Chico and me after a week.

First off I want too say I love this forum and I have read a lot of post from this and other groups. I never imagined all this bird talk and education existed like this and I’m fascinated and happy for it.

So Chico and I have had our week together. Still no step up on the arm without serious threat. At the same time we have lunch together every day. He stays out of the cage and lets me pet and scratch his head and cheeks. Today I was making a sandwich and caught him on my couch in my spot.
I decided to sit beside him and share my sandwich and it was really cool. He does not want to step up on my hand though but the threats seem less aggressive and more “hey now remember we aren’t that cool yet”
I had to go get my son from school and he was out so I put his honey seed treat in the cage. He didn’t step up on the hand, instead I got a look like “uh uhh” instead of a bite threat but I grabbed one of my husbands recorder flutes and he stepped up on that.
When I arrived back home with Milo (my son) I let him out again. I was telling Milo to clean his room and I didn’t notice Chico decided to explore while I was doing so. He attacked my foot without warning and in shock I kinda kicked and flung him. He came back and attacked more so I got the flute for him to step up on and put him back in his house. I also took his seed treat away. I felt bad he really caught me by surprise.
(I guess my feeling were hurt also and I was mad at myself.
After he threw a 1 hour temper tantrum of screaming and calling “mama” and barking like a Yorki along with his signature yell, I petted him and calmed him a bit.
I think we are on speaking terms again?
Still cage aggressive, all the displacement biting and no step ups but when I go to pet him he’s fine with that.
I hope I didn’t just mess up our slow developing trust. He is pretty aggressive but I sure do love him.
Here’s a pic of him today having lunch with me
On my couch and when I first say him sneak in my couch after I made the sandwich.

Sounds like some solid progress at this early date! Will take several weeks for Chico to feel comfortable.

A few favorite threads to hasten the bond:
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/training/63988-bite-pressure-training.html
And of course this! http://www.parrotforums.com/amazons/54250-amazon-body-language.html

It sounds you are doing great!


(I celebrated the first full day without the macaw lunging at me only nine months after Sunny moved in - so you really are moving fast here!)


Just one question?

Did you remove the seed tray to make sure he did not see the "back in the cage" as a reward for biting you?
Or was it a human "send to to bed without your supper" reaction?
(I always have some food in the cage because of their crazy fast metabolism, and of course a truely hungry parrot is usually a pissed off one.)

I'm so glad you're feeling at home here. I reviewed your other threads and enjoyed seeing your progress.

Just a note of caution...
Your bird sounds like a real rowdy little explorer! That can turn dangerous in a heartbeat, as you discovered with the foot incident. I would just remark that ceiling fans, open toilets, hot burners, cacti houseplants, open doors and windows, burning candles, sharp objects, electrical wires, and anything that might hurt a bird upon contact... all are extreme hazards for our birds. I have to watch the Rb every second that he is loose!

Thanks for sharing your adventures.

Oh yeah. Ceiling fans are deadly. Mine flew into one when he was a baby and almost broke his leg. Be very careful with parrots loose in the house. You would not want to step on him. That could be very bad. Think like he is a two year old and move accordingly.

Chico is a beauty! Sounds like you two are on the right track. There are always setbacks. Just continue moving forward. Welcome to the Forum.

Well believe it or not, it sounds like you and Chico are doing extremely well after only 1 week of being together. It can take months and months to years to "bond" with a bird, or even to simply earn their trust enough for them to "step-up", so for as close as you've become in only 1 week, I'd say you're well on your way to having a very close and loving family member. Patience and time...

How old is Chico? Do you know much of his past history? It doesn't sound like he's suffered much "baggage", and he looks very physically healthy, so that's great. Just keep working with him, spending as much time as you can with him every day, and even just talking with him/to him. It's amazing how much progress you make from simply being around a bird, even if you're not directly-interacting with them. You must first "Earn His Trust", and once that happens, that's when he'll start stepping-up for you, allowing you to handle him more directly, etc. (The fact that he lets you pet him/scratch his head is also amazing)...

Is Chico flighted? The reason I ask is only because if he's not, you have to be very careful about him walking around on the floor, as many, many birds have been stepped-on accidentally...And if he is flighted, then you have to make 100% certain that NO ceiling fans are ever turned on when he's out of his cage, as ceiling fans account for one of the most common causes of serious bird injury and death...And typically when this happens, it's completely sporadic and it happens to very experienced bird owners who never have their ceiling fans running...Either a visitor to their home turns the ceiling fan on, not thinking about or knowing about the risk to the bird, or the experienced bird owner just has a brain-fart and turns the ceiling fan on without thinking about it..So be very careful about that, as well as open-doors. If Chico is flighted, or will be flighted after his wings grow back in, you have to be very careful about opening doors to the outside when he's out of his cage, even just for a second, as they dart towards that crack to the outside like a rocket! I don't know if you've ever owned a bird before, if you have then you already know this stuff, if not then better safe than sorry...

