severe Macaw

[hsb_birds]

hey guys anyone have Severe's on here we have two now and they both are a huge handful!!! dont get me wrong they are my babies and I love them dearly but they are so crazy and go from nice to naughty in .0027 seconds and I've just gone along with that thats a severe for you. could it be something we are doing wrong? or is it just them?

 

[Dopey]

I have Severes. They are pretty good but I think they were well trained. They do not like me being in their cage. I have to watch them closely and move pretty fast if they are in their cage. I've never had them bite me in their cage but I've had them lunge at me. One of them likes to be with me a lot and she is. The other one would rather just be in or on his cage.

What sort of thing are they doing?
How often do you handle them?
what is your expectation of them?

 

[thekarens]

IMO severes are the most challenging of the mini macaws.

 

[Dopey]

One of mine has started hissing at me when I go by his cage. The gentle one keeps saying "come here." Definitely a change about the middle of last week - since I put their cages closer together. But they still let me play with them.

 

[Birdman666]

IMO severes are the most challenging of the mini macaws.

That is an understatement!

Yes. Severe's tend to be a handful. They are wicked smart, and quite opinionated at times, and they tend to be one person birds. Especially if they are allowed to overbond.

Don't own any myself. Many years ago, I retrained, I believe 8 of these guys, and it wasn't easy getting them to change their "opinions."

 

[hsb_birds]

yes a huge handful!!! and our girl severe is over bonded I think? Like here's the deal the best I can explain it shes about 4? and we had an bird lady here before me so she was attached to her and she left the resort to do other things and gave Malickai to me and when she left it was pretty unexpected and I was thrown into her position and she has had years of experience and knowledge that I being 19 ;18 at the time just didn't have so I had a guy Staton help me for a few months to adjust to my new position and him and malickai were close like she and I were good and she would let me hold her and pet her just for awhile but as soon as she saw him or ever heard him she HATED me she wold bite scream attack me you name it she was not sweet to me when he was or still is around LOL and so now my assistant Mandy and I are having the same kinda deal when shes around Malickai hates me but if shes not best friends . its so weird and completely frustrating not knowing what to do or how to handle her and at the time now Mandy is still weary of her because she has seen Malickai attack me and make me bleed and she doesn't want that to happen to her understandably. Is there anything y'all would suggest?

 

[Birdman666]

I am already on the record as saying Severe's are my least favorite bird to work with. They are just "severely" opinionated. How bad was the wound from that bird bite? It was severe!

Haven't I already done a disfavored person training post on this?!

 

[Selph85]

A good friend of mine has a severe, and opinionated is just about the best way to describe them. My partner or myself have never really spent a great deal of time around this particular bird, but he had an opinion of both of us from the start. He will step-up and sit with my partner as long he will let him. Let him scratch his head, he even regurgitates for my partner (gross, but awwwww kinda thing). Me on the other hand, won't have anything to do with. Once i've managed to get him to step up, followed by a bite that resembled the macaw version of "Sucker!!!". He's not particularly aggressive, but it was certainly his way of saying, "Don't mess with me anymore, talk to me all you want, but i have my bubble, and you have yours!" We've been around the bird for a few years, and this is just how he is, the opinion has never changed. Very hard-headed, but the intellegence level is crazy.

 

[Birdman666]

Once i've managed to get him to step up, followed by a bite that resembled the macaw version of "Sucker!!!". He's not particularly aggressive, but it was certainly his way of saying, "Don't mess with me anymore, talk to me all you want, but i have my bubble, and you have yours!" We've been around the bird for a few years, and this is just how he is, the opinion has never changed. Very hard-headed, but the intellegence level is crazy.

Yeah, well, I've got a scar on my left thumb from my first set of macaw stitches thanks to a Severe I was working with down at the rescue...

Someone distracted me while I was working with him, and the instant I took my eyes off the bird, he attempted to forcefully remove my thumb! Right down to exposed bone... in the time it took to blink.

I'm very biased. And I'm just as opinionated as they are.

Those are my least favorite birds to work with.

 

[Dopey]

... and the instant I took my eyes off the bird, he attempted to forcefully remove my thumb! Right down to exposed bone... in the time it took to blink.

Yep, Jingle is that way..."don't take your eyes off of me"...come to think of it...Rocky is that way too.

 

[Birdman666]

There were two severe's that were THE BEST birds I ever met. Both had great owners, and both were extensively out and about trained, and handled and loved on by everyone from the time they popped out of the egg...

