Agressive Amazon Parrot

I've recently adopted an amazon parrot with some aggression issues.
He is at least 14 years old and has had two owners before me.
I got him from someone that kept him at a dog grooming shop as a sort of entertainment for her customers. At the shop there is always some sort of commotion going on and for the two years that he was there no one interacted with him due to his aggressive tendencies.
His first owner was homeless and had some sort of mental issue and gave him up to the owner of the grooming shop.

This parrot's plumage is a bit scruffy looking since he was never fed anything other than those cheap packaged seed mixes you buy at petsmart or petco. I was told that he refused to touch any fruits or vegetables and that AN ENTIRE YEAR went by since the last time someone took him out of his cage. The girls that worked the front desk used to squirt him with a water gun every time he began to scream for attention, not only reenforcing this behavior but also making him be TERRIFIED of water. I cannot approach his cage with a bird mister bottle without him running to the opposite side of the cage to hide. As a result of a lack of bathing his skin is terribly dry and he spends most of his time preening his feathers. He loses a couple of those white feathers but never have I seen him pluck out his green feathers out.

After about a month or so of being around the bird his aggression decreased (He didn't viciously attack his cage in an attempt to get at me) and he even allowed me to hand feed him sunflower seeds (his favorite)

I was allowed to take him home and he began to improve some more. He allows me to scratch his head (until he is annoyed and tries to bite) and loves to be taken out of the cage. Unfortunately he refuses to perch on anything other than my shoulder which from what I understand is not something that should be encouraged.
As of recently he's begun to explore my desk area a lot more when I take him out and if I try to get him to climb back up on my arm he lunges at me and bites.

Is this biting behavior something that is now permanently part of his personality or is it something that can be changed as I spend more time with him?
How can I get him to enjoy bathing again? (I have tried putting a pan with a bit of water at the bottom of his cage during a thunderstorm and opening the window so he could hear the rain)

I know most people would give up on turning this bird into a loving member of the family but I refuse to

For the bath you can try a perch in the shower. For my guys just turning on the vacuum cleaner sends them head first into the water dishes.

Dont give up on the traning. It took 3 years to get my TAG to let me touch him. Sometimes if they have not been handled touch of another is just to much. Take lots of baby step and look into clicker training.

Hello,
Wow thanks for taking this guy in. Your right many would give up but you've come to the right place where many of us would do exactly as you have and take him in.

Biting behaviour is part of every birds personality when they are scared and untrusting, with time and training he can learn not to bite or at least not as much.

As far as bathing goes it really sucks what they did, for some instant relief if you could get him to go in the bathroom when you had a steamy shower that would help his skin and feathers. Some birds like to bathe when they hear the vacuum.
Also maybe if you could take his cage outside and mist him from the top with a gardn hose so it felt like rain he might enjoy it. He may never like misting bottles again or at least for a while.

The only reason to not shoulder a bird is trust and biting issues, do be careful until you get to know him better. One very important thing is if you are going to continue to have him on your shoulder he needs to get off when you ask. Whether he steps off on your finger, cage, counter that's your choice where.

Getting onto a healthy diet is very important, offer him new things and as he starts to trust more and be more comfortable he will try some.
There is a lot of amazon owners on here that will be happy to help. Good Luck

I currently feed him Dr. Harvey's Perfect Parrot Blend because of the organic dried fruit it contains because he will occasionally eat it.
He did eat some pellets back when he was at the shop but I discovered that they were more than a few months expired.
Should I transition him back to a pelleted diet and give him Dr. Harvey's as a supplement?

Wow the poor guy sounds like he has been through a lot in his 14 years. I am so glad you are willing to work with him. I found with Sierra if she gets near an object i don't want her to touch, i move the object not her. Moving her always made her mad at me. I let Sierra have a dish for her water because she doesn't always want a bath when i would like, it has to be on her terms. I have found that she will use the dish once or twice a week on her own. So maybe a dish in the cage....My other idea is to let him see you take a shower place him on the stand outside of the cage and just let him soak up the steam any thing should help. You might have to gain more trust before trying a shower. I would also try eating fresh foods in front of him make over it, if he wont take it you could place it in the dish it might take a few tries. I use the healthy bird cook book and have made a few kinds of muffins and waffles out of there Sierra can't resist baked things, although it did take some encouragement. When i hold Sierra i hold her so she is perched on my top hand and my forearm is bent at an sharp angle, this keeps her from getting on my shoulder. It took some training to get her to stay in place. I found out her favorite treat and when she was staying in place on my hand i fed her the treats and praised for sitting so nice on my hand. It is best to keep an amazon on pelleted diet because they can become over weight very easily. I feed Sierra Zupreem natural or the Veggie Zupreem. Once you are able to get our bird on diet, ideally fresh foods and pellets, the training should go smoother. Also, when the time is right for a shower, you had the right idea to introduce a shower during the rain. That almost always worked for Sierra. Good luck and congrats!

Definitely get him back on pellets, especially since he is unwilling to eat fresh foods. Dried fruit isn't bad, but the sugar is very condensed making it more like candy. You should really get him on Harrison's high potency until his body sorts itself out and gets back on track. Are you able to take him to a avian vet for a new bird check up?

A mostly seed diet is a slow death for a parrot caused by organ failure or other health issues. Parrots who survive into old age will be at high risk for arthritis, heart problems, and fatty liver disease. My galah was on a diet of sun flower, safflower, and unhealthy foods. If I hadn't worked as hard as I did to change her diet she would most likely have withered away and die.

Are you able to post a photo?

I have tried misting above and he still runs away
What pellet is the best for over all good nutrition?
Im definitely planning to take him to an Avian Vet pretty soon.
But for the time being Id appreciate any guidance from other Amazon Parrot owners so that Morgan lives a long and happy life
Here are a few photos of him:
http://distilleryimage0.s3.amazonaws.com/50a4568a9f8d11e2877022000a9f1278_7.jpg
http://distilleryimage11.s3.amazonaws.com/71cea028a04011e29e1922000a9f4dd0_7.jpg
http://distilleryimage9.s3.amazonaws.com/5e37e958a2a611e2926822000a1f9c9b_7.jpg

My amazon didn't like baths but loved opera so I would utube and then mist above him and he spread his wings and now loves baths. Barbara heindeinrick has DVDs that are wonderfull she uses positive reinforcement.

Sorry I would utube pavorati and while he sings I mist.

He liked eating laferber's at the shop. Is it a nutritious pellet?
I'd hate for him to be eating bad food and not getting everything he needs

I agree, get him on the Harrison's High Potency diet.


I would blame a poor diet as to the reason he has dry skin, not the lack of baths. A healthy parrot will have good skin regardless of baths... but the baths definitely do help!


Also agree on clicker training aka positive reinforcement (clicker not necessarily, but can be an invaluable tool).



BTW, here's ideas on how to try and get a parrot to bathe!

• Try luke-warm water
• Try cold water
• Try ice-cold water
• Try a spray bottle
• Try a plant mister
• Try in the sink with the water running or just some water in the bottom
• Try in the sink with the sprayer
• Try in the tub with some water in the bottom
• Try a casserole dish or similar with some water
• Try the dish with ice
• Try the dish with foot toys
• Try the dish with some leafy greens like endive or other types of lettuces that may create a "natural" bowl
• Try the dish with a vacuum cleaner
• Try in the shower with you - watching you having a blast getting wet!
• Try dancing the bird into the shower with the water already going
• Try spritzing yourself, and have fun doing it! Then spritz the bird
• Try outside in an empty cage large enough to spread wings during a nice rain shower
• Try outside in an empty cage using the hose with a mist/shower attachment