When will he come to us?

[ahowe07]

We’ve had our macaw, Henry, for 6 days now. He is approx 11 months old. He is very comfortable here, as long as he is in his cage. He talks and shows off, by hanging upside down, hanging by his beak, showing us his wings, bobbing his head, looking at us from all crazy angles. He likes to come right up to me in his cage and talk to me. He will not, however, step up. When we offer our arm to him, he runs away to the top corner of his cage. My husband who is very bird familiar was forcing him to step up, until he read that that is teaching him to run away instead of obeying the command, that we need to wait until he is comfortable to step up on his own from the perch that he is on. When he was forced to step up he is relaxed, and loves getting his head scratched, but will not step up on his own. About how long can we anticipate waiting for him to be comfortable enough to come to us on his own?

 

[BreakinNewz]

When my macaw doesn't want to come out of her cage I either 1. leave her alone or 2. get a treat which she will step up for me immediately. But I never force her to do anything.

 

[labell]

I am considered "old school" but here are my thoughts on the situation. Your macaw is a young juvenile becoming more independent each day letting her call the shots now will only set you up for issues later.

I would be getting her out of the cage daily and getting her away from it where she can't see it and working on stepping up and down from a play stand. From the floor, from the bed any where and everywhere that you can reinforce the step up command. In my opinion this is the one command that needs to be drilled and repeated with positive loving remarks on your part each time she steps up praise her. Good bird, good girl or boy whatever you say just make it animated and happy. Let her/him know stepping up is a good thing.

I don't believe in that "well if you don't feel like it that's okay" just like anything else parrots sometimes have off days where I can tell mine don't want to be bothered too much but I still get them to step up, praise and then give them some space if they don't seem to want to train for longer that particular time but stepping up is something I work on with mine until it is automatic. There will come a time you need your bird to step up RIGHT NOW and if you give them a choice they will always think they have a choice in that. With a strong willed parrot like a macaw you are begging for problems.

Your husband had it right, pick her up.

 

[Birdman666]

I am considered "old school" but here are my thoughts on the situation. Your macaw is a young juvenile becoming more independent each day letting her call the shots now will only set you up for issues later.

I would be getting her out of the cage daily and getting her away from it where she can't see it and working on stepping up and down from a play stand. From the floor, from the bed any where and everywhere that you can reinforce the step up command. In my opinion this is the one command that needs to be drilled and repeated with positive loving remarks on your part each time she steps up praise her. Good bird, good girl or boy whatever you say just make it animated and happy. Let her/him know stepping up is a good thing.

I don't believe in that "well if you don't feel like it that's okay" just like anything else parrots sometimes have off days where I can tell mine don't want to be bothered too much but I still get them to step up, praise and then give them some space if they don't seem to want to train for longer that particular time but stepping up is something I work on with mine until it is automatic. There will come a time you need your bird to step up RIGHT NOW and if you give them a choice they will always think they have a choice in that. With a strong willed parrot like a macaw you are begging for problems.

Your husband had it right, pick her up.

I agree 110% with this advice. Macaws require a firm hand.

Otherwise you open the door to "What happens if I just don't feel like doing it?!" Then you get into a battle of wills with your bird over basic step up.

 

[BreakinNewz]

I personally like using positive reinforcement rather than using force, when I did use force I find it made them more reluctant. But I guess every parrot is different.

 

[Birdman666]

I personally like using positive reinforcement rather than using force, when I did use force I find it made them more reluctant. But I guess every parrot is different.

You use positive reinforcement, and coax them to come to you, but you don't let them become stand offish and do as they please, when it pleases them...

Personally, I have the opposite problem with my macs. Everyone's foot goes up at once. Pick me up. No! Please! Don't set me down...

 

[BreakinNewz]

I personally like using positive reinforcement rather than using force, when I did use force I find it made them more reluctant. But I guess every parrot is different.

You use positive reinforcement, and coax them to come to you, but you don't let them become stand offish and do as they please, when it pleases them...

Personally, I have the opposite problem with my macs. Everyone's foot goes up at once. Pick me up. No! Please! Don't set me down...

I hear what you're saying, I agree you can't let them get nippy and stand offish but I don't have that problem so I guess it's a different issue.

 

[thekarens]

I'm inclined to agree with Mark and labell. With macs, especially one so young, I'd be interacting daily, taking them away from the cage, playing and practicing step up. It may just be the bird was never taught how to step up.

I got Zoe when she was 14 months old and from the day we got her when we opened the cage door she would hang upside down from the door frame with one foot stretched out to us.

In this pic she flipped right side up because I was trying to take a pic of the goofball, but you can still see her reaching her foot out to me.

