How do i properly raise and train a macaw?

First things first; I already have 2 beautyful macaws (BG & GW), They're just amazing

But they're not without some "problems", they both dont like anyone else but me, my GW tolerates some other people touching him but my BG not at all.
She wont get agressive but she will scare the life out of people with a very sudden and loud scream as soon as they touch her.
They also tend not to listen very well when they've set their will on doing something like destroying my living room closet doors.. My BG can be very clingy.. (i'm not sure if thats a problem or a trait).
I bet a lot of macaw owners will experience the same things.

I read a lot about macaws, and people are always talking about properly raising and training a macaw.
I'm getting a new macaw soon (military) as a baby and want to make sure i do everything just perfect.

So who can give me advice?
I wish to properly socialize the bird so he's not afraid of strangers, or at least as much as possible.
I would also like the bird to respond to commands so he will understand when something is unwanted behavior.
I just want the bird to be awesome
And maybe there are some other ideas and suggestions on how to properly raise, socialize and train a large macaw.

Thanks for reading this post

Know that owning a well-behaved macaw will require daily socialization and outings if you want your macaws to become more adjusted to other people and situations. What they need is desensitization and a lot of it! This will come with being handled and seen by other people on a DAILY basis. This is a must, otherwise your macs will (as they already have) overbond to you and attack/act aggressively towards other people for a long time, and you don't want that as it makes it impossible to do things or invite people over. Not fun.

Training begins on Day one and if you are committed, all 3 of your macs will need daily training to become as well-rounded as you want them to be. As you have realized, they will often test their boundaries and let you know about if if they don't want to do something.

You'll have to develop a word or phrase -- 'KNOCK IT OFF' works well when they are not doing something they shouldn't be doing or biting or what have you. If they are destroying your closet doors, restrict them to another area or place them in their cage. As big chewers they should have access to chewing toys and wood to chew up on a daily basis. Yes it can get expensive, but these guys really do enjoy chewing and having an outlet to do that with that isn't personal furnishings.

Lastly, be sure to read all of birdman666's posts here in the macaw forum, there is so much great information!

I am not a macaw expert, but I can suggest that you go to the macaw Forum and, at the to of the age are some "stickies" (popular and respected threads) that should give you some great reading. Meanwhile, I'm sure that some macaw afficionados will be along to share personal tips!

@itzjbean
Some say that you should not respond to unwanted behavior in a way of raising your voice saying "knock it off!" becouse that is just making them excited about drama. so i'm a little confused about those things.

Merv said:

@itzjbean
Some say that you should not respond to unwanted behavior in a way of raising your voice saying "knock it off!" becouse that is just making them excited about drama. so i'm a little confused about those things.

Click to expand...

When a macaw in a wild flock does something unwanted/inappropriate (biting, chewing on things they shouldn't, etc.) the flock will force them to the ground and banish them from the perch until the message sinks in. If you let a macaw run amok doing whatever it wants without reaction, it will only continue to keep doing it. You could place them in a time-out carrier on the floor, another option.

itzjbean said:

Merv said:

@itzjbean
Some say that you should not respond to unwanted behavior in a way of raising your voice saying "knock it off!" becouse that is just making them excited about drama. so i'm a little confused about those things.

Click to expand...

When a macaw in a wild flock does something unwanted/inappropriate (biting, chewing on things they shouldn't, etc.) the flock will force them to the ground and banish them from the perch until the message sinks in. If you let a macaw run amok doing whatever it wants without reaction, it will only continue to keep doing it. You could place them in a time-out carrier on the floor, another option.

Click to expand...

Alright thanks a lot, learning about natural behaviours helps me a lot to understand how to respond!

If there is one thing I learned from here, that is.. Try everything once, the things you like, try them twice.

Itzbean has gotten his account mostly right. On the other hand, It is difficult for me to raise my voice with Rudy. So of course, Rudy's behavior can illicit a command from me however, Its not something I like.

My larger point is the more positive varied interaction , the more positive results we have achieved together. Lots of specific interactions. Of course, that is not to mean what I do with Rudy, is going to work for you.

The example that comes to my mind is that when Rudy becomes very fidgety, not wanting to sit still, I literally toss him into the air multiple times, effectively tiring him out. From there, he is more subdued, easier to handle...

I think you are going about this the wrong way around (just my 2 cents).


If you already have 2 birds who are behaving somewhat anti-social and bring in a baby ... what do you think this new one is going to learn by copying his elders?


Why not work with what you have already- and if they are nice, stable sociable adults only *then* bring in another one.
(No idea how old your macaws are - are they past puberty? One or two pubescent macaws who still need a firm hand and a baby is probably something like training for the olympics blindfolded ... )


How to raise a sociable, wonderfull, stable, trustworthy baby?
Start with a sociable, wonderfull, stable, trustworthy flock.

ChristaNL said:

I think you are going about this the wrong way around (just my 2 cents).


If you already have 2 birds who are behaving somewhat anti-social and bring in a baby ... what do you think this new one is going to learn by copying his elders?


How to raise a sociable, wonderfull, stable, trustworthy baby?
Start with a sociable, wonderfull, stable, trustworthy flock.

Click to expand...

This is a great point.

There is little to no way I would introduce another bird into Rudy's flock which is me and our interactions with the public. Now with that said, I might try someday, initially with a borrowed bird, if that is at all possible.

Christa, but you are singing the song I was about to sing.

If you haven’t been able to get these two where you want them, how do you think the third one is going to go down?

I want to tread lightly here because you’re not saying anything that says you’ve done a bad job. Sometimes you’re just going to wind up with one person birds. We can’t really judge you for that.

Where I’m having a reaction is where you’ve gone through it twice and you’re having to ask how to do it from the very beginning, self acknowledging it didn’t work out how you had hoped.

I really have to question the wisdom in obtaining a new parrot (one of the more challenging macaws no less).