She attacks me!

[Keike's Mom]

Hi Everyone! I am owned by a 27 year old female Yellow-collared Macaw who I hand-fed and love beyond measure. She was the only bird for about 5 years and then I rescued another YC who she lived lovingly with for 13 or so years. Unfortunately, we lost that lovely and gentle bird to a fungal infection (and bad vetting) years ago so "Keike" has, once again, been an only parrot for maybe 7 years now. She has a love affair with my husband (who's only been in her life for 13 years) and both our dogs and for years I've been dealing with the same old story that when she is with one of her "chosens" I am evil and and should be severely attacked. She never learned to fly (though she has full feathers) but loves to run around the house, chasing the dogs, climbing on the furniture, hiding in the closets where she takes great delight in shredding boxes. It's great exercise and social time for her and the dogs are 100% trustworthy so I allow her to get down whenever she chooses and we're home. The problem is that she attacks my feet anytime I attempt to walk by her. We're talking viciously. If she's "down", I have to have real shoes on or else I am bloodied. I believe she even knows where to strike through which shoes as to inflict the most pain. Now, it's started happening to more than my feet if I'm sitting on the floor. I know better than to approach her with skin if she's loving the dog or on the husband, but this behavior has nothing to do with them. She still allows me handle her if no one else is around and she's not abusive like that if she's on her perch...it's just if she's on the floor, she is crazy demon bird to me (everyone else gets safe passage). Any advice? Not let her down? One night, having just gotten out the shower, I dropped my towel on her to stop the attack but everytime I picked it up, she went after me again. I did it like five times and she never stopped attacking.

 

[cassiesdad]

Welcome to the Avenue.

I really don't have any advice for you, other than to restrict her "down" time. It must be that Keike feels your feet are a threat to her because she doesn't display the behavior with anyone else, and you can interact with her at any other time.

Being the "non-chosen one" is so very hard...I was Cassie's "chosen one"...and my wife paid the price for it. Cass would literally chase Kathy out of the room if she entered it while Cass was out of her cage. Kathy worked so very hard for acceptance from Cassie, but never got it....

 

[Keike's Mom]

Thanks so much for your caring response. These birdie babies of ours can definitely be challenging. Keike is like Xena the Warrior Princess and is definitely not afraid of or threatened by anything -- certainly not my feet. I think it's more of a game to her - that she enjoys hearing me scream and seeing me jump. I'm about to start carrying a squirt bottle around to protect myself with but I hate the thought of it...I hate the thought of limiting her freedom...I just wish she would grant me safe passage like she does my husband. He can stand there all day barefoot and she's just as nice as pie.

 

[cassiesdad]

The funny thing about Cassie...after she would chase Kathy out of the room, she'd come back to me so satisfied with herself! You are probably onto the reason why she goes for your feet...your response...

 

[JLcribber]

Thanks so much for your caring response. These birdie babies of ours can definitely be challenging. Keike is like Xena the Warrior Princess and is definitely not afraid of or threatened by anything -- certainly not my feet. I think it's more of a game to her - that she enjoys hearing me scream and seeing me jump. I'm about to start carrying a squirt bottle around to protect myself with but I hate the thought of it...I hate the thought of limiting her freedom...I just wish she would grant me safe passage like she does my husband. He can stand there all day barefoot and she's just as nice as pie.

Bob is right. The reason she goes after your feet is the response. Rather the "reaction" which is a "drama reward". And after this amount of time of teaching and practising this game she has you trained perfectly. Using a spray bottle is just adding gasoline to the fire (even more reward/drama). A reaction does not have to be good or bad. It just needs to be reaction.

The easiest solution is no floor when your feet are around. The way to change the behaviour is to remove the reward/drama. If it was me I would put on my steel toed work boots so if she attacks she gets no reaction. Go ahead, bite that boot as hard as you want. Still no reaction. That's no fun or rewarding. She will stop doing it.

The point being the bad behaviour is being rewarded.

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

welcome

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

when my g2 Percy wood bite my toes while standing i was afraid that i wood step on him so i sat down with shoes on (he wood bite me on the ankle ) when he did that i wood move my feet out of the way note i am bonded to him over the years he stopped doing it

 

[macawpower58]

I also have a foot/shoe aggressive macaw. Mine is a greenwing. He may not be able to get through John's steel toes boots, but he could get through every shoe I owned!
I also had the same problem with my boy being a floor bird. Mine is flighted but does not fly (kind of good in my older small home).
So I needed a way to keep my toes safe, and still allow him to roam the floors.

I made his aggressive attacks into a game, and used redirection at the same time.
First I found a 'shoe' that I made his. Then as he charged me, I'd drop to my knees and put 'his' shoe into play.
Even mad birds love drama. They like us being silly. They love when we do something 'different'. My being on the floor while he was charging was different.

PS A blanket at hand also keeps you protected if the first 'redirect' isn't working well.

