Teaching Baby Macaw Acceptable Beak Pressure

BirdyMomma · Jan 3, 2014

Hello All!
My newest, and most pressing project/issue is teaching Wingnut, our 3 1/2 month old Military Macaw how to more pleasantly interact with that huge beak he has!!!
I understand that it's like a hand for him, and everything will get tested first with his beak. When we are handling him, petting him, or holding him, he likes to open his mouth, and hold a finger, which is fine, but he often is on the threshold of applying too much pressure. Thus far I have been taking the following steps to ameliorate this situation;
Pick up bird, pet bird, allow bird to mouth my fingers. As soon as pressure begins at all, remind him to be gentle by saying 'easy'. If at any time, he supersedes acceptable level of pressure, I STOP PETTING HIM. He stops with the pressure, and we start all over again.
Does this sound like a good method? It seems to be working, and the tactile affection is apparently a suitable reinforcement for him.
If anyone has any advice, it will be enthusiastically received, as I do not want to raise an unpredictable, or anti social companion.

Birdman666 · Jan 3, 2014

EXACTLY. THAT'S ALL THERE IS TOO IT. And once they get it, they get it. The other thing I do is playing games with them, i.e. beak wrestling. Big macs generally love this game, and once they are bite pressure trained you can get them as riled up as you want, and it still won't matter...

Another thing that seems to help is to pick them up using the beak, i.e. hook a finger under the beak and let him hold on gently but firmly with his beak and step him up that way. (This is more a coordination thing.)

BirdyMomma · Jan 4, 2014

Thank you! I am always even more relieved when the very experienced parrot people offer advice!
At 3 1/2 months, Wingnut is still very beaky. Often he shrieks and lunges (but doesn't bite, or even connect) when you go to touch him. We do not react to it, any more than saying "No,no, you're a nice bird.". Then he steps up for scritches, and he melts into a big warm puddle of Macaw.
Loki, our 5 month old Yellow Collared displays a somewhat different behavior. She will step up at all times, with no display. I am currently training her to station on my hand, rather than to do her FAVORITE thing in the world, which is to run up my arm, and get on my shoulder, under my hair. Our biting issue with her is that when she wakes up in the am, and during cuddle time at night, she gets so happy, that she nips too hard. It's so cute, because it's during this time, where she is excited, that she will laugh at me in my own voice, and make cute little noises to me, and say HelllOOOOOO, but while she's doing it, she's rolling around like crazy, and BITING! (it's not like with Wingnut, where he is lying there, calm, with a finger in his beak)
When it's too hard, I take her beak firmly, and say NO Bi-Ting! But she's too riled up, and just keeps laughing at me. I have to figure this out, without losing our cuddle time! It's definitely my favorite part of the day, and I think it's hers too!!

Jumpingtadpoles · Jan 4, 2014

BirdyMomma said:
Thank you! I am always even more relieved when the very experienced parrot people offer advice!

At 3 1/2 months, Wingnut is still very beaky. Often he shrieks and lunges (but doesn't bite, or even connect) when you go to touch him. We do not react to it, any more than saying "No,no, you're a nice bird.". Then he steps up for scritches, and he melts into a big warm puddle of Macaw.

Loki, our 5 month old Yellow Collared displays a somewhat different behavior. She will step up at all times, with no display. I am currently training her to station on my hand, rather than to do her FAVORITE thing in the world, which is to run up my arm, and get on my shoulder, under my hair. Our biting issue with her is that when she wakes up in the am, and during cuddle time at night, she gets so happy, that she nips too hard. It's so cute, because it's during this time, where she is excited, that she will laugh at me in my own voice, and make cute little noises to me, and say HelllOOOOOO, but while she's doing it, she's rolling around like crazy, and BITING! (it's not like with Wingnut, where he is lying there, calm, with a finger in his beak)

When it's too hard, I take her beak firmly, and say NO Bi-Ting! But she's too riled up, and just keeps laughing at me. I have to figure this out, without losing our cuddle time! It's definitely my favorite part of the day, and I think it's hers too!!

Maybe try the same thing. Stop what you are doing. Place her down, saying "oww!" When she bites, and no biting as you place her. When she calms a bit, ask her to step up

I've read this is supposed to help them realize what they've done

BirdyMomma · Jan 4, 2014

I know you're right Tadpoles, and I have to force myself to do that. I will just be so upset, if I confuse her, and while trying to eliminate the biting, I accidentally make her think I don't like the cute cuddly behavior.

Jumpingtadpoles · Jan 4, 2014

I can't see it stopping the cuddling if after you pick her up you continue to cuddle

it's only the biting your wanting to stop.

BirdyMomma · Jan 4, 2014

I will try! On my way home to see them now, but she's a little maniac! I'll let you know how it goes!

Teaching Baby Macaw Acceptable Beak Pressure

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Baby macaw (:

Old macaw, new words?

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