Catalina Macaw try to bite me

[pedrorl]

Hello guys, I just got my dream come true I always wanted a macaw and my kids just help me buy one the problem is that he or she only goes to the persons that he feels like kids or adults don't matter even if he never seen them before but when it comes to me if I put my arm in front of him to pick him up he want to bite it. Also when he is fixing he feathers he pulls out a lot of some white lint looking stuff that goes all over the place and my wife is not too happy about that are they always like that or is it because he is growing new feathers,the previous owner told me that he is 6 years old and a good talker, he is outside the cage most of the time, can someone tell me how get him to like me?



Thanks

[Winged_Victory]

Go slow, older birds take longer to adjust to a new family. Give the bird his space a a short while and then start working with him.

[LissaKokoKiwiKaseySam]

Originally Posted by pedrorl

Hello guys, I just got my dream come true I always wanted a macaw and my kids just help me buy one the problem is that he or she only goes to the persons that he feels like kids or adults don't matter even if he never seen them before but when it comes to me if I put my arm in front of him to pick him up he want to bite it. Also when he is fixing he feathers he pulls out a lot of some white lint looking stuff that goes all over the place and my wife is not too happy about that are they always like that or is it because he is growing new feathers,the previous owner told me that he is 6 years old and a good talker, he is outside the cage most of the time, can someone tell me how get him to like me?



Thanks

That white lint looking stuff is called keratin, and tell her to get used to it. That is the feather sheath sloughing off as new feathers grow in..Feathers are constantly being replaced, so there will be times when it is more noticible than others..


Gary is right, your bird needs time. Also be sure he is getting spraying showers a couple of times a week. You can use a pressure rod to run across your shower, or a T stand right inside the stall..take it slow, purchase a pump garden sprayer from a garden center for about 7 bucks to mist him down...it may be less stressful than the shower.

Please give us more info on your bird so we can help...living quarters ( size), diet, location of cage, other animals in home, activity in the home....

[kensbuns]

Are you talking about the fluffy down feathers?? And also do you offer your hand and ask the bird to step up?? That is the usual way to instruct a bird to get onto you hand!! Just say (Name) step up. And mean it keep working with him or her and practice patience. If you wife doesnt like the feathers wait till he throws the seed and chews wood and poops all over the place lololololol These are all the thinks healthy Macaws do. Well maybe not the pooping!! Did I scare ya!! LOL

[Doubleyolk]

The first AM poop is the best. As said by others you need to go slow and earn your birds trust. Don't force yourself on your bird or someone will find out what that big beak is capable of doing. It took me almost 10 months for my B&G to trust me and now he is my best bud. The reward your bird can give you will be worth the wait. JMO

[birdscomefirst]

Hi,
Not to be a pain in the patoots but am I the only one wondering about bringing a macaw home without knowing about down feathers and feather dust first? What about basic training concepts? I feel that there was less than adequate research done before bringing a parrot of this magnitude home. Maybe I'm wrong and I hope so but the point for others who may read this post is that there should be research done at least about basics before deciding to bring a parrot home.
Bill

[Mylo's Mama]

That is exactly what I was thinking, Bill. My eyes got about as wide as silver dollars! Maybe we can help out somehow....

[LissaKokoKiwiKaseySam]

well, no, you're not, but since the bird is already home, we need to try and educate as much as we can and answer the questions to the best of our ability. Can you guys recommend a couple of good books? I"ve always liked 'guide to a well behaved parrot'...not the newest of reads, but good info to say the least.

[Irish]

Before we purchased Bob, I did about 6 months worth of research before we made a decision, as I hadn't had a bird for about 10 years, and it was even longer since my spouse had one. It may sound corny, but I actually found that "Parrots For Dummies" by Nikki Moustaki was a LOT of help with the kind of basic information everyone should know before bringing home a large exotic bird. We also rely on "The Well Behaved Parrot", and "Guide to Companion Parrot Behavior" by Mattie Sue Athan.

[ekz13]

another idea is "hands on training"... see if you can find an experienced macaw owner or a bird club, etc in your area to help show you the basics if you need, proper way of doing things, commands, corrections, care, etc.. but to echo the previous posters, give him time to get used to you, his world is shaken and needs time to adjust to the surroundings and people/things in them.