but he seems not to be a stable on my are as say one of the cockatoos, and he didnt like to take a bath also (and yes he did stink), so we have had our disagrements, but we have worked them out over time and he is a great bird, but im the onyone who handles him , he bites everyone else.

Logan