Part 2 Aggressive parrots: Getting consistent step ups without biting

[@stacym6027]

Lovely to see him go from learning to tolerate a head scratch, to actually asking for them! Very nice work. Thank you for your work with these wonderful birds

[@GlamBeautyTV]

I just got a rescue severe macaw. He’s not use to hands, at all. It’s a very slow process and I make sure we go at his pace. Never forcing him to step up. I finally got him to eat off my hand and he stepped up!

[@mosti.7106]

To be honest after seeing a bunch of kids grabbing galahs and macaws and scaring them this is a great refresher and well done for taming him well!

[@arsaeterna4285]

[@huzefa.a.hazari223]

How much does it take usually to make the parrot step up? What is the best food lure to you foe them ?

[@avianbehavior]

Both of these depend on the bird as well as the trainer. If the bird has a lot of experience that make it fearful of hands and the trainer is inconsistent at providing positive experiences associated with hands, it can take a long time. These videos outline how to stay consistent. I had one client who was told she had to towel her bird to train it away from the cage. This is not giving the bird consistent information. I don't move the bird from where it is comfortable. The food that is best is what the bird wants the most. Abbi likes bits of nuts, so I chopped them in the smallest bits I can get away with.

[@sarahpayne4099]

What are you using as treats?

[@valpuerner2736]

What treats interest a parrot

[@Kevincooper220]

My macaw started to step up on me recently by showing the vertical hand.Unfortunately he started to avoid me after 5 days of training and now he tries to bite me.But when I close the door for few seconds and Start again then he just puts one foot on my hand...he is unwilling to step up now...don't know what went wrong? Also should I keep my hand horizontal now?

[@abhiisheksingh]

for parrots or birds its the palm downwards, signifies strength, they have to stand on it.

[@AirportBiker]

hey my parrot stepup on me for training but as soon as her belly is full she runs away from me how can i make her just stay and be not afraid

[@travis4651]

What treats are you using?

[@kim-kitsuragi]

Unkn0wn xXx3 Chopped up bits of almonds and walnuts

[@wilsworld8150]

What cage do you use?

[@galexyzeekvampireprince7918]

I can pet my blue and yellow mcaw he will bow his head to let me pet him he won't step up what do I do?

[@shaikhsahab2805]

my parrot doesnt let me do that

[@andri4016]

Well, I have a bird, I have him almost for a month and he still is scared of me.. He never touched me he doesn't let me pet him etc... I tried this with watermelon seeds since he loves them but when I get hand away from him he just doesn't want to eat them. Can you suggest me anything?

[@josealbert4596]

some parrots learn to speak German very well ( plus English). left eye has a problem

[@thefireballgamer7316]

I wanted to give my macaw seeds with my hand then he bit me very strong

[@lucila5466]

Lol

[@aabishsatti6623]

Can u give me any online site suggestions from where I can buy a cage for my macow? I would be really grateful 🙏🙏🙏

[@mosti.7106]

Macow

[@oceaniverse299]

My grandmas parakeet is hg hot neglected. So I’m going to see if I can sneakily worm my way into the birds life and take over it’s care. I don’t feel comfortable telling me grandma she is doing everything completely wrong.

[@avianbehavior]

Using positive reinforcement helps on people too. No one likes to feel bad about themselves. Showing her the right way without judgment and making it easy for her to succeed can help the bird in the long run. This can also mean offering to take over its care :)

[@Eng_Emadrabee]

my ringneck parrot is very curious he somes to me fast and to any new thing and testing it by bitting he is eating form me and he could step up and down but some times he runs to my shoulders and bit my ears :D and when i offer him my hand there he always bit :( what should i do to let him stop this curiosity ?!

[@avianbehavior]

***** I would first start by teaching him to step up, like you see me doing with Abbi in the first video. I keep him successful by giving him the treats with his beak high and away from my hand. As soon as he looks like he is going to bite by lowering his beak, I remove my hand and the treats, wait a few seconds, and start over. Once he is on my hand, I encourage him to stay on my hand and not run to my shoulder by putting a bend in my elbow and keeping my hand high, like I am holding a pie and keeping a high rate of treats so he learns that the hand is a great place to be where he gets great stuff. As far as running up and biting things, I might try to interrupt the behavior by giving him a treat before he gets to the thing he is going to bite. I would keep doing this and even start saying something like "Wait." Then I would fade the food prompt and say "Wait" and as soon as he slowed down I would give him a treat. I taught my blue and gold hen to stop running after my toes this way. It works ;)

[@wonderbooks4225]

Omda El-GeN you can take a birds curiosity away if they bite you try not to react even if its extremely painful! dont scream because thats the the onlyreason they bite your reaction hold it in

[@euphoricdreams1864]

My conure does the same thing it's so frustrating I will get him to step up and he will bite me for no reason he will be very sweet and funny then randomly bite for no reason yesterday I was just sitting with him watching tv and he bit me out of no where

[@Corrinsect]

How do you get them to not bite. 8 just got a 3 year old blue and gold macaw and she knows how to step up but she bites sometimes. What do i do if she bites? Do i tell her no? Thats what ive been doing for the past few days h7t i saw an article saying not to do that but it didnt give me any alternatives.

