I’m terrified of my baby

[b.fauz]

I never thought I’d say this but I’m terrified of my baby girl Ivy, I’ve had her since she was 5 months old (she’ll be 5 in June) I raised her to be sweet towards everyone and she has been. I thought I must’ve gotten so lucky to have a blue fronted amazon that loves meeting new people and even when she was hormonal it was never this bad.

I believe the hormonal behavior started around winter time when she was 3 years old and I’d get the occasional bites here and there which were nothing to me it was normal expected behavior.

Now fast forward to the present, being honest I did have her in the cage for a while because I was becoming afraid of handling her but today I decided to let her out and she stepped up onto my hand straight away and I took her upstairs to my bedroom and put her on her swing and every time I made any movements her tail would fan out, eyes pinned and sometimes she’d spread her wings out and when I attempted to leave the room to go toilet she tried to dive bomb me, I ended up getting to the bathroom eventually and then I couldn’t get back into the room because she was on top of the door waiting to attack again lol my mam wondered why I was scared and opened my door and she flew out, my mam then picked her up and went downstairs and while she was going downstairs Ivy began to continuously peck at her arm sometimes not letting go.

I love her so much, she keeps me company even though I do have other pets it’s just different with a bird as to me it feels like another person is in the room and during this pandemic I’m feeling really lonely without her being her normal self. Is this who she is now or will it pass?

I’ve done everything I could think of to lessen the hormones, natural day/night cycle, varied healthy diet and exercise when I wasn’t so afraid of her, I used to take her outside on warm days too but with the way she’s acting now I’d be too afraid to put a harness on her.

 

[aooratrix]

@melissasparrots

 

[macawpower58]

This is a parrot that will test your mettle, that's for sure.
How much do you know about the hot 3 Amazons, because you have one.

These Amazons are infamous for the behavior they exhibit when hormones hit hard.
They can become quite aggressive and overexcite easily.

You'll need to learn some better handling techniques, and learn to read the body signs of your bird.
First thing is to teach to him step onto a perch, a T stand is essential with a bird like this. Even a regular perch, or a boing would work to keep your skin out of her reach.

Your baby may calm down after this bout of hormones, but you could be in for several years of intense behavior.

IMO, and this is just how I handled several years of my macaw's hormonal aggression, you need to find some way to protect your skin. I used small soft throw pillows left strategically around the house, and small fuzzy baby blankets with my bird. The pillows were if I was attacked (between bad bird and me) and the blankets were for over my hands and arm. It lessened my fears, and got me through the bad years. During this time, I had to learn how to handle him, and how to read his signs. I learned what set him off, and how to deescalate. We created a different relationship than what we had when he was young and sweet. It was a hard time for me. We survived though, and so will you.

Others may have different suggestions that will also work.

Ask any questions, express your fears, and don't be afraid or feel guilty.
Remember this is not personal with Ivy.
Ivy does not hate you. She is confused, stressed, her hormones are raging and she doesn't know how to handle it.
Nature wants her to behave in a way that just doesn't fit well in our living rooms. Be patient and come here and cry to us.

I know I cried out for help, and received advice and support from all here.

 

[melissasparrots]

It sounds to me like Ivy might be a boy. Are you sure she is a she? When my male amazon acts like this, I put him in time out in his cage for a few days to just get us all out of the cycle of biting. Then, before taking the bird out, I assess body language. I walk over and talk to the bird. If he seems non-reactive and calm, I check to see if he can take a treat from my hand without getting over excited or trying to bite instead of take the treat. I check to see if I can pet him between the bars of the cage without him trying to bite. If I can do all that, then I'll open the cage door and have him step up. I keep our interactions short. I give him a quick scratch and put him back in his cage. If this all goes well for a few days and he seems to be past the worst of the hormones, then I'll follow the same procedure to assess mood, but I'll try to put him out on top of his cage for a little while when I have nothing else I have to do and the house is calm. The TV and radio are not making noise, the other birds and dogs are calm, and I have nothing to do but sit on my computer across the room and be extremely boring to watch. I do this at a time where I don't have to go anywhere any time soon, so I have time assess mood before I pick him up again. This means I may have to try a couple of times before he is ready to be picked up without biting. I let him get sleepy and either put himself back in his cage or I see that he is all fluffed up and content looking. Then I walk over with an almond and try to have him step up. If he seems a little intense, then I put the nut in his food bowl to entice him to go in by himself. If he seems calm and just wants his nut, then I have him step up in order to get his nut. This way, he gets a treat for stepping up nicely, and if he suddenly changes his mind and wants to bite, he'll have to drop his nut to do it which he probably won't want to do. If this all goes well for several weeks and we are getting out of the hormonal season toward mid summer or fall, then I might try more hands on. But keep in mind, many amazons really are not huge fans of just sitting on people for long hours. Making them do so will tend to get you bit when the bird gets bored and resentful. My pet male amazon is usually good for a quick scratch and hanging out in the same room as me, but not much time sitting on me. For us in the northern hemisphere, now is a hard time to try to deal with adult male amazons. We are nearly at the height of crazy hormonal behavior. My male is much better than he was during his first real hormone season when he was about 8 years old. His first season, he went about 6 months without me handling him much. The next couple years after that were hit and miss during the hormone season but I could often handle him briefly. This year at well over 10 years old, he is better. Though I still have to assess mood before handling him. I will be able to let him out more often and for longer as we get closer to July and August and hormones start to simmer down.

