Hello! I'm new to this forum. I have had my blue fronted amazon (Norman) for almost 28 years. I am not really a bird person, but I love him dearly and I'm committed to him. We recently moved in with my partner and Norman has never dealt well with change. He has always been a somewhat aggressive bird. If it's just the two of us he's great but the moment someone else walks in, he will attach me. And I mean bloody! I usually need to get a towel to avoid any more bodily harm, and I hate to do that because it Upsets him but I don't know how else to protect myself. Now since we moved, he seems to have bonded with my partner and I'm glad they both love each other's company & attention but Norman seems to hate me know. I don't know what to do. He strikes at me when my partner is around and will literally walk on the floor to try and bite me. When I try to give him one of his favourite treats, he will try to bite me. I don't know if its hormones in combination with the there bonding. He will even bite my partner (who he loves) if I get too close. I'm about to travel home for the summer & I'm bringing him with me partly because everything I've read says I need to minimize their bond & strengthen ours. I'm scared because I don't want to be attached everyday. I 've spoke with his vet and she says this is normal behaviour for an amazon, but this abuse has to stop or at least lesson. I will never give him up or stop trying. To me, abandoning part of my family is not an option. NORMAN and I have been together since I was a teenager, close to 30 years. I would really appreciate any/all advise for why he is behaving this way and how I can gain his trust love again. Thank you! RitaS
Help with Aggressive Behaviour
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JerseyWendy
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Hello Rita and welcome to the forum. 
Sounds like you have your hands full with Norman at the moment. It very well could be hormonal, and I know what it's like having to run from an agitated Amazon who's on a war path.
Amazons can be notorious for misguided aggression, meaning they will let their anger out on YOU, even if you are not the culprit for their (often sudden and unprovoked) aggression.
Have you done any training with Norman? If not, it's never too late to start. Clicker training is quite popular and can work wonders.
Do you have a simple T-stand for Norman, where you can place him on?
I'm sure you'll be getting very useful information from other members. I wish you the best of luck with your young man, and THANK YOU for not even considering giving him up despite his current outbursts.
Sounds like you have your hands full with Norman at the moment. It very well could be hormonal, and I know what it's like having to run from an agitated Amazon who's on a war path.
Amazons can be notorious for misguided aggression, meaning they will let their anger out on YOU, even if you are not the culprit for their (often sudden and unprovoked) aggression.
Have you done any training with Norman? If not, it's never too late to start.
Clicker training is quite popular and can work wonders.Do you have a simple T-stand for Norman, where you can place him on?
I'm sure you'll be getting very useful information from other members. I wish you the best of luck with your young man, and THANK YOU for not even considering giving him up despite his current outbursts.
henpecked
Active member
Hey and welcome to the forum, glad you joined to learn more about Norman. Where to start??? Norman needed more socialization in his earlier life. If exposed to more people earlier ,he would be content with you now. because he has had limited access to other people he has suddenly found someone new and he's a one person bird! I think you can still work it out, but Norman needs socialization! The more people and things he's exposed too the more things (Changes) he'll except. He can have more than one friend but he doesn't realize that yet. Your still "special" to him but if given a choice his new best friend will win the popularity contest, so be sure not to make it a contest. Pick your chances when your BF is not around. learn to avoid the bites. Ask lots of questions, i;m sure we can help. PS i've had my zon since i was 14 and i'm an old man now. She (the zon) has been though many,many changes and new people,but i'm still the light of her life. Every once in a while she'll meet someone she really likes but after a few minutes ,she's going home with "Dad".
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JerseyWendy
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Rita, henpecked is our Amazon man! He's got SO much experience and NOTHING but love and excellent advice!
AND...don't believe him...he is NOT an old man!!
AND...don't believe him...he is NOT an old man!!
SandyBee
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Yes if it weren't for henpecked my relationship with my zon wouldn't of been as strong, his advice is spot on. Also zons prefer confident owners, this means when he goes to bite you, try and avoid it and also don't allow it. Firm No, put him up in cage if needed, evil eye etc. He needs boundaries
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Thank all for your suggestions!
