very aggressive macaw

Hello everyone,
I am writing about my blue and gold macaw, sunny. He is 30 and has been living with us for about 2 or 3 months now. Since weve had him he became attached to my mom immediately as I usually am in and out of the house. sunny would usually try to lunge at me any chance he got, and would head straight toward my feet to bite them if he was let out of his cage. Recently, sunny has switched on my mom and I. He now loves me and wants to bond with me and lets me pet him, but tries to really hurt my mom when he is out of the cage. The past week has been hell for my mom as she cannot even come into the living room without sunny chasing her down to bite her. He has bit her bad atleast 1 other time. Yesterday he bit her out of nowhere while she was sitting on the couch and really hurt her, the bite was so bad she was still bleeding this morning from it. Im sorry to say that if he continues to attack her we cannot keep him. It is not fair to leave him in his cage all day to avoid him biting my mom but we cannot continue to live in fear of getting bit. Does anyone have any advice?

I need more information on this bird's history.

Why the sudden change in behaviors/loyalty?!

Has he always been this aggressive?!

How much out time and handling does he get?

How many people handle him?

Caging the bird may be necessary, but additional behavior mods - discipline, socialization, bite pressure training, and training the bird not to bite or chase people around the room is obviously necessary. Sounds like the bird is doing as he bloody well pleases at the moment. Could be just a phase that he needs re-training and reinforcement to get his behavior where he should be.

Wow that's tough, because the more fear you have, the more he will have control. They sense all moods and jumping back or reacting to a bite just makes them do it harder the next time because they know they are gaining control. If he bites or is aggressive, I would cage him. Then he will want to come out, yes, but when you take him out and he bites again, you put him back again. He will catch on. Then if you take him out and he doesn't bite at all or is a bit more pleasant, reward him! Give him a treat and the out him back in the cage. He needs to get some discipline and reinforcement in a careful manner. Of course never yell no or point a finger in his face, etc. Just put him back. Then he has no control and you show him who is boss and who leads the "flock". It takes time and patience though. Just be prepared this isn't an overnight thing. Behavior problems are not a quick fix. But caging when biting and rewarding when not will be good. Leaving him out he is clearly dominating now and getting a power trip from all his biting and negative behavior.

First of all, any large parrot that chases me, quickly finds the tables turned on him.

My solution to large macaws who chase feet is to grab a sofa cushion, and back his little butt into a corner, and make him sit there for a minute and think about what he did. In the wild, the bird who backs down, tells the other bird he's in charge. Their wild instincts often prevail in captivity. He doesn't get off the floor until he steps up nice. Suddenly, this is no longer a fun game to play. Don't run. Push back. The more you back down, the more he thinks he is in charge.

No biting has to be a rule, and it has to be enforced. If he has to be toweled, then so be it. Play nice, and it won't happen...

Dominant macaws ARE NOT mild mannered. Mild mannered responses tend not to work with them.

Dominant macaws are not emotionally fragile either. They will get a cause and effect if you are consistent with it. Same response happens immediately every time.

This is how a macaw SHOULD be taught to behave:

http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/46733-feathered-buzz-saws-4.html#post418071

The sooner you start behavior mods, the sooner you get this!

This isn't the first time this has come up, nor will it be the last. Macaw training is a lifelong thing. Every once in awhile you have to go back to the beginning, start over, and correct mistakes. Both you and the bird are always learning.

http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/46898-retraining-aggressive-military-macaw-help.html

There are a fair number of people who disapprove of the practice...

But the last time I did this, it was an intervention. The bird stepped up for me, and then immediately went for the owner's nose...

The owner would let the bird bite the crap out of him and just stand there without reacting.

Would another macaw, let a dominant macaw move into his nest and bite the crap out of him?! Or would he react rather immediately and decisively?!

I'm just sayin...

Their wild instincts still exist. Even in the tame ones.

I believe that to be true of any "domesticated" animal they all still have some wild instincts, which I guess would exist more with Birds than dogs or cats, But I have saw how quickly dogs and cats can become feral in a matter of very little time. My Dobie and Boxer are both trained in German, which my wife and I both speak but let the Jehovah's Witnesses or some salesman come knocking and they will stand at the door and bark. I mean I haven't done anything to any animal to be mean but I think they should all be taught to be well behaved no matter what type of animal it is.

The thing about the sofa cushion method, is it renders them absolutely powerless. All they can do is back up. The "big bad birdie" routine STOPS precisely because of that. In the wild, if another animal corners you, and you are powerless to prevent it from happening, you are someone's lunch...

They are smart enough to know that. It leaves a lasting impression.

When you don't end up eating them, trust is actually established, not destroyed. You are a big powerful bird, but I am bigger and more powerful. I am not going to hurt you, but you sure as hell are not going to chase me, or anyone else around the room...

Now step up nice, and I'll scratch your head and give you a treat. See, now isn't that better?!

The pecking order in the household is now established. Challenges will be fewer and farther between, until they just aren't.

Watch what happens the second time he climbs down from the cage to the floor, and goes to chase someone, and that person picks up a couch cushion and shows it to him! The aggression ceases IMMEDIATELY!!!

And no one, not bird or human, gets hurt.

So I would argue that this is the MOST humane way to handle it, because it ends the conflict and corrects the behavior quickly, without any lasting damage...