Macaw help!

[tracyloibl]

I recently posted about how I got my B&G back after 4 years. She is 6 years old... I had her from 6 weeks old until she was 2 years. She does seem to remember me. I can pet her through the bars of her cage. She gives kisses, etc. BUT, she doesn't seem to want to come out of her cage and she seems to get agitated and lunges at me. I have had her for about 4 weeks... The first couple weeks I did what I read and didn't try to take her out. I let her get use to her new home, etc. from the safety and security of her cage. I just interacted with her from the outside. Then two weeks ago I had to take her to get her wings clipped because she was full flight. It was a challenge to get her out. After about 30 minutes and a few battle wounds (on me, haha) I got her in the carrying cage. When I got her home she came right out and I held her for a few minutes but I had to leave so she went back in her cage. Now everytime I open her cage door she doesn't want to come out. She lets me clean her cage... I can lean fully in and she plays with my hair (as I protect my face) but also she nips at my clothes and even rips little holes in it. I am just waiting for her to nip skin! Everytime I stand there talking to her when her cage door is open she lunges at me and seems agitated. Last night she lunged further than I thought she could reach and she bit my nose. IT HURT and it bled but atleast she didn't rip it off and I didn't need stitches. LOL I didn't force her to come out but I stood there for her to step up if she wanted. All she did was hang half way out lunging at me. She just flat out didn't want to come out and wanted no part of me trying to get her out. She tore the heck out of my shirt... it seems like she was attacking my shirt. My guess was she was warning me to leave her alone. I left the cage door open for about an hour and she never came fully out. She just climbed on the door to her cage which was open but then that was for a second or two and then back in.

I need advice!!! Should I just continue to open the door but not approach her. Just leave her alone and let her come out when she is ready? How do I handle the lunging? She seems very agitated and I am unsure how to handle that. When I had her until she was two years she had a very strong personality and could be very stubborn but I never had any severe problems. My cousin had her for the last 4 years... he is a fireman and works a lot. Now I am wondering how much he really took her out of her cage. He said he had her out all the time but there were also times that she didn't feel like coming out.

I need advice from all you Macaw experts. Sorry for the long post. I just want to make sure I am doing the right thing and doing what is best for her with the less amount of stress and also... I'd really like to keep my eyes, nose, lips, etc. haha

Thank you,
Tracy & Margarita (B&G)

[chapala]

Sounds like she is going to need some time to adjust to the change in homes. Was she bonded with the person who had her for four years? Or did that person not handle her much?

I wouldn't handle her right now - she is giving pretty clear messages about that. What I suggest is having her daily allotment of nuts cut into small pieces - like four pieces out of one walnut half, etc. Offer her a treat from your fingers if you can many times when you pass by her cage. If she won't take the treat nicely from your fingers, place a food bowl near a perch at the front of the cage, and treat her by dropping the treat in a bowl. When she figures out this wonderful game, you'll be able to start offering treats from your fingers. Bribery is a great way to start on the relationship!

You might want to do clicker training with her, teaching her to target and maybe do a few simple tricks. You also would be able to train her to a stick perch (saves bites), and could then transfer her to a stand away from her cage. Bird-click Yahoo forum has some good material on clicker training with birds. Also Barbara Heidenreich's books and dvds are excellent.

Give her time, and I hope to hear soon that progress is being made! A little at a time is the way to go. Good luck!

[tracyloibl]

My cousin that had her said she was bonded to him but that is what he 'told' me. She was bonded with me before I had to give her away. She takes treats from me all the time through the bars. I can pet her stomach, under her wings, her head and she even gives me kisses through the bars. She loves to have her tongue petted but all through the bars. Even my husband can give her treats but cant really pet her yet.

[TonyM]

When I got Zuri, she hadn't been out of her cage much in year. She was aggressive at first, and I got bit and lost blood. But as she came to trust me more, she became less aggressive. However, I was still very nervous about her beak. I found that many times, she wasn't trying to bite me, but rather just interact with me with her beak. I think I did a great deal of damage to my relationship with her by scolding her or pulling away from her when she wasn't trying to bite, just interact.

Eventually, I figured this out and let her use her beak to interact with me when she wasn't being clearly aggressive. I did get pinched a number of times and those pinches did hurt, some of them hurt a lot. But Zuri is starting to learn how to be gentle with me and interact without hurting me. This weekend, I even let her take my finger in her beak (why she wanted to, I still have no idea) and, to my surprise, she didn't bite it off. I did have to ask her to be gentle a few times, but I didn't get hurt.

I guess my point is to remember that her beak is how she interacts with the world and how she will interact with you. It is easy to become so afraid of her beak that every time it gets near you, you pull away or scold her. With Zuri, I ended up discouraging her from interacting with me because of my fear of her beak.

In time, I'm sure she will come around. I hope this helps you not make the same mistake I did.

[landy]

. I let her get use to her new home, etc. from the safety and security of her cage. I just interacted with her from the outside. Then two weeks ago I had to take her to get her wings clipped because she was full flight. It was a challenge to get her out. After about 30 minutes and a few battle wounds (on me, haha) I got her in the carrying cage. When I got her home she came right out and I held her for a few minutes but I had to leave so she went back in her cage. Now everytime I open her cage door she doesn't want to come out.

OK...

right here you have had this bird in a small enclosure after not bieng in your house for 6 years... you then cut it's wings... the struggle she put up clearly indicates you did not show proper restraint techniques, you have given her a bad experince into a new home, so i would recommend a slow transition and just sitting by hercage talking to her, opening the cage door and allowing her to come out at her own pace, maybe even leave some treats on the cage roof to encourage her to come out.

[New Ekkie Mom]

I second everything Chapala said. You can start rebuilding your relationship with her now through target training and other forms of clicker training, even without her stepping foot out of her cage or coming into physical contact with you. The mental stimulation she will gain and the positive experiences she will have by learning how to make you give her a treat will do wonders. Please check out the Yahoo group Chapala suggested...Bird-Click. They are strictly a clicker training group, so for any other concerns you may have, such as diet, health issues, cage/toy recommendations, etc., it's important to stay in touch somewhere like Bird Board, but for clicker training, Bird-Click is the best resource. Good luck!