Jersey Wendy - when you say t-stand do you mean for his cage or separate? Also as a discipline devise or for training?
Sandy Bee - when he's aggressive towards me or anyone else I do discipline him. I will lock him up and say NO firmly & repeat. But he always gets nastier. I've even covered him for a short while to reinforce but man he can hold a grudge! HONESTLY I'm not sure who is getting punished. Lately when he strikes at me I have to get the towel & he attacks it viciously. I hate it because I feel like I HAVE to threaten him to avoid getting hurt. He doesn't even seem fearful of the towel anymore. I know he is terrified of gloves but I refuse to get that mean. There has to be a better way. Any recommendations of books I could read?
Henpecked - I never even considered socialization! It makes so much sense. When I first got Norman I was a kid & knew nothing about birds, let alone Amazon's! I'VE done so many things wrong. I have a lot of guilt too, which lets me excuse his bad behaviour. For the first 5 years of his life I took him everywhere with me. Then I learned about so many dangers that I had exposed him to, so I stopped. I noticed a huge change in his behaviour then. That's when he really started getting mean. Then college and he was always locked away in my room because of roommates pets, smoke, other dangers. But for the last 13 years he has been front & centre. He's around other people & dogs but his cage is his domain. He's fine with others as long as they stay out and I generally need to keep a distance when others are around because he goes after me. My vet says he's trying to protect me? Not sure about that. He's been generally alright with boyfriends once he gets to know them. But this new bond is really extreme. It goes both ways. The two are inseparable, which makes me nervous about going away. I don't want him to get depressed. It's only for a month. Do you think it's wise to take Norman with me? He will be around a lot of people most of the time. Do you have suggestions of where I can learn about socialization techniques? I really hope it's possible to at least get back to a somewhat normal life.
There are a couple of other factors in some of his anger...I think.
The last three years have been rough. My dog of 16 years died & Norman took it bad, as did I. They were close, he would feed her & Chase her around. I was "given" a rescue dog and Norman HATES him. I was also sick with breast cancer, which seemed to freak him out and then the move. We were at my last house a very long time. I feel like I'm making excuses for him, but it has to have confused him.
I'm sorry if I'm writing too much! I've never done a forum before.
Your thoughts & suggestions are GREATLY appreciated!!!
Jersey Wendy - when you say t-stand do you mean for his cage or separate? Also as a discipline devise or for training?
Sandy Bee - when he's aggressive towards me or anyone else I do discipline him. I will lock him up and say NO firmly & repeat. But he always gets nastier. I've even covered him for a short while to reinforce but man he can hold a grudge! HONESTLY I'm not sure who is getting punished. Lately when he strikes at me I have to get the towel & he attacks it viciously. I hate it because I feel like I HAVE to threaten him to avoid getting hurt. He doesn't even seem fearful of the towel anymore. I know he is terrified of gloves but I refuse to get that mean. There has to be a better way. Any recommendations of books I could read?
Henpecked - I never even considered socialization! It makes so much sense. When I first got Norman I was a kid & knew nothing about birds, let alone Amazon's! I'VE done so many things wrong. I have a lot of guilt too, which lets me excuse his bad behaviour. For the first 5 years of his life I took him everywhere with me. Then I learned about so many dangers that I had exposed him to, so I stopped. I noticed a huge change in his behaviour then. That's when he really started getting mean. Then college and he was always locked away in my room because of roommates pets, smoke, other dangers. But for the last 13 years he has been front & centre. He's around other people & dogs but his cage is his domain. He's fine with others as long as they stay out and I generally need to keep a distance when others are around because he goes after me. My vet says he's trying to protect me? Not sure about that. He's been generally alright with boyfriends once he gets to know them. But this new bond is really extreme. It goes both ways. The two are inseparable, which makes me nervous about going away. I don't want him to get depressed. It's only for a month. Do you think it's wise to take Norman with me? He will be around a lot of people most of the time. Do you have suggestions of where I can learn about socialization techniques? I really hope it's possible to at least get back to a somewhat normal life.