He decided to see what I was doing.

It took time, and lots of me carrying his shoe when I walked the house.

It worked. I can now walk barefoot, slippered or tennis shoe shod and get around, past and even over him, safely.

We still have games of 'shoe play' and he knows which is his shoe. He knows I'll sneak it up on him, or fly it over his head so he can snatch out of the air.
He loves this game. But he's rough! Very rough with that shoe. Charging it, biting it and tossing it around.

I don't why he started. Perhaps it was nerves, sexual frustration, and or anxiety redirected into aggression. I'm no behaviorist.
Perhaps I too made the wrong movements the first time he charged, thus cementing his behavior.
But what was done was done and I needed a solution.

It works for my bird.
It may or may not work for your bird.
You may find laying on the floor and singing works.
Or offering a blanket ride around the floor instead, works.

You can find a compromise.

Chaos (my GW) still knows I'll still jump and squeal if he attacks me. I can see it in his eyes and sometimes he'll even threaten.
But I guess the fun of having his own shoe causes him to let my toes live.
We found a solution we both can live with.

You don't need to cage him, nor scold.
You need to find a common ground where you both win.

 

[AviaryByTheSea]

I was going to respond... but macawpower58 answered perfectly. That is a combination of training an incompatible behavior and the matching law at work....

 

[JLcribber]

It took time, and lots of me carrying his shoe when I walked the house.

With Tika I used the T-stick. (Which I still carry religiously because that's how "I" have to handle him). Whenever he approached I would block with the stick (step on) and lift him up high to the ropes. It takes him a while to climb and walk to where he can get down to the floor again. When he does I fired him right back up there. He still comes over once in a blue moon but it's more of a bluff now.

Unless I happen to doze off in my chair. Then I must pay.

 

[Tanya]

I don't know macaw behavior so much, but could playing in the closets be making the territorial hormones rage? Not that it would be a 100% fix, but keeping those doors closed could bring down the nesting mood a bit. Hopefully, in combination with a T-stick and other interventions, perhaps a lack of nests might help you both get to the point (months down the road) where feet are more-or-less safe inside shoes!

 

[rocky'smom]

welcome to Avian Ave

 

[Monica]

I agree about removing access to closets and areas where your girl could rip up boxes. I feel this could be resulting in excess hormones.

Also agree on redirecting the behavior. You could use a dog ball. Something like a large, sturdy wiffle ball? Or a hard plastic ball? Something that could at least fit into the palm of your hand and wouldn't break easily. You can try using these as distractions, even going as far as stuffing Nutriberries, nuts, vegetables, strips of paper or other things inside of them to make them more appealing. Make a game out of playing with these balls and her when it's just you two! Build on positive reinforcement training and positive interactions. When your husband is around, or home, but not in the same room, continue interaction with her in this manner. Reinforce, reinforce, reinforce any desired behavior! In time, you may be able to interact with her without any bites while your husband is around!

 

[Keike's Mom]

Thank you so much, everyone!! So appreciate your ideas and your support! I had no idea that other birds also animate this behavior. I can't wait to really digest and try all the fascinating ideas. Just knowing not to feed the drama has already been a huge help AND I wonder if I can't reframe this as a cry from her for more attention from me and as a gateway to engaging her differently.

 

[Monica]

Lara Joseph, an animal trainer (mostly birds, but she does work with a variety of animals! ), has personally dealt with this issue with one of her cockatoos. She has two blogs, and I know it's located on one.


Her blogs
Lara Joseph | An animal training, behavior, and enrichment specialist.
Blog - The Animal Behavior Center



Direct link for her issue
An Unexpected and Enjoyable Encounter | Lara Joseph

 

[Keike's Mom]

Thank you, Monica! I didn't know about that site! The blog post about the "enjoyable encounter" was awesome!

 

[Keike's Mom]

It's only been 4 days since my first post. This behavior that has caused me so much stress and "sent me over the edge of sanity" so many times has just about entirely ceased. In 4 days of nonresponse to it and attempting to engage her in a more gratifying way, the bomb that was about to go off everytime she was on the floor, has been diffused. She'll still go after my feet (but I've decided wearing shoes in the house is okay so I always have them on now) but when I don't react, she quickly looses interest and allows me safe passage. I am once again to sit on the floor with her and she'll happily play "hide under mommy" with me. Crazy how fast once I changed my attitude about the behavior (and, truth-be-told, HER) that her behavior changed. Huge thank yous to everyone who posted with advice and encouragement.

 

[macawpower58]

So good to hear success for you and her. Expect some backslides, but it'll just keep getting easier.

 

[Amandas Birds]

@ macawpower58
Interesting..does that apply for cockatiels and conures?? Or just a macaw thing??

 

[Bluejayandemmy]

When I was trying to tame holly she snatched my hand. I said to her holly that was naughty and not ok