Re: Rehomed 13-yr Hahn's Macaw and aggresssion issues

[SELIGMANS]

Hi!

I was hoping to get some answers that may help me work with my recently adopted 13-yr old Hahn's Macaw. I want to have the best relationship possible with her because she will be with us forever. I also have a 4-yr old Green Cheeked Conure (my baby) who is the love of my life. He is very bonded to me and vice-versa.

When we adopted Paradise, we knew we where in for a challenge as she is set in her ways and we've had her for 1 1/2 years now. We knew she had some aggression issues but didn't realize just how bad till she came to live with us. The aggression issue seems to be mostly toward women in general. She LOVES my husband and will not bite him and she pretty much lets him do anything with her. She seems to tolerate me and I try to work as much as possible with her. I have been taking steps in doing things with her and she now finally perches on my finger/hand when I bring her in the shower for a nice mist with me (but she also bathes on her own). She steps up for me ONLY when she wants to, she pretty much will let me know when she will bite, so I have to use a ladder if needed. It can be very frustrating at times with me but I will never give up on her, she is here to stay with us forever. She is very close to my hubby as he is to her also. Kiwi was our first bird and he is my baby and lets me do ANYTHING with him. He is very bonded to me but also loves my hubby. My hubby LOVES kiwi too. We only know some of Paradise's past. We are her 4th (and forever) home. From what we know, her first owner of 10 years passed away and it was her second home where she was in a toxic environment, and her third home were her foster parents, and she is finally with us for good. I would love to learn clicker and target training but it seems complicated. Any advice? Please understand that we are empathetic to her situation and the fact she's been through so many homes already breaks our hearts so we will do what we can for her and to have the best possible relationship with her, the problem she has is with me and strangers. We want to bring out the best in her and we understand that patience is a virtue. I try to be as patient as I possibly can but sometimes it is frustrating as I feel like I take one step forward and then two steps back, although I never take it out on her.

Looking forward to hearing from some of you experts! Thanks!

Sabrina, owned by our fids Kiwi & Paradise, Hershey & Bella (Cocker Spaniel Rescues)

[Brittanyv326]

First off, props to you for taking in an older bird! Sorry to hear your troubles with her, but thankfully you're patient.

Target training and clicker training is not very complicated at all, you just need a clicker, a stick, and treats and the birds will quickly pick up on it. In Michael's article, you can learn just about everything you need to know about it: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=227

Welcome to the forum!

[SELIGMANS]

Hi Brittany, thank you so much for your compliments and welcoming me to the group!

I already checked out the link you forwarded. I've talked about it with my hubby and we will definitely try the click training with the stick using treats and all of the other suggestions recommended while training. We will put it into practice for sure. It's encouraging to hear that it's not complicated. I've started reading the article and viewed one of the videos and it really doesn't seem to be as hard as I thought. We will take our time with her, and will keep you posted on her progress. Thank you so much for your help and support!

Sabrina

[thejoie]

A mature Hahns is very different from a Green Cheek.
My Mia is 3 years old and she definitely reminds me of your Hahns. She's 100% in love with me but she likes to express herself with her beak. I call her the Nipster because she'll be playing and the next thing I know she's chomping down on my finger! Hahns macaws have a well deserved reputation for being beaky.
To deal with the nips- I always make sure to have a toy in my hand when we're playing so that if she gets too excited or riled up I can redirect her focus on the toy instead of my hand! Sometimes I'll have a slice of orange or apple as a treat/distraction too. You can work on desensitization while Paradise is munching on something yummy!

Mia is also VERY much a 1 person bird. I used to live at home with my parents and sisters and she saw everyone on a daily basis but she loves me and "likes" my mom. Everyone else is at risk for losing a limb- lol... they definitely tend to pick their favorites. Hahns macaws also tend to be very bossy and opinionated birds, so you do need a confidence in training too. I think all macaws have a "fear" radar.

My tips? Bribery and lots of it!! Mia would do anything for a pomegranate... so my mom always gives her treats to make sure Mia stays friendly with her. With an older bird it might take longer but persistence will always pay off!! You need to be consistent. Clicker training is also another fun way to get your bird to interact with you and to train.

[SELIGMANS]

Hi Thejoie,

Mia sounds quite like a little Nipster but it sounds like she loves you very much. Very cute pic of you and her on your profile pic. I have several pics of Paradise on my hubby's shoulder, she loves being with him. She has already "claimed" him and it shows. She's gotten a lot better with me, though. There are times, she just beaks and does not chomp down, but there are times that she has taken chunks out of my fingers. I have learned to respect her limits. She has litterally climbed down her bottlebrush gym by the kitchen while our nephew's girlfriend was visiting us and ran over the kitchen coutter to attack her. She bit her really hard on her hand or arm, can't remember which, I think it left a temporary scar. She also did the same to his ex-girlfriend when we were all having dinner. She ran climbed down her perch which we brought by the dining room table and she climbed down and ran across the table and bit his ex-girlfriend. Our nephew no longer lives with us, it was only temporary while he was in college. So now it's just me and my hubby. She doesn't do that to me, though. She has let me gently pet her nape/head on a few occasions, which to me tells me that she can be really nice to me when she wants to. So true about Hahn's being opinionated and bossy...and about the "fear" radar. Paradise certainly has that radar on but then again there is a lot about her past she is not telling us.

Thanks for your tips on bribery. I am certainly going to keep that in mind more. She will eat certain fruits but is very picky. She LOVES bananas! She likes apples, too, but she can be extremely picky. She LOVES peanuts and almonds. Because she is such a picky eater, I juice fresh veggies and fruits. Kiwi eats just about EVERYTHING, he's like a hoover. The juicing is a way to get them to eat a lot of their veggies, although I don't worry about Kiwi, I do worry about Paradise so the juicing is great for them. I add fresh carrots, brocolli, beet root, apples, celery, or whatever else that is healthy for them. They both LOVE it! At least Paradise "eats" all of the veggies and some fruits she refuses to eat.

I am going to do the clicker and target training as well. I hope to see some more progress with Paradise.

[thejoie]

Mia's insanely picky about foods too. I make her a "birdie bread" and I mix in all the good stuff in super small pieces. That way I know she's at least kind of getting the "good stuff". Sneaking in kale, and carrots, and squash is the only way she'll eat it!