There are a couple of other factors in some of his anger...I think.
The last three years have been rough. My dog of 16 years died & Norman took it bad, as did I. They were close, he would feed her & Chase her around. I was "given" a rescue dog and Norman HATES him. I was also sick with breast cancer, which seemed to freak him out and then the move. We were at my last house a very long time. I feel like I'm making excuses for him, but it has to have confused him.
I'm sorry if I'm writing too much! I've never done a forum before.
Your thoughts & suggestions are GREATLY appreciated!!!
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Jersey Wendy - I'm embarrassed to admit...but no I have not done any training with Norman. Other than step up and talking. Do you think it's too late for us BOTH to learn? I hate that I let it get this bad:-(
Featheredsamurai
New member
With parrots it is never to late to start training, they are highly intelligent and trick training is often something they love. My galah is at least 20 and never did trick training until she came to live with me, she now loves it and I have seen a amazing difference in her mentality because of it. It makes them use their brain, and they love to learn.
What are you feeding Norman? Often the first step to a happy healthy bird is the best diet you can achieve. Birdtricks.com has a incredible cookbook for parrots!
I feed my birds both Harrisons's pellets, as well as birdtricks chop mix recipes that I make in bulk and freeze, lots of fresh veggies, and some fruit.
JerseyWendy
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Don't be embarrassed, please.
Norman is not too old to start learning. I would call if "behavior modification".
As for the T-stand, not for inside the cage, but a separate stand, away from the cage, where you can place Norman on and do training sessions.
Here's an example of a simple T-stand:[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9820304636/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1/190-9817103-2630219?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_r=1KPE2RGXRNZY66Z38SH5&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=1535523722&pf_rd_i=9820304601"]Amazon.com: Dragonwood Bird Training T-stand (Color: Natural, Size: Medium): Pet Supplies[/ame]
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Copperarabian - Norman eats a seed base diet. He was breed in NY & the breeder make there own mix. I used to get from the pet store but I noticed that he lights up when ever I could get it from the breeders. So now I buy large amounts and vacuum seal it. Fruits & veggies AND everything I eat. I'm a vegetarian, but he loves meat & Spicy food, food like green chillis. Tried pellets once & he was not having it. He is a HORRIBLE beggar if I'm eating he screams bloody murder until I give him some or climbs down his cage and begs at my feet like my dog. Loves his carbs like his mom's! My vet lectured me that he was gonna need a bra if I didn't start limiting the carbs. I looked at birdtricks.com but could not find the cookbook? I read some recipes. Could you give me the name of the book? Also looked at some of there videos on training. Is there one you would suggest?
Thank you!
Jersey Wendy - I bought a T-Stand today! Read a little on clicker training. Need to see if the pet store carries them. Any suggestions on a reference guide to aid me?
Thank you for being so kind & positive!!!
Thank you!
Jersey Wendy - I bought a T-Stand today! Read a little on clicker training. Need to see if the pet store carries them. Any suggestions on a reference guide to aid me?
Thank you for being so kind & positive!!!
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I've decided to start from scratch with Norman. His cage needs to be replaced, very old. Figure this might also help improve my chances of the rehabilitation too. I'm thinking that if I replace everything & start new he might be more responsive? Currently his cage is about 4 x 3 feet wide & about 5 feet tall. Any suggestions for new cage? I have no problem going larger. Major guilt about caging a bird!
SandyBee
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African Brown head-Rescue- August(9)
I agree a bird is never too old too learn.
Good for you, a T-stand is so valuable. Bosley just loves his and helps expand his world.
My amazon loves his meat too and is quite the beggar, I always let him have dinner with me and goes a long way towards bonding. Exercise and mind stimulation such as training does so much good for them, health wise and behaviour wise. The more you can get him to move, walk, climb, fly the better off you will be. I find with my amazon if I keep him busy and tired the better behaved he is. New toys go far, also I find a good shower helps him mellow and be calm after.
