How to handle an Amazon Parrot that bites everything?

[Bloomingtreasure123]

Hi all,

So I'm looking for some advice regarding my Amazon Parrot. He's five years old and we inherited him in March of this year. He spent a fair bit of time without human company in his previous home and hadn't come out of the cage/been handled for several years.

When he first came to live with us, we could not touch him at all as he was terrified of hands (in fact he was terrified of everything), we can now stroke him through the cage but he will still try and bite if you try to touch him outside of the cage. He seems to be a bit bitey in general, not necessarily in an aggressive way (but still hard), if he's standing on furniture, cushions, the floor, anything, he will try and bite it. He even tries to bite the wall!

He's been coming out of his cage daily since around June and has generally become more comfortable around us, he doesn't like flying and has only done this twice - where he hit a wall, so he tends to climb around/ walk instead. I can come very close to him when he is out of the cage and he will move around to be close to me. I can perhaps sit a few inches from his face and talk to him and he is happy with this as long as I don't try and touch him.

Recently, I've provided perches etc that allow him to walk onto our sofa, it took him a while to feel comfortable to do it but now he will get on the back of the sofa and walk over to me as I'm watching television or reading, if I look at him when he is doing this he becomes very nervous and either stops walking or turns back and walks off. When he gets close enough he puts one foot out as if trying to step on my shoulder but I move away in fear of being bitten. My question is, am I delaying his training by not allowing him to come into contact with me? 'Step up' was a massive fail, we persisted for a long time but he would attack the finger/arm/perch we tried to put in front of him quite aggressively and still does now. If I approach him with fingers for a head scratch when he is out of the cage his eyes pin and he lunges. If there are strangers in the house he becomes very hostile, makes himself big and growls, so there is definitely still some deep aggression.

Any suggestions? Should I let him step onto my shoulder? Any other techniques to further our bond? I'd like him to be happy enough one day to be handled etc.

Thank you!

 

[LaManuka]

Sorry I don’t know anything about Amazons but I do know that you should not allow any bird on your shoulder that you do not completely trust. Much wiser Amazon heads will weigh in here with more specifics for you but if he has been neglected/mistreated in the past it will take time and lots of it to build trust no matter the species. The bite response is probably out of fear as much as anything else.

Thank you for taking him in though, it sounds to me like some progress has already been made.

 

[Kiwibird]

Does the biting happen when you pick him up or are just sitting there or only when you attempt to pet him? If the latter, amazons are not known to be the cuddliest of birds and many do not like being touched, especially when it's not on their terms. I'd say, as long as he steps up on command and is otherwise making progress, don't press the issue of petting if he's not a fan of it. 2 of the 3 amazons I've been around a lot do not like to be touched. Perfectly friendly, happy birds otherwise, just not touchy feely types. Very common trait in amazons, especially 'hot 3' species who tend to be a bit more aggressive overall than other amazons (you did not mention what species of amazon you have, but I'm guessing a yellow nape, double yellow head or blue front).

As for shouldering a bird who can't be trusted? As someone who's been foolish enough to get bit in the face by my rescue amazon before he was trustworthy, I wouldn't recommend what your doing. I didn't even let my bird on my shoulder for years after adopting him and he still managed to attack my face on 2 occasions with serious, skin breaking bites- once on the upper lip (numb in the area for months afterwards) and on my nose. Keep aggressive birds well away from your face. Other body parts heal much easier and there is less potential for serious damage if they bite your hand or arm.

Also wanted to add, for many rescue amazons from less than happy prior lives, it takes a year or 3 of trust building, training, socializing and whole lot of patience/understanding on your part to really help them blossom into good companions. Many give up before the bird has a chance to come around on their own terms. Prepare yourself for a long process with this one. He sounds a lot like my amazon when he was new- stubborn and mean. I eventually resorted to using heavy gloves to step up train (I also stick trained him) and it worked to give my hands a little extra protection so I could really work with him. Even then, about a year and a half before he would step up consistently and another year and a half or so before he started really settling in and showing his true, cute goofy personality. Now he's about the best bird you could ask for, he's even free roaming all day, so there is hope if you put in the time/effort with him and understand he's probably going to test the last shred of your patience before you win his trust!

