New GW Macaw Owner

[deemo]

Hello everyone,

So i decided to go ahead and get the parrot I have always wanted. I live in Dubai and bought him from a store, the owner of the bird was leaving the country and could not take the GW with him, So The bird is in good health and is given enough space and the food it needs, I do have experience with keeping parrots but this is my first Mac.

Now a few questions I have, If anyone can answer, would be greatly appreciated.

I have had my GW for around 3 weeks, He will step up without issues, it will let me touch him on his back/head/under his wings/sides of his face and beak without issues when hes in the mood ofc, Now my problem is when he steps up he will keep trying to bite my arm and I am afraid hes gonna get me hard one day, Clearly that huge beak can do some serious damage, He already made a small bruise on my arm, What can i do to get him to stop?

Is there any way to get a rough idea on how old my GW is with only a video? I will attach a video.

Also for some reason this *EXPLICT* Bad Language ---- who sold the GW to me, had taped his primary feathers, it seems to be a common thing in Dubai, and its disgusting, Now I will be removing the tape soon, Do you guys recommend to get his feathers trimmed? I take him outside, and dont want to risk him flying away, A harness is out of the question, He will bite a finger off, were not at that level of trust yet.

Thank you in advance to anyone that replies.

 

[hrafn]

Please do not take him outside unless he's in a harness or a travel cage. Even with clipped wings, a bird can fly away and be lost forever, as has happened innumerable times. It's not remotely worth the risk.

Also, you should never pet him anywhere but his head and neck, as being stroked/preened anywhere else is done only by mates, and you'll create an unhealthy relationship with him that will almost certainly lead to frustration and aggression when you don't respond to his advances properly.

In regards to the biting, are you positive that it's actually an attempt to bite, or is he using his beak to stabilise himself? When stepping up all of my birds will hold onto my arm with their beaks, which is completely normal. A bird who doesn't know the strength of his own beak can hold on too tightly without realising it.
If it is biting, you need to completely cut out any situations where biting happens; if he bites when you ask him to step up, don't do it. Biting is a self-reinforcing behaviour, and the best way to avoid it is to never allow a bite to happen. You can eventually get him stepping up once you have a trust account built with him, which could take months or years.

Congratulations on your new addition! He's beautiful!

 

[deemo]

That you for the input. 100% he is trying to bite me, but not in an aggressive way if that makes any sense? He has never lunged at me, or tried to bite me when hes on his cage or play stand, Its only when hes on my arm he will try to bite.

Also he puts hit foot up sometimes if I am near him, He wants to come on my arm. He will come on, and then after a minute or so, try to bite my arm :/

 

[Hankmacaw]

That is a very beautiful Greenwing. What is his name?

Your bird looks as if he may be a fairly young. His eyes look dark around the iris' - can't see all that well in the video. If you can post a still of the side of his face I can tell if he is one year old and a couple of months either way. A GW older than one year will have very pale yellow eyes.

Don't take him outside without a harness or in a cage. Get a harness and start working with him with it now.

Don't take him outside without a harness or in a cage. He can fly and fly a long ways - besides the heat in Dubai would kill him pretty quickly. Get a harness and start working with him with it.

About the biting. Young macaws have a tendency to chew on everything, including you. It's a very good idea to get the biting cured at a young age, because a full grown GW can and will do a lot of damage if he is a biter. When he bites you on the arm pull his beak off and tell him no bite (like you mean it). If it continues after a couple of times put him down and turn your back telling him "No Bite". Leave the room and don't give him any attention for 5-10 minutes. Be very consistent - they aren't stupid (in fact they are very smart) and he should learn pretty soon. Be consistent, don't get mad or yell and be patient.

 

[Shezbug]

What a beauty!
Please take the advice you have been given here and keep your bird indoors and for outdoor adventures always have your GW harnessed or caged. It is not worth the risk to the bird taking him outside without protection.
Do you have some pictures of your new bird that you can share? That will help with identifying the age of your sweetie.

I have not heard of the feathers being taped up before.......I am surprised the bird has not removed the tape itself (pretty sure my bird would remove it if it was done to him).
Please don't clip/trim the birds feathers........it is not fair to them and very un-natural.

 

[cassiesdad]

What a handsome guy.

...a big to @Hankmacaw's post...once you get the biting under control, harnessing will become much easier...

 

[Fia Baby]

He's beautiful!! Macaws do have a tendency to want to "bite" or beak the arm or hand they're standing on, but you can change that. The advice you've already been given will help. You can also try to gently turn or wobble the hand he's standing on while you say a firm "no." He'll lose his balance just a bit, and that will make him put his head up - and you'll correct him verbally at the same time, so he'll be able to quickly make the association. Having something else - a toy or something to chew- to stick in his beak will also help. Macaws chew on everything!! Mine LOVES buttons - I have to really be on guard if my shirt has buttons, because she'll be looking for them and find them so quickly! Try not to get angry though - it's just him being what he is. How will you get the tape off his wings? Is it actually sticky tape? I could see that being difficult, especially if you don't have complete trust in each other. You may need a confident and experienced helper to towel him while you work on it. I've never seen that done before. I would think it would cause discomfort when they spread their wings.

 

[deemo]

Ok so here you go, Today I am trying the pulling of the beak, and I think its working.

One of my sons calls him Mr Apples, and my 2 1/2 year old calls him Gigi, Hes actually trying to say birdy.

Will listen to the advice and not clip the feathers, Will remove the tape as well. Another question i do have is, I have seen Macaws here in Dubai , Freeflight, Now the only thing im wondering is, how do you get the bird to come back to you and not run away?

