Helping Macaw Feel Comforable in New Home

[SeverelySweet]

He mostly eats pellets and a bit of seed mix at the momet. He usually comes to the side of the cage to let me give him an almond or cookie and he does come down when I'm on the floor to share my meal. But like many are saying, he's been bounced around a few times and he isn't going to be as trusting as a dog or baby bird would be.

Are you also feeding fresh fruits and vegetables? Both are definitely needed in his diet.

There are very few that I can actually get Syd to eat, so every morning for breakfast I give him a piece of homemade birdie bread with pomegranate avrils on top. I make sugar free, gluten free cornbread, into which I mix things he won't eat that are high in vitamin A...usually all natural sweet potato baby food, shredded spinach, carrots, kale, and broccoli. If I'm nearing the bottom of the pellet container when I bake it, I throw in all the crumbs as well. Sometimes I also add in things like quinoa and hulled hemp seeds, crushed pecans. I change it up.

Most birds are extremely food motivated....but Syd is only motivated by one thing. Cheetos! Lol...I wouldn't recommend this for Jack, but do find something that he seems to be over the top for, and use it to bribe, bribe, bribe!

 

[Robert Schulz]

Here's an update for you all.
Jack and I are coming up on one month. Things are getting better with us. We've increased our max time together to about 30 min per session multiple times a day. I try to leave him be before he gets overwhelmed. He really enjoys when I share breakfast with him. He'll climb to the bottom of his cage and beg for more. I've been trying to guage if he's being cage territorial or if he's still unsure of his new home. He will reach his leg out (on his perch and on the cage door) but when I bring my arm close to him he will nip at it along with making a sound of displeasure. I'm not sure if he's bluffing or not but I'd rather avoid getting bit, so I retract. He usually accepts treats from inside his cage and will come to whatever side of the cage I'm on to accept them. When I let him out he hasn't been rushing to the top of his cage and lunging at me as frequently but it still happens.
What do you all think of me getting him out of his on a stick and bringing him into the living room, away from his cage? Ive read that parrots can act differently away from their cage but I'm unsure about doing that just yet since it could potentially upset him and break what progress we've made.

 

[Hankmacaw]

I think it would be a good idea to get him out on a stick and walk him around the house. Talk to him all the time and take him back to his cage if he gets too stressed out. If you do this every day with him and give him a treat before, during and after it should calm him down and make him more comfortable.

It may be a long time before you can pick him up safely on your arm, but the stick will stop any bites. It's important with macaws to avoid bites. A successful bite is self-perpetuating and a macaw bite can cause a lot of damage. Many macaws have bitten and gotten their way and their owner turns out ignoring or abusing them. This is the worst thing that can happen, so avoid those bites.

 

[Robert Schulz]

Okay, I can try that.
If he gets upset and I have to towel him, where do I pick him up that's out of biting range?

 

[Hankmacaw]

You should never have to towel him, if you watch him very closely. Take him on very short trips first and lengthen the trip as he gets more comfortable. Talk to him all of the time and don't push the envelope too far.

 

[Robert Schulz]

I can try that.
I was told the previous owner had to towel him at times which is why i ask.
Do you recommend the two stick method in case he climbs the main stick to get my hand and using the other one to block him?

 

[Begone]

What do you all think of me getting him out of his on a stick and bringing him into the living room, away from his cage?

That is a good idea, but avoid eye contact until he is more comfortable with you.
Can't you have a play stand in the living room?

And don't towel him! That would be to destroy everything that you already have been building up. To toweling is only for emergency, not for daily handling.
You must have a plan on how to get him safe (for both you and him) to the living room and then back to his cage.
And why not visit the bath room too and offer him a shower? And then a small trip to the kitchen where you have placed some of his favorite fruit/nut on the table.
So he will learn that it is fun to be with you and also that it is safe.
Take it slow, if he is feeling comfortable walk around with him more, and continue to bribe him and give him some distance if he needs it.

I recommended a T stick or a safety stick.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Yes, a T-stick would be the very best. With one of those he can't get to you to bite you.
@Clueless





Yes, with a safety T-stick he can't bite you.

@Clueless @Wasabisaurus @JLcribber

 

[Clueless]

Look at this thread

Clueless sent Wasabi and I a gift! | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[Clueless]

No towels...... you want him to be your buddy

 

[JLcribber]

Sorry just saw this now.

when I bring my arm close to him he will nip at it along with making a sound of displeasure. I'm not sure if he's bluffing or not but I'd rather avoid getting bit, so I retract.

