Advice for my hahns macaw

Haskins104 · Aug 13, 2017

Hi everyone i have a young male hahns macaw 9 months old and we have had him for 2 weeks he is doing really well out of his cage for most of the day when we are home about from the last couple days where i cant keep him off my shoulder with out biting the crap out of my t-shirts so it’s resulting in me having to but him back in his cage because he just wont stop. Any advice people of the parrot world lol.

SilverSage · Aug 13, 2017

Give him something else to chew on up there

a toy. Parrots chew constantly and half of owning one is redirecting them to chew on something you don't love.

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Haskins104 · Aug 13, 2017

He has a million things to chew on but soon as he his on my shoulder he just wants to chew the crap out of my t-shirt.

SilverSage · Aug 13, 2017

Yes, I'm saying put something on your shoulder for him to chew on.

For a while, wear only shirts you don't care about until you can train him to leave your shirts alone. If he does chew on them, give him the toy instead. Try this a few times (per shoulder session) and if it doesn't work, move him off your shoulder to a play stand.

You might also want to buy him some old ratty shirts as toys (with supervision) so that your shirt isn't such a novelty.

It a pretty common issue. Some people just deal with it, others work to resolve it, but it's really common.

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plumsmum2005 · Aug 13, 2017

You too can have a complete wardrobe of parrot clothes LOL.

Haskins104 · Aug 13, 2017

SilverSage said:
Yes, I'm saying put something on your shoulder for him to chew on.

For a while, wear only shirts you don't care about until you can train him to leave your shirts alone. If he does chew on them, give him the toy instead. Try this a few times (per shoulder session) and if it doesn't work, move him off your shoulder to a play stand.

You might also want to buy him some old ratty shirts as toys (with supervision) so that your shirt isn't such a novelty.

It a pretty common issue. Some people just deal with it, others work to resolve it, but it's really common.

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Ive probably not explained the situation properly, I don’t actually put him on my shoulder nor do i want him on my shoulder, as soon as i get him out his cage he goes straight for my shoulder no matter how many times i get him off and put him on top of his cage with some toys he loves to chew he darts straight for my shoulder and each time it’s getting harder and harder to get him to step up off.

Haskins104 · Aug 13, 2017

Plus he’s still a little bitey so I don’t want him biting my ear.

SilverSage · Aug 13, 2017

Oh ok; different but still extremely common problem.

When he runs up your arm, block him with your other hand so that he has to step up onto it in order to proceed up your arm. When he steps up onto your hand, move your hand away from your body. Just like that, he is back on a hand! Repeat about sixty thousand times a day until he figures it out. It also helps to keep your hand up and elbow down so he has to go down in order to get to your shoulder. Birds like to go to the highest point, although that's about safety and comfort NOT about dominance as was taught by clueless people for years.

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plumsmum2005 · Aug 13, 2017

Maybe he could sit in your lap with an old tee shirt, guessing he finds it comforting.

Haskins104 · Aug 13, 2017

plumsmum2005 said:
Maybe he could sit in your lap with an old tee shirt, guessing he finds it comforting.

I wish he would. At the min i cant hold him on my hand yet as he still bites so we use a setup stick still and he doesn’t walk up my arm cause that would be easier to stop but he fly’s straight for my shoulder lol every single second he is out. Guess i just need to keep removing and hope he gets it sooner rather than later.lol

SilverSage · Aug 13, 2017

Yep, that's basically what it takes. You just have to be more stubborn about getting him down than he is about getting up! Also it would be great to have a perch he can sit on for training, etc so that not all of his interactions with you are while he is on you.

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Haskins104 · Aug 14, 2017

SilverSage said:
Yep, that's basically what it takes. You just have to be more stubborn about getting him down than he is about getting up! Also it would be great to have a perch he can sit on for training, etc so that not all of his interactions with you are while he is on you.

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He does have an extra perch which he used to sit on chewing is toys but now he just wants to consistently flys to mine or my wife’s head or shoulder.

SilverSage · Aug 14, 2017

It's really a game of who is more determined. You can do it

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LordTriggs · Aug 14, 2017

definitely agree with silversage's advice! It's about who's more persistent

they eventually learn when they're allowed on the shoulder and it's really good to keep as an incentive for them to be good

I'd say that the phase of claiming the shoulder to be one of the most frustrating, it's them trying to push and do what they want. When they fly try to remove them immediately, if they bite, put them on the floor. A good trick I found is when you notice them about to fly to your shoulder unwanted is to put your hand on your shoulder/head. They either land on your hand, making it easy to remove or they land on something else

just be persistent and don't let him win the battle!

