Scarlet Macaws

[Charlie65]

My Scarlet Sebastian likes to play with the dogs...he plays great with Bella the pitty without hurting her. But so far the past fall he pinched the Rottie Shakespeare...Shakespeare didn't jump away the way the other dogs do so Sebastians beak went through his skin and he had to have surgery. Now Mozart the Australian shep mix has a hole in the one nostril thankfully its still attached and the vet said to just keep rubbing neosporin into it. Does anyone else have this issue with their Scarlet? Since he turned 18 he's been pinching crazy. He loves to chase Shakespeare now because he's afraid of Sebastian. The other morning I heard Sebastian laughing hysterically and looked in the room and he's chasing Shakespeare around. Just wondering if others have had this experience and if he will calm down eventually. He thinks its so funny..he laughs when he does it. I know he can be nice because he isn't as rough with Bella or my new B&G Charlie.

 

[itzjbean]

If your bird is harming your other animals, PLEASE separate them. Especially if they are going unattended and unsupervised (you are in the other room, that is not supervised). Scarlets are notorious for pinching, and a way to combat this would be to train with your bird on bite-pressure training. When he pinches, say 'NO!' firmly and put him in his cage for a time-out. There's lots of videos online about bite-pressure training.

But if anything, PLEASE keep your pets separated. If one animal (your Scarlet) cannot be in the room without chasing another animal and trying to inflict ham, it's definitely time to keep them separated. For the sake of your dog's health, you should have stopped allowing them to interact the moment your one had to have surgery. Those poor dogs!

 

[Charlie65]

I'll look into the bite training...I don't believe he hurts them on purpose...he's been here 16 and a half years and this is only the second incident. I was in the kitchen when he was chasing and laughing. Usually the birds are on the right of me in one room and the dogs on the other side in the living room. I'm looking at the parrots as I type this....the dogs are quite happy and spoiled so yeah no poor dogs needed. This happens everytime I try to find a board....people who can't keep their criticism to themselves. Trust me I've been in rescue for over 20yr and know more more than you ever could. I like boards for insights on issues I haven't encountered...you never stop learning...your poor friends though...glad you aren't mine. Poor people!

 

[Billdore]

No Offense meant people here just love animals. Honestly if it was a person your scarlett was chasing everyone would probably be laughing hysterically with him. My Timneh is super sweet with my dogs but I don't trust her one bit. Maybe Your macaw is trying to ride your dogs. Don't macaws test bite to see if your going to pull away and judge reactions? Maybe he wants to climb on top for a ride. Hope you hang around thanks for your rescue help.

 

[EllenD]

I'll look into the bite training...I don't believe he hurts them on purpose...he's been here 16 and a half years and this is only the second incident. I was in the kitchen when he was chasing and laughing. Usually the birds are on the right of me in one room and the dogs on the other side in the living room. I'm looking at the parrots as I type this....the dogs are quite happy and spoiled so yeah no poor dogs needed. This happens everytime I try to find a board....people who can't keep their criticism to themselves. Trust me I've been in rescue for over 20yr and know more more than you ever could. I like boards for insights on issues I haven't encountered...you never stop learning...your poor friends though...glad you aren't mine. Poor people!

Wow, I can promise you that no offense was meant by the reply, I'm sorry but "separating your bird from your dogs if they are biting them" is simply common sense! You say that you have over 20 years of rescue experience and that "there's no way we'll ever know more than you do" (you're quite arrogant in making that assumption, as I have just as much rescue and personal ownership and breeding experience), yet you still have one dog that was bitten and required surgery and another who has a hole bitten through his nostril. Really? With all of your "expertise" this doesn't tell you to separate your bird from your dogs? Exactly what kinds of rescues have you volunteered at?

