Amazon and Music

[BirdView]

I like to play music to my 10 months old DYH amazon and watch him get excited and start singing. I don’t know how to sing so I just whistle. He likes to fly to my hand or shoulder and improvise with the song. His head and neck feathers become fluffed and sometimes I see pinning of the eyes. He looks very pretty in this state and I love watching him singing. However, recently I noticed he moves his head the same way birds do when they regurgitate. Do you think I am stimulating him hormonally? Will this get me in trouble in the future?

 

[macawpower58]

Are you Amazon parrot experienced?
Do you know you have one of the hot 3 Amazons, infamous for hormonal excesses (aggression) upon maturity?
If you don't know this, you need to learn about them while yours is still young.
IMO you should teach your bird to happily step on a stick/perch.
You should learn how to deescalate excitement. Learn to read him and see when the fun and excitement starts to overload.
Learn to calm him before it comes to that overload status.

We have many members here with experience with these spicy Amazons.
They will I'm sure chime in with suggestions.
Let us know your experience so we're not rehashing things you may be well aware of.

And that's a beautiful bird.

P.S. Looking back on your older threads I see you have talked much about him.
So, my opinion is yes, it may be trouble in the future. Just slow it down before he gets too excited.

 

[BirdView]

Are you Amazon parrot experienced?
Do you know you have one of the hot 3 Amazons, infamous for hormonal excesses (aggression) upon maturity?
If you don't know this, you need to learn about them while yours is still young.
IMO you should teach your bird to happily step on a stick/perch.
You should learn how to deescalate excitement. Learn to read him and see when the fun and excitement starts to overload.
Learn to calm him before it comes to that overload status.

We have many members here with experience with these spicy Amazons.
They will I'm sure chime in with suggestions.
Let us know your experience so we're not rehashing things you may be well aware of.

And that's a beautiful bird.

P.S. Looking back on your older threads I see you have talked much about him.
So, my opinion is yes, it may be trouble in the future. Just slow it down before he gets too excited.

I am definitely not experienced with Amazons? This my first big bird. I have a feeling I might get myself in trouble when my bird matures?

I can get him to step up on a stick but soon he will fly to my hand or shoulder. There is no way I can ground him unless I clip his wings which I really don't want to do. He likes to stay on my shoulder and watch what I am doing. If I eat something he will ask for a piece.

I gave up on stopping him from biting me. It is his way of communicating now. However his bites are not strong unless he is excited, annoyed, or scared (The worst bites I get when my GCC fly to my shoulder and he is on my hand). Otherwise he is very friendly and quiet.

 

[macawpower58]

I really think you should make your shoulder off limits. For a persistent bird, it's just a never ending repetitive removal of him.
It will work over time. Your face is very vulnerable to a bite, and Amazons bite. Maybe not now, or even in a year, but when hormones hit hard, you do not want him near your face.

Do not clip him. Flying is good. But remove him from any shoulder landings. Remove him over and over. EVERY TIME.
See if you can get him to fly to a perch. Sometimes a rope perch works better than a wood one, other times a natural branch may be more appealing. Even flying to your hand or arm is better than your shoulder. Keep a treat in your hand, and reward for landing where you ask him to. Many use clickers and get good results.

He's a sweet baby still. Take advantage of this stage now!

My macaw Chaos went through some rough stages and I taught him 'on the perch'. It was for when I opened his cage and he wanted to bash his way out. I'd only allow him out if he went to his perch, and then I'd offer my arm for him to step on. He learned this always earned him something good from the frig.

This simple lesson had been a godsend to me over the years, as Chaos became more cage territorial with maturity.
Your bird also needs to lean some simple tasks that you ask him to do. It's not orders you're giving, your asking nicely, and then offering a wonderful treat for his cooperation. You can even add tricks (like turn around) just for the fun of it and to get him used to cooperating for a treat.

Have fun!

