I got a new Zon...

[Taw5106]

JerseyWendy, check out that tail flair, lol. He's fluffed too, was he happy or moody?

 

[JerseyWendy]

JerseyWendy, check out that tail flair, lol. He's fluffed too, was he happy or moody?

HAHAHHAHA! Yes, both of mine get a case of 'agita' as soon as they see the camera. But it's all bluff. Hunter wouldn't hurt a fly, I promise. Now Sam on the other hand..... :54:

 

[Kiwibird]

I use an organic cotton, undyed yarn, but Kiwi doesn't chew on it. Many people fear ingestion of fibers by their birds and for birds who chew cord, it is a serious issue for fabric chewers/string pickers, so it would be advisable to use something like this instead:
PR Superior Poly Rope by the Foot - ROPE/CORDAGE
OR paper string FM701 Fun Max 30 Foot 1/8" Paper String - ROPE/CORDAGE

And yes, that's a sleeping hut I made it, but they sell them if you aren't a sewer. Many birds like having something to sleep in at night, and during the winter it's also a good way for them to keep warm at night. Again, if you notice Whisper is a fabric chewer, it's not advisable to have one because he could ingest fibers. Kiwi has never chewed his hut, but he does like hanging out in it

 

[Dopey]

Edit: We have a "no no" line on our stick. Basically a big bright piece of duct tape around the center of the stick. Kiwi stays on his side, I stay on mine. When he was new I devised this because he wanted to crawl up the stick to bite me. I started backing him off with whatever was handy (usually a big plastic spoon) and tapping the line with it so he understood "go past this line, get backed down". He does not cross the line anymore, even if he's REALLY mad. I also use the stick regularly, even when he's in a good mood. That way he does not associate the stick with "being in trouble", it's just another part of his daily routine and gets less protest when he is pissed I know this sounds totally stupid, but theres a show called "Super Nanny" where this last instructs parents how to get their kids under control. Many of the concepts in that show they're using on misbehaving small children can easily be applied to our misbehaving feathered children and work very effectively.

Thanks so much for this.
What size is the stick (how long and the diameter)? I think the stick may need to be a little bigger but I'm using the "no no" idea.

 

[Dopey]

I use an organic cotton, undyed yarn, but Kiwi doesn't chew on it. Many people fear ingestion of fibers by their birds and for birds who chew cord, it is a serious issue for fabric chewers/string pickers, so it would be advisable to use something like this instead:
PR Superior Poly Rope by the Foot - ROPE/CORDAGE
OR paper string FM701 Fun Max 30 Foot 1/8" Paper String - ROPE/CORDAGE

And yes, that's a sleeping hut I made it, but they sell them if you aren't a sewer. Many birds like having something to sleep in at night, and during the winter it's also a good way for them to keep warm at night. Again, if you notice Whisper is a fabric chewer, it's not advisable to have one because he could ingest fibers. Kiwi has never chewed his hut, but he does like hanging out in it

I love it and yes I am a sewer so that isn't a problem. So far Whisper hasn't chewed his covering that I put on at night. I will keep an eye out for it though.

 

[Dopey]

This here is Hunter's cage, and it's smaller than Sam's:

Thanks everyone - now I have a better idea of how to fix Whisper's cage.

 

[Kiwibird]

It's about 2 1/2' long, 1" diameter- Just a plain wood dowel from the craft store, nothing fancy. Hardware stores probably have longer ones (or a piece of PVC pipe cut to size). I actually saw these a while ago and thought they could come in handy for an aggressive bird:54: Doesn't look that hard to make one out of wood or PVC either-

And of course, use common sense when you back your bird down. Remember that you're trying to communicate in a way your bird understands that you aren't going to let him attack you, not that you are trying to discipline or frighten him. In nature, if a bird is getting aggressive with another bird, they don't give the aggressor the freedom to attack without protest. They will open their beak, flare their tail, hiss, lunge and back the aggressor off. Since we aren't birds, we have to do other things to communicate the same point to our bird

It is ALWAYS better to prevent a bite whenever possible (obviously), but the feathered devils do occasionally nab us. If he does bite, that is when you have to suck it up and not react. Reacting only reinforces that biting is an appropriate form of communication. If he bites you and gets nothing, he's going to move on to different ways of communicating he's mad, doesn't want to be picked up ext... And watch those signals! Zons aren't shy when it comes to letting us know when they are M-A-D!

