Reading body language...

[Birdman666]

My greenwing once surprised me in the shower, and gently climbed up my naked body to my arm WITHOUT so much as leaving a mark....

After that visual, I know I now need therapy!

Could be worse. Remember Demitre and the "special shower perch?" the one under the water where he wanted to be?!

YEAH... Thank God THAT wasn't a macaw!!!

 

[Birdman666]

This helps me a lot. With the Amazon, I could always tell what he was up to by his body language. Even the foot up, bait and bite manoever was transparent by the look in the eye and the feathers slicked. But Gus, the B&G, has been a puzzle. It's reassuring to hear they are all like this. It's just like Birdman666 says - poofy head feathers mean scratch here or bite time or get away from the play top. The other day he got me. He was on his perch and had been hollering to get out, so I opened his door and reached in for him like I always do, and he lunged at me so I stepped back and asked if he wanted out. He looked poofy and excited, but held his foot out, so I went back for him. Saw the beak come down, stayed where I was, he grabbed on pretty fiercely but then stepped up at the same time. I said ow, don't bite, finished bringing him out of the cage and put him on his outside perch. He didn't break the skin, but I had a red beak print on my wrist that lasted several hours.

I'm not sure how to interpret it...did the foot up mean he wanted out, but he wanted his person - who was in the room - to pick him up instead of me? Or was he just so excited that he was of two minds, yes pick me up oh I bite you? I guess the lesson is that an excited macaw is unpredictable and probably has poor impulse control, so don't put a body part near unless we are both calm. He's a LOT harder to read than an Amazon.

BABY BIG MACS ARE CLUMSY. AND ESPECIALLY IF THEY AREN'T CONFIDENT, THEY WILL OFTEN TRY TO USE THEIR BEAKS TO HOLD ON AND CLIMB. IT'S MORE POWERFUL THAN THEIR FEET...

AS THEY GAIN COORDINATION AND CONFIDENCE THIS USUALLY GOES AWAY.

(Until, of course, you get to the "but I don't wanna" stage. Where they hold on for dear life with their beaks and their feet, and do the whole "WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED... thing."

It's a life long adventure... :32:

 

[LoveMyConlan]

Someone posted a video to YouTube called Mikey The Macaw(Our first month)...

It's super cute. But I gotta admit, I about had a stroke when the bird started nibbling on his face. He was super gentle but even my Conures aren't allowed near my face as a rule (getting bit twice, fear/over excited was enough). That is one rule we've talked about in his boundaries. No shoulder surfing and no beak to face.

I feel bad about the rule because I know birds love 'giving kisses' and being up high. But at least until we are all confident around one another, he may have a kiss on the head when it's down but his head is no allowed above chest level.

All of his play stands will be kept so he's eye level and under until we've mastered step up, target training, and recall. Then I can go crazy adding stuff from the ceiling. This way we can have him come down on his own rather than reaching for him and making him feel forced.

 

[LoveMyConlan]

[ame="http://youtu.be/Yt2hL2O_BJ8"]http://youtu.be/Yt2hL2O_BJ8[/ame]

Although I gotta say... I'm pretty sure he was pulling a no no with the body touches. I thought under the wings and the tail were no no zones?

But if my boy is even half as sweet as this one I'll be beyond happy. Lots and lots of work. You get out what you put in

 

[SilleIN]

http://youtu.be/Yt2hL2O_BJ8

Although I gotta say... I'm pretty sure he was pulling a no no with the body touches. I thought under the wings and the tail were no no zones?

But if my boy is even half as sweet as this one I'll be beyond happy. Lots and lots of work. You get out what you put in

That was very cute. You don't have to be worried about no no zones until they are sexually mature. The only reason they are no no zones is because they will get a mature macaw in lovemaking mode and if this mood goes unrequainted, they get pissy and could lash out.

Tino, who has lived in an aviary since he was 7 months, has lived with me for 7 weeks. He is just as gentle with my face as Mikey. The macaws have a need to be close. All my macaws want to preen me, when I have preened them. I don't like them getting in my mouth, nose and eyes, but I allow them to preen my brows and hair. They try to get into any small irregularity in my skin on hands and arms too.

I think you should expect your baby to be just as sweet as this guy. Give him a week or two and he will be just the same Just make sure he has nothing to fear and you will be good.

 

[SilleIN]

This helps me a lot. With the Amazon, I could always tell what he was up to by his body language. Even the foot up, bait and bite manoever was transparent by the look in the eye and the feathers slicked. But Gus, the B&G, has been a puzzle. It's reassuring to hear they are all like this. It's just like Birdman666 says - poofy head feathers mean scratch here or bite time or get away from the play top. The other day he got me. He was on his perch and had been hollering to get out, so I opened his door and reached in for him like I always do, and he lunged at me so I stepped back and asked if he wanted out. He looked poofy and excited, but held his foot out, so I went back for him. Saw the beak come down, stayed where I was, he grabbed on pretty fiercely but then stepped up at the same time. I said ow, don't bite, finished bringing him out of the cage and put him on his outside perch. He didn't break the skin, but I had a red beak print on my wrist that lasted several hours.

