What do you do in this situation?

[KalieLovesBirds]

My macaw is having his first real tantrum at the moment. You can tell he is unhappy about everything. He wanted to come out and was fine but about 5 minutes into him being out of the cage he is having a tantrum. He is lunging if you try to pick him up and biting at everything and squawking up a storm. Do I put him back in the cage? Do I try to do something with him to calm him down? What do you guys do? It is sad to see him upset.

 

[StephenAndKyleigh]

Sit him down and walk away? Putting him in his cage might teach him that "hey if i want in in my cage all i have to do is bite, lunge, squak...then I get to go back in there" The worse thing you can do to a macaw is ignore them..They hate it..We don't want to enforce bad behavior

 

[MikeyTN]

The post above is exactly right!!! Remember you have a toddler and they're gonna try to get their way and run you over in the process if possible. If you allow that to go on, it gets a whole lot worse....

 

[KalieLovesBirds]

Thanks for the advice! I know you can't ignore them and that they will forever remain a giant toddler. I had sat him down and walked away shortly after he had started but that didn't work and only made it worse. He was still incredibly upset. He was on his play stand and just incredibly unhappy but didn't want to be picked up. He calmed down for a little bit and said 'Cracker' twice so my sister went and got him a cracker and when she went to give it to him, he lunged and went back into a tantrum.

It's sad because it's his first tantrum he's ever had and I know the firsts are always the hardest but it's frustrating and saddening when you see your baby upset about something. I'm not sure if it's because my classes ran longer today and so it kind of 'upset the schedule' for him or not. I know they are a breed of routine and so possibly this could be the reason is he is upset with me.

 

[MikeyTN]

The lounging can be stopped. Start using a perch in one hand and your arm on the other side of him. Show him the perch to hold it on one side of him and your arm on the other side and he will quickly step up onto your arm. Always be stern with him!

 

[KalieLovesBirds]

He's never lunged before

 

[Birdman666]

You treat it the same way you treat it when a human toddler pitches a fit...

NO MAAM, WE DON'T THROW HISSY FITS...

TIME OUT. NO ATTENTION UNTIL SHE CALMS DOWN.

ONCE SHE'S CALM.... then, you do the whole console and whatsamatter thing... NOT while she's throwing the fit. THAT REWARDS THE TANTRUM AND ENCOURAGES MORE TANTRUM THROWING UNTIL THE TANTRUMS THEN BECOME PART OF YOUR DAILY LIFE...

They all do this every once in awhile. Don't lose any sleep over it. Fifteen minutes from now she'll be fine.

 

[junglenutcracker]

Yup, our does this once in awhile...but they are happening much less frequently.
She’ll scream, lunge and bite at her toys, toss them around violently and be basically...well, become unapproachable for a bit. When this happens, I just walk away. In a few minutes the storm has passed and she is sweet again.
It comes and goes, like a burst of energy, no real rhyme or reason. Just don’t make a fuss about it and you won’t be reinforcing it.

 

[WilliamKenyon]

This may not work for a raging macaw but it definitely works when my Cockatiel is annoyed. i mimic this clicking/kissing sort of noise that seems makes when she is happy and this seems to calm her down allot, even to the point that she will let me look under her wings and stuff. While that noise may not work fora macaw as they make different sounds to Cockatiels if you could work out what sound he makes when he is happily playing that may work. As for other methods they have been mentioned in other posts. i hope this will help and you can get him calmed down.

 

[Mariar]

Sissy has become my Velcro bird. I leave the room she screams,sometimes she throws a fit, an all out tantrum.i try my best to ignore her, doesn't always work. The times it does work, I walk up to her,after her fit and I whisper. And I keep whispering,till she goes off on her own to play.

 

[Captsteve]

This may not work for a raging macaw but it definitely works when my Cockatiel is annoyed. i mimic this clicking/kissing sort of noise that seems makes when she is happy and this seems to calm her down allot, even to the point that she will let me look under her wings and stuff. While that noise may not work fora macaw as they make different sounds to Cockatiels if you could work out what sound he makes when he is happily playing that may work. As for other methods they have been mentioned in other posts. i hope this will help and you can get him calmed down.

Doing that with a Mac is the same as doing it with a two year old. It will piss them off more. The best thing is to ignore them and walk away.

Remember A Big Mac is a MASTER at manipulation.

 

[Solo]

You can't give in. When you walk away don't come back until she is calm..yes it might take awhile but she will eventually calm down. You might find it easier to completely leave the room. I just ignore Phoebe and act like my life could go on without her (not saying it actually could though). I'll go do a training session with my dog. He's getting attention and treats and she's not. Or I'll go get a toy and start playing and giggling, but not include her or even glance at her. Once she finally does calm down..all focus is on her again.

 

[Solo]

If you give in..even once then they win. You can't give in, stand your ground. Be more stubborn than he is.

 

[Anansi]

You've received some excellent advice for a tantrum. Walking away and ignoring him while he's in the process is probably the best way to deal with it. But don't think of it as a "magic bullet" for his tantrums. Your doing this consistently is what will ultimately get through to him. He will eventually make the association between rotten behavior and lack of attention. Patience and consistency are key.

All that said, though, you do want to make sure this is indeed a tantrum. (As opposed to him being cranky because he is in some physical distress.) Especially since this is his first time acting this way, you want to be reasonably sure that he's okay, health-wise.

Is he eating normally? Does his poop look irregular at all? Are his eyes bright and clear? If so, go right on ahead with all of the excellent advice you've already received.

 

[StephenAndKyleigh]

You've received some excellent advice for a tantrum. Walking away and ignoring him while he's in the process is probably the best way to deal with it. But don't think of it as a "magic bullet" for his tantrums. Your doing this consistently is what will ultimately get through to him. He will eventually make the association between rotten behavior and lack of attention. Patience and consistency are key.

All that said, though, you do want to make sure this is indeed a tantrum. (As opposed to him being cranky because he is in some physical distress.) Especially since this is his first time acting this way, you want to be reasonably sure that he's okay, health-wise.

Is he eating normally? Does his poop look irregular at all? Are his eyes bright and clear? If so, go right on ahead with all of the excellent advice you've already received.

A+++++ on the last part.

 

[Birdman666]

Sit him down and walk away? Putting him in his cage might teach him that "hey if i want in in my cage all i have to do is bite, lunge, squak...then I get to go back in there" The worse thing you can do to a macaw is ignore them..They hate it..We don't want to enforce bad behavior

Yep.

No attention rewards for attention screaming or tantrums... See? You already got this!

 

[Birdman666]

If you give in..even once then they win. You can't give in, stand your ground. Be more stubborn than he is.

Yep. Exactly.

These are the boundaries. They don't move. And you stepped across the line. When you get back on your side of the line we'll talk. Until then, you're in time out.