Stepping off comands

Question
I have a 1 1/2 year female hyacinth macaw who has a problem stepping off of me.  She, shall I say disagrees with the command! To make matters worse, she is a clutz... therefore she can be a hand full trying to get her to step off, and to watch that she dose not fall while, trying to get her to step off.  I really need four hands..lol.  She loves to be held and petted, but she feels that we are also her chew toys.  Not biteing, just chewing...  We try to have small toys on us, but alas she finds them scary for some reason.  Yes, she loves toys in her cage, and her play stand, but not on Mom and Dad. I know she feels bad when we say OUCH! easy girl.  She really doesn't realize how hard she can nibble.  I don't dare let any one who doesn't know birds well hold her because of this problem, even some of my human bird friends are leary of that large beak!  Fortunately, I still have all my fingers, but I would really like some help in this matter before it's too late.       Thank You,  Vicki

Answer
Hello Vicki,

About stepping off, I've had a similar problem with my military macaw.  I've found him to be very responsive to basic positive reinforcement-type or clicker-type training -- basically he gets praise and sometimes a nut for stepping off.  Start by using a command, if you aren't already -- "step down" or "off" will do.  Keep in mind that once you say it, be prepared to follow through and make her step off.  When she does step off, even if it took you some work, tell her "good girl" or another standard phrase that means she's done well, and give her a treat.  It's important to use the same phrase so she recognizes that "good girl" means she did right -- you can praise her in addition to that, but make sure she hears one set phrase as soon as possible after she does what's requested.

This is essentially clicker training without the clicker.  A set phrase can take the place of the click to mean "you did right."  Clickertraining.com has more information on that subject if you want to learn more about the concept.  I've found this to be a very effective method of training -- animals seem to grasp the concept quickly and enjoy it.  To me, the most useful aspect of "training" is as a means of communication with an animal, and this sort of training is perfect for that.

Similar training might help with her mouthiness, too.  Once she knows about clicking or "good girl" or whatever phrase, use it when she isn't nibbling you or is doing so gently.  Macaws have a hard time learning to be gentle, especially younger macaws -- and your hy is still very much a baby.  I react to hard nibbles the same way I've seen other birds react -- squawking (a good loud "ouch!") and pulling away sharply.  If the bird is on my hand or arm, sometimes pulling away sharply means upsetting their balance, which I don't consider inappropriate!  This has worked best for me when the bird is being mouthy and not actually biting aggressively.  Aggressive biters may be seeking to scare you and this sort of reaction will only encourage them!  But for a mouthy bird that isn't actually seeking to hurt or scare you, this lets them know when they've gone too far.

That said, it still sometimes takes a while for them to learn some limits -- especially baby macaws who want their beaks on everything and have no sense of their own strength.  This is why small toys are usually such a help.  Have you tried something like craft/popsicle sticks or even small twigs that might be less offensive to her?  Try offering them from your hand while she's in her cage or on her stand first, or putting them in her food dish to find, before offering them to her on you.  If you start training her to a clicker or phrase, reinforce her for any interest she shows in the small toys.

Anyway, I hope this helps some.  She sounds like a lovable bird.  Both these problems are very common among young macaws that just don't know how to put limits on their affection!

- Lara
psitta@yahoo.com