Socializing Amazon Parrot

[bostralian]

Hi, I've had an Amazon Parrot for 3 years. As I got him in high school I didn't have much time to spend with him (study study study!). I'd just let him out of the cage and he'd fly and sit on my head, and every now and then he'd fly onto my arm.
He NEVER lets me touch him, but sometimes I can tell when he's excited to see me.

As I've completed high school and am waiting to attend law school in Australia I have lots of time to spend with him. Most of the time he sits on his bird perch, which is about a meter from where I study. I talk to him when I study (out loud) and read books.

I video recorded him just now and have provided a link. I would really appreciate if someone could help me and tell me how to proceed with him.

I have a bird harness but I feel like I'll never get to take him out unless we resolve these issues, lol.

Thank you! I really appreciate any help!

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMozwBaMKvQ"]Amazon parrot - YouTube[/ame]

 

[wrench13]

Not too late but you have to stop certain behaviour. first find his most favorite treat. Peanut, pine nut , berry, what ever. From now on that is only for training. Second, what ever you decide to do, be consistent, like concrete. Nothiing f's a parrots responses more then constantly changing targets. OK, here it is. STOP pulling your hand away. He has to learn to not bite, but if you keep yanking your hand away, he will never learn to not bite. Also , dont offer a finger. You offer your hand with all fingers tightly closed together, thumb tucked into the palm of your hand.
Curl the fingers around your thumb. Now you show him a big bulky place to step up onto . not nice juicy finger, which fits into his moth just right! Say 'Step Up' and you hold the special treat with the other hand ( just a tiny piece if its some kind of nut - they are very fattening for parrots) . The idea is that he has to step onto your hand in order to get the treat. Progress at the parrots pace, it may take a few days or even weeks to get him used to doing this. Be prepared for 1) getting bitten a few times - when he does, a firm ( but not shouted) NO is said and dont jerk your hand back. I use a loud 'BBZZZTT' instead of No - he hears No all the time in general coversation around the house, but what ever works for you. 2) Set backs. THe saying goes 2 steps forward, 1 step back. Go at your birds pace, not at your expecation pace. He's been around a long time, without this kind of interaction. 3) Reward any movement twords the goal, and do it IMMEDIATELY when he does, so he understands what you want of him. SO in our little excercise here, if he leans in over your hand to take the treat from the other, he gets a reward. Next time put the treat a little further from him, and so on and so on, all the while giving him his command for Step Up. If he is as smart as most amazons are he will get it soon. Amazons like to be part of the family, even if its just you two, at meal times, try to include him somehow

Try to do your training with him at the same time , every nite. EVERY nite. For maybe 10 minutes, you dont want him tired or bored. Let us know how you progress ( or dont) an we love pics here!

 

[SailBoat]

Hi, I've had an Amazon Parrot for 3 years. As I got him in high school I didn't have much time to spend with him (study study study!). I'd just let him out of the cage and he'd fly and sit on my head, and every now and then he'd fly onto my arm.
He NEVER lets me touch him, but sometimes I can tell when he's excited to see me.

As I've completed high school and am waiting to attend law school in Australia I have lots of time to spend with him. Most of the time he sits on his bird perch, which is about a meter from where I study. I talk to him when I study (out loud) and read books.

I video recorded him just now and have provided a link. I would really appreciate if someone could help me and tell me how to proceed with him.

I have a bird harness but I feel like I'll never get to take him out unless we resolve these issues, lol.

Thank you! I really appreciate any help!

Amazon parrot - YouTube

So, who is going to take care of your Amazon while you're studying Law in Australia? Australia greatly limits Parrots entering or exiting their Country. So, unless you live in Australia your Amazon has to stay somewhere?

 

[bostralian]

I'm Australian. He's allowed in with me. I checked.

 

[Flboy]

I'm Australian. He's allowed in with me. I checked.

You had us all holding our breath on that one!

 

[bostralian]

I'm Australian. He's allowed in with me. I checked.

You had us all holding our breath on that one!

haha yes! I'd never leave him behind!

 

[bostralian]

Thank you for the reply wrench13. I must have missed it last night!
I just tried the fist thing now, but he gets scared and always flies away. Any suggestions?

 

[wrench13]

In the video, you keep going closer and closer , until he decides thats close enough, he is ready to bite. Dont do that. With the small treat in between finger tips, rest your hand on the perch 6-8" from him. Let him see the treat. Let him come to you! Don't make eye contact. Relax. If it take 10 min, so what. Repeat. And again, and again, until he boldly comes to your hand for the treat. Dont move your fimger or hand if he decides to munch his treat right next to your hand: that's a good thing.
Now you are ready to progress as I out lined above, in my first post. good luck today!

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Thank you for the reply wrench13. I must have missed it last night!
I just tried the fist thing now, but he gets scared and always flies away. Any suggestions?

Hi and Welcome!

Al, (Wrench13) gave excellent advice.. You say he flys away? You might want to take him to an avian vet and get his wings trimmed ( or maybe you have done this yourelf?) This will limit Mr. Amazon from having an easy escape and will then realize he/she will need YOU to get to where he/she wants to go..kinda makes birdie dependent on you.


