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When can I clip the wings of an African Grey and help with Bandit2007-11-24 17:26:17

Bandit surely would let you stroke him ,if you start by just touching him with the back of your hand and then when he is used to that you can progress !

I know the macaw 's can be quite intimidating.

I used to work in a club where we had a macaw he used to walk up and down the bar sipping peoples drinks !

But he bit my finger once by mistake when he was taking a nut out of my hand . I lost my fingernail but it grew back!

He was a smashing bird ,sadly he died in a fire !

I wish you good luck and have patience with your flock !

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I agree with Shaun as to wing clipping. I have a bird that wants the love and closeness like Bandit he wants to be handled but doesn't have the confidence. What we do is put his cage next to where we sit watching TV, his toys next to us he will come down cage to play and interact with us without being picked up/held.

This seems to satisfy him and he enjoys the play and sharing food. That way he is in control. You can't make them do anything they don't want to do.

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I would take the bird to the vet and let him clip the wings for you, much safer. Maybe they will offer to teach you. You can clip or remove the feathers without having to "pinion" the bird which is cruel and illegal in some places.

For hand-training, I would start by opening the cage door in a closed room, and putting your hand in the cage.just leave it there without moving while you talk to the bird. He may want to explore your hand a bit, but if he doesn't feel threatened he shouldn't peck hard or anything. Do this for several days. After he is used to your hand, move it closer to him, just resting it on the perch where he is. If he's OK with that, offer him a finger, stroking his belly feathers near his feet and I bet he will reflexively hop up on the finger. LEAVE HIM IN THE CAGE and let him stand there for awhile; do this for a few more days.