For hormonal male cockatoos that just want to attack my face, but need to get out for their own mental health, I've just bird proofed my bedroom and make sure there isn't anything in there that I don't mind getting chewed. Then I let the bird out and I leave and close the door behind me. He can't bite me if I'm not there. After an hour or so when the excitement of getting out is over and the screaming his stopped, I walk back in with an almond and if he can step up without being a jerk, then I take him back to his cage with nut in his beak while we walk. If he still wants to be a jerk, then I leave and take my almond with me. Try back again later. I give all my birds their seed and pellets in the late evening, so most of the time he would be looking forward to going back to his cage before bedtime to get his supper.

 

[webchirp]

@Monica

 

[Monica]

@melissasparrots has a lot of great methods.

Your bird can't bite while being caged unless your flesh gets too close. You can work on some behaviors while she is caged such as target training and station training. Once these behaviors are good, you can work on training through the open cage door, around the outside of the cage and eventually away from the cage.

When she's out of her cage, make sure she has something to do! Foraging, playing with toys, etc. Basically, keep her engaged!


Do you notice if her behavior is worse in any particular location? As in... worse around her cage? The livingroom? Your bedroom? Or?

 

[b.fauz]

This is a parrot that will test your mettle, that's for sure.
How much do you know about the hot 3 Amazons, because you have one.

These Amazons are infamous for the behavior they exhibit when hormones hit hard.
They can become quite aggressive and overexcite easily.

You'll need to learn some better handling techniques, and learn to read the body signs of your bird.
First thing is to teach to him step onto a perch, a T stand is essential with a bird like this. Even a regular perch, or a boing would work to keep your skin out of her reach.

Your baby may calm down after this bout of hormones, but you could be in for several years of intense behavior.

IMO, and this is just how I handled several years of my macaw's hormonal aggression, you need to find some way to protect your skin. I used small soft throw pillows left strategically around the house, and small fuzzy baby blankets with my bird. The pillows were if I was attacked (between bad bird and me) and the blankets were for over my hands and arm. It lessened my fears, and got me through the bad years. During this time, I had to learn how to handle him, and how to read his signs. I learned what set him off, and how to deescalate. We created a different relationship than what we had when he was young and sweet. It was a hard time for me. We survived though, and so will you.

Others may have different suggestions that will also work.

Ask any questions, express your fears, and don't be afraid or feel guilty.
Remember this is not personal with Ivy.
Ivy does not hate you. She is confused, stressed, her hormones are raging and she doesn't know how to handle it.
Nature wants her to behave in a way that just doesn't fit well in our living rooms. Be patient and come here and cry to us.

I know I cried out for help, and received advice and support from all here.

What do I do if she flys off the perch to attack my face? Even if I’m just in the same room with her my guard is always up and I get scared

 

[b.fauz]