Birdman666 actually has some great pointers he mentions frequently about dealing with aggressive birds in a way they understand, and he's dealt with some very unruly and aggressive birds! I would suggest you look through some of his past posts too for tips and pointers.

 

[Taw5106]

Here is a recommendation Birdman made that I look to regularly, Joanie Doss, http://www.parrothouse.com/jdoss.html. She has great articles on handling amazons. Check her out and I second looking up Birdman's threads. He's done wonders with his amazon, is it Sally or Maggie? Great story on rescuing there.

Also I tell Buddy no bite when he acts like he's going to bite me, in a strong voice. He gets huffy, whines but partially backs off. I leave him to himself then, a time out. I don't expect Whisper to be that easy though but a verbal command should help in the future too.

 

[Dopey]

Thank you Kiwibird and Taw5106. I read Birdman's posts faithfully. I know what he does for his macaws but I don't remember reading much about his Amazons.

Last night Whisper kept reaching for me (well maybe he was just trying to grab me) from inside his cage. It was so cute. I let him successfully grab me and he has a strong grip. As if I wasn't expecting it. He likes to come to the area of the cage I'm standing or sitting. I intentionally stand away from where he is in the cage to see if he will come to where I am and he does. This morning he was on the floor of his cage (I was sitting down on the couch) and when one of the cats walked by he backed up a couple of steps but didn't go running. Tonight...I'm going to try letting him out of his cage but first I might go buy a dowel. I don't think I have a 1" dowel at the house anymore. Or maybe I could buy some PVC.

 

[4dugnlee]

Congrats on getting Whisper! I'm glad someone from the forum ended up being his parront. He will just take a little time to adjust but I'm sure will be just fine. I know with Sassy it took 2 months before she would come to me (without biting) but once she turned that corner it is like she is a totally different bird. I have not been bit since, even when she is in her crazy mode, and that has been 4 months now. She still doesn't like being touched, but steps up every time now and gives kisses (I am cautious about the kisses...lol...and she is not allowed on my shoulder!) Good luck and keep us updated..hope to see pics soon.

 

[Dopey]

Is it too early to let him out of the cage again?

I just spent oodles of money at MSBS and PS. I bought enough stuff to make him lots of toys as well as buying a few already made. I bought him lots of foot toys and some ropes, a ladder, a swing, and stuff I've already forgotten about. I also went to the dollar store last night. I'm happy for a week or two.

 

[Dopey]

I use an organic cotton, undyed yarn, but Kiwi doesn't chew on it.

Where do you buy organic cotton, undyed yarn?

 

[Kiwibird]

I use an organic cotton, undyed yarn, but Kiwi doesn't chew on it.

Where do you buy organic cotton, undyed yarn?

I got it at a yarn store when we used to live in AZ (a skein will last you forever if your just making bird toys!), but you can buy it online too.
Simply Cotton Organic Sport Yarn Knitting Yarn from KnitPicks.com - 100% organic natural & undyed cotton yarn
And because it is undyed, unbleached, it only comes in one color- an off white (the natural color of cotton).

And whatever you do, don't use regular yarn from the fabric store! Synthetic fibers can cause crop impactions and I'm sure theres no safety data on how yarn dye would affect parrots, but I'm sure it's not healthy...

If you want to use colorful string, use the cording from MSBS!

 

[Dopey]

So last night I opened the cage door and Whisper came out...on his own. I didn't need to coax him. He crawled back in once and then came back out. Crawled down the front side and since the cats were around I said "no" and he went back up the side of the cage. He kept looking at me and kept squeaking and looking at my plate so I gave him some pizza crust. He took it ever so gently from me.

