An update on Hannibal~

[darkling]

So we've been together for about ten days now.

Every morning after he's finished his breakfast I push his cage out onto the deck so we can both get some sun before it gets too hot outside. He gets his shower out there as well and loves it. I don't let him outside of his cage when we're outdoors yet because he won't step up for me but we sit out there for a little while and have our morning talk.

Then we come back in and I let him out of his cage. He climbs all over the top of the cage while I clean the cage and sweep up his mess from the day before. If I get close enough he likes to preen my hair but I don't think I will let him do that anymore because he scatched my scalp yesterday and cut my head open. No stitches required, thankfully but I'm still in pain today. I had a bobby pin in my hair and I *think* he may have been after that.

He shows all the signs of wanting to step up, make contact and bond with me but when I get close he tries to pinch. He doesn't lunge or anything. He just pinches the ever loving snot out of any bit of skin he can get ahold of. I've got blood blisters on my hands from him.

Wrapping my arm in a towel is a no go so far. He literally runs away when he sees the towel on my arm. If I stand still and talk to him, he will eventually come close to try to yank the towel off my arm. I'm hoping in time he will see that the towel isn't some horrible monster.

I live out in the boonies so I'm still waiting for my perches and books to arrive. I'm going to build him a playstand and try to see if I can get him to step from the cage to the stand and then keep the cage in one room and just wheel the playstand around wherever I go so he can be in on the action.

Whenever he hurts me I give him a dirty look and step away for a few minutes. I don't shout at him. He likes the noise anyway so when he does his calling in the evening I'll call back to him and he seems to enjoy that.

When he came here he would only say hello and bye bye and mama. Now I can hear him trying to mimick me when I say his name. Its really cute sounding.

I was covering his cage at 10 pm and uncovering him at 9 am but I'm covering him at 8 pm now since JJones told me he needs at least 12 hours of sleep. Every day he gets his pellets as well as beans, veggies, nuts and fruit throughout the day.

I work from home so he gets to spend most of the day out of his cage and I keep him positioned where he can at least see what I'm doing as much as possible. I talk to him off and on all the time and he likes jazz music so I keep that playing in the background.

So ... We're trying. My head is killing me. I think that was the most traumatic thing I've ever experienced with a bird. It was so unexpected and of course any time you cut your head open you bleed a ridiculous amount.

I keep questioning whether or not I did the right thing bringing him home with me. His former owner seemed relieved to see him go and he gets more attention here than he did where he was but I don't think I'm experienced enough to handle such a large parrot. Guess I'm earning my wings the hard way.

Oh, he did that bobbing thing they do when they're trying to yak for me the other day. This is a good sign, yes?

 

[suebee]

awww reads like the pair of you are gettin along fine , nice a slowly does it
avoid anything in the hair lol my nut will go for any hairband or grips! especially if its shiney! ear rings, chains etc only thing she won't bother with is a toweling scrunchie! but she's not as big as your bird


find a foot toy type thing he likes to chew on while you do his cage,

i'll delay handling him, just for now, he could be yanking towel off your arm to get to some skin, lol

 

[darkling]

He doesn't ever get off his cage which causes a bit of stress on both of us when I have to clean it. I'm REALLY hoping a play stand will help with that.

Today he's been doing something new. Whenever I walk past his cage he will scurry over to where I am and lean way out like he wants to step onto me but when I left up my arm for him he tries to bite or he moves away. I'm not letting him step onto my head or shoulder or something ...

When I say tries to bite, I don't mean using his beak to test the steadiness of my arm. I've let him do that but after he does it is when he moves in for the skin.

He also screamed for the first time today. I was standing in the kitchen when he did it and I nearly wet myself. haha I've gotten used to him being all quiet. He's got a set of lungs in him!

 

[suebee]

i won't let him set on your shoulders till you fully trust him, instead of askin him to step up try giving him a super quick hear rub, or just stop an have aquick chat to him, that leanin is a sign his interested this would be a good time to pass him a treat! even if nothing else happens
as long as his not lent forwards wings slightly raised and beak open!

 

[darkling]

as long as his not lent forwards wings slightly raised and beak open!

Okay I read on some site (there have been so many I've looked at in the last few days) that this was a sign of wanting to be near you?

 

[MikeyTN]

At anytime with the beak open is not a good sign.

A stand and training perches would be great!!!

He seems interested in you as macaws are inquisitive birds. But the nippy part is a warning and you must not allow him to nip at you as it can get worse.

