Hellie everyone, we have a 30+ year old amazon who is somewhat handleable. I can get close to him and he is alright, but when we go near his bonded buddy, and/or his/buddy's stuff, he starts coming after us. He has bit me once and my girlfriend twice protecting his stuff. We would love to work with him, but with his bonded buddy around, it seems impossible. They are out of their cages everyday for at least 8 hours. We'd love to be able to handle him better, but we feel hopeless with his behavior, on top of being scared of his bite, since they are not pleasant. Any advice will help!
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Amazon parrot taming help
- Thread starter DrK0Z
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Clueless
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Slow. Seriously. Think SLOWER THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE.
Read some of threads in the amazon forum. They're so much fun and awesome companions but they don't trust fast. It took me years but MC was my best buddy before I lost him to cancer.
MC bit me when I walked by Secret's cage in the early days. That is their warning. They have to do that for attention.
My remedy was to keep MC away from Secret and away from his cage on a playstand.
I'll tag someone for ideas @melissasparrots ...... More folks will pop in.
Read some of threads in the amazon forum. They're so much fun and awesome companions but they don't trust fast. It took me years but MC was my best buddy before I lost him to cancer.
MC bit me when I walked by Secret's cage in the early days. That is their warning. They have to do that for attention.
My remedy was to keep MC away from Secret and away from his cage on a playstand.
I'll tag someone for ideas @melissasparrots ...... More folks will pop in.
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Which Amazon do you have? They can be sweet but always on their own terms 
. We would love to see your zon's photo, please.
. We would love to see your zon's photo, please.
macawpower58
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I agree with SLOW. How long have you had this bird?
My Amazon loved my daughters, barely tolerated me for years. I could feed and clean, but barely handle him.
Once my daughters moved out, it took several years for that darn bird to give me the time of day.
He now (10 years later) is my friend and buddy.
It keeps getting better too, my guy is now 25 years old.
My Amazon loved my daughters, barely tolerated me for years. I could feed and clean, but barely handle him.
Once my daughters moved out, it took several years for that darn bird to give me the time of day.
He now (10 years later) is my friend and buddy.
It keeps getting better too, my guy is now 25 years old.
Lots of patience .. I have a blue front that wont let me touch her yet and its been 6 yrs since I adopted her ..lots of love and patience 
I have a yellow naped amazon. Aged over 30 years. Former owner had him out (from photos we saw) and don't know for how long he was. We didn't get much info about him and the conure since the former owner had a stroke and couldn't care for them. We got both of them 3 months ago. He seems to tolerate me more than my girlfriend, I think he can tell she's afraid around him. I'll try to upload photos but all the ones I have are too large of a photo to upload.
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macawpower58
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He a gorgeous boy! Yellow Napes do have spice, so handle with some caution.
Also, 3 months is no time at all. Right now move slowly and gain his trust.
It takes quite a while for many Amazons to decide you're even worth giving the time of day.
Win him over.
Also, 3 months is no time at all. Right now move slowly and gain his trust.
It takes quite a while for many Amazons to decide you're even worth giving the time of day.
Win him over.
Take it very slow if you try pushing something they don’t want to do they will let you know. Best of luck with the gorgeous boy.
Icey
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Good luck. He is gorgeous.
melissasparrots
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Male amazons tend to be ruled by hormones which can lead to some serious territorial or possessive issues. I think you have two major options. #1 is to consider him a pair bonded bird which means he may be better off being allowed to enjoy the company of his mate and be more of a look at pet. There is a high probability that as long as his mate is around, he will be aggressive toward humans. #2 is to separate him from his mate such that they can no longer see each other. This option has a higher probability of getting him to be a handleable pet. However, some older males that have been pair bonded for a long time may never come around be being really personable. In my mind, if his mate is another amazon, then I'd be inclined to discourage breeding while accepting him as a look at pet and let him just be a happy bird with his mate. If his mate is the quaker or conure in your picture, then I'd take a hard look at behavior and safety of the smaller bird. When in doubt, I'd at least put them in separate cages and limit physical contact time. In which case, it might just be best to move him to another room and try for option #2.
One helpful hint when it comes to winning over the trust and kindness of an amazon is to not try too hard. If you push yourself at the bird, they are likely to push back. In other words, don't harass him trying to make him like you. Give him the option of coming toward you or accepting treats from you. Don't push too much. As you may be seeing though, you have to balance this with not letting him push you around too much while also trying not to get bit. Some people have a better knack for this than others. If they learn they can push you around, then the aggression may just increase. But, if you try to be a tough guy and get bit, he'll be more likely to keep biting you. This is a hard balance to strike and tends to come down to the type of body language and personal style some people have. Like, I said, if he's happy with a mate, letting him just be a look at pet and be happy being a bird is an entirely valid option.
If he steps up for you willingly, give him some low key praise, talk to him without pushing for more and put him down with a treat before he has a chance to get wound up and bite. Only after he's reliably willing to step up and be on your hand for 30 seconds or a couple minutes without biting should you think about pushing for more. Don't over stay your welcome. Amazons are independent and don't actually want a lot of holding unless they have already decided they like you a lot. Even then, many amazons would rather keep it brief even if they think you are their mate. Watch body language. If he is flashing his pupils or flaring his tail, don't even try to pick him up. Just keep it to verbal interaction. If the house is calm, he's calm, no one and nothing he dislikes is around, that is the time to ask him to step up. I say ask, because you should be willing to take NO for an answer. Remember the part about not pushing, and don't over stay your welcome. When in doubt, keep it positive and back off before he decides to make you back off.
One helpful hint when it comes to winning over the trust and kindness of an amazon is to not try too hard. If you push yourself at the bird, they are likely to push back. In other words, don't harass him trying to make him like you. Give him the option of coming toward you or accepting treats from you. Don't push too much. As you may be seeing though, you have to balance this with not letting him push you around too much while also trying not to get bit. Some people have a better knack for this than others. If they learn they can push you around, then the aggression may just increase. But, if you try to be a tough guy and get bit, he'll be more likely to keep biting you. This is a hard balance to strike and tends to come down to the type of body language and personal style some people have. Like, I said, if he's happy with a mate, letting him just be a look at pet and be happy being a bird is an entirely valid option.
If he steps up for you willingly, give him some low key praise, talk to him without pushing for more and put him down with a treat before he has a chance to get wound up and bite. Only after he's reliably willing to step up and be on your hand for 30 seconds or a couple minutes without biting should you think about pushing for more. Don't over stay your welcome. Amazons are independent and don't actually want a lot of holding unless they have already decided they like you a lot. Even then, many amazons would rather keep it brief even if they think you are their mate. Watch body language. If he is flashing his pupils or flaring his tail, don't even try to pick him up. Just keep it to verbal interaction. If the house is calm, he's calm, no one and nothing he dislikes is around, that is the time to ask him to step up. I say ask, because you should be willing to take NO for an answer. Remember the part about not pushing, and don't over stay your welcome. When in doubt, keep it positive and back off before he decides to make you back off.
Clueless
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Great way to put it @melissasparrots
That's what happened with me and MC. When I quit pushing into his personal space and started casually talking to him on a walk-by basis our relationship improved. Then AFTER he left his cage and was on his tree stand, he seemed more inclined to communicate with me. This all took a LOT of TIME but it was well worth it.
That's what happened with me and MC. When I quit pushing into his personal space and started casually talking to him on a walk-by basis our relationship improved. Then AFTER he left his cage and was on his tree stand, he seemed more inclined to communicate with me. This all took a LOT of TIME but it was well worth it.
