How to prevent a macaw from biting

Green-winged macaws are fun, interactive, and affectionate pets. Because they are very intelligent and social animals, macaws need a lot of exercise and stimulation. It is essential to create a positive and healthy relationship with your bird so that it feels like a member of the family. Providing a bird with a safe environment and trusting keepers will help prevent parrots that bite and aggression, and give you more time to focus on the fun tasks of teaching your bird language skills and various tricks.

Gain the trust of your bird. Spend a few days getting to know your macaw before starting training. Physical affection is not always the best way to proceed from the beginning. Participate in low-stress, low-demanding activities, such as talking to your bird in a calm, gentle voice.

Offer your birds treats on a spoon. It’s fine to give your bird a treat once it’s become more comfortable with you, but a biting bird can snatch treats or even bite the hand that feeds it. If you think your macaw could do this, offer the treat on a long, flat object like a wooden spoon to keep your hand at bay. Do not force the process of accepting treats – wait for your bird to come to you. Once the treatment is accepted, you can gently stroke your bird on the chest.

The best treats for macaws are nuts, such as macadamia nuts, pecans, Yvelines, almonds, and walnuts.

Give your bird a balanced diet. A balanced diet consists of 85% granules, 5% varied seeds, and 10% fresh fruits and vegetables. Parrot mixes are available that combine formulated feed, seeds, dried feed, and nuts. Additional supplements, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, cooked chicken, and meat, are good ways to give your bird extra vitamins and protein.
- Provide your bird with a large cage. Macaws are large birds that need a lot of exercises. Buy a cage that offers enough space for toys, several perches, and parrot food dishes, while leaving enough space for your bird to move freely.
  - Bring elements of the natural world into the parrot cage. Try making perches with sticks and placing small branches with leaves in the cage to make your bird feel more comfortable.
  - Also, give your bird time to get out of the cage. This will allow the macaw parrot to do much-needed exercise and stimulation. Place perches around the house, especially in areas where you or your family members tend to hang out, so your bird can feel socially engaged. Be sure to provide your bird with fresh drinking water every day

Associate your hands with positive behaviors. Some people make the initial mistake of using their hands to hunt or throw objects at their birds in order to punish bad behavior. This makes it difficult for your bird to know if your hands are going to be used for positive activity, such as stroking or holding, or negative activity.

For the first few days, use a wooden stick or perch to pick up your bird instead of your hands. When your bird begins to feel more comfortable with you, move on to take it with your hand and place it on your finger.

Teach your bird to rise. Getting your bird up on your hand is essential for any further training. Take it easy and make sure you smile and make eye contact while teaching your bird to rise. Macaws can read your body language and will know if you are stressed or frustrated.

Start by putting a treat in one hand and place the other near the bird. The bird will probably go to get the treat. Give the treat and offer compliments. Then try again, this time asking your bird to stand up. Repeat this process until your bird is comfortable enough to intensify. Once the bird climbs with one foot, continue until it begins to use both feet.
Set up security zones. Once you start picking up your bird with your hands, it’s important to teach it a few limitations. Otherwise, you run the risk of letting your bird fly recklessly around the house, which can lead to injury or leakage.
- Start by taking your bird out of its cage. Whenever the bird tries to fly away, pick it up gently and place it on your shoulder, hand, or outside the cage. This allows the bird to know that these are acceptable landing zones.
- Once your bird has become familiar with its safe landing zones, let it fly a little more freely around the house. Be sure to monitor where your parrot lands. If it does not land in a prescribed safety zone, continue to place it back on your hand, shoulder, or cage until it no longer lands in unwanted places.

Always use positive reinforcement. Never hit your bird or use any kind of physical punishment, as this will immediately break trust. Instead, offer treats and praise yourself for positive behavior. If your bird behaves badly, do not say anything and do not give it a treat.

Listen to the clicking beak. If your bird snaps its beak several times in a row, you should consider this as a sign that your bird feels defensive, aggressive, or doesn’t want to be manipulated. Often, the snapping of the beak is accompanied by an elevation of one foot or stretching of the neck. Pay attention to the behavior of your bird. Attempting to play with your bird at this time can lead to a bite.

A tongue snap, on the other hand, is a sign that your bird wants to play. Learn the difference between the mouthpiece and the clatter of the tongue and respond appropriately.

Look for eye pinning. Flashing eyes are a potential signal that something is wrong. Pinning the eyes may mean that your bird is excited, but it often prevents anger or aggression. When you notice that your bird’s eyes are flashing, look for sources of distress in the immediate environment and do not try to manipulate your bird to avoid biting it.

Do not handle a grumbling bird. Growling is a bird’s vocal way of telling you it doesn’t want to be touched. If a bird feels aggressive, the growl is often associated with dilated pupils and raised feathers. Retreat and give your bird time to calm down.

Parrots that bite

The Hyacinthe Macaw

See if your macaw is hanging on the bars of the cage or lifting its foot. It’s a sign that he wants to go out, so enjoy it! Open the cage door, offer him your arm and say “go up” or “go up”. Make sure you’re not nervous, as your macaw can tell. Make eye contact and it will be less likely to bite. If he throws himself on your arm, tell him firmly “no” and close the door. This will teach him that he can’t get out of the cage unless he gets on your arm.