It sounds to me like Ivy might be a boy. Are you sure she is a she? When my male amazon acts like this, I put him in time out in his cage for a few days to just get us all out of the cycle of biting. Then, before taking the bird out, I assess body language. I walk over and talk to the bird. If he seems non-reactive and calm, I check to see if he can take a treat from my hand without getting over excited or trying to bite instead of take the treat. I check to see if I can pet him between the bars of the cage without him trying to bite. If I can do all that, then I'll open the cage door and have him step up. I keep our interactions short. I give him a quick scratch and put him back in his cage. If this all goes well for a few days and he seems to be past the worst of the hormones, then I'll follow the same procedure to assess mood, but I'll try to put him out on top of his cage for a little while when I have nothing else I have to do and the house is calm. The TV and radio are not making noise, the other birds and dogs are calm, and I have nothing to do but sit on my computer across the room and be extremely boring to watch. I do this at a time where I don't have to go anywhere any time soon, so I have time assess mood before I pick him up again. This means I may have to try a couple of times before he is ready to be picked up without biting. I let him get sleepy and either put himself back in his cage or I see that he is all fluffed up and content looking. Then I walk over with an almond and try to have him step up. If he seems a little intense, then I put the nut in his food bowl to entice him to go in by himself. If he seems calm and just wants his nut, then I have him step up in order to get his nut. This way, he gets a treat for stepping up nicely, and if he suddenly changes his mind and wants to bite, he'll have to drop his nut to do it which he probably won't want to do. If this all goes well for several weeks and we are getting out of the hormonal season toward mid summer or fall, then I might try more hands on. But keep in mind, many amazons really are not huge fans of just sitting on people for long hours. Making them do so will tend to get you bit when the bird gets bored and resentful. My pet male amazon is usually good for a quick scratch and hanging out in the same room as me, but not much time sitting on me. For us in the northern hemisphere, now is a hard time to try to deal with adult male amazons. We are nearly at the height of crazy hormonal behavior. My male is much better than he was during his first real hormone season when he was about 8 years old. His first season, he went about 6 months without me handling him much. The next couple years after that were hit and miss during the hormone season but I could often handle him briefly. This year at well over 10 years old, he is better. Though I still have to assess mood before handling him. I will be able to let him out more often and for longer as we get closer to July and August and hormones start to simmer down.

For hormonal male cockatoos that just want to attack my face, but need to get out for their own mental health, I've just bird proofed my bedroom and make sure there isn't anything in there that I don't mind getting chewed. Then I let the bird out and I leave and close the door behind me. He can't bite me if I'm not there. After an hour or so when the excitement of getting out is over and the screaming his stopped, I walk back in with an almond and if he can step up without being a jerk, then I take him back to his cage with nut in his beak while we walk. If he still wants to be a jerk, then I leave and take my almond with me. Try back again later. I give all my birds their seed and pellets in the late evening, so most of the time he would be looking forward to going back to his cage before bedtime to get his supper.

I thought she was a boy for 3 years, she was DNA tested female when her hormones kicked in

 

[b.fauz]

@melissasparrots has a lot of great methods.

Your bird can't bite while being caged unless your flesh gets too close. You can work on some behaviors while she is caged such as target training and station training. Once these behaviors are good, you can work on training through the open cage door, around the outside of the cage and eventually away from the cage.

When she's out of her cage, make sure she has something to do! Foraging, playing with toys, etc. Basically, keep her engaged!


Do you notice if her behavior is worse in any particular location? As in... worse around her cage? The livingroom? Your bedroom? Or?

It’s worse when I take her to my bedroom because if I try to leave she gets upset and dive bombs me, she’s always had separation anxiety since she was a baby

 

[macawpower58]

If her attacks get dangerous, you can trim just a small bit off her flight feathers so she doesn't have as much lift for flight. DO NOT DO A FULL CUT. You just want to slow her a bit.

Keep something soft near bye that you use to deflect her from you when flying. This is what I had the small pillows for. When my boy came at me, I'd hold a pillow in front of me and he'd 'bounce' off it. Even a small throw blanket can be used as a shield. Not a scientific solution, it was a desperate one.

Is she out all of the time? Will she step up normally? Is she always on the defensive these days, or just when excited? Does she go after you if you're alone, or only when another person is near?

Give us her normal daily routine.

Perhaps we can give you some ideas on how to change it up a bit, it may change some of her behavior.

Sometimes cage arranging can help, move her perches about, change her toys out, it's good to leave her sleep perch where it is if possible. Change where her cage is, a change of scenery may help.

There's lots of things to try, let us know what her life is like now so we can give some suggestions.

 

[b.fauz]

If her attacks get dangerous, you can trim just a small bit off her flight feathers so she doesn't have as much lift for flight. DO NOT DO A FULL CUT. You just want to slow her a bit.

Keep something soft near bye that you use to deflect her from you when flying. This is what I had the small pillows for. When my boy came at me, I'd hold a pillow in front of me and he'd 'bounce' off it. Even a small throw blanket can be used as a shield. Not a scientific solution, it was a desperate one.