I'm not sure how to interpret it...did the foot up mean he wanted out, but he wanted his person - who was in the room - to pick him up instead of me? Or was he just so excited that he was of two minds, yes pick me up oh I bite you? I guess the lesson is that an excited macaw is unpredictable and probably has poor impulse control, so don't put a body part near unless we are both calm. He's a LOT harder to read than an Amazon.

Since you don't know Gus' past, you don't know if he has had any training in what is ok and what is not. When I initially got Sugar (and Tino as well) he would bite the crap out of me. I would gear up in gloves and thick clothes, when ever I would handle him at first. His past was very bad and he had totally lost faith in humans. Gus doesn't seem to have that problem.

I have said to one person in here, if the macaws are excited, they are likely to bite/nip. I don't think it would have made a difference if Mr. K had taken Gus up. If I take up Tino in that state, he will most likely also nip me. He gives love bites, when he's really happy. We have almost come to an agreement, that he love bites my clothes in stead of me. If he isn't excited he will touch my arm with his beak in the same manner to steady himself, just not nip.

 

[Flboy]

I let my JoJo give me kisses on my nose. Since the skin is tight enough, I don't get the usual pinch I get on the cheek!

 

[Birdman666]

This is another one of those issues that is controversial, BUT...

First of all, the first order of business with any bird in my house is bite pressure training. And birds are not allowed on shoulders around here unless they have first been taught to control their bite pressure.

If they displacement bite, they are not allowed on shoulders.

And they have to step up nice when told it's time to come down from there. So there is a certain amount of obedience/trust that has to be earned before we get there.

BUT birds who prove themselves trustworthy, are trusted around faces.

IN FACT, I BEAK WRESTLE WITH MY BIG MACS, AND SOME OF MY AMAZONS, NOSE TO BEAK. I ACTUALLY MAKE A POINT OF BEAK PLAY WITH FACES?! WHY?! TO REINFORCE THEIR FAMILIARITY WITH FACES, TEACH THEM WE DON'T LATCH ON TO FACES, AND ESSENTIALLY, REINFORCE THE GOOD BEHAVIORS.

Now, you never, ever, ever, ever do this with an untrained bird. BUT when you get to the point where they are trustworthy, I believe it reinforces "be gentle" and increases the bond.

TRUST with a macaw is a two way street. They need to be able to trust you, but you need to be able to trust them.

IF THEY DO GET AGGRESSIVE AROUND A FACE, YOU LOWER YOUR HEAD AND GIVE THEM THE FOREHEAD OR THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD AND PUSH THEM AWAY. (THERE'S NOTHING TO LATCH ONTO. MAYBE THEY PULL HAIR, BUT THAT'S ABOUT IT.) Cheeks, noses, and ears can be latched onto. Foreheads can't. And that's as much maintaining human awareness as it is a bird training issue. If he starts getting too wound up and applying bite pressure, you lower your forehead, and stop the game. THAT SENDS A CLEAR MESSAGE, AND THEY UNDERSTAND IT.

 

[Kentuckienne]

This helps me a lot. With the Amazon, I could always tell what he was up to by his body language. Even the foot up, bait and bite manoever was transparent by the look in the eye and the feathers slicked. But Gus, the B&G, has been a puzzle. It's reassuring to hear they are all like this. It's just like Birdman666 says - poofy head feathers mean scratch here or bite time or get away from the play top. The other day he got me. He was on his perch and had been hollering to get out, so I opened his door and reached in for him like I always do, and he lunged at me so I stepped back and asked if he wanted out. He looked poofy and excited, but held his foot out, so I went back for him. Saw the beak come down, stayed where I was, he grabbed on pretty fiercely but then stepped up at the same time. I said ow, don't bite, finished bringing him out of the cage and put him on his outside perch. He didn't break the skin, but I had a red beak print on my wrist that lasted several hours.

I'm not sure how to interpret it...did the foot up mean he wanted out, but he wanted his person - who was in the room - to pick him up instead of me? Or was he just so excited that he was of two minds, yes pick me up oh I bite you? I guess the lesson is that an excited macaw is unpredictable and probably has poor impulse control, so don't put a body part near unless we are both calm. He's a LOT harder to read than an Amazon.

WAS IT A BITE, OR WAS HE CLIMBING ON YOU USING HIS BEAK, AND HE JUST DIDN'T KNOW THAT HE CAN'T DO THAT KIND OF STUFF ON FLESH?!

Sounds like he was just excited to be let out and tried to climb up using his beak. I wasn't there to see it, but that is an educated guess.

My baby greenwing occasionally tries to climb from my arm to my shoulder by latching onto my neck with her beak and climbing up. I have a bunch of little pin prick holes from her learning that she isn't supposed to use her beak to climb on people. (Eventually they do "get it.") My greenwing once surprised me in the shower, and gently climbed up my naked body to my arm WITHOUT so much as leaving a mark. LEARNING that, however, there can occasionally be setbacks.

Oh, I bet that baby is cute as all get-out. Gus does use his beak to climb up, but he is very good with the pressure. It really seems like a balance thing - he holds the wrist very gently. I do believe you are right, he was just excited and used too much pressure. He has the habit of picking up my hand by the first finger when he wants petting, again very gently, and he like to hold fingers in his beak and shake them which was breathtakingly frightening the first time. I probably shouldn't trust him so much but he's 14 and really seems to be of good habit.