[@avianbehavior]

If a bird bites me or looks like it is going to bite, I take my hands away. Presumably, this means he isn't going to step up and be with me and get treats. I try not to get bitten in the first place by moving at the bird's pace and reinforcing with treats for calm, non-biting behavior while my hands move into place. I have a few articles on my website at avian-behavior.org/blog

[@lorenacabrera9107]

my female ringneck is about 3 to 4 years old and I just cant seem to tame her. I've had her for a year she doesn't want to be around anyone. she attacks my male ringneck he is 2 years old and attacks me. i cant hold her on my arm without her jumping and attacking me. the only time I can hold her is when Im a the park she will let me pet her or if I don't have my male parrot with me. what would I do now?

[@zeleneho327]

Samm the ringneck parakeet I have the same problem as u . I also don't know what to do

[@alessioschiavone3898]

I wished woman were as patient and devoted like that with us man like they are with parrots

[@ldestroyb6612]

please someone help when i try to pet my parrot he tries to bite my finger but he eats food out of my hand please can someone tell me how to stop it

[@ALT-ng7ef]

LDestroy B if he bites, leave it and come back in 5 mins, your parrot may think that if it bites=treats

[@LoyalTactics]

What if my Congo won’t let me put his head only my wife or mother . He isn’t aggressive he just won’t let me approach him with my hand towards his head

[@avianbehavior]

You can train him to pet his head with positive reinforcement in this same fashion. He gets a treat for allowing your hand to come gradually closer to his head.

[@dezsodebreceni4829]

We at the school have a pair of rose ringed parakeets. The male is like 20, the female is younger, probably between 10-15. (Robert and Larissa in the following). Larissa is the most scared bird I've ever seen. Although, Robbie is mean and aggressive. In recent weeks, I made him eat vegetables and fruits. Then he needed to pick it from my hand. That was hard, but success is visible. The problem is I can't go on. He does not tolerate my hand if I don't have a slice of zucchini. However, they catch their heads up when I tell their names, and Larissa seems to be less frightened now. But I am stuck as I said. Anyone having any ideas?

[@dezsodebreceni4829]

Some more info incoming: They live in the school for like 5 years now. Before the school, and in it they were always scared by those who passed by, and shit like that. That's why they are aggressive.

[@aliemulhaq8935]

Hi I just want u to ask about my African grey she hangs in the corner of cage and pluck feathers of left foot only and sometimes the both of her shoulders we've been training for almost 1 month and she know some tricks and I m working on stepping up right now any suggestions ?

[@rainthebudgie4313]

That's not good. Bring her to the vet if she's plucking feathers

[@aliemulhaq8935]

There's no good bird pet in city I live in Pakistan in a small city

[@melanymarinnn]

Aliem Ul Haq if your bird is plucking it could be an issue of boredom as they preen I. Order to entertain themselves however, if your bird continues to pluck and hangs out at the bottom of the cage and only picks at one foot it could be a skin irritation or something more serious as birds hide their illnesses for a long time and only when they show the symptoms are they in a real bad shape , if. You notice your parrot continuing to pluck even after new toys have been placed i advice you to give it some warmth, maintain his environment clean, fresh water and food, try to get your bird to bathe is lukewarm water to relieve any skin irritation from the plucking, and since there is no vet near you the best I can Advice is to continue what I mentioned above and give it fresh fruit such as banana, and a peeled Apple without the seeds, as well as some steamed vegetables like broccoli and leafy greens like kale, ABSOLUTELY NO SUNFLOWERS !! As it can cause liver inflammation if given in abundance and I think your bird has a bacterial infection which is treated with antibiotics please describe all the symptoms of your bird, and I wish you and your parrot the best! Please try to contact a vet soon though !

[@aliemulhaq8935]

Thanks toys help for a little while just for 2 or 3 days maximum then she's back with the plucking but I will try bathing her often and again thanks

[@melanymarinnn]

Aliem Ul Haq no problem and as for the toys don't put them around the cage try to make it creative for her like foraging toys can help with her boredom because she has to figure out how to get to treats

[@acethethirdking7394]

my blue and yellow macaw let's me pet him not step up thx for the help

[@laureenmendelero1536]

Are all of the red scratches on your arm from him biting

[@avianbehavior]

No, he never bit me. I was training a lot of baby macaws at the time with very sharp talons.

[@Noor-fh4nm]

I had a baby macaw about 6-7 months, your technique is really great and correct but it didnt work with him, I treated him like a little baby and by him self let me to touch him and stepping on my hand with fully trust in the third day,, i got him as a wild one never has been taimed,, i was the first person whos taimimg him,,, I guess im so lucky

[@OnKnox]

Noor 3094 he's a baby so this was a full grown macaw

[@avianbehavior]

Correct, while I recommend working with birds of all ages with positive reinforcement, being mindful of body language and establishing good practices from the beginning, babies are different than adults with much less learning history. However, keeping that foundation of positive learning history is crucial once they hit maturity because even young birds can be taught to bite. I consult with owners of birds of sizes and ages and can attest to that!

[@abhiisheksingh]

similar to branch.

[@abhiisheksingh]

best way to calm them scratch their heads, stoke it, pat it.

[@Deathhasuspartx]

What treats are you using?

[@avianbehavior]

I'm using small chopped up bits of almond and walnut

[@Deathhasuspartx]

Avian Behavior International cool thank you!