When is rough play too rough?

Now that Percy has decided I won't murder and eat him, his favourite thing appears to be to sit on my lap and play with my hands. He lies on one hand (holding onto a finger for dear life) and bites and nibbles each finger, each knuckle and everything in between. My involvement in this playing is mostly trying to protect the finger he's clinging to from his super sharp claws and trying to prevent him from breaking a feather or even a wing. He goes totally crazy! LOL. Eventually, he works himself into such a state that he starts biting too hard and then I put him back on his gym for a 5 minute 'time out' . I tell him gently that "that is too hard, baby, you must be gentle" and put him down.

Problem is, by then he's worked his feathers into such a mess that he looks like he's got mange or something! I smooth down his feathers as best I can when I put him on his gym but he still looks pretty scruffy until he shakes and magically everything falls into place.

I'm wondering if I'm not allowing him too luch leeway with his rough playing. I'm so concerned he could hurt himself, especially his badly mended broken wing (I can actually feel the two bumps in the wing bones that the vet identified when I took him in for a check )

Thoughts?

Amazon Overload.

For me, it gets too rough when blood is drawn, or very close to being drawn.

With an amazon, you need to back off the beak play as soon as they start getting that glazed over crazed look... because they tend to start getting carried away and losing control of their bite pressure very quickly thereafter.

You might have the very use a file on his nails to blunt them or if he'll let you do it yourself.

thekarens said:

You might have the very use a file on his nails to blunt them or if he'll let you do it yourself.

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I've been trying but he is not keen - the emery board looks too much like a stick and my baby is terrified of anything that looks like a stick.

Birdymomma also gave me some nice tips so I'm going to keep trying and hopefully I won't have to keep the vet app on the 14th for a nail trim.

Zack does the same thing. When he starts doing it too hard, I start saying 'gentle' and he usually stops biting so hard. When he doesn't I pull my hand away and won't let him play but just sit there for a minute or two.

I love this question, because I am wondering the same thing about rough play with my Military Macaw. He seems to like to get roughed up quite a bit, so I oblige him, but I wonder if this is leading to aggressive posturing and screeching at other times. He will beak me, and I will scratch his head, and when it's too rough, I will push into his mouth a little, and give a little shake and say 'NO'. This stops it (at least momentarily), but am I encouraging aggression?

Percy Momma, I was thinking about what you said, with nail files being shaped like sticks. They have disc shaped ones too. Maybe you could try those?

I almost forgot. I made some progress today! Knuckles nails are SO sharp, my hands and forearms look like I punched through a window, and she's new, and extremely timid, and wants NO part of nail trimming. I've been trying to acclimate her to the emory board by putting it near her, and giving treats. NOPE. She wants no part of the treats, instead she is OBSESSED with picking the tiny scabs off my hands, that come from her razor-talons!!

So I made a deal with her. First, I would allow her to pick pick pick, IF she would allow me to touch her toes. As soon as she pulled her toe away, I pulled my hand back. I would wait a few seconds, give her my hand, touch her toe, and let her pick, until she moved the foot away. I could SEE it working. Each time, I got to hold the toe a liiiitle longer...of course I could see her really getting happy about the (horrible) picking. So then I introduced the emory board, and used the same deal, except she could pick ONLY if I could file for a few seconds. But I got THREE toes done this morning!

I'm sure that although this is the proper way to 'work' with a bird, that in the process, Im allowing, and even reinforcing an extremely unwanted, and kind of gross behavior. It was the best solution I could come up with so far! I'm allowing her to get what she wants, and showing her what she needs to do to get it, also showing her that when she is not comfortable, she can stop the unwanted behavior. Also, I'm gaining her trust in the process........hopefully we get all 8 toes done before I bleed to death!!!!

Oooh, good idea, Birdymomma!! It never occurred to me!! Going to buy one first thing in the morning. Thanks

Try treating him each time he let's you file!!

