Big Bird Big Attitude

This is Skyy. He is a twelve year old beautiful hyacinth macaw.





Skyy gets time out of his cage while his mom is away, however, last night....it was longer than usual. Skyy decided that he didn't want to go back.

I tried all the usual methods to cajole him into cooperation. The small towel is known to be a favorite pastime. Toss it to him and watch him flip it around and play...
Nope, he still remained at large. Even when I flipped it into the cage!

Put a tasty morsel into his cage...like a chunk of cheddar! Yummmm. Nope, he wasn't hungry.

Making a bird think he wants to do what you want him to do is a huge part of successfully living with a parrot. Especially a LARGE parrot!




I didn't want to stress Skyy so I stayed calm and low key. He knew what I wanted. I would ask him to step up and he would run to the tip top of his very tall cage. I decided a good rapport was more important than an immediate resolve. Games can be created easily...

Eventually it started to get dark. Dusty, the other macaw in the room, was munching happily on his food. Skyy watched. That cheese was looking better and better. I turned off the lights and the TV.

It may have taken a while, but it was worth it. Could I have pushed the step up and actually made it a command instead of a request? Sure, if I had to get him NOW and there was a good reason. But, why? He is so smart that he knew exactly what I wanted and watched in amazement when I didn't insist. I outlasted him. When he said, "step up", I went over and offered my hand. He went in calmly and ate the cheese. Who won? Good question!