Is she out all of the time? Will she step up normally? Is she always on the defensive these days, or just when excited? Does she go after you if you're alone, or only when another person is near?

Give us her normal daily routine.

Perhaps we can give you some ideas on how to change it up a bit, it may change some of her behavior.

Sometimes cage arranging can help, move her perches about, change her toys out, it's good to leave her sleep perch where it is if possible. Change where her cage is, a change of scenery may help.

There's lots of things to try, let us know what her life is like now so we can give some suggestions.

I recently moved her cage from my bedroom to the living room as we had a mice problem and there was no way for me to fully mice proof the room and it was horrible so I had to get her away from the mice, She steps up normally but gets defensive if she thinks I’m leaving her or when it’s time for her to go back in her cage, I’m thinking it has something to do with the separation

 

[Monica]

It’s worse when I take her to my bedroom because if I try to leave she gets upset and dive bombs me, she’s always had separation anxiety since she was a baby

Your room may be a trigger.... If possible, don't take her to your room. Instead, find other ways to have her with you in other parts of your home. Do training at the cage and throughout the rest of the house before even considering bringing her into your room - for now.

 

[b.fauz]

Your room may be a trigger.... If possible, don't take her to your room. Instead, find other ways to have her with you in other parts of your home. Do training at the cage and throughout the rest of the house before even considering bringing her into your room - for now.

Thank you sounds like a good idea

 

[macawpower58]

I'm curious, but do you make returning to the cage good? Or is it in her mind a loss of something, most likely you?

I have a cockatoo and a macaw that both gave me problems when it was time to recage. For a long time I thought they were just spoiled brat birds and it was a battle. I had to trick them, out think them, but it was working poorly at best. I even lied to my macaw once (told him we were going to the little bird's room), and then dropped him off onto his cage perch. He lost his trust in me.

I slowly realized what I was doing. I was using the cage when I needed them put up, and it was something they hated. They viewed it as punishment, there was no reward involved, nothing to look forwards too.

I started to go out of my way to make the return rewarding. With my macaw I couldn't even get him to step up for a while, he didn't trust me. I now never lie. When I say 'want to see the little birds?', we go see them first, and afterwards he's content to step off my arm into the cage.

I also make it a habit to ask if they'd like a treat, and make a big deal of going to the fridge for a treat first. Then I can easily recage them. I've learned to make the cage not punishment. Not being put away, but the end of a treat, or the end of doing something they enjoy.

Not sure if this helps, but it might. My cockatoo's favorite place in the world is on me. My macaws favorite place is out of the cage. Sometimes it takes us retraining ourselves to change their behavior.

 

[b.fauz]

I'm curious, but do you make returning to the cage good? Or is it in her mind a loss of something, most likely you?

I have a cockatoo and a macaw that both gave me problems when it was time to recage. For a long time I thought they were just spoiled brat birds and it was a battle. I had to trick them, out think them, but it was working poorly at best. I even lied to my macaw once (told him we were going to the little bird's room), and then dropped him off onto his cage perch. He lost his trust in me.

I slowly realized what I was doing. I was using the cage when I needed them put up, and it was something they hated. They viewed it as punishment, there was no reward involved, nothing to look forwards too.

I started to go out of my way to make the return rewarding. With my macaw I couldn't even get him to step up for a while, he didn't trust me. I now never lie. When I say 'want to see the little birds?', we go see them first, and afterwards he's content to step off my arm into the cage.

I also make it a habit to ask if they'd like a treat, and make a big deal of going to the fridge for a treat first. Then I can easily recage them. I've learned to make the cage not punishment. Not being put away, but the end of a treat, or the end of doing something they enjoy.

Not sure if this helps, but it might. My cockatoo's favorite place in the world is on me. My macaws favorite place is out of the cage. Sometimes it takes us retraining ourselves to change their behavior.

I’ll start doing that, it’s definitely the loss of me cause she just likes to follow me everywhere and if I let her land on me she would continuously peck at my head. When she bites my hand I no longer get startled as I’m used to it now and just carefully remove her

 

[Gigibirds]

I'm so sorry about his/her scariness! I used to be terrified of going into my aviary when my lovies were nesting, because they would try to pull the hairs off my head and, when that didn't work, bite my neck! It hurt alot, and they have TINY beaks compared to a huge parrot like yours! I hope that she/he goes back to normal soon!