 

[suebee]

lol leaning yes, beak shut, should look like there pointing with there heads,

but if leaning, beak open and wings sligthly raised is bad and if you hear hissin, back up!!

Parrot Musings: Parrot body language

there are lots of warning signs with body language, nut use to do rather big gestures for warnings when we 1st had her, as we didn't read the little ones, now i can tell from afar if she's gonna sneak a nip lmao as she has developed a squint when she is thinking evil thoughts! and the problem is she looks cartoon cute when squinting, and i can laugh even though nut can fetch blood with her bites and they really hurt, there not gonna do as much damage as a macaws!

i'd say just let hannibal continue watching you, his interested but i think thats where it ends for now (for him) get yourself a plate of cut up fruit etc an eat it near him, have your breakfast together your just making friends with a nervous/shy person

i think the dirty look and turning will be clear that you don't like gettin nipped, and your a stronger person then me, as i scream in reaction, if it hurts, which in turn scares nut, she's forgotten that she's bit me and she's on her cage doin the tall skinny! (nut very rarely bites now, unless i've told her off, so it always surprises me)

 

[darkling]

I didn't exactly scream when he got my head but I made some noise. lol I was like, What the ... HANNIBAL! (ha, I haven't yet mastered the art of silent pain) ... oh my god (when I saw the blood) and then I looked up at him and he was just looking back at me like, What's the big deal?

He's never hissed at me and he's never pinned his eyes at me. His body language is so subtle. I have noticed if I keep my eyes on him at all times, I can do just about anything I want with my hands (except touch him) and he won't bite me. If I drop my eyes for even a second that's when he closes in.

 

[suebee]

strange cos when nut pin her eyes its good for her, but she is a different kinda bird lol i only have to take care when she squints

and awww yeah nut kinda looks at me as if to say, and yeah what ya gonna do about it??? and as for silent pain, i'm a coward lol i avoid all situations when nut will bite me, normally step ups, but now she will really extend her foot, after i've asked her, if she is willin to step up out comes the foot, other wise its a sneaky nip and walk off!!

yup easier to raise children!!! but just as rewarding in the long run

 

[JJones1719]

How is Hannibal today. I have not seen your post in a while. I hope he is progresing and not still biting you. Joe

 

[darkling]

I'll be honest, I quit pushing him because I didn't want to get bitten anymore.

He stills acts like he wants to be picked up but he also acts afraid of my hands and tries to bite when I interact with him beyond just talking to him or giving him a treat or foot toy. I don't know if its because he's on his cage or if he's just scared of my hands so I've got my nephew building me a playstand and perches for him. Not giving up but definitely trying a less "hands on" approach for now.

 

[ann]

He doesn't ever get off his cage which causes a bit of stress on both of us when I have to clean it. I'm REALLY hoping a play stand will help with that.

Today he's been doing something new. Whenever I walk past his cage he will scurry over to where I am and lean way out like he wants to step onto me but when I left up my arm for him he tries to bite or he moves away. I'm not letting him step onto my head or shoulder or something ...

When I say tries to bite, I don't mean using his beak to test the steadiness of my arm. I've let him do that but after he does it is when he moves in for the skin.

He also screamed for the first time today. I was standing in the kitchen when he did it and I nearly wet myself. haha I've gotten used to him being all quiet. He's got a set of lungs in him!

well i think the others know more about body language than i do but here goes! so today i was at the pet store and a GGC approached me multiple times, so i offered him my finger to step up on and he clamped down but it didnt realy hurt. after this i kinda got the message and let him be. so i was petting another bird when he leaned out towrds me, i didnt pay to much attention to his body language, mabey his beak was open, but a lady said "oh he likes you!" so i reached out again and he bit pretty hard, no blood was drawn but it was hard not to yell in pain! lol, i blame my self, i should have paid attention, but you seem to be doing pretty good at handling the nipping. however it is verry important you controll it. i STRONGLY recomend birdtricks.com they have great dealds and are used to tame even wild birds including macaws. the results are amazing! they have training videos for almost every parrot problem, very reliable.whether you want your parrot to stop bitting, or to learn some tricks, there the place to go! good luck!

 

[Lesleybird]

Hi, I have read about macaws that they are very territorial around their cages and they defend them and snap at anyone or anything near them. I have noticed that even our sweet 9 month old Harlequin will bite at our hands while they are near her cage. You need to get "Guide to Companion Parrot Behavior" by Mattie Sue Athan or her other book "Guide to a Well Behaved Parrot". After you get the parrot on your arm bring it into your chest but lower than your face to pet it. While holding it if it puts too much pressure on your arm or hands with it's beak say "no bite"! while you jerk your arm that it is standing on so to throw it off balance. It will learn that if it bites you too hard he will land on his a--. Don't be afraid to drop the bird to the ground if it bites too hard. Then put it up and turn your back on the bird and ignore it for a while.

