Does your Amazon "discipline" you?

[PickleMeDickles]

As SassyByrd matures, it seems, like so many of us, she has made up her mind that she likes things just so. Every so often, I will do something that requires a reprimand, but not a bite. For example, I made the birds a fresh "salad" today. Sass was up on her playpen on top of her cage. I brought her salad in and she climbed down her playpen to inspect the contents of the bowl. She studied the bowl and then studied it some more. Obviously I can't just stand in my living room holding a giant metal salad bowl for this crazy bird so I lowered the bowl into her cage to put it in the bowl holder. Little Ms. Sassy immediately pinched my finger. I was totally surprised. I guess I was supposed to hold the bowl until she selected something? Whatever the reason, it was obvious that I had misbehaved and so was disciplined, which really is so different in comparison to an angry bite. I don't pick up on body language beforehand and the pinches always take me by surprise. If I go to put her to bed and "rush" the rituals too much I'll also get schooled. Just little bizarre instances. The pinches are not painful at all, and they are not done out of anger. It's more like "firm communication"? I don't get the feeling like this will progress to actual bites but wanted to check in to see what you all think.....

 

[SailBoat]

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Being Owned By An Amazon!

Also, it is why one sees the statement: Amazons Have Staff!

 

[wrench13]

I can't say for other parrots, but Salty has 5 levels that show his displeasure. Number 1 happens all the time, when past experience has resoundingly been ignored, and number 5 rarely and then only during mating season or a heavy molt.

I) Cool indiference - Shown by his disdane, lack of notice or refusing to even focus his little beady eyes on the object or action.

II) Gently grasping the offending digit or object in his beak, and purposely pushing said object or digit away from him. Most often done when a scratch or food item is offered and then soundly refused.

III) Chomp

IV) Chomp with gusto. A pinprick with a tiny drop of blood.

V) Chomp with intent to remove meat and make a lasting impression. To quote InIgo Montoya "There will be BLOOD tonight!".

 

[Anita1250]

Oh yeah. I get disciplined all the time. Minor infractions start with a peck. Just banging the beak tip on my hand. Then we move onto a grab. That is grabbing the finger and holding it. A variation is throwing the finger over to one side. Then we go to a minor bite. That one has a little more force and can almost hurt. After that, like Al says, there will be blood. The worst offense can result in a bite so bad that I almost need stitches. Such as grinding the beak back and forth on the finger. Ouch!

We also have other than beak related issues. Such as throwing offensive food all over the house. Or, yelling our heads off over not being payed attention to. My personal favorite is the growling. Sam sits and stares at us and growls like a dog. Please don't ask where he learned that one. I have no idea.

 

[Smerft85]

Well, Myles is a mommas boy for sure, but we do have our rituals, I'm usually the one to greet everyone in the morning, and if I don't pay him a special good morning with a nut in hand he will lunge and bite at the cage every time I come near, if mom doesn't pay attention to him he will start out easy, and work his way into a full blown human-like scream.

Him and I have kinda trained one another, he does his "happy boy dance" before he gets his nut, and I know better than to not offer. I talk to him every time I'm near him, and it seems to be helping him not hate me quite as bad.

 

[Kiwibird]

Depending on the severity and nature of the infraction, Kiwi will correct our behavior by kicking away our hand/face with his foot, lunging and hissing or a firm pinch. I think we’ve pretty much trained the blood drawing vicious biting out of him though by respecting his more desirable forms of communication (see above) that lets us know he doesn’t like something. I wouldn’t put it past him to still remove a chunk of flesh if pushed/interacting with a stranger who was annoying him.

 

[noodles123]

Noodles is a cockatoo, but she pooped on me deliberately after I spent the night away and left her in the care of my parents (Whom she loves). She's potty trained but I reached to remove the fresh fruit from her cage and she got me. First time in years..LOL
Also, she bit me and then said "hi!" and put her head on my chest, but that was before she pooped on me.

 

[mh434]

When Sammy "disciplines", it usually means a trip to the emergency room for me....I have a LOT of stitched-up scars from his actions.....

 

[PickleMeDickles]

Stitches? Sass has just started (in the last few days) to visit other people in our home, friends and employees and kids home from school. I am so paranoid. So far so good but we shall see. Funny thing is, the 3 other chosen ones (besides hubby and me) have never really been around parrots before, but all 3 have a pretty good intuitive knack of reading Sassy and have a real fondness for her. This bird could be an Amazon Ambassador, everyone that spends time with her wants to add a parrot to their family which is really not the exact message I would like to pass along.