I agree with most of what's been said. Training and socialization are great, but I really prefer to think in terms of what's natural for the parrot and how we can reasonably accommodate those natural behaviors in our homes, and I think we set them up for failure if we expect them to go completely against nature. Sure, we can learn body language, learn about hormones, do positive reinforcement training, etc. But, in the end, the parrot is going to be itself, and we need to understand that.
Elvis is not overbonded to me like she was with her previous owner, who clearly didn't understand about hormones or mating urges and was shocked when she started becoming territorial and nesty; he didn't know she'd bite anyone until she did. I don't encourage her to see me as a mate: I'm affectionate with her within certain bounds, and I don't let things get out of hand. I reinforce her acceptably tolerant behavior when we have visitors, and she will take treats from most males when she's not hormonal. She always gives my mom the stink eye, but for years now, we've been working on her behavior with women. She's a little better. A little--when she's not hormonal. But I'd be an idiot if I expected her to be anything other than a hormonal macaw when she's nesty. And when she's nesty, she's dangerous to others, including her usually favored males, like my father. She normally likes him, but when she's nesty, she'd sooner break his fingers than not. And that's just the way it is. I accept it. It doesn't mean she's not a wonderful companion to me, and a reasonably well behaved "hostess" most of the time. She's a little on the extreme side, of course, but not by much. The classifieds are full of sweethearts just like her
Elvis is not overbonded to me like she was with her previous owner, who clearly didn't understand about hormones or mating urges and was shocked when she started becoming territorial and nesty; he didn't know she'd bite anyone until she did. I don't encourage her to see me as a mate: I'm affectionate with her within certain bounds, and I don't let things get out of hand. I reinforce her acceptably tolerant behavior when we have visitors, and she will take treats from most males when she's not hormonal. She always gives my mom the stink eye, but for years now, we've been working on her behavior with women. She's a little better. A little--when she's not hormonal. But I'd be an idiot if I expected her to be anything other than a hormonal macaw when she's nesty. And when she's nesty, she's dangerous to others, including her usually favored males, like my father. She normally likes him, but when she's nesty, she'd sooner break his fingers than not. And that's just the way it is. I accept it. It doesn't mean she's not a wonderful companion to me, and a reasonably well behaved "hostess" most of the time. She's a little on the extreme side, of course, but not by much. The classifieds are full of sweethearts just like her