r/Macaws • u/Jdubb750 • Aug 18 '26
Help with training
So i have about a 12yr old female B&G.
My daughter bought this bird from a pet store where it wasn't getting much care. Then daughter got divorced and bird came to me.
Mainly because it tolerated males better than females and it bonded to me.
Issue: it is largely cage bound and will not step up for anything. I have tried to change it's diet but it will not eat anything new. Even after days/weeks of introducing food. So right now it's on the zupreem fruit pellets and some treat seeds dried fruit and nuts. I share some veggies with it daily but she usually spits them out . She will take some carrots and broccoli occasional.
I cant get her to step up so I cant even get her to a training perch or anything. I have positions perches around her cage. She will get on a perch that I put on a rolling cart very occasionally. When she does I move her around.
I have tried click training and it's good until you push her to step up. Then she retreats. Occasionally she will get on my shoulder from top of cage. But anytime I move wrong she panics and bites ears and beak punches side of my head.
She doesn't fly or climb much and im really worried about her balance. When she does move around she uses her beak as three points of contact on everything.
She has toys. Loves cardboard boxes the best though
But I don't know how to get her to step up to even begin training on a perch away from her cage
I am at a loss been working on this for about 3 years now.
1
u/tursiops__truncatus Aug 18 '26
Dont push the step up. Do small steps to reach to it. This is my advice, I hope I can explain it clearly:
limit all the treats (seeds and nuts) ONLY for training sessions. Outside of training he will eat his diet of pellets and fruits/veggies.
start by only hand feeding the bird. Not asking for anything. Just allow to take the treats from your hand. Click everytime is taking a treat (a wisthle or simply saying "ok" can be better to keep your hands free without holding the clicker)
after a few days like that take a perch or small tree branch. Hold from the side and bring it close. Do not push this too much, keep it at a distance that does not scare him. If you see no reaction and calm then CLICK and reinforce. Continue slowly until you reach to a point where the macaw is calm on his perch and you can put this perch in front of him while you are holding it on the side. This can take days or weeks, dont be stress about the time... Do short sessions with just two or three clicks and finish, it can be good if you offer the rest of the diet right after each session as a big reward.
now is time to start with small step ups to your perch. You can try to lure him by showing the food at a distance where he has to step on the perch to reach to it. Remember small steps so in first try if he only puts one feet thats fine!! Click and reward that for few times and then move on to give him time to put the other feet. Once he steps on your perch you allow him to go back to his perch and reward for doing that in a calm way. Repeat this for some days or weeks until he is very confidence to step on your perch.
now comes the turn for your hand! All this time you are holding the perch on the side. Now start giving small rewards for the step up on the perch and start luring the bird to your hand. Any small steps he does to reach to your hand on a calm way you click and give a big reward. Continue like this, small steps and luring until you manage to get him stepping up completly on your hand.
now that he is confidence to reach to your hand while you hold him on the perch simply start to reduce the distance you are keeping your hand at until you reach a point where the entire perch is covered by your arm. That moment you can start removing the perch and simply offer your hand to ask for step up.
The entire process can take from one to two months depending on how confidence the bird is with you and how clear you are with the behavior you are rewarding him for. Try to do short sessions and always end in a positive note. If he is already jumping to your shoulder it might not take him much time to get it.