biting is his playing, help!

[ceresbly]

hey guys! I wrote out this post in my macaw Facebook group.. wanted to post it here too because you people are the most brilliant people and I'd love your advice :

 

[Mizzely]

If he bites, playtime stops, immediately. You set him down wherever is a safe place as close as possible, you give him a nasty disapproving look and you turn your back on him. Walk away if you have to.

You can also give him things that are okay to bite - toys etc. Keep some foot toys in your pocket if you have to, to give him something better to chew than you.

2 months likely means he knows he's in a good place but needs to test his limits to see how he can interact with his world. Time to set those limits!

 

[msplantladi]

I discourage biting by wristing my arm or hand that she is perched on, also give the command no bite and even if its just for a second she doesn't bite she gets a treat that she doesn't normally get in her regular feedings. I also recommend avicalm. If the biting gets constant & I don't see any trying on the birds part its back to the cage for a few minutes, then i ask for a step up & give the command no bite I have a military macaw that does the same thing & while its on going it has gotten somewhat better-

 

[aooratrix]

I would shove foot toys in his mouth. Distract him. Do not play with his beak and try not to let him get your fingers in his mouth. If he's too wound up, put him on a stand and allow him to play...hard. Hang a new or favorite toy on the stand or in the cage when you give him a brief time out. You need to withhold any interaction with him while he's in the "cooler." If he's flighted, this is going to be logistically harder. And the advice will change a bit. Is he flying?

If he's on your arm or hand and pinches, drop your hand/arm quickly, enough to make him lose balance a little. He has to associate putting his beak on you with losing your attention or losing his balance on your arm a bit. IMO, it's important that you be calm and not provide a reaction: he might perceive it as a reward.

He's a baby and doesn't know his limits. Plus, he's full of P&V! I'm going through this with Annie , my sweet but bullheaded GW.

 

[Jottlebot]

More information would be helpful, maybe a couple of clear examples.

The one you give above suggests he is making a lot of effort to get to you (walking over to you) and the reason for it is very clear (he wants to play, which for him = bite). His strategy probably works very well, it no doubt gets him lots of attention and really exciting things happen! I am wondering how he is getting all the way over to you without you interacting with him in some other way? Does he have toys, etc you can both play with?

If the purpose is to play with you, you need to develop other ways for him/you to play. There are lots of no-contact things; trick training etc...

You might be working with a well established behaviour that he's brought with him from elsewhere, which will make things more difficult as they are more likely to be entrenched and very well practiced by Scooby, but certainly not impossible to shift.

All this being said I have an Alexandrine (I know, TINY compared to a Macaw!) who seems to value being on me more than other toys when he's out of his cage. He isn't really tame yet and has a habit of "nibbling"/twisting/biting my skin fairly often. It is difficult to find him something to play with when he's out because generally he isn't interested in toys etc, but I keep trying and have a couple of things he'll nibble at for a bit now. I also have gotten into the habit of looking at him all the time when he's out. I think I'm rewarding him, he'll be perched on the edge of the cage and I'll glance over and the before I know it he's flown to me. I think he stares at me until I look at him and then he thinks it's the time for him to fly to me. I imagine that if I stopped looking at him every few minutes he'd get bored and might play with toys more. He plays loads inside his cage.

 

[Nikomania]

I do the wobble hand or arm the minute he places his beak on my skin and say, 'no biting'. I give him two opportunities to stop after which time he gets placed back onto his perch.

 

[Hankmacaw]

First, you must be consistent and predictable. This means that every time he bites too hard, the same corrective action must be taken.

Many teach their baby macaw to be "gentle" by removing the fun/stimulation immediately and saying "gentle". You will soon be able to say gentle before they are too rough. A baby's bite is not very bad, but when he is grown that bite can be damaging. I don't believe that a distraction (shoving a toy in his mouth) is effective - he still gets to bite. If he gets over wrought then he has to go back into his cage until he cools down. A successful bite is self perpetuating.

They really need to learn not to bite as a baby, a grown macaw can be dangerous if they are a biter.

 

[Jenphilly]

Some groups and people have the approach that birds do not understand no or being 'reprimanded'... I am answering this personally, so not speaking for the shelter, tho ton of experience thru there...

But personally speaking, the large parrots are exceptionally intelligent and very comparable to a genius toddler or young child. Most everyone will agree with that statement, but from there opinions vary, some say only positive reinforcement... I say not so much. I don't believe in 'punishment', but absolutely positively believe that macaws understand no, they understand wrong, they understand boundaries... All of us have seen a macaw do something 'wrong', laugh and walk / run away. Your guy needs to learn boundaries and right / wrong play. It is not a bad behavior he has, it is just a taught behavior or experience. I do not post often about some things with Max, cause I know there will be some pushback or people up in arms. But, reality, Max plays differently with me, much differently with my husband and even more so with my daughter Victoria. He also knows when is doing something to get him in trouble, he will usually let out a loud 'awwwwwwwww' and literally waddles his blue butt away as I approach him and he will run into his play tunnel behind the sofa and start babble including his 'you're a good boy Max', and 'I love you momma'. He doesn't do that all the time, but everytime he has been bratty it happens...