BirdyMomma, I think that's great that you turned an irritating situation into a beneficial one!
Keeping my fingers crossed that you do not bleed to death before finishing those toes! (Or after, for that matter)

Dougc1369 said:

Zack does the same thing. When he starts doing it too hard, I start saying 'gentle' and he usually stops biting so hard. When he doesn't I pull my hand away and won't let him play but just sit there for a minute or two.

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Exactly. That's how it's done. Then resume the game when they are calm again. Stop before they get crazed again...

Amazon overload is a very real phenomenon. They get worked up into a state and can't calm down immediately.

BirdyMomma said:

I love this question, because I am wondering the same thing about rough play with my Military Macaw. He seems to like to get roughed up quite a bit, so I oblige him, but I wonder if this is leading to aggressive posturing and screeching at other times. He will beak me, and I will scratch his head, and when it's too rough, I will push into his mouth a little, and give a little shake and say 'NO'. This stops it (at least momentarily), but am I encouraging aggression?

Click to expand...

Absolutely not. You are not encouraging aggression. This is how macaws play. And they do play rough.

I do this with both my big macs all the time...

In fact, one of the favorite games, is THE CLAW... (or I got your face!)

With the bird on your lap, you hold the hand in a claw shape over the bird's head. I make a kind of a growling noise, since they know what's coming. (This usually elicits squeals of delight...)

Then suddenly, you drop the claw on the bird's head/beak and shake it (gently) from side to side...

The bird tries to "fend off" the claw with foot or beak...

Mine love that game...

Birdman, I've noticed that as well. There have been times when he has startled me. When this happens he gets excited and bitey so I have to leave him alone for a bit then we can play again. I keep learning soooo much about him almost every day.

As far as nails, MomtoPercy, let us know how it goes. I found a bird supply store that will trim his nails and beak for ten bucks, if ya buy something. I'd rather try doing it myself if Zack will let me.

Birdman666 said:

Dougc1369 said:

Zack does the same thing. When he starts doing it too hard, I start saying 'gentle' and he usually stops biting so hard. When he doesn't I pull my hand away and won't let him play but just sit there for a minute or two.

Click to expand...

Exactly. That's how it's done. Then resume the game when they are calm again. Stop before they get crazed again...

Amazon overload is a very real phenomenon. They get worked up into a state and can't calm down immediately.

Click to expand...

LOL

Oh yeah Bosley is the same way, we stop when he can't be gentle anymore and it becomes blood spot. He loves playing like this though and part of the game is keeping my hands away as he tries to get them LOL

As far as nails go, I get them done at the vet, they are nicely dremelled and do not leave marks. Bosley won't go near any type of file/emery board/pediperch. Also my vet likes Bos and gives him a quick look over at the time.

MomtoPercy said:

Now that Percy has decided I won't murder and eat him, his favourite thing appears to be to sit on my lap and play with my hands. He lies on one hand (holding onto a finger for dear life) and bites and nibbles each finger, each knuckle and everything in between. My involvement in this playing is mostly trying to protect the finger he's clinging to from his super sharp claws and trying to prevent him from breaking a feather or even a wing. He goes totally crazy! LOL. Eventually, he works himself into such a state that he starts biting too hard and then I put him back on his gym for a 5 minute 'time out' . I tell him gently that "that is too hard, baby, you must be gentle" and put him down.

Problem is, by then he's worked his feathers into such a mess that he looks like he's got mange or something! I smooth down his feathers as best I can when I put him on his gym but he still looks pretty scruffy until he shakes and magically everything falls into place.

I'm wondering if I'm not allowing him too luch leeway with his rough playing. I'm so concerned he could hurt himself, especially his badly mended broken wing (I can actually feel the two bumps in the wing bones that the vet identified when I took him in for a check )

Thoughts?

Click to expand...

Feb. 8, 2014
The more you wrestle with an amazon, the wilder they get....