This is your mistake. You are not offering a "confident" place to step up and when you retract you make it even more untrustworthy. That bird can read your body language/energy like a book. If you don't "offer" genuine trust and confidence you will get the same reaction from the bird.

Connecting and Communicating with your Highly Intelligent Parrot. | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

What do you all think of me getting him out of his on a stick and bringing him into the living room, away from his cage? Ive read that parrots can act differently away from their cage but I'm unsure about doing that just yet since it could potentially upset him and break what progress we've made.

Stick training is good for all large parrots. This "tool" gives you the ability to handle the bird with control and without getting bit. Thus you "can" be confident and relaxed when you handle the bird. You don't need two sticks. Just one good one. Like this.



The cage is territory. Of course they will behave differently when away from the cage. Ultimately over time you should strive to provide your bird an "environment" where that cage is just one thing in there (home base). Eventually you will come to realize that's what your bird will need. Just giving you a head start.

 

[Robert Schulz]

@JLcribber: Great looking T-stick. What parts are required to put it together? Looks like a series of male and female pvc adapters.

... So today wasn't a good day to get Jack out. I filled a dish with nuts and placed it on the counter top in the kitchen where he could see. He wanted out so he got up onto the cage's door and I asked him to step onto the wooden dowel that's been sitting in the room with him for a while but he bypassed it and went to the top of his cage. Something set him off up there because he started pacing back and forth, flared his wings and screamed. I stood there calmly and tried to bribe him back down with no avail. I therefor put a nut in his food dish and walked away. 30 min later I checked on him and he went back in his cage and was calm.

 

[Genie]

or he'll come up front and try to lunge at me while hissing.

When we first got Genie, he hissed & lunged at me. I thought, as you do, that this was aggression. Well it might be, but he still does this to me, to this day. When he does it, I lean toward him & we kiss. I wouldn't try that right away, but it is something to think about. Another thought to comfort him, is to move him into your bed room at night & then to a room during the day that is light & airy. If you are retired, try keeping him as close to you as possible during the day. As with Genie, he might be just nervous about his new home. They are home bodies & attention sponges ! Spend as much time as possible, he will come around.

 

[Genie]

This may be a great help.

Training Your Macaw (Moved from Blog Section) | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[Robert Schulz]

@Genie: Thanks for those words of encouragement.
Getting him comfortably away from his cage has been a priority but maybe I'm pushing too much right now. When he's happy, he tries to undo the locks on the cage while I'm near him, next thing he's upset when I let him out (biting the cage, screaming, fluttering his wings). I'm torn on why he gets upset which is why I'm taking precautions on handling him in case he gets unpredictable.

 

[Robert Schulz]

That's a great "blog" post. I remember reading it prior to seeing Jack the first time.

 

[Robert Schulz]

@Genie: Thanks for those words of encouragement.
Getting him comfortably away from his cage has been a priority but maybe I'm pushing too much right now. When he's happy, he tries to undo the locks on the cage while I'm near him, next thing he's upset when I let him out (biting the cage, screaming, fluttering his wings). I'm torn on why he gets upset which is why I'm taking precautions on handling him in case he gets unpredictable.

I should reword part of that. I meant to say: "He gets upset after I let him out of his cage."

 

[Genie]

I reread your original post & your others. I am thinking, as with our Genie, he is going thru "relocation trauma" & needs reassurance that all is good. Our Genie went thru multiple relocations in 27 years before we got him. It took him quite a while to settle in.
Also, if Jack does bite you, really try not to pull back, yes that is hard not to do. It gets bloody, but it also shows that biting does not work & that you are not afraid of him. Really, I would tell Genie, softly, "thank you that feels good" It only takes 4 or 5 times & they start to realize it doesn't work. What's that old saying ? No pain, no gain. LOL

 

[Robert Schulz]

Great news!
With the help of my bf, we are both able to get Jack to step up onto our forearms.
His attitude has made a marked improvement over the past week and he is comfortable with us spending extended amounts of time around him.
He now stays calm when I am around and he likes to bob his head when my bf and I talk to him. The other day I took the plunge and stuck my arm in near his perch and he got on with no fuss. He's rather anxious while on me but definitely happy to be out of his cage to spread his wings.
Next step is getting him in the shower to help with his heavy molt.
-Here's my bf holding him

 

[Clueless]

he's beautiful