Jemas
Meeting neighbors
- Joined
- 7/7/22
- Messages
- 39
- Real Name
- James
Greetings,
Obligatory new member post. I've been reading these forums the past few weeks trying to find a solution to my issue with my boss' military macaw. I think our situation is quite unique, rather different from the experiences of 40+ pages of threads by other members. This might be pretty long so allow me to give a bit of context.
About 2.5 months ago, I started a new job at a hotel where the owner has several macaws. I'll list them here and describe them.
Apollo - 17~ year old Blue and Gold, he's super territorial of his mate as they are never apart. He's constantly displaying to me and lunges but it's apparently all for show as my boss, let's call him Sam, has explained to me. He doesn't bite (or hasn't yet), but he will display, lunge, shake his head and body, and stretch out his wings to try to scare me off as soon as I enter his line of sight.
Maya - 18~ year old Rubylina, she is Apollo's mate and she's been laying eggs the past 2 months or so. Sam has been taking the eggs out and incubating them to sell the babies as they are 3rd generation hybrids.
Petri - 6~ year old Ruby, she has been laying eggs recently as well, but none have been fertile. She is even tempered but she is the only one that has actually wounded me (it was my fault, I was unaware at the time of the body language and signals the birds give me that they're going to bite). It felt like slamming my finger in a car door... she took off my fingerprint.
Vinny - 28~ year old Greenwing, he is Petri's mate. He's the nicest of them all, he readily stepped up to me and steps up for customers at the hotel all the time, without incident. He is a month older than me! He's also not a very good mate. He didn't feed Petri while she was in the box, he's very submissive to her, she beats him up often, etc. We think the age difference has something to do with it.
Gunny - 11~ year old Military, this is the problem bird. We think she was abused previously. More on her next.
Leon - Unsure of his age, but he's a huge, beautiful Scarlet. We just got him about 2-3 weeks ago to try to give Gunny a partner. He was previously left to his thoughts in a cage that was too small, in the basement of his last home, along with his sister Bella who is being sold on July 19. Leon and Bella got along before coming here, and when Sam had to separate them because we don't have the room for 7 birds, Leon started lashing out at Bella when he would bring all the birds out to the front room.
Bella - Also unsure of her age, she is a sweet, petite girl. She sleeps in Sam's room along with the three babies he is hand-rearing from Apollo and Maya. Bella is being sold on July 19 to a one-bird woman in South Carolina, which sucks because she is so sweet.
None of these birds are caged, they have their own room with three big perch systems that are meant to look natural. The birds live 2 to a perch. Apollo and Maya, Vinny and Petri, and now Gunny and Leon. Gunny was living alone on her perch for several months after Sam sold another bird named Al Capone that was perched with Gunny. I'm not sure how their relationship was, but I don't believe they were mated from what Sam has told me. Al Capone was sold the week I arrived, so I didn't get to know him. The birds don't leave their perches, they don't like being on the ground. They are free-flighted but they don't fly around, fly to another perch, they are transported solely by step ups.
Except Gunny. She is a strange bird. Sam and I think she was abused by a previous owner or came straight from the jungle because she is wild. She is missing nails on three of her toes. I'm not entirely sure how that could happen, and we have no idea how it did happen. She likes to hang upside-down on her perch from one foot. She has such a big attitude, everyone is going to know who Gunny is whether they're here for 5 minutes or 5 days. She bonded with Sam immediately after he brought her home. He can kiss her on the beak and head, lift her up by her beak, wrestle with her; you name it, she will let Sam do it. This is not the case for me. If she is not on her perch in their room, she will attack me on sight. She still lunges at me and starts biting her perch if I enter her view. Her eyes pin like crazy, big and small, big and small, when she is looking at me she is pinning. She fluffs up the moment she sees me. This is what prompted me to start researching these birds and how to read their body language, how to stop this behavior,
From what I've read (these forums, the stickies, sex and the psittacine, etc) she thinks I'm an intruder. Sam brings the birds out to the front desk every day, except Apollo and Maya because they're brooding still. Gunny will not sit on a perch outside of their room. She will walk along the ground freely behind the desk. We can keep her contained by shutting and locking the swing gate between the lobby and the area behind the front desk, and then putting a coat or blanket down so she can't crawl under the gate. It's very difficult for me to even enter the lobby when Gunny is out because the moment she sees me, it's on. She will walk towards me slowly, quietly, unassuming, until she gets close enough to go for it. She spreads her wings and charges me and bites onto my shoes, and there is no shaking her off. Sam tries to intervene by putting a dowel between her beak and my shoes, but she doesn't let go until she feels like it. If I didn't wear the Jordan's that I wear, she would for sure have torn through my shoes because even with these thick sneakers, I can still feel her beak on my toes. The past few times she's bitten me, there was little reaction from me. I calmly grabbed a nearby cushion and put it between her and my shoes. She attacks the cushion instead for a few seconds until Sam gets her to back off. I have had to use a broom to fend her off as well (not maliciously, but I was sweeping and she came out of nowhere and charged me so I had to hold her back with the broom, I realize this is not ideal).
