Posted by Lisa Phoenix on Fri, 02/17/2006 - 06:59 :: General Discussion
This is really a continuation of the discussion under "military macaws" but i thought it was time to start a new thread.
When i first got my B&G Zazu i already had a U2 and a RLA. Zaz was pretty young - 3 yrs old - and had spent a lot of time caged. i found he uses his beak a lot differently than my other birds.
In those first days together i would offer my wrist for him to step onto and he would reach with his beak first, rather than a foot. i was really intimidated by this as i didn't realize that his intention was just to steady himself - none of my other birds do this. Caused a lot of misunderstanding and mistrust. Finally he hit on the tactic of turning his back to me, grabbing something like an upper perch or cage with that big black beak, and reaching out backwards with a foot to step up in reverse. Lucky for me, poor guy. Sometimes he would dangle by his beak so i could slip my arm under his free-swinging feet (he still does this sometimes, and i've been told that it's a baby-bird begging gesture).
At some point he started picking up and holding a finger from my free hand in his beak. Just gently holding. From there he started using very delicate pressure to "steer" me in the desired direction (usually toward the kitchen and treats, or outdoors).
Befor too long as trust was building he started a game of flipping upside down in my arms and chewing on my fingers, hands, and wrists. If he used too much pressure i would say "too hard" and flip him back upright. After a minute i'd say "try again" and he'd flip upside down again, always with more gentle mouthing and chewing. He still does this too.
Now that he flies if he gets nippy (bossy) or uses too much pressure i just gently toss him to fly to a perch and chill out for a moment. He's a young teen in "bird years" as far as i can tell and sometimes he gets carried away playing too rowdy. A low-key "too hard" and a very brief time-out gives him a chance to get control of his own arousal level. Sometimes he flies right back to me and continues more gently. Other times he beats up on a toy or starts a new game.
i spend a lot of time with my hands/fingers in his mouth and i'm convinced that it's really strengthened our bond and our communication like nothing else. i also realize i'm risking my fingers, and just offering this as my own experience FWIW. When i first got him i posted around and got advice never to let him touch me with his beak, that nibbling would evolve into biting , etc. i'm so glad i decided to ignore this advice.
Definately does not apply to other species than macaw - if my amazon or my cockatoo approached me beak-first as Zazu often does, i'd know they were trying to bite. Does not apply to confirmed macaw biters either. Just maybe an example of how trust issues that COULD lead to frustrated biting can start early in the relationship with the owner of a big beak... they're not just for biting!
When i first got my B&G Zazu i already had a U2 and a RLA. Zaz was pretty young - 3 yrs old - and had spent a lot of time caged. i found he uses his beak a lot differently than my other birds.
In those first days together i would offer my wrist for him to step onto and he would reach with his beak first, rather than a foot. i was really intimidated by this as i didn't realize that his intention was just to steady himself - none of my other birds do this. Caused a lot of misunderstanding and mistrust. Finally he hit on the tactic of turning his back to me, grabbing something like an upper perch or cage with that big black beak, and reaching out backwards with a foot to step up in reverse. Lucky for me, poor guy. Sometimes he would dangle by his beak so i could slip my arm under his free-swinging feet (he still does this sometimes, and i've been told that it's a baby-bird begging gesture).
At some point he started picking up and holding a finger from my free hand in his beak. Just gently holding. From there he started using very delicate pressure to "steer" me in the desired direction (usually toward the kitchen and treats, or outdoors).
Befor too long as trust was building he started a game of flipping upside down in my arms and chewing on my fingers, hands, and wrists. If he used too much pressure i would say "too hard" and flip him back upright. After a minute i'd say "try again" and he'd flip upside down again, always with more gentle mouthing and chewing. He still does this too.
Now that he flies if he gets nippy (bossy) or uses too much pressure i just gently toss him to fly to a perch and chill out for a moment. He's a young teen in "bird years" as far as i can tell and sometimes he gets carried away playing too rowdy. A low-key "too hard" and a very brief time-out gives him a chance to get control of his own arousal level. Sometimes he flies right back to me and continues more gently. Other times he beats up on a toy or starts a new game.
i spend a lot of time with my hands/fingers in his mouth and i'm convinced that it's really strengthened our bond and our communication like nothing else. i also realize i'm risking my fingers, and just offering this as my own experience FWIW. When i first got him i posted around and got advice never to let him touch me with his beak, that nibbling would evolve into biting , etc. i'm so glad i decided to ignore this advice.
Definately does not apply to other species than macaw - if my amazon or my cockatoo approached me beak-first as Zazu often does, i'd know they were trying to bite. Does not apply to confirmed macaw biters either. Just maybe an example of how trust issues that COULD lead to frustrated biting can start early in the relationship with the owner of a big beak... they're not just for biting!