 

[deemo]

How will you get the tape off his wings? Is it actually sticky tape? I could see that being difficult, especially if you don't have complete trust in each other. You may need a confident and experienced helper to towel him while you work on it. I've never seen that done before. I would think it would cause discomfort when they spread their wings.

I will get a vet to do it, I would not want to risk whatever trust we have atm.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Congrats on getting your Green Wing. He is beautiful!

 

[SherLar]

As far as wing clipping, that is a very controversial matter and I feel it is best if you research ALL the pros and cons of clipping vs flighted birds and the teaching and risks that go with all of it.
I agree With Hankmacaw on discouraging the biting. Our 2 macaws have very gentle mouths and we allow them to handle our finger, ears etc, but it is not a bite. Huge difference.
I do think that handling/training your bird to accept your hands where ever you put them - when he agrees of course-- and rewarding it. It helps a great deal if you ever want to harness train or when he needs a vet check up. Petting and caressing being different from training him to accept and trust your hands.

I do believe you are off to a great start and the more you study and ask questions, the better you and your mac will be together. Keep an open mind and do a lot of reading from many sources. Congrats!
sherri

 

[sunnysmom]

He's beautiful!

 

[Fia Baby]

I agree with the touching as well. Ideally, you should be able to touch your bird everywhere - doesn't mean caressing in a way that is sexually stimulating, but it begins with gentle, friendly, pleasant touching and preening, to the degree that he'll allow it. There will be times when you'll need to examine him or help him, and he'll need to be familiar with comfortable and trusting touching.

 

[deemo]

One more thing, If anyone can help telling me the age, that would be great. And he keeps scratching himself, to the point where i think something is wrong, I give him showers every 3-4 days. And he has bad diarreah, I stick with zupreem natural, used it on all my previous parrots as well. Maybe im giving him to many fruits and veggies?

 

[Hankmacaw]

Free Flying a bird is a demanding specialty. It takes years of training of both you and the bird - and training by experts not just anyone. Even the professionals lose a bird now and then because the bird doesn't come back or a bird of prey gets them - that is sad. I would have given anything to have been able to free fly my two GWs, but they were both chronically ill and I'm too darned old.

What I would suggest, is that you research the free flyers in your area and find out who the very best is. Take whatever you are told with a grain of salt and verify it. Some people just think they are far better than they really are. Read everything you can about free flying. Don't be afraid of using your own common sense when studying this very complex, very risky hobby.

His eyes look fairly light, but not as dark as a bird, say 1 year + a couple of months. My estimate from just his appearance and the way he moves is 2 -3 years old. I'm going to tag @Macawnutz and @macawpower58 and @aooratrix - they know about as much about macaws as anyone.

 

[deemo]

OK so freeflight is not going to happen I think, And thank you all for so many replies, What an amazing community. Will be waiting for one of their answers.

 

[aooratrix]

All of my macaws are beaky. Unless they give too firm a squeeze (or pinch in Daff's case), I don't correct them as it's usually part of their social behavior, curiousity, or boredom. I try to always have something to distract them, like a foot toy to chew on. I remove my necklace, earring, etc. before handling them, too.

For correction, I try not to react (but I'm not perfect); I prefer to set them down and ignore them for a little bit and try again. From what you describe, I don't think you're experiencing a true bite. A real bite would be strong enough pressure to hurt, really hurt, one that leaves a beak impression, or one that breaks the skin and/or causes bruising.

Unless your bird eats a lot of fruit (more than 10% of the total diet), the diarrhea should be brought to the attention of an avian vet. Even though a knowledgeable person owned him previously, that's no protection against illness. Moving to your home could've stressed him enough for an infection to take hold. Parrots are masters at hiding illness: otherwise, they'd be targets of predation in the wild. I don't know what the vet situation is in Dubai, as I'm from the US. Hopefully, they are available to you.

Congratulations on your new bird. My GW, Annie, is willful, love able, sweet, sassy, and stubborn. She's extremely intelligent and possessive, too.

 

[deemo]

any idea on the age would be great. If anyone can help telling me the age, that would be great. And he keeps scratching himself, to the point where i think something is wrong, I give him showers every 3-4 days.

also another thing, When i have him on my arm, and i start touching his head, He puts his head under his wing, and then crouches down if that makes any sense, what does this mean?

 

[cassiesdad]

His eyes look fairly light, but not as dark as a bird, say 1 year + a couple of months. My estimate from just his appearance and the way he moves is 2 -3 years old.

...there you go!

 

[macawpower58]

I'd also guess 2-5 years old. His beak is small and smooth. Not sure if it's a gender thing of not, but my 19 year old GW has a huge beak, much bigger than your baby.

That beaking may just be him checking you out. GWs are pushy. Be firm but gentle in handling the testy nips. I agree that gently pushing/removing his beak from your arm is best.
Also keep toys around for distraction. If he's playing/chewing, he's not nibbling on you.

If it was a real bite, you'd know it. It doesn't sound like it yet, so stay calm and keep him entertained with toys and stuff to mouth. Keep your arm/hands out of his beak as much as possible.
I know a pushy macaw often is a trial at times!

As for touching him, since he's young and new to you I'd touch as much as allowed. I doubt he's close to hormones yet, and you'll realize if your actions are exciting him.
Get him used to you handling him. If possible handle feet, toes, wings, etc.. Make it fun, rewarding his good behavior with praise, treats, and games.
They love to play, sing and dance. They also love 'our' snacks, so some safe people food is a great treat, and if you're eating it too, it's even better.

How is he scratching? With beak, or feet? Are you sure it's not preening? If it's really scratching bath/mist him often, he may be dry.
A vet also may need to see him if it's more than dry air/skin. Does that tape have lots of glue on it? Could that be a cause?
Mine just don't scratch themselves much, sometimes a foot scratching the head kind of thing will happen.

He is gorgeous!