Treats from hand..?

[getwozzy]

We recently rescued a Tucuman amazon and a yellow crowned kakariki... I want to start working with them soon, but how do I get them to take treats from my hand/fingers without biting me??? Jackie the zon will gladly take treats if I set them down, but if she sees my hand she looks like she wants to bite me....

 

[MonicaMc]

Find their favorite treat, and be brave enough to take a bite. You've already said she isn't interesting in biting, so you need to see if she is willing to take the treat without biting. If she mouths, that's fine. If she bites, then you'll need to offer her treats from a spoon, or by setting them down.

If you can find her favorite treat, hopefully she would be more interested in the treat than biting.

 

[getwozzy]

Find their favorite treat, and be brave enough to take a bite. You've already said she isn't interesting in biting, so you need to see if she is willing to take the treat without biting. If she mouths, that's fine. If she bites, then you'll need to offer her treats from a spoon, or by setting them down.

If you can find her favorite treat, hopefully she would be more interested in the treat than biting.

Oh gosh... I figured you were gonna say that lol :/ she's been trying to bite me occasionally these last couple days... Usually when I change her food and water and then if I try to put my hand in her near vicinity she acts like she wants to bite me. Guess i just need to grow a pair and see what happens lol

 

[SandyBee]

Often they will take a treat from your hand without biting, its different than changing the food in their cage. At first you can use something thats a little bigger so you can hold one end and she can take the other. BUT show confidence, amazons do better with a confident owner.

 

[getwozzy]

I guess I'll just have to be more confident with her...she's still pretty intimidating to me and I think she senses it, so I guess I just need to get over it.

 

[SandyBee]

Yep your going to have to suck it up.
When I first got Bosley the lady from the rescue showed me how to hold my hand tight so if he did go to bite I wouldn't get hurt much. Also if she goes to lunge I would slowly back my hand away tell her to be nice and not give the treat. I would offer again in a few minutes and do the same thing. I don't give the treat unless they can take it gently. start with big pieces, less intimidating for you and her.

 

[getwozzy]

Thanks for the tips!! She came out again today, but she got more adventurous and was acting like she wanted to go explore off her cage... So I feel like I need to figure out how to get her on my hand in case I need to relocate her lol

 

[MonicaMc]

Birds are typically easier to handle when they are on the floor! LOL

I interacted with one amazon that was not a pet. My interaction with her was limited (I was a couple hundred miles away from home, and only visiting) but I did manage to get her to take sunflower seeds from my finger tips! After getting a bit more settled, she started biting at my fingers, so I had to switch tactics and leave the seed at an easily accessible spot to her. This of course was all through the cage bars.

 

[secuono]

Yep your going to have to suck it up.
When I first got Bosley the lady from the rescue showed me how to hold my hand tight so if he did go to bite I wouldn't get hurt much. Also if she goes to lunge I would slowly back my hand away tell her to be nice and not give the treat. I would offer again in a few minutes and do the same thing. I don't give the treat unless they can take it gently. start with big pieces, less intimidating for you and her.

That's almost exactly how you'd also teach a dog not to bite treats out of your hand, except you quickly take the treat away when you see them lunge for it and keep trying right away.
I'd be too chicken to see if a big bird would bite or not and just use a spoon or chopsticks to hand them over, lol.