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Help with angry Hanz Macaw

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Help with angry Hanz Macaw

Postby zrosai » Thu Apr 28, 2016 2:49 pm

Hello, my mom recently adopted a 16 years old hanz macaw. He was apparently abused by his owner. He didn't like my mom and so he's now mine. One thing he does is he likes to be on my shoulder but if I try to get him off he bites my finger and then my back. I usually don't put him on my shoulder now because of it but as soon as I hold him he wants to get up there. He also can't fly, I have to know him off of my back because he bit me many times in the neck. He's very territorial and stubborn if anyone has any advice he also squaks all day and then won't let me hold him sometimes
zrosai
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 2
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Hanz Macaw
Flight: No

Re: Help with angry Hanz Macaw

Postby zrosai » Thu Apr 28, 2016 2:58 pm

Also he can be nice and he only likes being held if he's on my shoulder and he spends most of his time under my bed. I'm sorry if this is in the wrong section
zrosai
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 2
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Hanz Macaw
Flight: No

Re: Help with angry Hanz Macaw

Postby Wolf » Fri Apr 29, 2016 7:53 am

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Wanting to perch on your shoulder is perfectly natural as it is about the highest place on your body that it can perch comfortably, this is important to most parrots as they are canopy dwellers ( they live high in the trees) and so for them it is the safest place to be. However it is not a very good place to allow a biting bird and even smaller macaws such as this one can leave a nasty scar on a person's face. You may need to try to distract it from climbing onto your shoulder until both you and this bird can trust each other better. To distract the bird, you could try a favored toy or perhaps a small stuffed animal toy that you can use to both distract or block the birds path to your shoulder as well as to place between the birds beak and your body when it is preparing to bite you. You might also want to place a towel around your neck draped over your shoulders to protect your neck from bites. When the bird has made it to your shoulder and you want it off you can show it a favored treat such as a tree nut and then once it is aware of the treat ask it to step up and reward the step up with the nut. You may also want to use the same tactic when you are ready to return it to its cage.

This is a perfectly good place for your post.

Now if you would please tell us a bit more about your bird starting with a more definite idea of how long you have had the bird. The more information that you can share with us the better and more accurate our answers can be. Each one of these birds are unique individuals and they are not only extremely intelligent they are also self aware as in they know who they are just the same as you are self aware. Parrots are not really pets although they can be wonderful companions but we must always remember that they are not domesticated and are truly a captive but wild creature. They do not live in a dominance based hierarchy such as cat, dogs and even we humans live in so they do not ever respond to discipline in a positive manner.

Tell us about what foods that you give him to eat as well as when you feed him, what times does he get up in the mornings and when does he go to sleep at night. How much time out of the cage does he get each day? Does he have toys in and on his cage to occupy himself with when you are not available for him? He will need some small ones that he can pick up and hold in his foot as well as ones to destroy, some that you can hide bits of nuts or other food treats in for him to find and so on. And if he has any of these things does he use them? He needs to be able to occupy and exercise his mind, especially when he is alone during the day. I know that some of my questions may seem to be somewhat unimportant, but I assure you that they are not unimportant as these things all affect his behaviors.
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8679
Location: Lansing, NC
Number of Birds Owned: 6
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal
African Grey (CAG)
Yellow Naped Amazon
2Celestial Parrotlet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: Help with angry Hanz Macaw

Postby Pajarita » Fri Apr 29, 2016 11:07 am

Welcome to the forum! Mini-macaws can be very bitey... they are more like glorified conures than actual macaws - at least, in temperament.

Please let us know a bit more about him... how long have you had him? why doesn't he fly? why do you think that he was abused? are you his second home? do you know for a fact it's a he? why do you say he is territorial? as well as the questions that Wolf asked (they might look as if they have nothing to do with behavior but they do and we will explain).
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes


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