The biting behaviour, can you see it coming? Preventing him biting by distraction and/or removing yourself from the situation by not giving him the opportunity the bite might go a long way. Sounds like he is gotten into a habit that needs to be broken.
Your desire to make changes here shows that you both can learn, I'm sure that with patience you will go a long way.
Good for you, a T-stand is so valuable. Bosley just loves his and helps expand his world.
My amazon loves his meat too and is quite the beggar, I always let him have dinner with me and goes a long way towards bonding. Exercise and mind stimulation such as training does so much good for them, health wise and behaviour wise. The more you can get him to move, walk, climb, fly the better off you will be. I find with my amazon if I keep him busy and tired the better behaved he is. New toys go far, also I find a good shower helps him mellow and be calm after.
The biting behaviour, can you see it coming? Preventing him biting by distraction and/or removing yourself from the situation by not giving him the opportunity the bite might go a long way. Sounds like he is gotten into a habit that needs to be broken.
Your desire to make changes here shows that you both can learn, I'm sure that with patience you will go a long way.
JerseyWendy
New member
- Jul 20, 2012
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No need to thank me....we are all doing this out of love.
Here are some links for you on clicker training.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z-yiDIjn2s"]Clicker Training Made Easy - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afwKhou2RSk"]Simon Bird Clicker Training - YouTube[/ame]
Bird-Click : Bird-Click
Clicking with Birds
Clicker Training for Birds: My Parrot Training Bible | Best in Flock - Parrot Blog
Here are some links for you on clicker training.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z-yiDIjn2s"]Clicker Training Made Easy - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afwKhou2RSk"]Simon Bird Clicker Training - YouTube[/ame]
Bird-Click : Bird-Click
Clicking with Birds
Clicker Training for Birds: My Parrot Training Bible | Best in Flock - Parrot Blog
SandyBee
New member
- Oct 5, 2012
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- DYH Amazon-Rescue- Bosley (36),
African Brown head-Rescue- August(9)
A new beginning sounds like a good plan. Also don't feel guilty about caging him, their cage is their home and safe spot. It keeps them safe when your not able to be there.
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Sandy Bee - oh yeah I can see when it's coming, the biting! One thing I love about Norman is he's not tricky. He lets you know exactly the type of mood he's in. If it's just the two of us, his can usually baby talk him into being nice, funny because he has a hard time staying mad at me when we're alone. He's also become incredibly jealous of the dog. HATES when he is on my lap! Yes he loves his showers, he usually throws water from his bowl to inform me it's time. I give him about 2 showers a week, but he would prefer almost daily.
I can't believe I never thought to try a forum before! I love my vet but hearing other people's experiences is so HELPFUL!!! Oddly I only know 1 person who has a parrot!
Thanks again!
I can't believe I never thought to try a forum before! I love my vet but hearing other people's experiences is so HELPFUL!!! Oddly I only know 1 person who has a parrot!
Thanks again!
JerseyWendy
New member
- Jul 20, 2012
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BTW Rita, Norman is GORGEOUS!!!!
henpecked
Active member
I think you and Norman are going to have a great relationship. YES take him with you. Aren't Sandy and Wendy the best ?
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Thanks Wendy! I think he's pretty handsome too! Poor guy was born missing one toe nail, but besides that he is perfect except for that whole attacking his Momma thing
I never had him sexed so for all I know HE could be a Norma?!?
Thanks Again Y'all have been Wonderful!!!
I never had him sexed so for all I know HE could be a Norma?!?
Thanks Again Y'all have been Wonderful!!!
SandyBee
New member
- Oct 5, 2012
- 1,455
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- DYH Amazon-Rescue- Bosley (36),
African Brown head-Rescue- August(9)
He is gorgeous. I'm sure you two will have many happy adventures. Be strong, be the leader, keep him socialized and he will be your best buddy for a long time.
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