Jim

 

[bostralian]

Thanks for the advice, AmyMyBlueFront! His wings have never been clipped. A vet advised me not to because he'd get stressed. I'll call another vet tomorrow, as I'm getting desperate.

Thank you, Wrench13!
I tried resting my fist on the perch near him. I tried to get him to lean over my fist to get a nut but he's very apprehensive.

 

[Puck]

Al gave you awesome advice and Jim's advice on the wing clipping is good, too. If you don't want to clip his wings (I can understand as while I'm not against I'm not a huge fan of it, either), it can be helpful to practice these step-up techniques inside the cage. That way they can't fly off in the middle of training. He doesn't HAVE to step up, but they are limited to moving only a few feet, sitting still, or stepping up rather than having the additional option to fly off once he learns that almost biting you is no longer going to make you flinch back.

EDIT: Oh, and btw, he's a beautiful bird! I love his tiny spots of color!

 

[KevH]

I wouldn't consider clipping he's still young it would have a drastic effect on him he's a bird let him be a bird not prisoner stuck on cage dependant on you to move him about

 

[wrench13]

Bostrailia dont give up. Weeks, maybe months. Depends on how stubborn your parrot is. Remember , a little improvement
What's his favorite treat?

 

[KevH]

https://s3.amazonaws.com/wpt_podcasts/jmckendry/Jim+McKendry+'Keeping+Parrots+Flighted'.mp3

 

[Puck]

There are also good reasons for clipping birds, KevH, most involving their safety, but that's not really the main issue the OP is dealing with here--it was simply a training suggestion in regards to dealing with the primary behavioral issues. If you want to have a flighted versus non-flighted discussion, I am sure there are threads on the subject in the free flighted section of the forum. A very interesting POV in the mp3, though.

 

[jcjoyous]

I have a DYH Amazon male, 7 years old named Paco. I've had him since he was 7 months old and got him from the breeder! He does not like me reaching into his cage to get him. Never has! My lilac crowned Amazon and Goffin's cockatoo didn't ever mind, but he does. He wants to climb onto the top of his door, then step up! I still occasionally get bit, but not too often!
The easiest way for me to ask him to step up is to say step up a second early, then quickly swoop in with my four fingers together and almost touch him near his feet and he will usually just step right up.
He has signs that I've picked up on that tell me he might be in a "biting mood!" His pupils are the size of a pin dot, and his tail is fanned out! Almost every time I've been bitten, I realized these two things were happening physically!
He loves to be carried on my hand around the house, and he loves it when I let him in the shower, but he absolutely doesn't want to be petted!!!!!! My ex husband worked with him daily on that for a couple years, and he got to tolerate it for about 10 seconds, but I didn't keep up on that!
Best of luck!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[BeatriceC]

Bostrailia dont give up. Weeks, maybe months. Depends on how stubborn your parrot is. Remember , a little improvement
What's his favorite treat?

Wrench is wise. It took me nearly 3 years to have a breakthrough with my yellow nape amazon (who's not really mine, but MrC's, and I'm the intruder who he was plotting to murder until just recently). Patience is the key. Little baby steps. Actually, smaller than baby steps. It's sometimes maddening how long it takes to make progress, but when you have those breakthroughs, it's all worth it.

 

[bostralian]

Thanks guys. I just called a vet 5 minutes ago, and found out that it's illegal to clip wings in Austria (I live in Austria)... so that won't be an option anyway.

 

[SailBoat]

Thanks guys. I just called a vet 5 minutes ago, and found out that it's illegal to clip wings in Austria (I live in Austria)... so that won't be an option anyway.

Did not know that!

Austria is a Truly Beautiful and Wonderful Country. Worked for European companies the vast majority of my live. The best had Austria CEO's.

 

[wrench13]

Hi, Austria. Clip or not clip is a separate discussion in this case, no? You can watch dozens videos , and learn how to clip. Your immediate issue is to get your parrot to step up, with no drama. Have you figured out his very most favorite treat or food? Typically its some kind of nut or seed, walnut, pine nut, sunflower seed, but iit might be just about anything - Amazons are so weird on that. Might be some kind of fruit or even a veggie ( that's rare). You HAVE to figure that out before you can progress, if you are going to go the route I suggest. What ever it turns out to be, that now becomes your training treat. Lets, for the purpose of this discussion, say it's pine nuts. Thats what Salty LOVES - he will build you a Vollkswagon for a pine nut ( well hopefully not a diesel one - ha ha. ). SO to train him initially for stepping up, I used small slices of pine nut. Small because nuts and seeds are high in fats and AMazons have a tendency to be porkers, if fat intake is not watched.

So try to figure this out, and report back to the board, so we can move you guys along.
There are literally centuries of experience, if added up, on this board, with folks who have been around parrots as owners, trainers and breeders. If we collectively can't get
him to at least step up, I will personally buy you a strudel .