Haskins104 · Aug 15, 2017

I think the last two days he his ALMOST getting the message about not no the shoulder plus he seems much more relaxed too, he finally has taken his first bath and would sit on top his cage playing with his toys while watching funny parrot videos on YouTube on the tv lol. We had one incident where he gave my 8 your old son a nip on the hand as he gets just as excited as the parrot when he comes out but i think it was for the best as it showed my son he needs to be a little less in the parrots face when he first comes out as he is still getting used to us but we also got to tell the parrot NO BITING and gave him a time out for 20min and since then at the min he seems to understand that biting is a big no.

LordTriggs · Aug 15, 2017

sounds like you've broken past the wall! that first major barrier I find to be the hardest, you can now start understanding each other. Yes it's good to teach your son to be calm and respect that the bird is another living being, it may sound a bit harsh but any time your son gets bitten if you can spot why (over-excited or too "in his face") it would be a good idea to tell him why he got bitten. Enforcing to your son that he will bite with a reason, not for the fun of it and that to avoid being bitten your son needs to learn the parrot's dislikes and personality.

When you say a time-out for 20 mins I'm assuming you're putting him in the cage or a seperate room? I personally advise against that as it can lead to him biting if he wants to go in the cage or the other room. I prefer using the floor as a "timeout" even if just for 1 minute or a few seconds, just putting them on the floor looking away from you. They learn from that so quickly as they're uncomfortable on the floor

AppaloosaNiffler2297 · Sep 28, 2017

I am having a similar issue with my Hahn's. :green:

Mine is 4yrs old. I just got the bird on Sunday- it is our new foster (gender unknown at this time so will be referred to as "it")
It likes to be out of the cage and will step up on my hand. Then beelines it for my hair. It becomes extremely aggressive to my hand or a stepup stick if i try to remove it from my hair. I believe it is just preening, but still... The temper tantrum it throws and the amount of force behind the bites makes it very difficult to move it at any time.

Cthebird · Oct 3, 2017

To the original poster - Are your Hahn's macaw's wings clipped?

My 6.5 month old Hahn's macaw's wings are clipped and I think that in the beginning it makes it easier to train him and teach him limits and some "Dos and Don'ts", not that he "listens" to everything.

When I'm home and in the room with him, which I usually am most of the day, he plays mostly on his cage and the play gym next to it. Only on occasion does he fly (w/clipped wings) down to the floor. He mostly stays on his cage and gym unless I get him. When he's on me he does want 100% attention. I've found some toys he really likes, like a colored rings toy and a "bank" type toy with colored shapes and coins. He plays with them a lot, but still likes to chew. Not on the bed, but on either my shirt (So, yes, I wear junky shirts) or on something he shouldn't chew on (pillow case, etc.). Occupying him helps. My guy is EXTREMELY affectionate and loves to be petted and given little kisses. Lately he's even started to voluntarily lie on his back and kinda beg for tummy rubs and play. Sometimes it's a little rough, but I can tell he doesn't mean it to be.

LordTriggs · Oct 4, 2017

Cthebird said:
To the original poster - Are your Hahn's macaw's wings clipped?

My 6.5 month old Hahn's macaw's wings are clipped and I think that in the beginning it makes it easier to train him and teach him limits and some "Dos and Don'ts", not that he "listens" to everything.

When I'm home and in the room with him, which I usually am most of the day, he plays mostly on his cage and the play gym next to it. Only on occasion does he fly (w/clipped wings) down to the floor. He mostly stays on his cage and gym unless I get him. When he's on me he does want 100% attention. I've found some toys he really likes, like a colored rings toy and a "bank" type toy with colored shapes and coins. He plays with them a lot, but still likes to chew. Not on the bed, but on either my shirt (So, yes, I wear junky shirts) or on something he shouldn't chew on (pillow case, etc.). Occupying him helps. My guy is EXTREMELY affectionate and loves to be petted and given little kisses. Lately he's even started to voluntarily lie on his back and kinda beg for tummy rubs and play. Sometimes it's a little rough, but I can tell he doesn't mean it to be.

now while it's you decision clipping wings based on essentially "keeping them in line" even if at first isn't exactly fair. It can also be dangerous later on. It's better to put that extra effort in at first and teach them right and wrong while they can fly than to impede their ability and force them to use you as transportation. Note I'm not against clipping entirely I just believe it should be used purely for safety rather than behaviour correction

Billdore · Oct 4, 2017

Timneh was a shirt chewer also I just dedicated a bunch of old shirts to her and she seems to mostly know which shirts she can chew now and which ones she can't. I call it shirt popping cause she just pops right through and makes a huge hole. Lol oh well something's you can control and some you can't. They do make like aprons though I've wanted to try. That go around your neck and over your shoulders. Good luck maybe you could try clicker training.

Advice for my hahns macaw

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