Also, I'm sure you know about not using ANY pots or pans that have the black-colored non-stick coatings that contain either Teflon, or any Fluoropolymers such as PFOA's, PFO's, PTFE's, etc. (usually any pots or pans that have a black-colored coating on them are no-no's)...These must be disposed of immediately and never used inside the same house as any bird, regardless of how far away the bird is from the kitchen or if they are behind closed-doors, as the fumes travel everywhere throughout the house, and it takes literally only one whiff to instantly kill the bird, and there's nothing you can do to help them once they take a single breath, they're done....So only uses pots, pans, bakeware, cookware, etc. that are either Ceramic non-stick, stainless-steel, cast-iron, or REAL copper (not "copper coated"). That's it, any other non-stick cookware/bakeware is off-limits...As is the "Self-Cleaning" function on your oven, this too releases lethal fumes throughout your home...And I'm sure you know about using NO commercial cleaners except for the clear, plant-enzyme based cleaners with no scent...No all-purpose, kitchen, bathroom, carpet, or any other cleaners except for the all-natural, plant-based, non-scented cleaners, and no carpet powders at all...You're best to simply start cleaning everything with a mix of White Vinegar and very hot water, Red Wine Vinegar and hot water, or one of the clear, plant-enzyme cleaners that are sold in most grocery stores (Green-Works is good, I use it in the bathroom, and Wegmans grocery store sells an entire line of natural, unscented, plant-based cleaners for the kitchen, bathroom, carpet, woodwork, furniture, etc. in their "Natural/Organic/Health" section, so I'd imagine that if you don't have a Wegmans where you live that Whole Foods and Harris Teeter would also sell these types of cleaners, as well as other grocery stores)..I know that my local Giant-Eagle grocery store sells an entire line of clear, unscented plant-based cleaners from their in-store brand that are actually labeled as being "Bird Safe"! Remember, anything that says it is "Pet Safe" does not at all mean it's "Bird-Safe"...I just recently went to Giant-Eagle to pick-up a prescription, and while I was waiting I was looking around and happened to hit the cleaning-products aisle, and saw that they now sell their in-house brand of clear, plant-based cleaners that are labeled as "Bird-Safe" that are now offering a lightly-scented version (as well as the regular unscented line) that is scented with natural peppermint oil...So I bought a bottle of the "All-Purpose" Cleaner that is peppermint scented, as I have used the unscented version for a long time and it works well, and the new one that contains natural peppermint oil is very lightly scented, it's very faint but it leaves a nice "fresh" scent...

Anyway, I'm jabbering on for no reason...Welcome, and please don't ever hesitate to ask any questions!!!

I would be very cautious with ANY oil (there just isn't enough research on the impacts, and just because a bird survives it, does not mean it is a safe bet)...there are plenty of 100-year-old smokers, but that doesn't mean smoking is safe. Plus, essential oils have impacts on the human body (via diffusion)---literally, they can heighten or suppress central nervous system function. If the levels impact a mammal this way (a large one, at that ), imagine the impact on a small bird with a HIGHLY sensitive respiratory system.

Don't take away food as punishment. Also don't cage as punishment, a quick trip to the cage for a bite, and everyone to get settled, then keep moving forward. The screaming is frustrations, he has just been given freedom and learning then bam back to the cage he has spent to much time in. I think redirect works better. After the foot bite you could put him back on a play area. You are doing great for a week, both of you! Those bites hurt I know, and you can't help feeling hurt , but they are just miscommunication, and he needs dome outlets for energy and stimulation. Keep up the good work

There's definitely a progress, birds are pretty much unpredictable. They are also like human or other pets like the cat.

noodles123 said:

I would be very cautious with ANY oil (there just isn't enough research on the impacts, and just because a bird survives it, does not mean it is a safe bet)...there are plenty of 100-year-old smokers, but that doesn't mean smoking is safe. Plus, essential oils have impacts on the human body (via diffusion)---literally, they can heighten or suppress central nervous system function. If the levels impact a mammal this way (a large one, at that ), imagine the impact on a small bird with a HIGHLY sensitive respiratory system.

Click to expand...

I agree, Essential Oils in-general are not "bird-safe", especially to diffuse into the air for scent purposes...However, natural Peppermint Oil is totally bird-safe, and is actually what is suggested that people use as a natural insect/pest repellent, that's why it's added to natural, plant-based enzyme cleaners that are actually labeled as being "bird-safe". It's the only scented cleaner I use, well, I should say that it's the only scent added to any cleaners I use, as Wegmans actually makes an entire line of all-natural, plant-based enzyme cleaning products that come in either "unscented" or with "natural peppermint oil"...It's extremely faint and wears-off in a day or two, but gives a nice fresh scent to the house.

I would never endorse using Essential Oils in a "diffuser" or anything for scent purposes, nor should you EVER put any Essential Oils directly ON your bird...This is a topic that comes up often, as people always ask "What essential oils are safe for your bird", and the answer to that questions is that you have to investigate each, individual essential oil for overall-safeness, and then you also have to look at how you're planning on using it.

The only time I use any essential oils at all is for insect/pest repelling, and then in only the natural, plant-based enzyme cleaners that are actually bird-safe, that's it. And as an extra FYI, the most dangerous essential oil for birds, as well as other pets such as reptiles/amphibians, is Tea Tree Oil. It's horribly toxic, and people often don't research it and just go ahead and put it on wounds on their birds or their Bearded Dragons, etc., and it literally can kill them in minutes as it is absorbed into their skin.