frustrated with Mattie

[Susan]

I would say that 9 out of 10 times that I have her step up she immediately turns so that her rear is up toward me, puts her head back, makes little squeaking noises and then tries to nibble/regurgitate on my hand.

I recognize all of this as hormonal/mating behaviors - I immediately put her back on her perch/cage. When I walk by her, she lifts her foot to step up, I put my arm out and the whole thing starts all over again. How long does this season last? Shortly after she came she regurgitated on me (I didn't even know what was happening) and every time after that when she tried I just put her off my arm. For a few weeks it seemed to calm down but now she has stepped it up a notch. lol

I don't know what to do. Helpful advice, please.

[Blancaej]

When I got Savannah 2 months ago and she bonded to me, she would regurgitate all the time! I thought it was hormonal and then I was told that when you are bonded to a Macaw it is something many of them will do all the time. Savannah still does it. The best thing to do is ignore it and walk away and try again a few seconds or a minute later. If she continues to do it, distract her to get her to stop. Savannah is not doing it as much but does it several times a day. I was reassured this is normal. Most of the time (99%) nothing comes up. Thank goodness! ;)

[Pinkbirdy]

Is Mattie a baby ? My Harlow did this a lot when I first got her. Then seemed to learn to control it better when she got older. I took her doing it as she was very excited to see me. Macaws can bond very strongly to a person. For those who have them know what I mean. I would [ignore it] and focas on something else with her. :)

[ShellyBorg]

Good advice !

[Turquoise]

It is a sign of love for you. She wants to feed you and thinks you will enjoy it. If she is mature then she is showing hormonal behavior. It will last for awhile since it is the season & amount of daylight that triggers it.

You can try cutting her daylight down one to two hours to see if it will make her think the season is over. If she is too young for mating hormones, she is just wanting to make sure you know she will take care of you like you do her. My Roscoe does that when he is in the mood. He calls me Angel which is his brother's name & I tell him I am Mommy. I will scratch his neck to get his mind on that instead and it works for him.