Sam has been letting me change out their food and water bowls more often and sweep their room so they can get as much time as possible with me in the room doing things that they hopefully appreciate. I talk to them all individually while I'm doing these things, even Gunny. She has no reaction to anything I say and is just waiting like a gargoyle for me to get close enough to lunge at. The only time she ignores me is if I'm sitting at the front desk with both my feet up in the chair so she can't reach. She has definitely tried, though. If she can't reach me, she starts tearing the wooden baseboard molding up, as if to say "This is what's in store for you, pal". Gunny has bitten Sam on my behalf a few times, as well. I know she's jealous of a new face being around her perceived mate, she thinks I'm intruding on her territory, I know biting is a self-perpetuating action, it just happens so fast that I don't usually have time to react before I feel the pinching on my shoes. I'm being more mindful to keep the cushion near me, and I wonder if I should start using a T-stick to fend her off instead?
This bird has been like this to me from Day 1, and while I was afraid of them at first due to not being a bird person, the research I've done and the happiness I get when taking care of them and seeing them just be their intelligent, silly selves is something I never thought I would feel from a bird. The others are still in the "apprehensive" stage, but are coming around. Leon lets me pet him and steps up, Vinny and Petri will step up, I won't even attempt it with Apollo, Maya, or Gunny. Especially Gunny. Just thinking about offering her my arm to step up hurts my bones.. not because I don't like her, because I really do, I want a relationship with this bird that hates me. I talk sweetly and softly to her every time I see her. I try to mimic some of the things Sam does in hopes that she will accept the gestures (like things that he says that gets a response out of her, she will just stare me down pinning when I say it).
I'm really just at a loss on how to get through to this bird. I'm not able to bond with her because she doesn't give me the chance, she just goes straight to attack mode the second I come around. I've read all the articles I could find, I've read so many anecdotes, but there aren't too many of macaws available, and I haven't found a single experience where the birds were uncaged. This is not my first experience with birds, but my first with large exotic birds. My only previous experience with birds was with my aunt's blue crown conure and his cockatiel buddy, and the conure definitely pushed the limits on what I was comfortable with around birds (read: absolutely none at all). I never thought I would be a bird person, but being here at the hotel and helping take care of the macaws, learning about their history and mannerisms and social structure, etc has been an amazing experience and definitely changed my view on birds completely.
Sorry for the long post, I know it's a lot. I hope this is in the right spot. Thanks for having me here at the Avenue. I'm looking forward to any and all responses and literature that I can further research for help.
-James, a fledgling bird boy
Obligatory new member post. I've been reading these forums the past few weeks trying to find a solution to my issue with my boss' military macaw. I think our situation is quite unique, rather different from the experiences of 40+ pages of threads by other members. This might be pretty long so allow me to give a bit of context.
About 2.5 months ago, I started a new job at a hotel where the owner has several macaws. I'll list them here and describe them.
Apollo - 17~ year old Blue and Gold, he's super territorial of his mate as they are never apart. He's constantly displaying to me and lunges but it's apparently all for show as my boss, let's call him Sam, has explained to me. He doesn't bite (or hasn't yet), but he will display, lunge, shake his head and body, and stretch out his wings to try to scare me off as soon as I enter his line of sight.
Maya - 18~ year old Rubylina, she is Apollo's mate and she's been laying eggs the past 2 months or so. Sam has been taking the eggs out and incubating them to sell the babies as they are 3rd generation hybrids.
Petri - 6~ year old Ruby, she has been laying eggs recently as well, but none have been fertile. She is even tempered but she is the only one that has actually wounded me (it was my fault, I was unaware at the time of the body language and signals the birds give me that they're going to bite). It felt like slamming my finger in a car door... she took off my fingerprint.
Vinny - 28~ year old Greenwing, he is Petri's mate. He's the nicest of them all, he readily stepped up to me and steps up for customers at the hotel all the time, without incident. He is a month older than me! He's also not a very good mate. He didn't feed Petri while she was in the box, he's very submissive to her, she beats him up often, etc. We think the age difference has something to do with it.
Gunny - 11~ year old Military, this is the problem bird. We think she was abused previously. More on her next.
Leon - Unsure of his age, but he's a huge, beautiful Scarlet. We just got him about 2-3 weeks ago to try to give Gunny a partner. He was previously left to his thoughts in a cage that was too small, in the basement of his last home, along with his sister Bella who is being sold on July 19. Leon and Bella got along before coming here, and when Sam had to separate them because we don't have the room for 7 birds, Leon started lashing out at Bella when he would bring all the birds out to the front room.
Bella - Also unsure of her age, she is a sweet, petite girl. She sleeps in Sam's room along with the three babies he is hand-rearing from Apollo and Maya. Bella is being sold on July 19 to a one-bird woman in South Carolina, which sucks because she is so sweet.
