update on my new macaw!

[taiyothemacaw]

So I made a post here a few months ago when I got my first ever macaw that he had a tendency to bite (he was 9 months at the time). I wanted to let you guys know just how far he has come!

While he can definitely still be nippy sometimes, he's significantly more comfortable using his tongue or gently mouthing me instead! He has become very attached; always comes to say hello when I'm nearby and loves to cuddle, roll on his back to wrestle, and often regurgitates food for me which I am trying to discourage. I take him with me all around the house, eat with him, sing and dance with him, and he also joins me on car rides.

Initially, he seemed to not be understanding the time-out technique, so I decided to try and study his behaviour to find a better way to teach him boundaries. I leaned towards positive reinforcement for good behaviour instead. I started with a training process I called "touch" which consisted of me saying the word, raising my hand near his head, and when he gave zero reaction (not reaching for my hand) he got a clicker and a treat. Eventually, I would slowly get closer and closer until I was petting him. This also helped strangers interact with him as he can employ the training he has learned when he hears "touch" instead of immediately reacting with his beak. When he bites hard, I say no, give him a flat palm, and gently redirect his face away. He kinda just squishes into himself and gets the memo.

I'm still training him on being comfortable around the harness before he tries wearing it, it's a slow progress but it's better that than rushing him.

He also loves to dance and have a chat! He's my little baby, and while I know it has been a hard transition for him, he's really putting in the work.

In his first home, he was not handled, had zero perches in his cage, and only had a cotton ring rope to play on. No enrichment toys, no baths, no fresh fruit and veg. I'd say he's doing amazing for a bird with zero enrichment for multiple months in the earliest time of his life.

Currently, there's still no luck with veggies, even when I mix in binding agent fruit or spices... He literally started attacking a piece of broccoli when I first gave it to him because he couldn't fathom the taste lol.

I've noticed he also has an aversion towards men however. He lunges and bites HARD when men try to interact with him, but since he's young, hopefully this is something that can be changed.

There are a couple things about Taiyo that I wanted some advice on. So ever since we got him, he's always just been kind of a loud breather. He has no signs of illness or difficulty breathing, in fact he's very healthy behaviour wise and by other means. It's just that you can hear the sounds of him breathing when he's beside you, and I was wondering if that's normal with macaws? Is it because they're bigger, you're more likely to hear them breathe than say, a smaller parrot? I also wanted to know if it's okay for the corners of their mouth to get kind of pink sometimes (irritated skin?), which I assume might just be from biting on his toys a lot. Should I apply some kind of an ointment to his face to keep the white skin moisturised, etc.?

 

[rheashard2]

Glad to hear that you two are doing better together. It's great that you are incorporating his body language for training. That can be the hardest thing to learn. Some parrots have preferred humans including sex and age that they prefer. Some are intolerant to the point of aggressive behavior. There's a technique called shunning posted in a thread here. Read it. It can help you discourage Tayio negative behavior. This is a must for larger parrots. Their beaks are made to crack nuts like Brazil and native pecans. So you want to discourage bitting. If you are worried about his breathing an avian vet is recommended. You want to rule out sinus or respiratory problems. Birds hide being sick. Often being alert to small physical changes is your only warning of illness. Upper and lower beak aren't connected. When beak is open wide it's possible to see skin at the corners. Color depending upon breed and heredity. Moisturizers of any type are not recommended for birds except under advice from an avian vet. The area around eye can be bald and wrinkling; tiny featherless nubs; covered with fine tiny and nearly invisible feathers; small feathers matching color. This depends on breed, age, nutrition and health of your bird. Tiny downy feathers can look like skin flaking when molting. Getting a bird to eat healthy is a major concern for everyone! Getting them to eat healthy is can be an uphill battle. Read the different threads here. There is no one thing will fit all. You'll find lots of things that work and lots that don't. Parrots are social. You are the human flock member. In their sight eating it and looking like it is good helps.