New with 8 yo Macaw B&G

[jojo65]

lThis toot bites and What is the best way to break him and will he ever break?
I was told the older he gets the less he will talk is that true?

 

[Birdman666]

Beak Play. He needs bite pressure training. And Yes, macaws generally do come around.

Big macs are not the best talkers, but they talk when they talk. There is no age factor that I am aware of. And 8 years old is young.

This depends on the birds, how much interaction he has had, and how interested he is in talking. Some talk a lot, others very little to not at all.

 

[jojo65]

What is bit pressure training? This toot never shuts up he talks all the time. He squeals loud every time I walk out of the room so I think he is getting spoil already

 

[Birdman666]

Attention screaming. He probably hasn't been getting enough attention until now. This usually subsides as the bird gets settled in, and gets his attention needs met. I said USUALLY... sometimes it gets worse, and then you need to do screaming behavior modification.

Bite pressure training involves beak play with the bird on your lap, communicating when the bird is applying too much pressure. (If he is applying way, way, way too much bite pressure, I generally use one of those rope dog toys.) If he latches on to your fingers, or your arm, or what have you, stop the game and tell him "that's too hard."

You can control the beak of a macaw with two fingers. The beak may be powerful, but that scrawny little chicken neck isn't... right now I would. When you can trust him, then stop holding onto the beak with two fingers.

If he is biting, he gets dropped to the floor and has to sit there a minute being ignored. He gets forgiven the minute he steps up nice.

This bird also needs to get used to being touched all over...

Finally, take your time, go at the bird's pace.

My Greenwing macaw hadn't been handled in 8 years... It took me 4 days to win her trust. She's been a great bird ever since!

 

[noblemacaw]

I have used the pressure training idea on Valentino my RFM when he was younger and pinchy. Before he understood grabbing my flesh with his beak for play or to stop himself from rolling off me hurt I use to have these tiny bruises on my arms. I use the command "Gentle" when he is getting too rough and will stop play when he won't listen.
With the thumb and forefinger in the beak pry open the beak and apply the prying pressure when he is using the beak to close it or bite. It really does work teaching them appropriate pressure. With my RFM it does take me some strength to keep the beak open with the prying pressure so I don't think I would have the strength for a B&G macaw's bigger beak. Of course you don't want to hurt them but when they applying the PSI to bite down you are keeping their beak open with some force. I keep my nails short so I don't scratch him.

I rarely have to do this anymore with Valentino. I still play with his beak and I do groom the beak picking at the extra flakes and making sure the edges are not too sharp. Now all it takes for him to check himself is the command "gentle".