Scarlet Macaw owner pls come in!!!

[Xiaohe84]

hi guys, any scarlet macaw owner here with good knowledge abt behavior...

well, cos when i holding my scarlet macaw abt few mins my scarlet start to Nip me for nothing, mostly it's feel painful. So how am i going to stop him nipping me or this is his behavior? right now my scarlet is abt nearing 2yrs old...

thanks for the reading here...
Reply With Quote

[Michelle & Fids]

I think that Scarlets are the most independent of all the Macaws and the best way to avoid a nip is to learn to anticipate when he is going to nip. With mine I know when they are getting ready to nip,so I will put them down for a bit to do what they want and then go back for them after I think they have had enough time to be by themselves.

[Jessalyn Eaton]

Well, I have half of a scarlet. Ruby's other half is greenwing, and she will be 3 next month. Sometimes she gets nippy when she needs to go "poop". She has only gone on me one time. Maybe that is it. OR....maybe she is wanting to play ~ ROUGH!. Ruby does that too! I finally got her to understand the word "careful". Now she knows that if she isn't careful I will have to quit playing. Ruby has never "mean" bit me. Thank God! ha! Just excited or playing.

[WingedVictory]

Originally Posted by Xiaohe84

hi guys, any scarlet macaw owner here with good knowledge abt behavior...

well, cos when i holding my scarlet macaw abt few mins my scarlet start to Nip me for nothing, mostly it's feel painful. So how am i going to stop him nipping me or this is his behavior? right now my scarlet is abt nearing 2yrs old...

thanks for the reading here...
Reply With Quote

Hi, what we tell our scarlet our scarlets when the look like they are going to nip is, "no bite". After saying this to them and holding them away for a few times they have gotten the message. We don't play with ours when they are in a nippy mood and I think they sense that. Most of the time they are very good birds. Don't raise your voice or react to a nip as they feel they have got your attention and have won the game.

gary
,

[Xanthus]

I think diversion is also a good method. When holding or playing with your scarlet, have a favorite toy there for him to chew on. These are a favorite of my scarlet Tarot

They usually get restless before moving on to the little bites and nips. When you see such, give him the toy.

Also the tried and true methods of the "earthquake" and "falling perch" also work. If you are not familiar, the "earthquake" method is to gently shake, twist, rock your arm to set them slightly off balance. The idea is that they then have to get thier balance, and have no time for useless behavior like biting !! The "falling perch" is similar in theory. You drop your arm (not harsh or violently) to give them a wieghtless feeling, and causes them to again struggle slightly for balance.