has one every leaped and attacked you ?

i have had reptar for 5 days now he a blue front amazon and is 25+ he will take a treat from me and then i click the clicker he loses interest after one treat so im taking things slow with that. i thought i would be nice and open the front the cage the part that comes down he charged right out then i got his stand and brought it to him he went on it i sat on the floor and just kind looked at him then he climbed up and down then he jumped onto my forearm and grabbed that thing near the vanes and wouldn't let go and then started to bite my finger i got him to go on the floor then i wrapped him in a towel and put him in his cage did i do bad ?

can he bite my finger off ? thats my only worry other wise when he bite me i would have just do till he stopped.

it scares me to think i would have done something so bad to make him want to bite me

I dont think you did bad, I think your bird is probably scared and uncertain. You may need to take some time to let him get to know you. The best thing to do when a bird bites is to ignore it, however sometimes they latch on and its pretty hard to do that. Im not going to lie, an amazon bite can really hurt, but its important to stay calm and not overreact. Jake my foster bird grabbed the soft flesh on the inside of my arm and would not let go . I still have a beak mark. I didnt move for quite some time, but he was hanging off my arm and it really hurt. I rubbed him off on his cage and he was still charging and nipping at me. Turns out this is his first hormonal stage (yay...). As long as you dont hit your bird, fling him or otherwise traumatize him I think you did ok. There are some great forums on here about how to deal with biting, but with only 5 days I think its probably just fear and confusion. Other amazon owners may be able to offer more help, but know this is something you can handle, it just might take some homework and some time.

You've only had him 5 days. Give him time to get used to you, and trust you. Just sit by his cage, with the door open, and talk to him. It doesn't matter what you say. Let him come out to you when he's ready. Do not push him, or make him do anything he's not ready for. Give him treats, if he'll take them. You have to go at his pace, which is slow & careful. He'll come to you when he's ready. That's why he's biting you. You are making him do things he does not want to yet. Slow down.

i just felt bad bc he was cooped up in a cage i forgot to say when i got him i came in a parakeet cage with parakeet sized perches so his toes wore cramped so i bought a cage its the kings cage medium triple top. he is also very quiet is that normal ?

Good thing giving him a bigger cage. Yes, it is normal for him to be quiet. He doesn't know you, or trust you yet. He's observing & learning about you & his new home. Slow & easy will win him over quicker than frightening him and making him defensive. Just watch him a while, and you'll learn about him while he's learning about you.

give him time to adjust, everything is new to him. I've had my Zons for quite some time and they only like the wife, they can be VERY finicky.

Sydney will still do this to me (had him about 8-9 months now) on occasion. He gets in his "pissed off" moods and will fly to the best of his ability to get over to me and try to bite. If I start to move away, he'll follow, so I keep a perch nearby though he'll bite and attack that too, I can also put it to his chest if he won't step onto it and keep him from lunging forward. He'll eventually step up and I can put him back in the cage. I'll close the door till he settles down and then open it back up.

He's gotten me good a few times, still have beak scars on my fingers, but it was mostly hormonal behavior.

It's very important to read body language with amazons.

I don't think you did bad. The best thing you can do when the bird is outside it's cage and bites is to (as calmly as possible) return the bird to it's cage and allow it to cool off. Never yell at, hit or punish a bird, but it is certainly ok to safely get them back in their cage when they get way to excited or scared (we have all been there). So long as you are confident with toweling, it is a safe way to keep you and your bird from experiencing further injuries. I personally prefer a heavy leather glove to protect my hand when Kiwi gets aggressive, but he will actually step up to the glove (unsure if your bird would). I have not ever heard of an amazon being able to sever a finger, but they can inflict pretty nasty bites, and bite to the bone. You have, unfortunately, adopted Reptar during the worst time of year for a zon. A hormonal male zon is a force to be reconed with, even with people they have been with for years. He is probably both frightened and confused by his new home, as well as suffering his yearly hormonal spell. I am glad to hear you are not scared off zons forever because of this experience As he gets more used to you, his new environment and his hormones start tapering off, I bet you can make fast progress working with him. For now, just be extra cautious and perhaps give him a little more time to adjust to his new home before trying to take him out again. He is obviously not ready at this point to leave his cage and explore his new home. I also highly recommend buying some heavy leather work gloves for when you try to take him out again. This will help protect your hands, and if you leave them in clear view of his cage so he gets used to their presence, it may actually help him be more comfortable stepping up until he learns to trust you. We had to use them with Kiwi when we first got him (also a male BFA), and still do on occasion when he gets nasty. They've saved us frommany severe bites, and allowed us to be more confident while working with him. Best of luck with Reptar (what a fitting zon name BTW)

I think the above post hit the nail on the head - you're dealing with an unfortunate combination of an adopted bird who suffered bad conditions previously, spring-time hormones, and general uncertainty on both sides. Heck, I've lived with an Amazon for 23 years and he still surprises me sometimes! You will be bit - and it will hurt - but I've never heard of an Amazon doing irreparable damage. I had a nice half-moon scar on my finger for years, but it did eventually go away. If he does get your finger again - try pushing into the bite. I know instinct is to pull away, but I swear, if you push into the bite he will let go and your injury will be minimized. I do this with turtles, too. I'm SO GLAD you are not giving up! I think you did well toweling and returning him to his cage. Remember, this cage is still very new to him. I would certainly open the door, but don't try to move him from it yet. Open the door and let him explore and have some time out from behind bars. Put a peanut in his bowl if you need him to go back in. Start slow, give him time. This is only the beginning and as you get to know him, and he starts to trust you, things will get so much better.

gypsyqueen135 said:

It's very important to read body language with amazons.

Click to expand...

i do he does one thing i cant figure out he lifts his hand above his head the thing with him is he will seem like he wants to come and will stop flashing his eye and not fan his tail he tricks me. i let him out today by putting the door open he charged right out i started to mist him with warm water and aloe he seemed to like it then he went on the top of his cage i kept misting and would walk in and out of the mist then he was staying on top of the cage which is also taller then me i went and got a treat tried to give it to him then he flew off and tried to bite me i dodged it he went to the floor then climbed up the jardines cage good thing he was in the play room, i toweled him and kept him wrapped but not to tight bc they have no diaphragm and just sat there with him i brought him to the screen door since its a nice day then put him in his cage and gave a him a treat. does he think i'm threatening ? he doesn't beak bang but will sometimes grab the cage bars and reach threw to get me