None of these birds are caged, they have their own room with three big perch systems that are meant to look natural. The birds live 2 to a perch. Apollo and Maya, Vinny and Petri, and now Gunny and Leon. Gunny was living alone on her perch for several months after Sam sold another bird named Al Capone that was perched with Gunny. I'm not sure how their relationship was, but I don't believe they were mated from what Sam has told me. Al Capone was sold the week I arrived, so I didn't get to know him. The birds don't leave their perches, they don't like being on the ground. They are free-flighted but they don't fly around, fly to another perch, they are transported solely by step ups.
Except Gunny. She is a strange bird. Sam and I think she was abused by a previous owner or came straight from the jungle because she is wild. She is missing nails on three of her toes. I'm not entirely sure how that could happen, and we have no idea how it did happen. She likes to hang upside-down on her perch from one foot. She has such a big attitude, everyone is going to know who Gunny is whether they're here for 5 minutes or 5 days. She bonded with Sam immediately after he brought her home. He can kiss her on the beak and head, lift her up by her beak, wrestle with her; you name it, she will let Sam do it. This is not the case for me. If she is not on her perch in their room, she will attack me on sight. She still lunges at me and starts biting her perch if I enter her view. Her eyes pin like crazy, big and small, big and small, when she is looking at me she is pinning. She fluffs up the moment she sees me. This is what prompted me to start researching these birds and how to read their body language, how to stop this behavior,
From what I've read (these forums, the stickies, sex and the psittacine, etc) she thinks I'm an intruder. Sam brings the birds out to the front desk every day, except Apollo and Maya because they're brooding still. Gunny will not sit on a perch outside of their room. She will walk along the ground freely behind the desk. We can keep her contained by shutting and locking the swing gate between the lobby and the area behind the front desk, and then putting a coat or blanket down so she can't crawl under the gate. It's very difficult for me to even enter the lobby when Gunny is out because the moment she sees me, it's on. She will walk towards me slowly, quietly, unassuming, until she gets close enough to go for it. She spreads her wings and charges me and bites onto my shoes, and there is no shaking her off. Sam tries to intervene by putting a dowel between her beak and my shoes, but she doesn't let go until she feels like it. If I didn't wear the Jordan's that I wear, she would for sure have torn through my shoes because even with these thick sneakers, I can still feel her beak on my toes. The past few times she's bitten me, there was little reaction from me. I calmly grabbed a nearby cushion and put it between her and my shoes. She attacks the cushion instead for a few seconds until Sam gets her to back off. I have had to use a broom to fend her off as well (not maliciously, but I was sweeping and she came out of nowhere and charged me so I had to hold her back with the broom, I realize this is not ideal).
Sam has been letting me change out their food and water bowls more often and sweep their room so they can get as much time as possible with me in the room doing things that they hopefully appreciate. I talk to them all individually while I'm doing these things, even Gunny. She has no reaction to anything I say and is just waiting like a gargoyle for me to get close enough to lunge at. The only time she ignores me is if I'm sitting at the front desk with both my feet up in the chair so she can't reach. She has definitely tried, though. If she can't reach me, she starts tearing the wooden baseboard molding up, as if to say "This is what's in store for you, pal". Gunny has bitten Sam on my behalf a few times, as well. I know she's jealous of a new face being around her perceived mate, she thinks I'm intruding on her territory, I know biting is a self-perpetuating action, it just happens so fast that I don't usually have time to react before I feel the pinching on my shoes. I'm being more mindful to keep the cushion near me, and I wonder if I should start using a T-stick to fend her off instead?
This bird has been like this to me from Day 1, and while I was afraid of them at first due to not being a bird person, the research I've done and the happiness I get when taking care of them and seeing them just be their intelligent, silly selves is something I never thought I would feel from a bird. The others are still in the "apprehensive" stage, but are coming around. Leon lets me pet him and steps up, Vinny and Petri will step up, I won't even attempt it with Apollo, Maya, or Gunny. Especially Gunny. Just thinking about offering her my arm to step up hurts my bones.. not because I don't like her, because I really do, I want a relationship with this bird that hates me. I talk sweetly and softly to her every time I see her. I try to mimic some of the things Sam does in hopes that she will accept the gestures (like things that he says that gets a response out of her, she will just stare me down pinning when I say it).
I'm really just at a loss on how to get through to this bird. I'm not able to bond with her because she doesn't give me the chance, she just goes straight to attack mode the second I come around. I've read all the articles I could find, I've read so many anecdotes, but there aren't too many of macaws available, and I haven't found a single experience where the birds were uncaged. This is not my first experience with birds, but my first with large exotic birds. My only previous experience with birds was with my aunt's blue crown conure and his cockatiel buddy, and the conure definitely pushed the limits on what I was comfortable with around birds (read: absolutely none at all). I never thought I would be a bird person, but being here at the hotel and helping take care of the macaws, learning about their history and mannerisms and social structure, etc has been an amazing experience and definitely changed my view on birds completely.
Sorry for the long post, I know it's a lot. I hope this is in the right spot. Thanks for having me here at the Avenue. I'm looking forward to any and all responses and literature that I can further research for help.
-James, a fledgling bird boy
