[
I remember the pain and bear the scars of Alfie the itty bitty goffin biting. My mom has had to have stitches several times (bit to the bone) and has nerve damage in her hand from him. He's not even as big as Kiwi or Lucy (DYH). I had a numb spot on my lip for a good 2 years after Kiwi laced into me. I just look at those large toos with their equally large beaks and cringe at the amputation threat. Macaw beaks make my eyes go cross
I have two down to the bone requiring stitches. The first was from an angry with the world severe macaw I was rehabbing. I took my eyes off him for a fraction of a second, and boy didn't he know it... Just a clean slice with the point of the beak, and oh so INTENTIONAL!
The second was actually an overly friendly, but not bite pressure trained, Shamrock macaw I was fostering... He was a sweetheart, but VERY NEEDY.
I was scratching his head, and turned to get fresh food and water... he grabbed my finger cuz he was lonely, and didn't want me to go. I honestly thought my finger was going to explode! He had no intention of hurting me, he just didn't know his own strength.
Both my macaws are bite pressure trained. And actually I raised my RFM from an egg... and they are as gentle as these birds get. I could trust them with anything. In fact, my vet once did a blood draw in my RFM's neck with me distracting her by beak wrestling with her... (She was playing Ole with the towel. But she would lie on her back and play for indefinite periods of time with zero effort or stress.)
"NOW, LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT. YOU'RE GOING TO STICK YOUR FINGER IN THAT BIRD'S BEAK, WHILE I STICK A NEEDLE IN HER NECK..."
He actually had his behaviorist sit in on the blood draw... He probably wouldn't have done that if he didn't know me. My RFM didn't even flinch... and it turned out to be an easy blood draw. All he could do was shake his head and laugh.
My two big macs I would trust, no matter what. Faces, noses, fingers, eyeballs... they are as gentle as they come.
Yesterday I had Maggie out doing laundry, and we stopped at a couple of stores along the way home. My daughter ran in and got stuff while we waited outside. She stepped up for at least 12 complete strangers... and at least six of them were able to scratch her head.
And that is one of the HUGE benefits of out and about training. They don't spook as easy, and they learn to accept strangers... and they get outside, and they uber-bond with their people.