 

[Bloomingtreasure123]

Thank you for your comments. He cannot be picked up. Any attempt at coming near him with hands when he is outside the cage will warrant a lunge/bite. He does not step up on command, he doesn't step up at all. If he is approached with a finger/hand/perch he will attack it. If I touch him through the cage bars he is happy and will come over to the end of the cage for head scratches.

I was just wondering where I go from here training wise. Step up is a complete no go as he becomes very very angry. He seems happy to approach me if he is out of the cage and sit near me but does not like me to approach him. It's just a case of how do I progress further and is it too risky to let him step onto my shoulder (which seems to be the only thing he's happy to do).

 

[Kiwibird]

I made my edit to my prior post while you were posting (see above). Did you ever say what species of amazon he is? Is he a DNA male? Any idea on age? Some of these factors may provide further insight into his behavior.

With my aggressive rescue amazon, I resorted to training to step onto a stick and then onto my hands with heavy gloves on. It took about a year and a half to get him to the point he would step onto my bare hands without biting. I did several short step up training sessions a day and had him step up and down from surfaces all over the house (or at that time, tiny apartment). I would entice him by holding a treat just out of reach making it so he had to step onto my (gloved) hand or the stick to reach it. At first he'd immediately climb back down, but it wasn't long before he'd eat the treat on my hand and then we started slowly acclimating him to the sensation of moving on a hand/stick. I'm not ashamed to say I was really frustrated with the bird and situation but I just kept telling myself he was a bird who had been mistreated and he deserved for someone to put the effort into him.

These birds can be difficult to deal with for the new owners after years of neglect or abuse and they are instinctually fearful of hands, even more so when they've had prior negative experiences with hands and/or have never been previously handled. DO NOT let him on your shoulder or too close to your face for now. Facial bites from an amazon could be serious enough to leave a scar or even require reconstructive surgery.

While it may not seem like it, you've actually made good progress if he's wanting to sit near you, accepts petting on his own terms through cage bars and will come out of his cage on his own/climb over onto the couch. Progress is very slow with some rescue birds. My suggestion would be when he approaches to calmly move your head out of strike range and start softly reading to him. Also keep some snacks and small toys he could hold in his foot handy and offer them to him as you hang out. Amazons like to be talked to in a sot voice and they especially like food, so reading to them while offering treats helps them learn you aren't a threatening presence. Having little toys easy to access allows you to offer him something to do to further make him associate the experience of being near you with having fun and positive things happening. It sounds simplistic, but this is one of the best methods for bonding with distrustful, aggressive birds. I strongly suggest reading both threads attached below. Great to read out loud to your bird!

http://www.parrotforums.com/amazons/65119-i-love-amazons-going-journey-14.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/amazons/54250-amazon-body-language.html

 

[ChristaNL]

NO -> if you cannot completely trust a bird it does not belong on a shoulder *ever*
(kiwibird probably already told you that)


Is the biting-objects a form of getting rid-of-tension (transference biting) or is he behaving like a babybird and just exploring?
(maybe a bit too rough)

He sounds like a bird that's been in the cage all his life and just now gets a chance to meet the world...
(cute and sad at he same time)


Great you are giving him al the time to figure things out, maybe clickertraining might help?
http://www.parrotforums.com/training/60435-clicker-target-training.html
You can learn together to communicate at a safe distance- and still have heaps of interaction and fun.
.

 

[Scott]

Great advice above!

The foundation of a great relationship with any bird is trust and bonding. This thread shares some essentials: http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

All birds are capable of biting, even the most tame and docile. Bit pressure training is a helpful technique: http://www.parrotforums.com/training/63988-bite-pressure-training.html

Beaks are used for more than eating, biting, and preening! This is one of my favorites despite the "macaw" tagline: http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/56384-big-beak-o-phobes-guide-understanding-macaw-beaks.html

 

[MonicaMc]

I'm going to have to agree on the clicker/target training aspect... there are many behaviors that you can teach a bird to do which doesn't actually involve touching them!

http://www.parrotforums.com/training/72250-free-training-resources.html