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Exactly what @macawpower58 said. At ten months it's very important for you to teach him to step up onto a perch and stay on it until to want him off. You have a little more control of him when he's on your hand but once he's up on your shoulder... a bite to the face is fair game and can leave devastating results. I would discourage the shoulder from here on out. Both of my amazons matured around age 5. It can be an over night change from sweet zon to biting maniac. I'm not saying they all become biting machines but it's very likely depending on a given situation and your species is known for hot tempers... you'll have no clue until it happens unless they do give you a fair warning... which could only be a couple of seconds before they strike. The eye pinning, tail flaring is a very excitable indication. Some will strike without a fair warning... like picking up a phone while they're on your shoulder for example. When your bird is out and has the opportunity to fly to you... make sure you don't have one of the little birds on your shoulder. Big beaks and little beaks just don't mix well.

 

[macawpower58]

Oh, and about your music, play it all you want! My amazon now has his own radio and beats it up to play it.
He also gets super excited with music. I keep my distance as he can go into overload pretty quickly.
So when yours starts that hormonal bobbing, flaring and flashing, back up. Step away. Dance in your own space.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Some amazons are quick to learn and mimic what the human says. In detail. I'll never forget the day I walked in to give Henry and Lola their evening cooked meal and without a beat Henry said " Are ya hungry? Ya want some food?" Perfectly. Little did I know just repeating that phrase once or twice every evening when I gave them their yummy dinner would be repeated as if I said it myself. Taught me not to say anything bad around them.. ever. They pick things up they over hear too.... like "Go potty?" or dogs howling. I have a little female green cheek that tells me to "GET OUT" every day because I forever tell my little Emma to 'get out' for trying to sneak in the room to see what's on the floor to eat. It the meanest thing any of my birds say. All the rest is something funny that makes me smile when I hear it.

 

[BirdView]

Some amazons are quick to learn and mimic what the human says. In detail. I'll never forget the day I walked in to give Henry and Lola their evening cooked meal and without a beat Henry said " Are ya hungry? Ya want some food?" Perfectly. Little did I know just repeating that phrase once or twice every evening when I gave them their yummy dinner would be repeated as if I said it myself. Taught me not to say anything bad around them.. ever. They pick things up they over hear too.... like "Go potty?" or dogs howling. I have a little female green cheek that tells me to "GET OUT" every day because I forever tell my little Emma to 'get out' for trying to sneak in the room to see what's on the floor to eat. It the meanest thing any of my birds say. All the rest is something funny that makes me smile when I hear it.

I never thought a GCC would talk until I heard mine talking. Every morning when I walk into the kitchen without turning on the lights, I hear from the dark corner where the cages are located my female GCC saying: "What's up buddy!"

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

I never thought a GCC would talk until I heard mine talking. Every morning when I walk into the kitchen without turning on the lights, I hear from the dark corner where the cages are located my female GCC saying: "What's up buddy!"

I don't think it's the norm for female GCC to talk so it surprised me when Astro did. The only other thing she says is her name... Astro ... over and over and over. She loves her name and telling me to Get out!

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

I didn't realize I said "All right" as much as I do. Henry says it alllll the time. And burping... didn't realize I did that in front of him too often. Funny the things they pick up.

 

[BirdView]

Is the pinning of the eye a specific sign for aggression and hostility or just a sign of higher state of excitement?

My Amazon is not aggressive at all, but he can turn into this state and acts differently (completely unpredictable) when he gets excited. It's kind of like Bruce Banner turning into the incredible Hulk.

 

[Clueless]

Both.

Please please follow the hints above about not letting him on shoulder. That's scary.

Secret took hunks out of my hand during a hormonal episode. That was the quickest thing I ever experienced and it's quite scary to think of face or neck.....

 

[macawpower58]

Is the pinning of the eye a specific sign for aggression and hostility or just a sign of higher state of excitement?

Excitement in an Amazon can turn into aggression (especially with mature birds) in an instant.
Amazon aggression is not a trifling matter, they are like feathered crocodiles on Redbull.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Excitement in an Amazon can turn into aggression (especially with mature birds) in an instant.
Amazon aggression is not a trifling matter, they are like feathered crocodiles on Redbull.

