Hello

[vedwed]

Hello everyone.
I am new here and would like to introduce our parrot Oliver and myself

My wife and I just bought a 4 year old male red crowned amazon a few days ago. First bird for my wife, not the first amazon for me. He loves her, and loves to bite me, which I expect from the things I have read and my past experiences. We will get along great after time, and trust is built. All I know of his previous owner, is a woman with a small boy owned him, and had to move to an apartment and couldnt take him.

The only problem we have, that I have not dealt with before, is getting him to step up, he refuses. Not on a finger, not on a perch, nothing. He will go down the side of his cage to my wife, and play with her hair, and nibble on her shoulder, but he does not want to leave his cage. I want him to use a play gym, but I have this small problem of him not leaving his cage.

Other than that he is a great bird, although he does have his moody days, but that comes with the territory.

 

[jew1187]

Just give it time and he will eventually venture onward to better things than just staying on his cage. Good luck. He is a pretty bird.

 

[antoinette]

to you and Oliver


To gain your trust could take days, weeks, months even years. Each and every bird is so different. He obviously feels a comfort zone is his cage. He is in a new environment, new family, so much to absorb.
Sit near the cage, talking and singing to the bird. Let him become familiar with your voice. Leaving the cage door open, offer him treats through the bars at first. When he willingly accepts them, try placing a treat near the open door. Eventually he will starts taking the treats from the door, make no attempt to touch him. When he does come out, he will probably climb around on the cage. Let him explore in his own time. To get him back in, place a treat inside the cage, making sure it's visible.
When out the cage, let him investigate his new home, under his terms.
When he is comfortable being outside the cage, we will then assist you with the stepping up training.
Good luck and please keep us updated with Oliver's progress

 

[vedwed]

I guess I should clarify better, he does leave the inside of his cage, to the perch on the top, he just will not leave the perch/top/side of the cage. It is kind of a battle to get him in his cage to go to bed.
But all in due time, we have not had him a full week yet, and I am sure it will take months of him getting used to us and our family. We have a lot of 4 legged family members he does seem interested in. he goes down the side of his cage to try to play with our dogs

 

[Mondos Parents]

Oliver is a beautiful bird! Welcome to the forum! We are new owners also, Mondo is much different now from when we got him 3 weeks ago, like everyone says...It takes time, for me it seems like 2 steps forward and one back on a day to day basis. he took to Kelly the first week. We are having problems getting him to take a bath, but getting him on a better diet seems to be no problem. Good luck, I just enjoy having him in the room with us.

 

[MikeyTN]

He's a pretty Amazon!!! Time and patience is the key!

Mondo, I take my birds into the shower with me...

 

[vedwed]

I need to work on a better diet, we got a bag of food from the store we got him at, but he only likes the seeds out of it, matter of fact he wont eat anything else yet, and wont take treats,and wont eat millet.

Although today he tried to fly (he's clipped) off his perch on the top of his cage to my couch a few feet away, he let me pick him up then, but only long enough to return him to the top of his cage. But for the last few hours since then, he lets me scratch his head without biting me

 

[SharonC]

He'll get more secure with time. It's happening already, if he chose to venture on to the couch. Take your time...you won't believe the changes that will occur. Fred, my YNA, is a completely different bird now, then when I brought him home. I worried very much about the biting! Now, he takes my finger in his mouth while playing, and he's so very gentle. He trusts me, and I trust him! You're in for a whole lot of fun!!!

 

[MikeyTN]

Like it was said above, if he's already try to reach the couch towards you, he's interested! You just need to mix his food with the better food. It just takes time to change over their diet. What you intending on feeding him?

 

[vedwed]

I was thinking this food Kaytee Exact Natural Parrot/Conure Diet: Premium daily nutrition at Drs. Foster and Smith

There is dried fruits and little pellets in the mix that came from the store, but he picks around everything except the seed, so not 100% sure how exactly to go about transitioning him to this stuff.
Any recommendations to a good brand of food, and how to get him switched over?