New Macaw Owner

My fiance has a harlequin macaw, and they both have moved in with me. I love Wiley Jo.. a female macaw. However, she bites! He got her from a friend about year ago. He has moved 3 times in a year this being her third move. She is about 16 years old. How can I stop the biting. She bit right thru my fingernail last night. I am now afraid of her and I want to move past that fear and be a better owner. I just don't know what to do as I have never owned a bird before.
Thanks,
TL

Well first off welcome to the forums!

Secondly a big thing with macaws is they like to test the waters so you cannot be intimidated or they will eat you alive. I'd suggest to take it slowly with her and try to forum a bond without the stepping up just yet, this can be through talking to her, giving her food from your hand, trying to teach small tricks and talking and so on. Then progress to he stepping up with her, and if she bites say a strict no and I suggest putting them in a time out for 10-15minutes. This can be in a t stand in a room away from the action or on the ground and turn your back and ignore her for some time and try again. The biggest thing is repetition when this happens and to show no fear towards her. She should come around and form a bond with you if you just take it slow and give her the respect she is giving you, there are many other things you can do for a biting bird, but this just sounds as though she doesn't know you and is just Alittle fearful...

Many others will have responses for you as well, you can also check out the macaw section of this forum which has many great answers on it as well to problems I am around if you need to private message me about this and am willing to help as much as needed!

-thanks, Justin

Thanks Justin,

I am doing most of what you say such as giving her space and learning about what she likes and dislikes. She is learning to trust me and I am less fearful of her. She loves to sit on my arm and I have had no more bites. I have been reading everything I can find online since the library does not have anything on macaws.

I have made her some foraging boxes and some baskets. She seems much happier. We even made her a new perch so she can look out the window since she loves to "looky look". I don't know who taught her that but she shared that with me last week She is a happy macaw when she can look outside She is starting to show off too. She can talk quite a bit and seems to be learning new words or just showing off what she already knew.

She now just pulls on my shirt rather then bites me. I guess I was showing more fear then I realized when she first moved in. The ignoring her works really well when she is squawking or trying to bite. She really wants attention and that seems to be the motivator she responds too. So I am rewarding with lots of talk and laughing(she loves to laugh) and ignoring the bad.

If I am feeling upset or anxious(I have PTSD) I stay away til I am calm as she is picking up on my emotions. She is amazing and shows me when I am anxious... its like having a biofeedback machine right in my living room. I am blessed to have the chance to get to know her and care for her the best that I can.

Tracey

Hi Tracy welcome to the form. This is one of the best parrot forms out there and am glad you have joined us.

Wiley Jo sounds like she is settling in nice and the two of you are forming a bond. She really does sound like an amazing companion in helping you with the PTSD. I suffer from panic attacks and I find interacting with my RFM Valentino will help calm me. He will lye on my chest right up against my face and trill or make this baby squeaking noise for me. He helps calm me and I can relax while being with him. If I am upset or having what I call aggression angry moments I will stay away from him even if he is calling to me. RFM feed so much off the emotions of others I don't want him to experience the negative emotions I experience. After the negative emotions pass I can then take him out and train, play or cuddle with him. I know it probably confuses him why I won't take him out when I am feeling bad but I know if is for his mental health that he wait for me. Maybe someday both Valentino and I can learn to weather the negative emotions I experience together without harm.

Here is my favorite picture of him that I have. Enjoy the cuteness


We would love to see pictures of your macaw. The form LOVES pictures.

Thanks Noble,

Wylie (my new husband told me I was spelling it wrong) is helping me by giving me a distraction from my panic attacks. At first she would shriek and I would freak out then she would laugh. So I started to laugh with her and she loved it. I love the fact the laughing stops the worst of the panic attack It is a win win situation. Now when I don't freak out she is not finding it so fun to shriek Same with the biting. The last time she bit me... when she bit thru my fingernail... I just said "Let Go!" firmly. She let go. I turned and walked into my room where I nearly passed out from all the blood. I got bandaged and started reading thru this forum and any website I could find before I went near her again. I have finally figured out about smiling eyes so I can tell if her fluff is a sign she wants scratched or a sign to stay back. Its a little progress and I have not been bit since It is all about me learning to trust her signs and her learning to trust me.

She is so beautiful and I am so proud I created her own facebook page She is good company and watching her has taught me about me too It's all good. I hope you can continue to heal and overcome the panic. It is a dream of mine to never feel afraid or angry again. My dream has not come true yet, but I won't stop hoping I will keep you in my prayers if that is ok with you.

This is my favorite picture of her. After I took it I realized the wooden "Peace" cross she took off the wall was on the mantle and appeared to be in her beak.



Valentino is a beautiful bird. Its awesome you can hold him like that. It is obvious he trusts you a great deal. I have not got that strong of a bond with Wylie yet, but I am working on getting that trust built

Tracey

Wow. That picture is small. It does go to a larger image when you click on it.
Tracey

Welcome to the forum, Tracey & Wylie. GORGEOUS gorgeous Macaw girl!!!

