Need advice

Jodilynne0616

New member
Feb 27, 2013
1
0
I bought a 4 year old blue front amazon parrot three days ago. His diet and living conditions were horrible. When I went to pick him up he only had one perch and a huge rawhide dog bone in his cage. I have him on a pellet diet with some seeds and fresh fruits and vegetables. My issue is how to get him out of his cage and once I do how to get him back in. I don't think his owner handled him. He will come over to the bars to have his head scratched and I have been able to hand him treats but he has bitten me twice. He also tried to bite other family members. I tried to get him to step on a perch to take him out but he just attacked it.

Also what are your thoughts on getting his wings clipped.
 

Tosca

Banned
Banned
Jan 26, 2013
56
0
Clipping wings will definitely make a big difference in his personality. He won't be so cocky because he is now depending on you for everything. My macaw went through his molt and became more aggressive afterwards. I noticed a change in him right away after the wings being clipped - much easier to handle.

A lot of people don't like clipping wings, but it will help you with training.
 

henpecked

Active member
Dec 12, 2010
4,858
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3
18
NC/FLA
Parrots
Jake YNA 1970,Kia Panama amazon1975, both i removed from nest and left siblings, Forever Home to,Stacie (YN hen),Mickie (RLA male),Blinkie (YNA hen),Kong (Panama hen),Rescue Zons;Nitro,Echo,Rocky,Rub
Hey Jodi ,welcome to the forum. it will take some time before he trust you enough to "step up" and do things away from his cage. His cage is his safe spot. I would try and avoid the bites. When petting him though the cage bars ,only do it for a few seconds, and leave him wanting more from you. Don't keep petting until he bites to say "i've had enough". If you go up to the cage and he acts aggressive, turn your back and walk away, act like he's missing out on the fun and treats. When he does good, praise him and give him a treat.Keep giving him treats and pets though the cage bars for awhile yet. When he's calm and accustom to you and his new home , open up the door and give him treats and pets. After he;s comfortable doing that, then try allowing him out and try the treats and pets on top of the cage. Each of these steps might take weeks or months. Be patience and take things slow. Don't worry about trying to cuddle just yet. If you only feed and water him inside the cage ,just wait for him to go in and then close the door. Don't ruin the trust you have built up by forcing him back in with a towel or your hands. Just wait for him to go back in to eat and close the door. I'm not sure there's any advantage to clipping his wings at this point. He's been cage bound for awhile and probably doesn't know how to fly anyway. Lots of good tips in some of the older threads in this section. I'd read though them and ask questions when you have them.
 

SandyBee

New member
Oct 5, 2012
1,455
1
Coquitlam BC, Canada
Parrots
DYH Amazon-Rescue- Bosley (36),
African Brown head-Rescue- August(9)
Hi

Welcome to the wonderful world of amazons.
When I got my amazon home he would attack any stick or hand that tried to take him out. I put his cage right next to where I sat on the couch so he could climb down to me. It took 4 days but he did when I had food, after a few times of that he just came down because he wanted to be with me. I also got a T-stand on wheels and put it right outside his cage where he could get to by himself. I used food to get him on it and then we would go on short trips into other rooms so I could work with him away from his cage.

Getting him back in his cage, well the way I did it is I found his most favorite treats and only gave them to him in his cage. I would place the treat in his cage and he would go in to get it. If it's night time you can also dim the lights a bit too.
There was some times I would have to wait him out and I remember a few night having to stay up really late before he would go in, that only happened a few times though. Now any time I put his favorite in there he goes rushing in without problem.

Clipping wings is a personal choice and can help with training, but it is no gaurantee. My Amazon came with a fresh clip when I got him and he could still fly 20 feet or more. He still had some attitude at first until he decided he was going to accept me. You have to gain his trust and make him want to be with you and do things for you. They love being the center of attention and action, so if he doesn't want to do something walk away and make him feel as if he's missing out.

Congrats on your new friend, Oh and learn amazon body language and try and avoid the bites.
 

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