A little while later I thought I would work with him with step up. I got the perch I was going to use (dowel rod) and he became vicious. I mean he was biting the rod...but stepping up. I quit after two tries - I felt sorry for him. He was minding his own business and then this THING comes towards him. Maybe I was moving too fast or something but I don't think I was moving any faster than I normally do around him. Oh well.

Eventually he went back into the cage and at that point I closed the door and called it a successful time. He was out of the cage for a while and I didn't get bit.

 

[Taw5106]

Hey that's excellent progress and a very successful outing. I think time is the biggest piece that is key. Buddy wanted to come out the third day I had him so I let him out and he ended up on my shoulder. My knowledge of Zons was minimal but I let him. He pulled my earring out, crunched into a crinkled mess and dropped it. I do not recommend letting Whisper on your shoulder because now I know Zons can change their mood in a blink and bam. With Buddy, his owner passed last year on Oct 30th, she had been very ill and stuck to her bed, he didn't care for her husband. After she passed, he passed around March 20th of this year so Buddy spent at least 6 months with minimal interaction. I chock up Buddy's easy behavior to missing love, interaction, and companionship.

Keep the dowel where Whisper can see it, you may want to play with it so he sees you with it and learns to associate it as an every day thing. Remember time. I put a new toy in Buddy's cage yesterday and put three peanuts in it. He sees them but he's not interested enough in them. I told him he should have been born a chicken, lol. You two are doing great!

 

[Dopey]

Thanks so much for the idea about putting peanuts in a new toy. I would have done that for a foraging toy but not a regular toy.

I forgot to mention that he does play with the toys on top of his cage. I had put a few foot toys up there and I went over and played with one and he came over and played too. This morning he touched one of the toys inside his cage while I was standing there. He's obviously not afraid of me but I can't tell yet if he wants to play with me or bite me.

He climbs all over the inside of his cage when I'm home and if the door is closed.

This morning I put the dowel on top of his cage so that he would get used to seeing it.

I will try not to let Whisper on my shoulder but they tend to have a mind of their own.

I ordered new stuff for him yesterday and some of it's due to my house today. I'm more excited about the surprises they send me than I am about the stuff I ordered for him.

 

[95talongirl]

You have quite the beautiful BFA! Great progress with him, too!

MSBS is a dangerous place. Spend many a hard earned dollar there! haha!

 

[Dopey]

You have quite the beautiful BFA! Great progress with him, too!

MSBS is a dangerous place. Spend many a hard earned dollar there! haha!

No kidding!

 

[Dopey]

Waht a blast I had last night opening my box from MSBS. It was a big box with lots of toys. Of course the first bag that I ripped into was the one for ME and my kitties and my dog.

I hung all of the new toys and his ladder on the outside of his cage. Whisper did come over and chew a couple of things on a few of the toys. (I had dinner plans last night so there wasn't much time to play with him.)

This morning I took about five minutes to play with his toys...and him. He really wasn't interested in playing with me UNTIL I started to leave and then he let me know that he wanted me to come back and play so I did. He let's me play with his feet and I got in a couple of beak rubs. He's still learning to trust me and visa versa. I am watching his eyes his tail and his beak.

I'm so happy he is exploring his toys and his cage. Soon I will have his new/used cage and will be able to set it up and put him in HIS castle.

 

[Kiwibird]

This morning I took about five minutes to play with his toys...and him. He really wasn't interested in playing with me UNTIL I started to leave and then he let me know that he wanted me to come back and play so I did. He let's me play with his feet and I got in a couple of beak rubs. He's still learning to trust me and visa versa. I am watching his eyes his tail and his beak.

I'm so happy he is exploring his toys and his cage. Soon I will have his new/used cage and will be able to set it up and put him in HIS castle.

Now thats a classic zon move! Just be sure you don't cave all the time, or he will come to expect it So glad he's settling in and you're starting to trust each other. Often times with the big bird capable of big damage, people forget trust is a 2 way street. Sounds like you're taking it slow and learning to trust each other the right way