Biting Amazon

esthr702 · 3/23/17

I would love to get him to a vet, he seems over weight to me, but I have to get near him first lol

Clueless · 3/23/17

esthr702 said:
I would love to get him to a vet, he seems over weight to me, but I have to get near him first lol

Appearances can be deceptive but zons are said to be chubby guys. MC looks bigger than Secret but was lighter. Secret lost a little weight during hormones this year.

Are you here in the US?

esthr702 · 3/26/17

Exactly 2 weeks to the day and I finally opened the cage doors to get his bowls without being attacked, super excited.

Clueless · 3/26/17

esthr702 said:
Exactly 2 weeks to the day and I finally opened the cage doors to get his bowls without being attacked, super excited.

See? Baby steps are GREAT. Now remember there may be moments going backwards but that's okay too. You're ultimately gaining trust.

Wasabisaurus · 3/26/17

Thank you for taking on an Amazon. I've had my hellion for 10 years now. He was 100% hands off when we adopted him. He charged me whenever I tried to get the food and water. Those bowls are like Clueless' Amazon's bowls. The bowls swing out. On occasion he still throws a tantrum and tries to bite me. Not often.

Clueless is right - baby steps. Slow and steady.

I made the terrible mistake of paying Wasabi too much attention when we got him. That magnified the already-bad screaming problem we were told of at the last minute. I 100% did not know what I was doing. I have a little bit of an idea now. I think I know enough now to realize what I did not know when we came to us almost 11 years ago.

Another mistake I made - believing the nonsense that the human has to be the big bird - the boss over the bird. Yeah, that worked out real well with an already ill-raised Amazon with a temper.

He will let you know the pace at which is he comfortable in getting to know you and becoming friends. Don't push it.
I really wish I'd had the wisdom of the ppl here when we got Wasabi.

Good luck.

esthr702 · 3/27/17

Best advice ever from this site, Snuggles was doing well, then this am he tried to bite my arm while getting his bowls, so time and patience are big factors I'm learning.

Clueless · 3/27/17

esthr702 said:
Best advice ever from this site, Snuggles was doing well, then this am he tried to bite my arm while getting his bowls, so time and patience are big factors I'm learning.

They also feed off your emotions....

If you're calm and slow, so are they. If you're frantic, whoooooo boy!

RandyMiller · 3/29/17

How about giving him some tasty treats?

Clueless · 3/29/17

By the way, I have plenty of tips on toys that my Amazon love.

They lean toward a certain type of wood.

esthr702 · 3/31/17

I went in kitchen to get fresh food and water for him this am, came back out and he had opened his door and got out, I slowly put the bowls in his cage and sat down quietly thinking he would just walk around then eventually go back to his cage, out of no where he attacked my foot, I tried to remain calm but he wouldn't let go, so I had to shake him off, I went and put boots on and glasses for protection and sat back down, he walks towards me and attacks my boot at I lifted my foot slowly towards the cage and thankfully he went back in. I don't want to give up on him because I thought we where making progress but I don't want to keep him caged forever either. I'm so upset and unsure of what to do?

JLcribber · 3/31/17

When he gets on the floor get a stick and pick him up and put him back up higher. Don't let him wander the floor.

esthr702 · 3/31/17

Do you think that is why he attacked me?

JLcribber · 3/31/17

esthr702 said:
Do you think that is why he attacked me?

Yup.

Clueless · 3/31/17

esthr702 said:
Do you think that is why he attacked me?

You're awfully big......he's small......he sees you coming in his direction, knows one step from you and he's toast?

Remember these are wild animals (how long before dogs were domesticated?). They still view us as a predator.

He could have done very serious damage if he wanted to. Instead, it was a bite. Granted you shook him off but still, not missing chunks of flesh is good in my world. Secret pulled hunks of flesh out of my hand. Years later we have a mutual respect relationship now ..... That means I know how to read that bird's body language better.