They never developed the one person issues that these birds were famous for, and they were the kind of birds that we all dream of owning, and wouldn't part with.

The rest, including every single one I ever worked with... had serious one person issues, were highly opinionated, and were short on patience. Exceed their training tolerance at your own risk, so to speak...

And breaking them of the overbonding issues was something of a nightmare!

 

[Birdman666]

My two REALLY BAD severe macaw jokes:

1. Q. How did the Severe Macaw get it's name?

Nurse: Doctor, how bad was the wound from that bird bite?
Doctor: It was SEVERE!

2. Q. How did the Severe Macaw get it's name?
A. The idiot who named them misspelled the word Sever!

:32:

 

[Dopey]

My two REALLY BAD severe macaw jokes:

1. Q. How did the Severe Macaw get it's name?

Nurse: Doctor, how bad was the wound from that bird bite?
Doctor: It was SEVERE!

2. Q. How did the Severe Macaw get it's name?
A. The idiot who named them misspelled the word Sever!

:32:

That is so funny because for a long time I called them Sever Macaws and not Severe.

 

[Birdman666]

Well, if it had been a little closer to that tendon, my doctor and I would have called them that too! HE TRIED TO MAKE ME THUMBLESS...

 

[Dopey]

Well, if it had been a little closer to that tendon, my doctor and I would have called them that too! HE TRIED TO MAKE ME THUMBLESS...

Jingle's bites are quite sharp but nothing like the Amazon bites I got. But then again...Jingle loves me most of the time.

 

[Birdman666]

This bird not only didn't like me (or, really, anybody!) he was being forced to interact with me against his will... I WAS NOT HIS PERSON...

Yeah, well, your person left you hear because you were attacking everyone. SO NOW YOU GET ME...

Then someone walked up to me and asked me a question while I was working with him... NOW'S MY CHANCE! GOTCHA SUCKA!!!

So, that's really all there was to that story. Shouldn't have taken my eyes off him. I knew he was pissed off at the world.

 

[Selph85]

While the Severe bite was bad, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I thought amazon bites were the worst, but then I had an umbrella too grab me once. I thought it broke my thumb. The owner was worried because of how badly it bled. However, bites are a fact when working with these guys. Its how we respond to them, understanding why the bite occured, and preventing future episodes that matter the most I think. I don't blame or hold resentment to the Severe or Cockatoo i've had the pleasure to bleeding too. Likely, both scenario's were my mistake. With a big personality like Severe's patience and understanding go a long way.

 

[Birdman666]

With severe's you get overbonding issues... that is just a fact.

Let those overbonding issues fester, and the only one who can handle the bird is the bird's person. They require more socialization than most. If they don't get it, you get this.

I see it as a training and socialization issue.

 

[Birdman666]

I've seen U2's do nasty things, unprovoked, for god knows what reason...

I've seen hormonal/territorial amazons turn into feathered buzz saws when their territory was intruded upon.

Worst bite(s) I ever saw?

A nervous blue and gold, that didn't belong on a shoulder bit through his owner's cheek. Resulting in facial reconstruction surgery.

A CAG that displacement bit and did the same thing, with the same result.

And a military macaw who was being teased with a ring on someone's finger.
He got the ring - By quite literally - removing the finger!

So, yes, I know for a fact THEY CAN!

They generally don't because it's not in their nature.

But tease one at your own risk!

 

[Hawk]

Once i've managed to get him to step up, followed by a bite that resembled the macaw version of "Sucker!!!". He's not particularly aggressive, but it was certainly his way of saying, "Don't mess with me anymore, talk to me all you want, but i have my bubble, and you have yours!" We've been around the bird for a few years, and this is just how he is, the opinion has never changed. Very hard-headed, but the intellegence level is crazy.

Yeah, well, I've got a scar on my left thumb from my first set of macaw stitches thanks to a Severe I was working with down at the rescue...

Someone distracted me while I was working with him, and the instant I took my eyes off the bird, he attempted to forcefully remove my thumb! Right down to exposed bone... in the time it took to blink.

I'm very biased. And I'm just as opinionated as they are.

Those are my least favorite birds to work with.

Your right there....never take your eyes off a severe...not even to blink. I never personally owned one, but friend had two and even though I had a heavy long sleeve shirt and jacket over that, the pinch of the bite made one nasty bruise.

Not my favorite bird to want to own...They are in my opinion very bull headed.