biting macaw question Long

[Dustin]

Hello all! this is my first post here and i have a question but first i feel i should give a little background! a little over a month ago we got 2 macaws ( b&g/RF hybrid and a RF) thier ownerer died a month earlier and were not living with a "bird" person until we got them ( we had a quaker and parakeet and were looking for a larger bird) first thing i did was have a vet check and they were living in a cage together so i split them up! and one is doing real well with us but the other (RF) was doing good (stepping up ,sitting with us, eating from our hands ect) but last week we decided out of the blue to bite me so i put him away for the evening and the next day i took him out again but wore a long sleeve t-shirt and he stepped right up to my forearm but then ran to my hand and latched on hand bit so hard my fingers went numb. so again back in the cage for the rest of the night! the next day i went to take him out the next day i was using extra caution and he seemed like he wanted to step up so i put out my arm and he jumped and bit again but i showed no reaction and put him on the t stand and all wa fine untill i went to put him away for the night went to put him on his perch in the cage and he bent over and latched on again and i said no and told him to step down and he walked down and grabbed on to my wrist and shook and after a few seconds let go!

AND FINALLY MY QUESTION, how do i get him to stop biting and i am not giving up on him yet but sometimes it is hard to put your arm in thier when you are guessing you are going to leave scarred up. so any tips hints advice would be great!

thank you!

Dustin

[The Outlaw]

Dustin:

Sounds like he's a little tyrant. That sometimes happens when we spoil smaller birds. Be extra careful around your face, for Redfronts can hover like hummingbirds.

I suggest that you stick train him. That is, offer an extra perch instead of your hand to have him step up on.

You can also use the old trick of wrapping your hand and arm in an ace bandage. He can bite all he wants, but you won't feel it.

Reward good behaviour and ignore the bad is the motto by which you should try to live. Its hare when they are ornery, but its the only thing that works over the long haul.

The next time he bites, deposit him to the floor. Every time he decides to take a nip, place him on the floor. He won't like that. And, be sure that his wings are properly clipped. He needs to stop asserting his dominance and that usually begins the process.

[Dustin]

Thank you first off!! i had the vet clip his wings so thats done! i also forgot to mention that he was 57 yrs old (if that matters) and he does step up on the perch but i wasnt sure if that would stop him from biting me later or if that will just be a medium to get him to me type of thing! thank you

[The Outlaw]

Dustin:

Wow! That is the oldest RF I've heard of. He may have arthritis issues too. Be very careful handling this little guy. Even though they can live to be 70, its very rare. I would think that 60 is probably more normal. I really feel sorry for these guys. I assume they lived with their last owner for decades. Poor guys.

Could you possibly post a few photos? I'd love to see the hybrid. I've never heard of that particular cross. By the way, one of the BEST macaw breeders in the States is our very own macaw expert here. In fact, we have to terrific breeders that cover our macaw expert section. Wendy Craig is very well known for her amazing Redfronts. She is listed under experts and also has her private contact information in her bio. You might want to contact her and ask away. She's absolutely wonderful.

Sharon Kirscht is our other expert. She's just the nicest person ever, but can be difficult to get hold of. You can't go wrong with either.

Please post often with your progress. You can do it!

[Dustin]

i do not know how to post pictures on here so i will just put links up!

http://photobucket.com/albums/a96/Du...=RosieWing.jpg

i hav 7 pictures of the 2 here if anyone would like to check them out!

and also i do not know what you mean by getting al hold of them where do i find e-mail address or ect? thanks

[Dustin]

sorry that was only one here are some more

http://photobucket.com/albums/a96/Du...=KaxeyBack.jpg

http://photobucket.com/albums/a96/Du...aseyFront2.jpg

[Winged_Victory]

Very handsome looking bird!!!

I think your new found friend will be fine in time. It sometimes takes a couple of months for them to learn who is boss and where there meals come from. Again, beauiful bird.

Gary

[captlen]

What an interesting and beautifulbird.

[Dustin]

yes he is interesting to look at i can pick out the features of each parent the ear patches from the RF, the little patch of red by his nostrils, bare face froc the BG and many more as you could assume! but the hard part is i have not found anything close to his hybrid on the web!

Dustin

[The Outlaw]

Dusty:

When you go to the Birdboard start up page, you'll see a list of forums. Look for the one called Ask the Experts. Now, go to that forum and you'll see the the names of our two macaw experts: Sharon Kirscht and Wendy. Click on either name and it shoud bring up their bio.