Quote:
Originally Posted by Joyce6830
We adopted a Hahns Macaw and a Cockatiel this past weekend. They were previously owned by a teenager who kept them in his room. He only handled the Macaw in a towel. We've had them home for several days now and the macaw does not want us to get him out of the cage. He will bite (not hard) if you reach in after him. Once he is on your shoulder he is fine but he will bite if you grab him. His wings are clipped and he will sit on the play area out of the cage. I'd like to teach him to step up but every time you put your hand out to him he acts like he is going to bite. I'm not sure if he's actually biting or just tasting and it scares me when he comes at my hand with his beak. He bit me once and I'm afraid that he'll do it again. The kid we got him from says he is just over a year old. He doesn't talk at all either. Which makes me think he didn't have a lot of human interaction.
So here are my questions:
(1) How can I train him to step up without getting bit?
(2) Should he be talking by now and if not what age will they start?
The cockatiel we got from him is the sweetest thing ever. He will step up, cuddle, play with your hair and jewelry and just "nibble" all over you. I'd love to be able to handle the macaw like the cockatiel. Any suggestions?
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First things first: your macaw is not a cockatiel and he never will be! Don't expect the same behaviour from one bird species (or one individual bird!) as another. Your macaw, however, has the potential to be as affectionate and cuddly a pet as your cockatiel.
Does it hurt when he bites you? If not, he may be using his beak as a "third foot" just to grab on to you. You wouldn't panic if when you picked up an infant child in your arms it grabbed a hunk of your hair in its little fist. Does your macaw allow you to pet him? Does he snap at you, lunge, and/or hiss like an angry cat when you reach for him, or open his beak and slowly reach for your hand when you extend it to him? If he is lunging and hissing, that is a sign that he wants to bite, probably to defend himself. If he is reaching for you slowly and without sudden movements (and I know it can be hair raising to define "slowly" -- but what I mean is you can see the motion and have time to react, instead of really quick like a snake bite) then he is probably TRYING to step up.
A possible post I speculate your macaw might leave on this board about YOU if he could type:
Scared Parront -- what to do?
Do any of you parrots out there have this porblem??? Whenever I try to reach for my human with my beak to step up, she jerks away and seems very nervous and agitated. I want to have my human be hand tame but she seems not to have been socialized with many birds! Do you think a previous parrot bit her??? Any suggestions would be helpful, thanks!!!