Vice Grip of love

[PanZon]

My newest addition is my Military, Poco, and just recently he has become trusting enough to "play" with me, he will chase my hand, dig for it if I bury it in blankets and beak play, where he nibbles and tongues me but not bites.

Today, during one of our play sessions, he placed my finger in his beak very gently and started bobbing his head. Slow at first then very fast. I think he was regurgitating for me? We went back to playing and 10 minutes later he did it again, but this time when I thought it was over and went to remove my finger, he clamped down with the force of hydraulics on me! It hurt! I figured he was just getting to excited so I put him in his aviary for now.

Was it regurgitation of love or could he just be "frisky" from the time of year?
How do you stop a large bird from showing mating behavior, as they can get down right dangerous!

 

[Birdman666]

This bird needs bite pressure training.

That wasn't necessarily a mating behavior, he just doesn't know his own strength. They need to be taught when too much bite pressure is being used. This is done through beak play on your lap. Communicate to the bird when he is using too much, and stop the game when he gets rough. Praise him when he is gentle.

They pick it up fairly quickly, but accidents do happen if they are not bite pressure trained.

If the wound did not require stitches, you only got a fraction of his full bite pressure potential. I say that from experience because mine immediately went down to exposed bone, and felt like it was going to explode. That one required an ER visit and several sutures. (I've had two such ER visits courtesy of macaws.) So, yeah, his bite pressure can go significantly higher... This one is no joke!

 

[PanZon]

that makes sense. i read they can snap a broomstick. was the regurgitating affectionate or seasonal hormones?

 

[DannyA93]

Depending on his age it could be a baby feeding behavior. When my babies were weaning and even after if my finger was near the corner of their beak they would start bobbing really fast

 

[PanZon]

he is 25, lol

 

[KeroRocks]

My three year old red front macaw just started doing that the other day. Grabbing my finger and head bobbing. I thought regurgitation too...

 

[Birdman666]

It's generally an affection thing, unless it's a baby. With a baby, it's I'm hungry...