Hello! New Here :)

[sweetwings]

Hello All! I am not new to Forums but I am new to the ParrotForum. I have had my 12 yr old Male B&G Macaw for a year. He is awesome. I had much anxiety about an older parrot, let alone a Macaw. I did quite an extensive bit of homework before I got him. But he is gentle and sociable overall. I did not want to get a baby parrot as I know so many are out there that need good homes.

He has some fierce cage aggression if anyone has any advice on this I would love to hear it!! Or a link to a good thread.

I have been doing research on trying to make him more "pettable", as in allowing me to groom him (building a stronger bond) and give him scratches. When he is away from his cage he allows some touch but is nervous. Any tips would be appreciated! I know the Touch Training or Clicker Training is out there...does anyone know if this is effective for putting nervous parrots at ease?

Cheers! B

 

[Alienation]

Welcome to the forum!
I can't offer any advice, except that touch training is supposed to be a very useful skill to teach.

 

[Pheonix Rising]

Hi and welcome
how long have you had this fellow for and what's his background ?
It can take an older bird longer to trust a new owner and linger still if he's had bad experiances in the past
Bobby is probably a good one to pm as he has just taken in a few rescues who are making miraculous strides in trust and happiness
I'm new to birds really so can't offer to much advice myself but I wish you all the best
remember patience is the key with time and patience ( taking things at his pace ) you will be rewarded

 

[wildheart]

Hello All! I am not new to Forums but I am new to the ParrotForum. I have had my 12 yr old Male B&G Macaw for a year

Welcome to the forum and THANK YOU for taking one of the lost souls!

I grew up with a B&G Macaw and I still miss him today. I remember that cage aggression happened often at the beginning and we tried several things to over come the problem. We finally cured the problem with the following things:

We bought a bigger cage. Not only can a cage never be too big but if aggression is bad then a new cage throws them right off and they loose 'security' in a sense.
The insecurity does not last long and then they can become aggressive again. To cure this you need to change all the perches and toys around - once a week worked for us.
It is best if you have a lot of toys so that you not only change it around but also take some out and put others in. You need to alternate between the toys.
Tom LOVED destroying things and he was a real danger around our furniture. You can make several things out of unstained boxes etc. that yours can destroy. Tom loved chewing untreated leather.
The other thing that also made a BIG difference was the area where his cage was. We moved him to the sliding door where he could see outside and he listened to the radio the whole day long. The more traffic the better, they are very intelligent and needs constant stimulation. You can maybe put the cage against a wall next to a window. Open the curtain a bit so he can see outside.

I'll have to think some more, its a loooong time ago.

 

[wildheart]

I found this website that might be of interest for you.

How To Tame Your Wild Or Aggressive Biting Parrot

 

[HRH Di]

Linky gave great advice, nothing to add, just wanted to say welcome!

 

[patterson]

welcome mate

 

[Mystic]

I don't own a Macaw myself but I think you should build a perch. Just use a pipe as a handle and lay a piece of wood adjacent to the pipe as a perch. You should get it used to stepping up like that then have it used to your hand.It should gradually become more comfortable with you around. He/She might be territorial.

 

[Alwese]

Well welcome to the board Sweetwings. Two of my three macaws are re-homes and certainly initially had aggression issues. I got Doogie first, my Catalina hybrid (see pictures in album) and he was a handful as he had been teased by the doctor's children. It was two years before I could handle him, but YOU doing the feeding by hand or spoon, having him in an area of the house that has all the traffic and contact with family and talking lots to him will start him on loosening up. Kayko my B&G was my second gift bird and is quite timid but isn't above taking a nip at you. I think he became more normalized because I got my Scarlet Clifford and he pals around with Clifford all the time and sees what I do with Cliff and accepts the same thing. Even Doogie after seeing Cliff flip over in my lap and let me play with his feet began rolling over in my lap. I have had Doogie for 11 years now (he is 16) and he is living proof that a bird CAN change in time. Spend all the time you can with them doing the same things on a daily basis will let them come to know what to expect.... Al