Instead of being so arrogant and acting like everyone else is uneducated and being overdramatic simply because they are more concerned about the welfare of your dogs than you are, why don't you try listening to someone else for a change, rather than immediately going on the defensive? "No poor dogs here" you say smugly, yet one has had to have surgery and one has an injured nostril because of your carelessness. You also say that "boards are always like this", well what does that tell you, or what should it tell you? If you're being told by multiple experienced people that you need to change something you're doing (or not doing) then maybe you should ask yourself what that means. I'm hoping you're not arrogant enough to say that you're 100% sure that your bird won't ever seriously injure, mame, or even kill one of you dogs, because if you are then you're very, very wrong and not half as smart as you tell everyone that you are. What if that had been your dog's eye instead of his nostril? What if your macaw had not just simply bitten through your dog's skin (which required surgery anyway) but rather bitten through into a main artery in its neck, or bitten off an appendage? It happens every day, and just because your bird just recently started doing this and hadn't done it for years prior does not mean it will not continue to escalate, in fact that is typically how it happens. And the first member that replied to you in a responsible way and you proceeded to berate him, he was correct in saying that you are obviously not always supervising your bird with your dogs because you admitted as such. If you think that's OK, especially in light of what has already happened to your dogs, then you really do need to take a minute to think about what might be the next thing to happen to one of your dogs, or to your bird. What if one of your dogs finally snaps after your bird scares it, chases it, or god forbid bites it again? It takes one good bite from any of the dog breeds you mentioned to kill your macaw instantly. Once again, if you think you know that none of this will ever happen, that you know that your bird "doesn't mean to purposely hurt the dogs", it's certainly your choice to continue on the way you are now. You can continue to take your dogs in for little surgeries and procedures to treat injuries caused by your bird, but I guarantee you that if you don't either keep your macaw completely separate from all of your dogs, or at the very least never let them alone together without supervising them very closely, you are going to end up with either a severely injured or permanently disabled dog, or a dead bird.


"Dance like nobody's watching..."

 

[Terry57]

I'll look into the bite training...I don't believe he hurts them on purpose...he's been here 16 and a half years and this is only the second incident. I was in the kitchen when he was chasing and laughing. Usually the birds are on the right of me in one room and the dogs on the other side in the living room. I'm looking at the parrots as I type this....the dogs are quite happy and spoiled so yeah no poor dogs needed. This happens everytime I try to find a board....people who can't keep their criticism to themselves. Trust me I've been in rescue for over 20yr and know more more than you ever could. I like boards for insights on issues I haven't encountered...you never stop learning...your poor friends though...glad you aren't mine. Poor people!

You have found your way to a forum where we all love our parrots and other animals, and we do our best to keep them all safe from any possible hazards, including each other.
I just want to give you a heads up that respect for other members is both expected and required on this board. Your nonchalance at your dogs being injured is disturbing, and you attacked a member who was quite rightly concerned about your dogs. I am proud to call the members of this forum my friends, and consider myself rich to have that connection with them.

 

[SilverSage]

My first thought was exactly what was said in the first post: don't allow them together unsupervised, and start bite training.

My second thought was exactly what was said in the second response to you; you were given good advice and had no call to be so nasty and make personal attacks on someone who was clearly concerned for the wellbeing of your pets and making practical suggestions.

But I won't bother saying any of that because the second someone declares they know more than someone else "ever could" I know that there is no point continuing the conversation. Arrogance on that level rarely allows for any positive outcome. So I'll just stay quiet and be thankful for all the excellent advice I have received personally on this forum, even from people "less experienced" than I am, who have different insights, viewpoints, and experiences from which to draw wisdom and make suggestions. I love this forum and the members here. Great group of people.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Allee]

I for one was deeply touched by the contents of your post, Charlie65. My heartfelt sympathy to all the pets in your care. I truly hope you are just another homeless troll searching for a new bridge, in case the animals that have the misfortune of knowing you are real, then I hope they have a caring advocate somewhere. Welcome to ParrotForums!

 

[wrench13]

I think, Charlie, the question in your post was, in essence, my scarlet turned 18 and started pinching my dogs. Does anyone else have this problem? The answer is probably not, since most folks keep parrots and dogs ( or cats) separate from each other, especially when either species is showing agression to the other. Sorry but your post sounded more like a boasting post ( hey we all do it) about how kick ass your scarlet is . My YSAmazon would like nothing better then to rip my Cairne terriers ear off, so i make it a rule that they are always separate and closely supervised .

Every board has a 'feel' to them, we like to think that this one is caring and honest and yes, think about the parrot first. Hope you stick around and confirm that.

 

[Scott]

This happens everytime I try to find a board....people who can't keep their criticism to themselves..... I like boards for insights on issues I haven't encountered...you never stop learning...your poor friends though...glad you aren't mine. Poor people!

I'll grudgingly share an incident you "haven't encountered" and hopefully never will. It is the story of a Bouvier des Flandres dog vs Citron Cockatoo. Wager a bet on how it turned out? Not well, and it still haunts me. I was out of town and my parents were house-sitting during a rainstorm. "Bear" the dog was placed in the garage to dry out and Allie and Alice's flight cage was mistakingly unlocked. Allie became curious, exited the door, and a chase ensued. The dog won.

Allowing Sebastian to play with your dogs, given his penchant for pinching sufficiently to cause damage, is recklessly irresponsible and deplorable. You have been warned, the next episode may leave you with multi-species blood on your hands.