kinda having second thoughts now

hey everybody if you have seen my first post we were in the process of adopting a bg macaw,reading some of the post on bites ,getting worried,(probably over reacting)owning two cockatoos,one witch is not very socialized has done some damage to my finger (separated my finger joint at first knuckle,plus other numerous blood donation no thanks to him)and yes I still have his evil butt still after 8 years of trying,witch brings me to the mcaw concerns if she did and when bite,we have been going over to visit the bird but she is in process of laying 3 eggs so far,so she really isn't in the mood for company,,but we sit there and talk to her,the owner has health problems and it getting worse ,the poor birds cage is a mess with old poo all over,this is the second owner,and you can see the the bird trust her cause so can go near and actually pet her with the eggs in cage,but if we tried she would lunge out at us,the owner said she is a very sweet bird when she isn't laid eggs,the owner would prefer US to take her because she has seen our birds and how we keep up the cleaning and socilalizing with them,,,the bird has been to vet last 18 months called them and they said from the exam bird is in good health,,,i just feel so bad because the bird has such trust in the owner im afraid to take her,,,but at the same time the birds living conditions are going down hill ,like the owners health,,she wants us to take here but scared to because of egg issue,and realy haven't been able to see the bird in a state of socializing other than her egg laying protection mode,,,and that alone has me worried about damage she can do to us hopefully its just that she has eggs is why she seems to be aggressive,,,on a side note ,,,,,,she will come off her eggs to take a treat from me with no aggression ,,but will not let me scratch her head,when I say having second thoughts ,I mean would I be doing the right thing for the bird,she has had someone else to look at the bird but she told them that she has a couple in mind (meaning us)she doesn't have the bird up for sale,she said she NOT going to just sell her,she was just searching through family and friends

I'll begin by focusing on the issue of biting. Cockatoos are among the most "bitey" birds on the planet! Their beaks "punch above their size" for giving sharp and/or crushing bites.

While macaws have larger and potentially more destructive beaks, they are by temperament *generally* more cautious with use. I would encourage you to read through the Macaw forum, so many wonderful threads to assist with your research.

This one is a classic and may give you some comfort: http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/56384-big-beak-o-phobes-guide-understanding-macaw-beaks.html

I don't have a whole lot of experience with other species, but macaws are far less moody and don't tend to bite as hard/as frequently as cockatoos. I'd recommend checking out the Animal Behavior Institute website, seeing the courses they offer (avian training, animal behavior, animal enrichment, animal minds and emotions, the human animal bond, etc.), and buying the books recommended for those courses. I'm a student, and their textbooks and courses are very educational.

For your cockatoo, I'd recommend using protected contact, clicker training, and target training with him. Also, in 99% of cases, animals behave aggressively because they're afraid. It might be hard to believe when an animal comes charging at you from more than 20' away, but it's true. You really need to work on counter-conditioning, habituation, and slowly building trust. Pretty much every parrot who has a history of biting only does so because they're nervous and have learned that the only way to control scary situations and prevent bad things from happening to them is by biting or threatening to bite.

Other times, parrots will bite because they have sudden mood swings, but these incidents can be greatly reduced by teaching healthy alternatives to removing chunks of flesh. Anytime you can tell your bird's mood is changing and might bite, ask them to do something they enjoy (sing, perform a trick, dance, fetch a toy, etc.), praise them for doing as you asked, then reward with food or whatever. Soon, they'll learn that when they're getting upset, they should let you know, then do a different activity to calm down. Biting out of anger and frustration isn't something enjoyable for them (although it IS reinforced to if you "punish" them or react). Punishing an aggressive animal is almost never the answer, as it just makes them angrier (or more frightened), making them more likely to react poorly. They know that hurting you or threatening you isn't a nice thing to do. They only do it because they feel they have to, and punishing them for not knowing what else to do almost always makes things worse.

If you do "punish" them, give them a 30 second to 3 minute timeout in a neutral area (not the cage since you don't want that place to be associated with negative things), then ignore them. However, this is less of a "punishment" and more of a chance for them to calm down and for you to think about what went wrong to cause them to bite. Did you ignore their body language (always respect what an animal is saying! Ignoring the fact that they're scared or upset only hurts your relationship)? Were they startled? Did you do something you shouldn't have? And if it's due to hormones, then they couldn't help it. If they're hormonal, still let them out of the cage, but use protected contact (having them step up using a perch instead of your arm, targeting them into their cage, not letting them near your face, etc.).

First and foremost, always listen to what the parrot is telling you. If they're aggressive around food, then you need to use counter-conditioning to teach them that you being around their food is a good thing, because you're going to give them treats, play with them, etc., when you go near their dish.