What is this?

[dulphinz]

Ok so Tinker has been here almost 3 weeks now . She's been doing this thing ever since I got her and I'm not sure what it means... Whether she 's in her cage or out with me she does it. She makes this out of breath type sound and kind of lunges with an open beak... Not sure what to make of it. Sometimes she goes toward my hand, my shoulder, it's a little strange. Anyone know what this could be? I'll try to get a video of it.

 

[Luke252]

Sounds familiar. My SC2 does that, but thats just usual crazy cockatoo behaviour. Macaws tend to be a little more placid in nature, and so that sounds quite unusual. I ve never owned any Large Macaws before, however we used to have a pair of B&Gs at work and they never demonstrated that behaviour. With my SC2 its kind of a bonding behaviour, he does it when he want head scratches, or for me to cuddle him.

 

[dulphinz]

It's strange again last night I was just sitting there with her, talking to her and trying to get her to play with blocks and every so often she'd make that noise and the movement. She doesn't bite or anything just puts her beak on me and does it out of the blue so I'm always caught a little off guard. She'll also play with my finger in her beak and kind of moan. Not sure if this has to do with hand feeding or what. So glad this forum exists

 

[Luke252]

It's strange again last night I was just sitting there with her, talking to her and trying to get her to play with blocks and every so often she'd make that noise and the movement. She doesn't bite or anything just puts her beak on me and does it out of the blue so I'm always caught a little off guard. She'll also play with my finger in her beak and kind of moan. Not sure if this has to do with hand feeding or what. So glad this forum exists

Yeah, sounds quite unusual to me, be easier if we saw a video. But Hopefully someone else is able to answer, as this is intriguing me a little.

 

[Pinkbirdy]

Macaws bluff ,I think shes playing with you.[they lunge to get a reaction].

 

[dulphinz]

Luckily I don't react but my almost 6 yr old hot pretty scared last night. I tell her to keep going and to not pull back. I thought it might be some bluffing, but the noise she makes is throwing me off. It's like....so hard to put into words! When a dog is thirsty, it kind of sounds like that. It's not non stop but it happens pretty often. I also didn't think the "bluffing" started so young

 

[JerseyWendy]

Does it sound a little like pushing out air forcefully? Like a bit of a hissing sound? If so, then most definitely bluffing. But at that age, I think it's more playing than anything else.

 

[dulphinz]

Thanks Wendy I feel like when I had my first child!!! Want to make sure I'm doing things right It's not hissing really....it's more of a thirsty or out of breath sound she makes. Our Ekkie and her are TOTALLY different! haha I'll get the hang of it eventually As to her lunging at the kiddos or my husband, what is the best way to address that? What I have been doing is that when I have her on my arm I will play with her beak when they come over that way I can keep a close eye. I also warn her that she needs to be gentle and tell her how good of a girl she is when she is gentle. A lot of times she makes a loud noise and lunges at them. She doesn't really bite hard, but... I want her to socialize and be able to have anyone pick her up and give her scritches. Am I going about this the right way? Sorry for the 1001 questions...

 

[FreedomAndForgiven]

Lucy our B&G does something similiar. She'll be acting all sweet, and out of the blue lunge, and make a weird hissing sound like she is angry or frightened, and then she usually rolls over for you to rub her belly. She will also do that, then growl like she is made and then she will start playing ruff out of no where. Phoenix will hiss at you when he is mad or has to go back in his cage, and doesn't want to but he got that from the Cockatiels whose flight cages are right by his. So he hears the one tiel who has short man syndrome hissing a lot lol.

 

[dulphinz]

That's what Tinker is like. She does this "thing" then turns around and is fine and then all of a sudden she does it again! Hopefully she grows out of this

 

[jde2]

My first female B&G used to hiss and lunge when she was just a year or less old at me and everyone else in my household. I knew she was just bluffing because she wouldn’t really bite down hard on my fingers or anything. I would start scratching her and showed her I had no fear of her. Everyone else in my household however would pull away when ever she would do this. I tried to get them to not pull away but they feared that “macaw beak” too much.
As result of all the pull aways, she’s only attached to me now and no one else can touch her. I’m so disappointed!
I believe if I had gotten her from a younger age when baby birds seems so sweet and innocent, no one would have feared her much and she could have been possibly tame to everyone in my family.
My second female B&G is a real bluffer! She would allow me to scratch her freely for a few secs and then start lunging at me. I’m not exactly sure if she is bluffing or if its aggression. I don’t intend on finding out first hand. Since I got her at 3-4 years of age, I feel very uncomfortable allowing her to grab on to one of my fingers. I’d ball my hand into a fist and allow her to hit me with her beak but never would I allow her to grab on.

My other 3 macaws are not entirely but I would still consider them to be untouchable. 2 are bonded and the Scarlet seems impossible to tame.

 

[dulphinz]

Tinker is only 4 months old so I have high hopes that this is a phase and that I can get everyone on board with not pulling away. That's why I have my kiddos sit with me and have her step up on their arm so they can talk to her and scratch her head while I guard her beak

 

[luv4scjjt]

Both Rizzo and Fawx do that as well. Like a hissing sound. Seems to be more often when they are excited and are playing with me. I would say its normal but Im not an expert. Just know that 2 of my 4 macaws do it. Also happens that the 2 that do it are both greenwings and the 2 of the 4 that play with me while the other 2 don't like me. So if it is the same that my guys do then its a good sign I would think. lol