Captain Jack

[pugsandkids]

Got a cute picture of my LSC2 yesterday. Of course I see the dusty table after I take the pic

 

[terryo]

What a beautiful parrot!

 

[hali]

ahh lovely we have an african grey and a harlequin mcaw (temperary resident at mo)

 

[Candy]

I see that you have cats, do they try to get your bird or not. I'm thinking that he's too big and they know that he could hurt them. Adorable picture.

 

[pugsandkids]

My big cat ignores him, and my younger cat plays with him! They are never, ever left alone together. Thats asking for trouble, at least in my house. The younger cat runs back and forth in front of him, while Jack watches, dances, and chatters at her. Its very, very cute! The only drawback to Jack is that I'm his woman. Hubby has been okayed by him but not my boys. So Jack only gets free time out of his cage when the boys are gone, or in bed. He'll go after them if given the chance. I've read and spoken to many people who say that Macaws are much easier personality wise. I love birds, and have to watch myself. I often realize that I'm trying to find space/rationalize the need for someone new!

 

[Stephanie Logan]

That's hilarious. Does he expect you to comb his feathers every day, too?

 

[terryo]

I can understand what you mean Sarah. We had a Yellow Nape for years, and I was his person. When I got my youngest son, he wouldn't tolerate him at all. If he heard him cry all his feathers would stand up. After that he started to get very possessive of me and wouldn't even let me hug any of my other kids. We had to find a home for him. He said so many words and sentences and did so many tricks. It was a terrible loss for me, but I just couldn't trust him any more and he wasn't used to being in a cage all the time. I still miss him.

 

[Isa]

Sooo cute I love the pic!

 

[Tom]

Just like dogs, birds will do what you let them. The behaviors you all described can be fixed. Birds don't have to be gotten rid of due to behavioral problems, they can be trained to knock it off. I've been training parrots to behave themselves since the mid-eighties, when we used to still get wild caught ones. You can't train them to like everyone, but you CAN train them not to bite or go after people.

Your bird is beautiful Sarah. We have one just like it at the ranch. Charlotte.

 

[pugsandkids]

You are right Tom. Hubby spent considerable time and patience to come to an understanding with Jack. Originally the boys could handle him. Then he learned that if he nibbled, or moved fast they'd shriek! Now its a fun game. So we have two road blocks. A) My boys are scared of him and not old enough to stand their ground. B) I don't want anyone to be seriously hurt. So occasionally they'll feed him. They often sing with him, or spray him with the spray bottle (which he loves) It'll be a while before they are ready to do more with him. For now he does spend more time in his cage then he, or I, like. So I'm constantly giving him new activities and challenges to keep him as busy as possible. It seems like almost every older 'too I see pics of pluck. I really hope I can keep him from doing that. So far, so good!

Stephanie Logan~ He begs for me to go through his crest. I break up the new/blood feathers that he can't get to. He'll bump my hand with his head like a pushy cat!

 

[Isa]

I am curious, how do you train a bird to not do something? You put him back in his cage? I always wanted a parrot

 

[Tom]

I am curious, how do you train a bird to not do something? You put him back in his cage? I always wanted a parrot

Too much to type. I could write a book on it. In fact, Dean mentioned a very good book the other day on another thread. Its called "Don't Shoot The Dog", by Karen Pryor. Pretty much required reading for anybody wanting to learn about behavior modification. Training is simple. If a behavior is followed by a positive consequence, it is likely to be repeated. If a behavior is followed by a negative consequence it is likely to not be repeated. Implementing these two simple concepts is where the mastery, or lack thereof, comes into play.

 

[pugsandkids]

Tom is right! When my quaker would get nippy I'd put him on the floor in front of me. He would much rather be at my height or higher. So eventually he put two and two together!
Birds love drama so when my boys flinch, shriek, or run from Jack its like playtime. So he'll do whatever he needs to to get that reaction.

 

[Isa]

Thanks for the answers! I find birds so interesting