Experienced parrot owners please help me!!!

[Beako_N_Kiwi]

Hi, I'm sure someone here can help me!!! We adopted two amazon parrots about 2.5 weeks ago. One is very tame, steps up, etc. The other was rescued from a neglectful situation and is a bit aggressive sometimes. Her name is Kiwi. She steps up on a branch, she dances with me, but she gets too excited and while, and had leaped onto me from the cage (once landed on the floor, so I picked her up with her stick and tried to get her to step up on my arm and she bit my finger bad). Since then, I have lost the courage to try to get her to step up on my arm. She gets very jealous when my other bird steps up onto me, and at times she looks like she really wants to... I just decided not to push the subject. She also regurgitates for me, shows off her tricks for me, so overall, I know she loves me.

Can someone please share the steps I need to take to get her to step up on my arm and not bite me. (the bite was BAD)

I know I need to work with her on this, or else she will never drop her bad habits, but I don't know where to begin.

 

[Beako_N_Kiwi]

By the way, when I notice her getting a little too excited, I leave the room to let her cool off!!!

 

[roxynoodle]

Yes, at least amazons are nice enough to give us very clear warning signals that they are overly excited or angry.

It sounds like she wants to make friends, but doesn't know how yet. I would let her keep seeing the other bird stepping up for you so she has the idea of what she is supposed to do. And continue dancing with her and interacting with her in ways you know she likes. You might also try to bribe her onto your arm by holding a treat with the other hand that she can only reach by stepping up.

Just remember, time and patience. She was in a bad situation and has trust issues. It may be a long time yet before she knows how to interact with a human. Just continue to work with her every day.

And don't show her nervousness or fear. That will either just make her fearful as well, or let her think she's the one in control. The bite hurt, but you are ok from it. Act confident with her, but not aggressive.

 

[Beako_N_Kiwi]

Great advice, thank you I keep telling myself it was just a bite, and I'm sure there will be many more in the future. It's like a car accident - once you're in one, you are afraid to drive, but if you don't start driving right after it again, you grow even more scared of driving each day that goes by. That's how I feel now, I am so scared of her bite! It just sliced my finger and took a chunk out!

Like you said, I need to gain her trust, and I wont rush her Holding a treat with the other hand is GREAT advice!

 

[roxynoodle]

It happened to me, too, after a car accident. I was rear ended by a snow plow. I didn't expect that to happen as I've always gotten right back on a horse or dirt bike after a crash, lol! But, it did and it was 2-3 weeks before I began to relax again.

 

[lizardsmells]

Yes, Roxy is right! Bribery! Kazi, after he got a few days to settle in, was very bitey with me. He chomped on me for all sorts of reasons. Like you, I didn't want to show fear around him, but it really hurt! So I started bribing him with almond slivers. When I wanted him to step up I'd offer him one and at the same time offer my other hand and tell him to step up. He would automatically because it put him close enough to the almond to get it.

I did that for about a week and then started to taper off, but started including trick training sessions, so he was still getting almond slivers and learning new things, including how to communicate. One of the tricks I taught him was 'raise your hand' and he'd raise his left foot up really high and hold it really flat. So now when he wants what I have or the answer to a question is 'yes' he'll 'raise his hand'. He'll still do it on command, but we use it as a form of communication.

Based on my experience I'd try offering a small tidbit when you want her to step up and then gradually incorporating some trick training into the day. Kazi and I do it for maybe 10 minutes most days.

And I know this sounds ridiculous and feel free to brush it off as nonsense, but I also spent the first few weeks telling Kazi that he was safe and would live with me as long as I was here and would never be shut away from the world or ignored. I told him that a lot, because he'd had a few homes and his last one was pretty neglectful, and I think they can glean intent, if not the meanings of the words themselves. I don't know how much it helped, but I thought it couldn't hurt.