That's another great description ... my standby description is "Like having a pissed off vise grip flying at you". Every amazon has their own triggers that can get them overly excited or to the point of attacking. With my Henry it's just being in his space even with distance during hormonal periods, looking at him, touching his toys.... with Lola, her biggest trigger is crinkling paper like opening a bag or wiping bowls out that are removed to clean in front of her ( I don't do that in front of her anymore). Dropping a bowl accidentally on the floor whether it's metal or a heavy duty screw on plastic bowl will send Henry into straight business.... climbing down his cage to march over to attack.... it's a serious hot footed intention. I keep a plexiglass floor block that keeps him out of my space.

 

[Hankmacaw]

@BirdView

Remember what all pirates have in common - A patch over their eye and an Amazon on their shoulder.

Actually, that goes for all parrots - as Macawnutz says your bird doesn't bite until he does.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

@BirdView

Remember what all pirates have in common - A patch over their eye and an Amazon on their shoulder.

Actually, that goes for all parrots - as Macawnutz says your bird doesn't bite until he does.

Confucius couldn't have said it better...

 

[Lady]

We have 2 Amazons - a yellow front Rio and blue front Bella. Here is my experience.

I have watched Bella peel my husband's skin from his thumb like his flesh was ice cream and her beak was the scoop. I am not exaggerating.

When they're excited, Amazons can deliver serious damage. Even if they're happy, they seem prone to over-excitement which can lead to biting. They are drama queens of the highest order. Add hormones to that and bad things can (and sometimes do) happen.

They're not bad birds, and as long as you know how to read them and they learn how to read you, they can be unbelievably sweet, fun, and funny. Rio is gentlest bird I have ever met and I am 100% guilty of letting her on my shoulder. She's also 26, so the worst of her hormones are behind her. The one and only time she has bitten me was in the middle of heavy hormones and a result of redirected aggression.

However, I cannot handle Bella with my hands or even safely treat her from my hands. She WILL bite me. There are times she will fly from across the room to attack me (usually if I have something in my hands - we have theories about the woman at her previous home :\ ) With months of patient work, I am able to have her step up on a Tperch for me. I can also have her fly to the Tperch upon request. Teaching her to get on the Tperch has allowed us to have her "step up" for others as well, and maintain some safety, as she seems prone to attacking women (again, theories). If nothing else, I would strongly encourage you to teach your guy to hang out on a Tperch. You never know when it could come in handy (if nothing else, it makes it much easier to get their weight on a regular basis). You could try doing a "stay" command so he learns this is a time when he needs to stay on the perch in order to earn a big treat.

Both our Amazons love music! Even though Bella doesn't much like me, she still loves when I sing to her. Whomever had Rio before us played a lot of Zelda, as she whistles the Lost Woods theme and will lose her mind with joy if you whistle it back to her.

I don't want to scare you away from your guy - just be aware that even the best, sweetest, gentlest birds are going to have bad days, and when they're hormonal, those bad days can be especially bad. Always remember that Amazons and other parrots are still wild animals, and they will never be 100% predictable, even with a strong bond and lots of love.

 

[macawpower58]

By the way Birdview, I love those photos! And I want more.

We should start a photo thread just showing Amazon attitude and spice!
Seems like there's lots of these drama queens on AA.

 

[aooratrix]

A 10 month old Amazon is too young to be hormonal. The bird is getting excited by music. All my birds love when I sing to them, and I am no singer. Just as some music may excite your bird, other music may "soothe the savage beast." There is no reason a bird can't listen to music. Experiment.

Several people have written about the shoulder being off limits. They're right, especially for a male DYA.

Get a T perch and teach your bird to step up on it and to step down from it. My DYA turned 25 last summer; for parts of the year, I couldn't get her out if she weren't perch trained. This way, she can still come out to play stands or her Wingdow Seat. Her life would not be as good if she weren't stick trained.

 

[macawpower58]

We are not trying to frighten you. Every one of us love our Amazons to death and back.
We are trying to help you and your baby to have a life long wonderful relationship.