Anyway, back to your guy.... you need to teach him proper play. A couple good points have been made. One is redirect, if he wants to bite play, then he has specific toys you put into the beak. When he bites to play, tell him no, say ow and with Max, I'll grab his beak and press it against my hand and tell him 'no, that hurts'. I will also stroke his break (which most macaw love), turn it into a positive experience. I have turned beak play with Max into play with toys only, partly because I live with MS and even a play pressure bite causes me neuropathic type pain / reaction, so I do everything I can to give Max play options and avenues that will be positive for both of us. I also taught him catch, tossing him a soft type of ball (one with little nubbies to grab is good). I will grab his beak wrestle with him which a lot of macaws like, but I don't let my fingers in the beak. When Max gets too rough, I redirect him, but if he is too wound up and not responding, I do set him on a java stand or his food perch and walk away. Call it punishment if you want, but when he won't go into a safer or appropriate form of play, then playtime ends and he is removed from his favorite play area (Max is a weird macaw, he is a floor bird), so going onto a stand is a clear expression from me of 'no'.

I know many say ignore the bite and don't give it attention... that is great advice with some smaller birds, especially those going thru puberty and such. But I don't agree with that approach in the big guys. From my experience, not responding is the same as approving of the behavior... Macaws absolutely know and understand yes and no, good and bad... and not responding is the same as saying good boy (in my opinion, sure I'll catch some crap for that statement!)...

Hopefully some of my babble has helped, dealing with a migraine today, so not sure if things are coming out clear and precise

But, I do make it a point with Max to rub his beak, so the beak is a form of positive / enjoyable / affectionate interaction. Max will even climb up on the sofa when I am typing on the laptop and if he wants attention, he turns his head and presses his beak against my arm or hand. In the early months with him, he would kinda rake the tip of his beak on my hand or arm (not really biting), but couple times he did break skin without meaning to, only looking to get my attention. So, teaching him other ways to use the beak, in my opinion, is key for a macaw that is expressive with this beak. Max has been home for a bit over 3 years, and we have done well with him not to use pressure with the beak. He still likes to sneak up and use the beak to kinda grab your foot if it's hanging off the sofa He used more pressure in the past, now it is very light, just enough to make you jump, and of course he laughs and runs off.

 

[Jenphilly]

hey guys! I wrote out this post in my macaw Facebook group.. wanted to post it here too because you people are the most brilliant people and I'd love your advice : View attachment 252385

I also wanted to add... you don't want to control him - you want to teach him new behaviors. It is comparable to a kid - you want to teach them to be successful and do the right thing

 

[Sarah13]

You get what you reinforce. If they bite, figure out why and then respond to the cause of the bite (play, fearfulness, wanting you to leave, fear of some object, etc etc) instead of focusing on only the symptom (the bite itself). Like stated, bites are self perpetuating even when not meant to be harmful. They hurt regadless and forbid, they quickly can be especially harmful when hormones or fearful situations arise.

The advice above is great if he is biting because he is playing and wants to get a fun reaction from you. Doing your best to not respond in an excited way is ideal and even better than silence is something like "No, or you hurt me etc" They are definitely smart enough to know if you are reacting to communicate "No, you hurt me etc" versus reacting in a funny exciting way even if it's unintentional on your part "AAEEEHHH, OW, Naughty turd brat bird! etc". You will learn to quickly tell if the bite was an accidental slip up, natural beaking instincts, or being rough. From there, you can then decide to continue playing, offer something appropriate to chew on, or end the play session. The reaction/punishment etc should fit the behavior/crime etc versus a one size fit all approach to the a bite. Addressing the cause...not the symptom. They're smart cookies and know what is fair and learn the boundaries if you are consitent and timely with your reactions.

Personally, what worked very well for my 2 when I got beaked by accident, I pretended I was essentially another bird that got a sore pin feather bumped...I would make a sharp sudden "Ah" or "Hey" and even beak back and make an annoyed hurt facial expression. They would do the exact same thing to you or another bird. They are smart enough to understand that it isn't personal or that you're being mean or abusing them. You are simply communicating that what they did hurt you regardless of their intentions. This is also how I got my birds to not pull off my buttons or any jewerly from myself or other people. I pretend those are pin feathers and immediately let them know that touching those things HURT!

Good luck and congrats on your boy settling in!