I deliberately let Marley have my fingers and or parts of my hand in her mouth so that she learns how much pressure she can use on human flesh. She can mouth at them but when she trys to bite too hard I take the top of her beak between my thumb and index finger and hold it for a moment and look directly at her and say "no bite" (in a firm tone of voice), the I let go of her beak. You cannot show that you are afraid of the bird, it should be a little afraid of you enough to know that you are in charge and not it.
It will get better if you do some reading in the books that I mentioned (can get them on line at Amazon.com under books). Lesley

 

[darkling]

Hannibal did two things this morning for the very first time.

One ... HE FLEW!

Normally he just stands on top of his cage and flaps wildly. This time he flew from his cage to the ottoman across the room.

Two ... I sat down across from him and he actually approached me and didn't try to bite. Its progress. ^^

 

[JJones1719]

That's great news, Did you reward him, if not shame on you. Always carry treats in your pocket or close to you so you can reward right away. Always reward for good behavior and act silly, yell and jump up and down to entertain them and say what a good boy. your Macaw will love this. I bet he flew across the room to get close to you as he wants your attn. Great news. Joe

 

[MikeyTN]

That is good news!!!! That means he is showing interest in you.

At any time you don't want to get bit, use the perch trick. Lesley mentioned about rocking the arms so they would try to balance themselves, BUT one thing about that, they would try to clamp down on your arm to balance themselves at times. With the perch, there's no worries!!! You roll it back and fourth to throw them off balance. Its the same process but safer! I would be scared to let them fall, one they can get hurt, second they would lose their trust in you if you let them fall. You basically do it enough to throw them off balance, not excessively to make them fall.

 

[Mike]

First a few comments, then a video:

Hannibal has been trained to bite--plain and simple. The previous owner may have not meant to train that behavior, but nevertheless, they did. When you took Hannibal from the previous owner/trainer you also took on the responsibility to continue the training. Like it or not you are the new trainer and your first job is to untrain the biting behavior. Your second job is to be Hannibal's companion. Focus on retraining Hannibal. You have plenty of time to become his companion.

You may not be able to handle Hannibal for months--many months. Put that desire aside and begin stick/target training Hannibal immediately. There are a number of sites and books to help you learn that skill. Since you live away from bookstores you might consider downloading Amazon's Kindle software for you computer, then purchasing books from them to read on your PC. The software is free. The books vary in price, but are always cheaper than the printed version.

One bite is one bite too many. Every bite is a reinforcement to Hannibal that biting is an effective way of controlling his environment. First step is to stop reinforcing that behavior.

Take a look at this video:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbXHrqqEIp4"]YouTube - Parrot Bites Person - How To Train Your Parrot to Step Up Without Biting[/ame]

 

[darkling]

That video is exactly what I had in mind for training Hannibal. I saw another video where a guy was doing that with his macaw and it just seemed so much more like something I could actually see myself doing as opposed to some of the other methods I've read about. Thanks, Mike!

(Although, I'll admit ... All this would be a lot less intimidating if Hannibal were the size of that little guy. He's bigger than my cat!)

I have run into another problem which has nothing to do with Hannibal and everything to do with me living out in the middle of nowhere like this. He's nearly out of the food that was given to me when I got him and I cannot find good pellets or even anything remotely resembling proper food for a macaw out here. Most people are like, can't you just give him wild bird seed?

When I had parrots before we just went to the bird store and got pellets there. They were all in bins though and we just got the various types for our particular birds so I don't remember the actual brand.

What is a good brand of pellet for such a large bird and where can I get it online? I saw someone mention Zupreem and I found some of that on Amazon but I'm not sure which type I need for a greenwing.

Oh by the way, yes I did have a treat for him when he came up to me. I was so proud of him!

 

[Lesleybird]

Hi, This is what and where I buy my pellets. Kaytee Exact Rainbow Large Parrot Diet It is a good brand. All of my birds eat it including my new Harlequin macaw. This seller is reliable and has a very large line of bird and other pet supplies. If you don't like the brand listed then at least try some of the sellers other bird foods. There is free shipping for purchases over $49. Have you ordered your aviator flight harness yet? Here it is: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=18929 They have them also. Lesley

 

[Rio Mom]

I feed my GCC zupreem pellets. I don't know what type you would need for a greenwing though....