Gizmo the Amazon

Hi this my first post, I recently decided to take Gizmo on ( orange feathered amazon), my friend's mum had him only six months but could not care for both him and her african grey which she has had for years. She found her african grey to get more aggressive !! I was told Gizmo was five, had two previous owners to my friend's mum, the ones before her were apparently cruel to the wee mite. The first owners moved to Australia.

I brought him to his new home, he looked a bit dishevelled, but now he is coming on great, playing with my hands, letting me give him head scratches and letting me play with his feet, lifting a foot up. During the past fortnight i took him to the vet, his overgrown nails were cut, his wings clipped slightly and his beak looked at.:04:

Cant get him to step up yet have tried but not wanting to push him. Cant get him to move from the viccinity of his cage, he has flew around the room a few times. Any suggestions ?? Also after i give him a head scratch he makes a purring noise and fluffs out, is this him aroused ??

Your help would be appreciated xx

I rescued an Amazon last year. I didn't push him just let him do things when he was ready. He lets me know when it is okay to do things. We've come a long way very slowly.

Keep us updated on how everything works out for you.

I have the same exact parrot and he acts the same way.. other than the purring after I scratch his head. but I do think he is getting arroused.. does his tail feathers spread and eyes pulsate + rock side to side?

That's funny, our grey got a little less aggressive when we brought in the new Amazon. It was like he thought he might be getting replaced!

Our Amazon is afraid of a lot of new things. She freaked out once because I put a spaghetti noodle in the bowl on her perch. She wouldn't go near the bowl. The next time we gave her spaghetti, she took it no problem. She's a little quirky. We just take it slow when introducing new things to her.

Julie

:35: Hi there thanks for the help...
Im not pushing Gizmo, im trying to work on getting him to step up but he doesnt seem keen, getting closer............
Take him into the hall with no distarctions and let him burn off some energy, he has got on my shoulder a couple of times but im not letting him do that now, he is on the floor and im trying to get him to walk on to my hand, he does lift one leg and looks like he thinks about it xx

I've found that my amazon is a little leery of stepping up to hands. Sometimes I just have to give him a minute to test me out to make sure that I really am not going to move on him. If he is lifting a leg up, I think you are probably pretty close to getting him to step up for you.

Have you tried giving him a stick/dowel rod to step up on? Peppers absolutely will not step up for my boyfriend unless it is to a stick so you might try that.

Funny, My new fourth hand OW amazon (Peppi) who is 16 and was never handled was quick to learn hands are okay to step onto, but touching his head is OUT! (so far) To teach him to step onto my hand I firstly had him step onto a 15 inch long stick from his training perch where over 3 X 15 min.. sessions gradually held each end alternately, then simultaniously closer and closer to him. I would have him step up from his training perch to the stick and back down again giving treats each time. I substituted shorter sticks for each of the 3 sessions and by session 3 the stick was about 6 inches long. On session 3 I had him do some step ups and gave treats then I started putting my index finger out along the back of the stick. The first time he stepped across the stick onto the "fingerstick" he jumped and squaked and looked and I let him down onto his training perch and did another step up -no finger then back up again with the finger extended behind the stick again for a few min. giving treats for each step up. I them put him on his training stand and started holding the stick at each end at the same time with both index fingers extended under the stick pointing together tips touching and asked him to step up. No problem. Gradually the stick "disappeared" down into my palms as I had him step up and down. By the end of the 3rd 15 min session he would step onto my had from the training perch no problem. NOW my problem is getting him to allow touch to the head. So far I have not been able to visualize a (safe for me) method of getting him to allow my fingers near that beak, so all I have done is hold my closed hand near his head, gradually extend the index finger towards his beak as he relaxes, and freeze as he tightens his grip and tenses, the slowly move to the beak centemeters at a time. Doing this I have managed to stroke down his beak a couple of times before he opens his beak and threatens me again. This seems to be a way slower process than hand work for me and my bird. I hope in time to be able to tickle him and preen him and I worry that I am pushing him too much so I keep the sessions to 15 min at a time a couple of times a day. Good luck to both of us!

My Red Lord Amazon was easy to teach to step up on my hand, but it took me over a year before I could even touch her, I found that she liked to be held next to my chest and would fall asleep in time she would let me rub her neck but it was by her rules only when she would put her head down so I could rub her, I still can't touch her feel with out a nip, I can rub her any place I want on her body I want and she loves it just don't go near the feet.
in time your Amazon will let you rub and tickle him.

Reds Dad

I trainned my birds to step up by.. I first put my hand above my bird, the other infront of them & they see the hand above them & walk forwards, they pick that up pretty quickly. It also stops them from flying up at you..
So put your hand about 8" above the bird & your other infront, & say step up, persist & the bird will get it..Now my bird sees my hand go above him & he's lifiting his foot up ready..

Molly.