I'm so sorry about the big boo-boo she gave you. OUCH!!!

I'm sure in time you will develop a great relationship with Wylie. She's been shoved around, and it may take her some time to feel safe and secure...AND to start trusting.

Wow..she is beautiful!! I don't have any doubt in time she will be bonded to you and your realtionship will be wonderful. It will just take time and I think you are going everything good to help build trust and the bond. Trust bonding exercises will help strengthen your bond with her and teach her to trust as well. I don't have any links to "trust bonding exercises" to explain what they are but for me it is when you are working with the parrot with training or just being with them and you do things that help build that trust. For example I consider petting the tongue a trust building exercise. I don't know why but parrots LOVE to have their tongues touched and I think it takes trust on both sides to want to touch the beak and tongue. On the opposite I consider the "moving the arm to unbalance the parrot" for discipline to be a trust BREAKING exercise.

RFM are known for hugging their bonded people. I have never had a parrot who likes to hug me. Valentino will only hug me as I am the one that he is the most bonded too. He is my dream bird and I wanted a RFM since 1997. Sure we butt heads once in a while because he wants his way but in the end I love this parrot and he is helping me heal from the loss of my other boys.

Here he is "hugging" my ear. LOL

Thanks. I think she is too. My finger is healing and I think it was a "trust" bite. It was right after a good scratch. I think she may have been avoided due to biting in the past and wanted to test me. She let me scratch her tonight and she was patting the top of my head with her wings I got to inspect her entire body and feathers. She is growing in new feathers. I was worried since she was plucking and everything I have read states that is a stress reaction. This week I have found fewer feathers on the floor

Valentine is such a sweet bird. His feathers look very healthy! Your braver then I am to have him sit on your shoulder. Wylie loves to be on my arm and take walks around the house and yard just as she loves to do with my husband.

Sorry, I had to attend to the family. I have been thinking about what you said about parrot tongues that are surrounded by that ratcheting beak. I don't know if I could ever touch her tongue. My fingernail is destroyed, but the wound underneath is healing. Talk about trust on both parts! I read somewhere that a person should not start out with a macaw as a first bird, but destiny has other plans I love her owner enough to get past my fears of her. Besides she is pretty amazing and is learning how to play peek a boo and some new words.

She was laughing and playing on her perch today. My husband created a perch for the living room so I can interact with her away from the cage and I can clean her cage. I noticed she is less likely to bite when she can chew on the new perch. She can tear up the softer wood and is not showing biting behaviors since we all are learning how to talk her language and prevent cage aggression It is good we have a good supply of chew toys too.

Tracey

Normally one should not let a parrot on the shoulder. I got Valentino as a weaned baby at almost 4 months of age. He has been with us since December 9th. Valentino is gentle enough I can trust him on my shoulder...for now. However once he becomes sexually mature all bets are off and shoulder privileges are probably going to be stopped. I do feed Valentino different kinds of HOT peppers in his fresh mix so when he does lick me with his tongue the skin will burn from the pepper acids. He licked the corner of my eye and my eye watered and stung for half hour. Lupe kissed him right after he ate some peppers and her lips burned for a bit too. LOL. I got into the habit of looking for the oils or seeds on the beak before I kiss his beak.

Since your girl is older than a baby the work with bonding will take longer. I think you have a very good start and even though she caused your finger some damage from the bite from what you are describing I think the trust bonding is going along really well. Yes, I have been nipped and grabbed by Valentino too hard. RFM take that little bit of skin and pinch. Ouch. I use to have bruises all over my arms from the pinches. I had to teach him how to be gentle as I am not a RFM and can't take the rough play. Now when he is rolling around on my person like a puppy and looses balance he will grab my clothing to prevent falling. I also have to "catch" him so he does not roll off of me onto the floor. He can accidentally grab a tad hard or pinch the skin into a bruise. He has come a long way since coming here with the rough play though.

Working with her away from her cage is very good. This will be neutral territory enough where she will not be aggressive about a cage. I am sure she will soon pick up the perch is a place of fun and training.

She does love her perch time. Yesterday she climbed on my shoulder and proceeded to "dig" in my hair. Not sure what that was about, but I finally got her back to her cage.

May.be she was preening you when she was digging through your hair. Glad to hear you are making some progress with her

Wylie and I are more bonded then I would expect. She warns me by biting my shirt or pulling my hair.
My mother recently passed and I cut my hair short. She was so mad I could not handle her for a few days. It helped by ignoring her til she called for me.

Thanks to all if you for your wisdom. I would not have such a good bond with her otherwise. She is so amazing. I cannot get her to do tricks, but she LOVES learning new words! So I work with her by talking and taking her outside for walks and talks.