The other Amazon is my heart. MC will throw his head down for a skritch an awful lot of the time. He moved faster with the trust issues but maybe his bad human memories weren't as bad as Secret's.

Remember, time......and baby steps. Breathe.....and give both of you time.

Clueless · 3/31/17

Make a journal of the positives.....it will remind you of the forward progress you're making. How long have you had him?

Clueless · 4/1/17

Any updates?

esthr702 · 4/1/17

He acts like he feels bad for attacking me, he has been begging for attention all day, I've been petting and talking to him. All is forgiven.

Clueless · 4/1/17

esthr702 said:
He acts like he feels bad for attacking me, he has been begging for attention all day, I've been petting and talking to him. All is forgiven.

Good parront.

melissasparrots · 4/1/17

esthr702 said:
Do you think that is why he attacked me?

He most likely attacked you because he's an adult male amazon full of raging hormones. Its also possible that he's had years to make a habit of that behavior. Male yellow napes that have been poorly socialized can be absolute hell during hormonal periods. I'd be careful even using a stick to get him to step up. I have a couple males that when at the height of amazon crazy will run or jump off a stick to latch onto whatever body part they can get to first. I've found that its best if you see an amazon on a tirade to just leave them. Sometimes it takes hours, but wait until they have calmed to the point of looking fluffed and sleepy before trying to interact with them. Some of these guys will even then go straight into the stiff legged, flared and flashing tail and pupils again.

If it were me with this bird, I'd recognize that #1 this is an adult male yellow nape and so periods of potentially extreme aggression are to be expected during the spring(now) and summer). #2 realize that this bird is a rehome and likely was not properly socialized. He could be a very difficult bird to get him to calm down. Don't feel disappointed or like you have to rehome him if he never acts super friendly toward you. You did a good deed by taking in a difficult bird. Make the bird happy and let that be enough. If you can work in some socialization and make friends, then so much the better.

Make sure he has a clean cage, nice toys. I'd get him a different cage that is big enough that you don't feel guilty if he has to spend time in there because of aggression issues. Rotate through lots of wood toys. Frankly, I'd continue just walking up to his closed cage and handing him treats multiple times a day. Male amazons can be possessive about their food bowls, so I'd tend to try staying on the opposite side of the cage away from the bowls for maximum likelihood of peaceful interaction. When you finally get to the point of being able to hand him treats and walk up to the cage without him flying into a rage, you can try handing him treats through the open cage door. When you can do that without aggression, I'd start moving him away from the cage. Probably best to keep this bird below chest level. Lots of people say birds don't have height dominance but having an adult male amazon above your head where you can't control him as well and where he can jump down at you is not in your favor.

You might want to see if he is in fact stick trained. Many older amazons are already stick trained and will handle it surprisingly well. If he is stick trained, you might be able to step him up onto a stick and take him to a different room away from the cage and work with him, or just let him hang out on a chest level gym. He might be surprisingly calm and friendly when away from his territory. Just be careful trying to handle him with a stick. Like I said at the top, many enraged male amazons will just rush down the stick and latch onto your hand or jump from stick to your face.

MommyBird · 4/2/17

That's a nasty bite on your foot, I know it hurts and hurts your feelings too.
I got some bad bites when I got my first Amazon (male BFA) until I learned body language like the back of my hand and figured out his triggers.
And I wore boots in his room, I actually called them my Chico boots. He was also flighted.
He became my heart bird.
You've gotten such great advice on this thread, go read it over again. Get a better & bigger cage as soon as you can.
Learn body language. Find his favorite treats and use them for bribes. Memorize Heidenreich's stuff, read Susan Friedman and everything on clicker training/positive reinforcement. The one thing you have in your favor is the way to an Amazon's heart is thru his stomach.
Well, really I just wanted to write and give you encouragement and hugs for trying with this guy.
It's a mental challenge with some of these guys, but very worth it and you will learn an incredible amount and be glad you did.

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