 

[Birdman666]

Well, that picture is a classic macaw pick me up shot!!!

I love the way BTM'S Blush when they get excited...

 

[Birdman666]

I hear what you're saying, I agree you can't let them get nippy and stand offish but I don't have that problem so I guess it's a different issue.

Yeah, that's what I was talking about. When the bird makes the rules, you open pandora's box... and that's when they can get out of hand.

I can count the number of macaws I actually had to towel to get them to behave on three fingers... and those were completely out of control, untrained biters...

Most respond to a firm step up command, especially if you don't show fear and don't back down. I've always found them to be easy birds to work with. Showing fear to a mac, letting him get his way by being nippy, that kind of stuff... that's what you want to avoid.

If he's just not in the mood to be handled, put him back down after he steps up and you praise him, and give him a treat.

The point is to reinforce the positive, where he did something.

When you let them get away with it, you actually inadvertently reinforce the negative behavior.

Then the bird gets mixed signals. At that point, he might stop paying attention, and you get what people refer to as "terrible two" behaviors.

What you want to do with a macaw is SET BOUNDARIES, and structure the routine and the interaction, and of course, bite pressure train. The bird gets a clear set idea of what is expected, and what the daily routine is gonna be, and then they accept it, and don't act up.

Without those clear boundaries, the bird doesn't always know what's gonna happen, or what you are doing. They become less confident, and that in turn leads to defensive behaviors, which include not obeying commands, and biting...

Does that make sense?!

 

[Birdman666]

When he was forced to step up he is relaxed, and loves getting his head scratched, but will not step up on his own. About how long can we anticipate waiting for him to be comfortable enough to come to us on his own?

They all go at their own pace, and they respond when they do. He'll come around. The more you handle them, the easier it gets. Once a routine gets established you're golden!

The more confidently you handle them, the more confident the bird gets.

The more anxious you are, and the more you show fear, the more they pick up on that and get nervous...

 

[BreakinNewz]

Yeah, that's what I was talking about. When the bird makes the rules, you open pandora's box... and that's when they can get out of hand.

I can count the number of macaws I actually had to towel to get them to behave on three fingers... and those were completely out of control, untrained biters...

Most respond to a firm step up command, especially if you don't show fear and don't back down. I've always found them to be easy birds to work with. Showing fear to a mac, letting him get his way by being nippy, that kind of stuff... that's what you want to avoid.

If he's just not in the mood to be handled, put him back down after he steps up and you praise him, and give him a treat.

The point is to reinforce the positive, where he did something.

When you let them get away with it, you actually inadvertently reinforce the negative behavior.

Then the bird gets mixed signals. At that point, he might stop paying attention, and you get what people refer to as "terrible two" behaviors.

What you want to do with a macaw is SET BOUNDARIES, and structure the routine and the interaction, and of course, bite pressure train. The bird gets a clear set idea of what is expected, and what the daily routine is gonna be, and then they accept it, and don't act up.

Without those clear boundaries, the bird doesn't always know what's gonna happen, or what you are doing. They become less confident, and that in turn leads to defensive behaviors, which include not obeying commands, and biting...

Does that make sense?!

100% makes sense!!

 

[ahowe07]

Thanks for all the replies. This makes total sense, I knew that they were strong willed, and having a strong willed toddler, I knew it didn't sound right, but never owning a bird, I just trusted what we read. I will look up bite pressure training, he loves to bite, but has yet to bite hard, I think he is just tasting us. I can tell he's going to be a good bird because he likes to entertain and show off.

 

[Birdman666]

Thanks for all the replies. This makes total sense, I knew that they were strong willed, and having a strong willed toddler, I knew it didn't sound right, but never owning a bird, I just trusted what we read. I will look up bite pressure training, he loves to bite, but has yet to bite hard, I think he is just tasting us. I can tell he's going to be a good bird because he likes to entertain and show off.

1. That is EXACTLY how you raise a macaw. The same way you would raise a human toddler.

2. Bite pressure training is posted, it's basically beak play games where you communicate when the bird is using too much bite pressure.

http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/51879-bite-pressure-training-help.html

3. They like to put their beaks and their tongues on everything.

4. Macaws are very attention oriented. They want to be the center of attention all the time. They get positively goofy, which is what I love about them. Mine have all been lap birds in fairly short order...

5. Conversely, cage them for too long, and ignore one, they tend to get MAD! You can do all sorts of things with a macaw, they are not fragile emotionally, BUT IGNORE ONE and they will do something to get your attention. (You might not like it, even negative attention is better than no attention - which brings us right back to the human toddler-like thing.)