Bad bite!

[Rescued]

Uhg, so the last few days have been very stressful, I got married on Saturday, it was at our house so the last weeks have been chaos. On top of that we had a huge fight with my new stepson on Father's day. He is graduating high school today and I ended up not going which has broken my heart, I have been with them for 3 years and have helped and watched them grow, this stupid fight got in the way of something that is so important, but I didn't want to cause further issues on a day that is so important for him.
To add to the fun, yesterday my B and G, Sparky, bit me through the cage, not a nip but a grinding, not letting go, serious bite. The bite lasted a good 30 plus seconds, my husband had to rush over and open the door and grab her before she would let go. I was literally pinned to the cage. I have never had that type of bite, it was on my knuckle, and boy did it hurt. I don't blame her a bit, the stress palatable at our house right now. She hasn't had a bite in months and months, I just feel so frustrated at the moment, these last few days have been the first as a married couple, this was not how I envisioned our beginning, at least my husband and I have stuck together and spent some time with one another, even if we are both on the edgy side.

[Honesty]

First of all Elizabeth, Congratulations on your marriage :)

It seems like you have had quite a stressful few days :( I am sorry to hear you have been bitten by Sparky. I cant imagine how much it must have hurt :( Codie has a much smaller beak than a Macaw and I know how much that hurts if he bites!

I hope things pick up for you soon :th_hug8:

[Rescued]

Yeah, it did hurt, though not as bad as some cockatoo bites I've had, really it just surprised and hurt me emotionally. I don't blame her a bit, I am just a bit more vulnerable at the moment. She is usually a very sweet girl, but she has always been cage territorial, I should have known better, I just wasn't as aware as I needed to be.

[plax]

Hi Elizabeth. I'm sorry to learn of your family complications and of the bite you suffered from Sparky. Sparky sounds a bit like my Military Macaw, Maynard. He is also a cage aggressive bird; he's bitten me through the bars a number of times. In fact, his cage aggression has intensified since the stroke he suffered in 2011. Interestingly, when Maynard is out of his cage and perched upon my arm he loves to kiss me. Unfortunately, some of these guys simply have (or acquire) the in-cage-attack drive. So I suppose it's ultimately up to us to remain aware of the potential and thus take steps to avoid more injuries.

And btw, congrats on your recent marriage! :)

[aliray]

Ouch. Congrats on getting married, and just remember the rest will pass. What has gotten me thru some bad times and what to worry about and what not to is I always ask my self IS THIS GOING TO MATTER A YEAR FROM NOW? If the answer is yes that is one thing but most fall into the no it won,t which helps me put it into prospective> Hugs to you

[wendy]

hi
congratulations on you getting married, oh dear for sparky, sounds like he knew what was going on in your home as they are very sensitive (as i have learned) my macaw did that to me once as my son was playing with him, then i asked him to put him in his cage as hes very jelous kind of protects him, then i covered coco as i always do and stroke him through the bars and he got me and felt like forever, i went to open cage door and he released my finger, was a warning as he could of took my finger off!! next day he was back to normal loving and talking.

[Rescued]

Yeah, its been kinda a roller coaster, but I know it will pass. I frequently feel like a person in an abusive relationship, I hate telling people why I have band-aids, or bruises, or why I am limping...... they don't understand that its a price I willingly pay for working with all the rescues that I take on. I don't want people to judge the animals unfairly, so I end up not having anyone to talk to about it. Its nice to have a place where people understand. This bite was simply poor judgment on my part, but it doesn't take the sting out of it. Sparky is really a lover when out of her cage, and even sometimes summits nicely to a quick scratch through the bars. Thanks for all the support.

[Turquoise]

Hi Elizabeth & a big congrats on your becoming a newlywed. I hope your stepson & you can move past this. Teeagers have such emotional ups & downs especially when they are about to embark on the first stages of adulthood. In some ways they remind me of our beloved birds when they do & say things at times and have no idea why they did.

I'm sure the bite from Sparky was more from the stress she felt than the cage agression. I have managed to avoid any real bites from my 3 macaws thus far. I know my luck will run out one day & mine are still young. So I have the raging hormones to go through in the coming years. Mine are not cage aggressive at this point, but I feel it is more due to my being able to walk into their enclosures and take them out rather than reach into a cage. I may be wrong on that, it is just my feelings on how they react compared to my ekkie who is cage aggressive and lives in a large macaw size cage.

[Rescued]

De'Andrea,
I am sure that my stepson will eventually get it, teenagers are what they are, we all just do the best we can to guide them. I wish I had large enclosures for my guys, I am hoping for an aviary in the next year or so. Sparky has been cage aggressive since we adopted her. We NEVER reach into her cage with her in it. When we clean her cage we have to put her on a hanging perch so she can't come back and attack us. We always let her come out of the cage on her own, she is fine off her cage, she will step up and climb all over. She is a sweet girl, but on her own time.

[Blancaej]

Hi Elizabeth,

Congratulations on getting married! I hope things have calmed down for you. You certainly have a lot on your plate. I am hopeful things get better and everybody will just be a little less stressed out! I hope you are having some good quality time with your new hubby in either case. :)

[ShellyBorg]

*Hugs* It can only get better from here!

[mrgoogls]

congrats on getting married! sounds like your under a lot of stress! I know how you feel with cage aggressive birds, cooper attacks my hand through the bars. you cant stick your fingers through to pet him unless he is in a REALLY good mood. a macaw probably hurts more than a little Quaker bite though :)