.Need HELP W/ Military McCaw

[Kellymoses]

We have a McCaw that we took mainly for the reson the former owner believed that if he Bites just smack him across the room she even bragged about giving him a black eye. I am trying to find ways to tame him down some. He is a year and a half. very aggressive, lately he has started to chase my 2 yr old grandson around. I am learning about birds with him & havn't had one as young & aggressive as him, could use some help, Oh by the way he likes to bite to.

[sugarfox72]

We have 2 Congo African Greys, both female and both are rescued from bad situations. My grey Lucy was previously owned by a man who was really nasty to her she is only 2 and the majority of her vocabulary is bad words. He use to tease her and she now has a nasty habit of striking when we try to have her step up onto our hands but she has gotten better with time. Annie my bfs grey is 9 and has had many different owners. She hates me but loves the bf to death. With birds I have found that they take lots of time and patients. Look for a forum online that deals with Military McCaw's. Try lots of positive reinforcement pick his favorite treat and practice some easy training like words he knows, target training or anything you can get him to do and not get bit. If he starts biting then put him away and try again later. Always try to end on a positive note, eventuality he will understand that biting gets negative response and not biting gets positive. I am no expert and it all sounds so easy but it can be so frustrating. I wish you luck and if you have any other questions please let me know! :)

[sugarfox72]

Also on a side note make sure he has lots of toys and things in his cage that can keep him busy. Birds are very active and get very bored very easy! It may aid in his training and or the biting if he has toys to bite instead.

[Kellymoses]

Thanks I am trying to be patient my husband is getting frustrated almost to the point of getting rid of him. I have been trying some things I found on line. I get E-mails from Bird tricks by Chet but it helps to have someone to refer to at times I can't figure out how to contact him.

[sugarfox72]

Well let me know if you have any other questions! I'm happy to help or give you my opinion when ever you need it! :) Best of luck!

[hightideatsea]

I have an African Gray and a Goffins cockatoo.  The Gray is 5 yrs old and when we first got him he would also try to bite us and is very quick at it.  We've had him for two years now and he's FINALLY  started being nicer, but he still has his moods.  I never let him step up on my hand unless i have a very thick towel over my hand.  Otherwise he will try to bite my finger.  My son is the only one who can pick him up with a bare hand. (he used to be a man's bird before we acquired him).   As the other person said, it will take time for your bird to adjust and provide lots of toys and paitence.  You really have to work with them everyday.  I try using positive reinforcement with mine (kind of like you would do with a dog) and it's been working so much now that when my gray KNOWS he did something right or nice, he says "i have cookie?"  lol  (he calls his crackers and rice cakes cookies)

[Kellymoses]

I'm trying to get him in a good routine, I have had to limit his time out of the cage though to when the grandson is taking a nap or not home. the bird attacked him so now he is scared of him if he is loose. I'm not sure if this is enough time out. His cage is in-between the kichen & living room since he gets to socialize more & we only heat with wood in the living room

[grey7399]

hubby works with our rescued macaws.

he takes the bites extra hard squeezes etc.

you have to be aware that these birds can easily amputate a toddlers finger.  A military nearly the first joint off my index finger.

I'm not  trying to  scare you but these are real possibilities.  I had to go to the ER for stitches & to have the crushed bits of fingernail dug out of my nail bed.

diet is a big deal.  It can affect their temperament.  Our parrots get a cooked meal, parrot salad, seed (no corn & very few sunflower seeds) & bird bread daily.

[Kellymoses]

Thank-you, we keep  him in the cage unless it is nap time or if grand-kids are gone & watch him closely around them. I have a puffy down coat I put on for padding before I take him out that way if he does bite it doesn't get through to me. He is slowly getting better starting not to bite as much. As for losing a finger I have herd that before I can't really afford that since I already have an amputated rt. index finger. (ha-ha). I am hoping by spring I will be able to handle him enough to put a harness on him so I can take him outside.

[gogetem]

Only thing i can think of is have you ever seen how they test aggression i dogs to see if theyre adoptable? This probably sounds nuts, but maybe you can find a fake hand and work work with him. If he bites, dont react... Just keep doing what youre doing. You dont want to pull it away because he will associate him biting with no more hand.... Which is what he wants and if it works he will keep doing it. If you punish him for it, he wont stop associating the hand with pain and the biting wont stop still. This is going to take a lot of time! The smartest animals are the hardest to rewire. In my experience, birds of any kind dont react well to punishment or correcting a behavior as you would with a dog. It makes them more vigourousand agressive. Its cliche, but trust is the foundation. He needs to trust a hand and youve got to start of very slow. Instead of correcting the behavior like a dog, because the prior owner threw that method out the window, try redirecting the behavior.... Not with treats! Give him an activity he likes before you start and slowly introduce the hand.