Companion for B+G???????Please advise

[Julesjacobs]

Hi,

I inherited Tara (my late mum's B+G macaw) sadly about a year ago. All was fine until about 4 months ago. Tara became extremely snappy and strated to lunge and bite at me whenever i got near her and became very affectionate towards my husband who before she bascially ignored. After trying many training techniques including the Chet Womach Bird tricks videos things became hugely worst to the point we thought the only thing we coudl do was to donate Tara to a sanctuary. So we went to visit the national parrot sanctuary in Skegness, UK. We decided that Tara was far from the sad circumstances alot of the birds had come from and we would perservere with her still. We spoke to the guys that run the sanctuary (which has over 300 macaws) and they said due to her age (10 years) she basically needed a bird companion and we should build an aviary enclosure for her and the companion bird. I am veyr happy to do this i am just a little concerned we will be doubling our trouble. I just want for Tara to be happy. Please someone reply as i am so confused and can't find a bird behaviourist here in London, UK.

[Birdsmile]

I personally would disagree. she is not nippy or mean to your husband so she is not unmanageable. Adding another bird does not mean they will accept each other , so you could be where you are with her. I own 2 B&G macaws and they do not get along AT ALL. If your bird was good with you at first, What changed to make her nip at you ? Is she like this always or just when your husband is near ? How long has this been going on ? could be hormones.
Hopefully someone else can help further
Jack

[kensbuns]

I dont know that adding a companion will help at all. I think that all you will do is add to your problem. The will bond to each other (maybe) and then you will have to birds that are unhandleable. Spend more time with the bird and handle it more often.

[Julesjacobs]

Hi,

Thank you both for replying sio quickly. I don not know what made her start to bite me and lunge at me whenever i get near her. I guess it could be hormones as it started back in April. She is better when my husband isn't around as she doesn't scream at me constantly when in am in the room. I definately think she is very jealous over my husband. Last night after reading a success story of someone in a very similar situation to ours, i tried handling her with gloves on so if she did bite i wouldn't react to her biting. It seemed to work quite well. I guess i had more confidence and she therefore had more confidence in me. I am trying to teach her to step up so that even if she doesn't let me cuddle her etc how she used to i can still get her out and put her on her play stand of an evening. I am still a little concerned that she is lonely during the day as she spends about 10 hours a day alone. I knwo this is by no means ideal but when we my mum got tara she had just retired from full time work. Sadly my mum passed away much earlier than any of us would have predicted at the age of 64.

Any more advice would be much appreciated. All i want to do is the best for Tara as she has been through so much losing her carer.

[Bonesy]

Try using parts of yourself she cant grip to bite, a flat hand, a bent wrist, and try to get her used to the fact that biting does nothing.

Soothe her by winking your eyes at her and talk softly, mimic the sounds she makes to you so she might feel some vague connection again.

Another bird will make your problem worse right now.

[Monica]

A tight closed fist doesn't exactly deter a macaw from biting and actually doing damage... I know as I've tried! (well actually I couldn't close my first before she grabbed hold, but I did while she was... if that makes any sense..)

As strange as this sounds, I've heard some rumor that some of the larger parrots switch partners (or people that they love) every 4 years... can't say I know how true it is though.

I suggest asking Kim in the cockatoo section (in this forum, so to speak), as she can give you quite a bit advice!

[Bonesy]

I wrote bent wrist, not closed fist, though I read it as closed fist myself reading it back. I hate it when my eyes do that, lol.

Anyway, It's more a thing of they cant grab hold of any skin to bite if you do that, I've found it to work in a sort of "Bah... i give up." sort of reaction from the bird, because it's not doing what they want it to do.

We all know they either like to bite for the reaction, and or, normally as a way of getting the person to leave them alone.

I've also seen a few bluffers who go to bite and look nasty, then just kinda... beak-butt you and don't follow the lunge through. These ones are rare, unfortunately for my fingers

Plus a flat hand and a bent wrist are wide objects, unless the animal has a really big maw they normally cant open the beak enough to grab a hold, and if they start to turn the head to find a way, you can normally (normally i say because I've been caught out by some) move before they go to bite again.

I will always admit that NO technique is EVER foolproof, you usually get caught out at least once. They are always worth a try though.

I had a biting Grey in yesterday and half of today, and I did this wrist/flat of the hand technique with him for the two days, and the owner rang me earlier to say it's working a treat and he isn't biting any more. I even taught the kid (about 14 or so) how to do it before they took him home, though i did advise him to only use it if the bird suddenly went for him, and to mostly let his father be the main person who uses it.

Though, as I've found from working with these smart little pumpkins, they often try to find a way around you some way or another. It's a case of keeping one step ahead of them and that menacing beak

[Julesjacobs]

Hi All,

Thank you all so much for your advice. I am glad i posted before going down thte path of getting another bird. I am really pleased to say i am slowly but surely making progress with Tara. I have managed to perch train her and get her to step up on my hand away from her territory without being bitten. We still have issues if my husband is around with regard to me trying to handle her but at least we can share the evening together all of us without continual squawking and aggressive thrashing around. That si as long as me and my husband don't cuddle up ont he sofa together! I think that will take a fair bit more work yet!

Thanks again. I will keep you all updated on our progress and how Tara likes her new outdoor play room we are builidng for her. We are hoping she can use it most of the year as we live int he south of England where the weather is not too extreme from season to season.

Many thanks

Jules

[kensbuns]

I am glad that you are making progress. Keep up the good work. Youll have that Macaw eating out of your hands in no time. And if all else fails try frosted mini wheats! That is what I used when we first got our Macaw Bogart!!

[new@birds]

We recently got a 10 year old B&G. Believe it or not it is our first bird! We had a similar problem when my husband and i were together. We best advice we got was your dealing with a 2 year old no matter how old your bird is. So we had to work on it every time we were all together and never let Tasha have the upper hand. If he lunged at me we made him step up on me and get away from my husband then same back the other way. I have to scared to prove it :) There is nothing too big for a macaw to get his beak around! I recommend thick sweaters, gloves towels what ever it takes. Tasha will still try the game with us now and again but he knows we don't fall for his tricks. we are making progress and it is just 6 months that we have had him. i certainly have my share of questions.