newbie B+G macaw owner...please help

[newb]

Hi every1 im new to this forum just in desperate need for some tips at the moment.
Me and my boyfriend baught a blue and gold 4 days ago...we have wanted one for ages but none of us have ever had one so we went and got one, problem is i think we have bitten off more than we can chew due to our inexperience!
We have got a female 4yr old called scooby she is a beautiful bird. problem is now we have her home i dont think she has been handled enough by her previos owners and is very snappy and to be honest ee dont really know what to do with her in respect of training ect. She won't let us touch her without trying to bite us.(she does accept treats off the back of our hands tho) we let her out of her cage and she sits on top but getting he4 back in can take up to an hour as I have no idea how we are supposed to handle her. I know that it will take time as she has to learn to trust us but I really dont know what we are supposed to do as when she squalks and goes to bite it scares me to death to be honest...I realize its not the bird its us but I really dont want to give her up...also the previous owner says she has never flown but not had her wings clipped is this normal?
Any help would be massivley appreciated thanks
Helen

 

[MonicaMc]

If she had no reason to fly, then it's not abnormal for her to have never flown before... although a lot of parrots are kept inside cages and rarely get out, if at all, so flight to them may become an alien thought.

I do recommend clicker training aka positive reinforcement.


As far as getting her back into her cage, is there any way you can lure her back in with favorite treats and food? You may have to remove her food from inside the cage for a bit prior to allowing her out. It's not an ideal situation, but may make getting her back in easier.

 

[MacawGuy]

u only had her 4 days.. she at a new place with new people. things are different for her right now. it may take a few weeks or a few months for her to trust you. what u need to do is gain her trust. find her favorite treat. get her out everyday talk to her. get close and closer everyday. dont force yourself to her. let her come to you.

 

[MaraWentz]

be patient and don't let her get to you

 

[newb]

Thanks for the replys guys ill defo give her time to get used to us...maybe a stupid question but how do you do clicker training? I've seen videos on YouTube but dont really understand what to do and i don't want to do it wrong as i dont want to confuse her? Ive tried luring her into cage with treats but she knows what im trying to do and refuses to go anywhere near the door. Im really stuck getting her back in as she eont let me touch her at all and I dont want to scare her.....
Helen

 

[friedsoup]

Wow you've got yourselves in a pickle . Check with your vet to see if there is someone with big bird knowledge who is will to come and teach you some of the basics . Because it's you who need to learn not your bird right now. There are a lot of training videos out there but they assume you have the basics. I hope you find someone

 

[MaraWentz]

Clciker is training is when you find out thier favourite treat and remove it form thier meals if it's in there. Then you start by clicking once or making a clicking sound (I just make the sound so both hands are free) and giving a treat. tHey associate the click with a treat. And once they get that down (should be rather quick) you move on to making them do tricks or commands for the treat. When they do the command correct you click to mark they did it correct and as a reward they expect (and get) a treat. It's a positive training method. It's a win-win. You get them to come, fly, step up, spin, wave, whatever the command or trick is), and they get thier favourite treat. But the treat cannot be given any other time, except for when they are being rewarded- if not they loss value.

 

[brookysmom]

Never owned a macaw but have worked with Many not so trusting parrots.
That is the keyword Trust.
She is learning all about you like you are about her except well she does not have google or Parrot Forums to help her do it.

One thing i would do is see if she is perch trained or start it. This can be a Huge help with birds who are new to a home or when you have to have a bird evacuate quickly or you have a pet sitter caring for the bird.
Get a Perch that is a little longer so you feel safe. place it in front of her and say Step up ____(insert name)
If she does say Good Bird or good bird and offer treat. i work with amazons a lot so i prefer not to do treats as many are over weight when i work with them.
Get a play stand or spread sheet on bed and take her to the bedroom or another area with sheet on floor and spend time in a room away from the cage. Teach her that the only way to come out is to step up on that perch and in time that perch gets shorter and you use your forearm and then your hand. It may take time. This bird came to you with whatever training (or lack of it) that she got at her last home. She may have been bonded in her last one and now is trying to figure out what happened and where her flock went and who you are.

I am unsure where you are but i would look into seeing if there is a rescue in your area that offers seminars or offers for a small donation to come to your home and help you learn to interact. i know we do this locally and it has saved many a bird the chance to remain in a home and not be relinquished to rescue or rehomed to someone.

Good Luck and do not give up so easily she just got there give yourself some credit.

 

[newb]

Thanks for explaining her fave things seem to be monkey nuts so i think i should work with that and hopefully ill get it right lol
And thanks for the advice I shall ring the vets tomorrow i never thaught of that
I feel loads better just being able to talk to people on here with experience

 

[MonicaMc]

There are books and videos for clicker training that describe how to do it. I really enjoy the videos from Barbara Heidenreich, the books from Melinda Johnson and Karen Pryor as well as the articles from Susan Friedman.


Another thought to get her back into the cage... can you lower the amount of light in the room that she is in? Some birds go into their cages once it starts getting dark, so that might be helpful...

Or, as suggested, using a perch. Wooden one or rope in a loop. Although, some birds do not like to step up because the perch they step up onto is not a steady perch. Macaws are large bodied birds, so when they transfer their weight to something that's not steady, there's a bit of a dip until their weight can be compensated for. Sometimes, it's easier to get them to step up if you can stabilize your hand on their cage or onto a perch, then have the bird walk onto your arm. I would recommend this once she learns to trust you some more.

 

[newb]

Thanks for the perch tip and to take her away from her cage whilst training
As for lowering the lighting I turned off the main light and left side lights on. Then left the room for a couple of mins and went back in and she had taken herself into the cage thanks so much it worked a treat as for the reccomended books and videos Ill take ur advice on them
Thanks so much again every1 xxx

 

[josiesmom]

Have you read any of the threads that talk about bird body language so that you can figure from that how she might be feeling/reacting? I've found it very helpful.

 

[ANNHILL123]

How is Scooby getting on ?

 

[gmkielbasa]

My hahn's macaw can be quite the drama queen herself. She was very wild when i first got her, as she was not handled very much, and used to fly away from me anytime i came near her. She also used to cling to her cage bars for DEAR LIFE. It took patience, and alot of positve reinforcement. But now we are best friend.

Good luck!

 

[Marley69]

First of all i think u should of done alot of research before u got her, im not scolding you but is not fair for her that u dont know wath to do with her, u said it ur self.. Anyways theres alot of things u gonna need to learn and do for the macaw, one of the main things is to make sure ur feeding her the right food, is she eating seeds or pellets?? I think 4 days is soon for both of u to trust eachother, need to spend more time with her, talk to her and the main thinh DONT SHOW HER UR SCARE, u gotta let her know ur the master and shes just part of you flock, if she screams or something dont back down or jump or run away just stay there keep on trying wath u were doing, if u want her to step up u can wrap a towel on ur arm and have her step up to put her back in cage just dont let her goto your shoulder if u dont trust her yet..