hello i recently took in a hahns macaw parrot from a friend whos family bdaly mistreated him. he was constantly coverd over with a blanket and had objects thrown at him in order to make him be quiet. they also let there dog in the room with him which resulted in the dog biting the bird who is now blind in one eye. he is however quite a happy bird and sings all day however it is always the same noise he makes over and over again. he does speaak but it is limited. he does tricks such as dancing and waving when asked o. i think though he may be mad as i have been watching him for some time and he seems to sway sometimes but for long periods of time. he also eats fr too much, i give him a large bowel of seed and he crries out for more, when i hand him monkey nuts he attacks the nut as though he is starving for it... he also attacks if fingers are put into the cage however when he is out he is okay with most men but did bite my boyfriend the other day and drew blood. i have not yet trusted him with me but he constantly takes food of of me. is this behaviour normal? the way that he acts he seems bad but i will do everything i can to cure him if it is possible. please help if you can!!!

Natasha, the first thing you need to understand is that this bird
isn't "bad"; instead, he is seriously frightened and needs gentleness
and understanding. So in order of importance, I would suggest the
following:
1. Get him thoroughly checked by an experienced avian (bird)
vet - NOT a dog and cat vet. I cannot tell from what you describe if
his eating habits are 'normal' or not, but he needs vetting so you can
deal with any possible medical problems. An experienced avian vet will
also educate you about diet and lots of other important stuff.
2. The swaying you describe could easily be what behaviourists
call "stereotypical behaviours." These are an animal's response to a
total lack of enrichment in their lives, which sounds like his
previous home. (Visualize a lion in a zoo, pacing and pacing and
pacing.) As you get him involved in interesting things like foraging
and play, that behaviour should decrease and maybe even go away
eventually.
3. Parrots guard their cages (their territory) especially when
they are anxious and frightened - this is perfectly normal. He can
learn he does not need to be aggressive as he learns to trust you and
you learn to trust him.

There are good books and tapes to help you, Natasha - especially by
trainer Barbara Heidenreich. You can access her stuff through
www.goodbirdinc.com. Another trainer, Rebecca O'Connor, also has an
excellent book, A PARROT FOR LIFE, which is available through
www.amazon.com.

The main thing is to be very, VERY patient. Your little guy has had a
very bad time with humans and you need to go at his speed as he learns
you are not like them. And bless you for giving this little cutie
another chance, Natasha!

Liz

Hat’s off. Well done, as we know that “hard work always pays off”, after a long struggle with sincere effort it’s done.

*******************
johndouglas

Car Buyers

Hi Liz I have a 12 yr old macaw who has become very aggressive in the past year even though we have had him for 6 years. Today he took a chunk out of my lip and he has never bitten my face before. He is very unperdictable and I'm considering selling him as we dont know what to do anymore. He has a huge cage and is well looked after and has regular check ups twice a year. I'm so upset that i might have to sell him when he's been part of the family for so long. Please can you help us

The desire and love of parrots goes far beyond their beauty. A parrot is a quite wonderful companion to a human. Owner and parrot can form a close, affectionate bond. Parrot bred specifically for being a pet will be easy to hand feed and tame. Your parrot has been interacting with humans since birth. You can also be confident that your new member of the family will be tame and come to trust you – and others in your family – in a relatively short amount of time.

I think that pretty parrot of yours is not crazy just because he may act up once in a while. As beautiful as parrots are they can be a chore. They can be mean and ugly at times and this is only because they're not trained.