Hi,
I'm new to the forum. I posted a couple of questions at the bottom of old threads and got very little response. I appreciate the advice that I received but my questions weren't really addressed. If anyone could help me I would greatly appreciate it.
My husband and I purchased a 5 year old male BFA from a private owner last Thursday. He seems healthy and happy. He has been on a pellet/seed/fruit and nut diet. He does not appear to be thin or fat. We want to incorporate fresh fruit and veggies but we want to make sure we get the low down on what is best for our guy. I have read some things on the internet and know that avocados and mushrooms are no good. What kinds of fruit and veggies would you'll suggest? I also read that parrots should be fed organic due to their sensitivity to pesticides. True??
Also, he's previous owner said bottled water only. True??

He has let me and my husband take him out of his cage, scratch his head, feed him peanuts out of our hands. He is fairly friendly. He always wants to run to our shoulders when we take him out and it is nearly impossibly to stop him. I've read online that this isn't a good thing to let them do. He will step up on a finger or forearm-but then he's high-tailing it to the shoulder ASAP. Then he plays the 'catch me if you can' shoulder to shoulder game when you try to get him down. Any tips?

I've spent some time with him in the afternoons when my husband is working. Two days in a row he has freaked out when my husband got home and started to be very aggressive towards me. He tries to get on my shoulder and when I let him he pecks at my face. If I put my hand on the top of the cage near him, he lunges at me and bites. The person at the exotic pet store said that he probably is seeing my husband as his mate and wants me to get away. That makes sense, although it's saddening and unpleasant to deal with. But then I read something online about them being aggressive towards their mate and bite them to get them to 'go back to the nest'. This would mean that his behavior of snapping at me would be in an act of protections. I'm confused. Does anyone have any input on what this means and how to deal with it? I've heard that amazons usually attach to one person, but we want to equally enjoy him and spend time with him.
Thanks in advance for anyt tips and advice.
Tara

Lets see as far as veggies. My guys like Brocolli and cooked green beans. I don't worry about organic I just wash and wash. I'm sure organic is better for us and the birdys if you can afford it though. I think the water depends on where you live. I've fed filtered water before, same as we drank.

I'm sure some other people will come along with suggestions on keeping him off of your shoulder. This is a must if he is nippy. Or enjoys playing hard to get. Sounds like your new guy is starting to get comfortable enough to test the boundaries. Welcome to the forum!

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Hi and welcome! As far as the veggies go, I don't buy organic. Mine eat all kinds of fresh fruits and veggies. Mine really like the carrot "coins" from Publix. They also get people food.

You are still in the transitional period. It's going to take some time for him to come around to both of you. I really would not let him get in the habit of being on your shoulder. Is he clipped? He very well might consider your husband as being his "mate", and just tolerate you when he is gone. We had the same situation here with a grey. But what helped here was even when my husband was home, I still interacted alot with Sammy and eventually he came around. Sammy was a "man's" bird, so he transferred that to my husband. Amazons are really good birds, but different. I hand raised a orange wing amazon from a breeder in Tampa and to this day, he will only have anything to do with my daughter. He literally bites the hand that feeds him. Good luck and have lots of patience.

An 'organic' label unfortunately doesn't actually mean anything in most countries. Pesticides would be a concern - both for them and us. But with this handy invention called running water it's not really a concern. Just give everything a wash before eating/serving.



Someone arriving home is an exciting time, perhaps for now he needs to be on/in his cage when your husband arrives. Give him some time to settle down before interacting again. If he does go for your shoulder then bites when your husband is around it most likely is that he sees you as his mate.

Do your husband and the bird (what's his name) spend time together without you there?

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking that this is going to be an expensive proposition if we can only feed organic. Do you guys use veggie wash or just soap and water?
The birds name is Julio. He has his wings clipped. My husband spends time with him too, but I am usually near him when he has Julio. The bird pecks and bites at ME when my husband comes around. He belonged to a man for about 6 months and prior to that, a woman for 4 1/2 years. I wish I could understand for sure what his behaviour means. It does make sense that he is testing boundaries. Like a little kid.
The shoulder thing is going to be tricky because we don't 'put him there', he puts himself there. He runs like a little birdy sprinter.

i just wash with regular water - i leave it running for a little while and use the sink sprayer then shake the excess water off.

I know with one of my guys that used to run up shoulders i would practice step up ladder type drills when I first took him out of the cage. bird on hand move the other hand up and say step up several times. and then sit with him on my knee or hand or such. If bird starts running up shoulder move hand and say step up and bring the bird back down. If he is very persistent or makes it to the shoulder or gets agressive at your hands keeping him from it he goes to a play stand or back on cage. The only time he spends with you is going to be on your hands or around you not on shoulder. This is very frustrating and you have to be very consistent. but it helped my guy alot. I hope that made sense.

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Yes, it does make sense, thanks. Today we decided that we will only let him out of his cage if he steps up onto our hands. So far he has refused. He only wants to come out if we let him walk out on his own. We have played with him in the cage throughout the day and pet his head and have given he a couple of treats. Is it ok to let him play on top of his cage? I've read different things about the hight dominance thing. The cage sits about 5 ft tall, so he's pretty high up there.

I would let him play as long as he can't get higher than you are when he's up there. Otherwise A lower play stand could be used.

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Hi,

We have the same issue. My Amazon is very aggressive to my girlfriend unless I'm not around, then she is better than nothing. Understanding that there isn't anything in this world that makes him more uncomfortable that being ignored gives you a tool you can use against him when he acts up.

Some of the things I've learned over the years with Ringo is:

First: he is very smart and things will progress on his time. Trust took a lot of work in the beginning.

Second: the only parrot that never bites is a dead parrot. Sooner or later all parrot owners get tagged. Mine has bitten me countless times, usually because my girlfriend has gotten too close while I'm holding him. I think many parrots are abandoned or ignored because eventually they bite their owner and the owner becomes afraid and locks the bird away or gets rid of it.

Third: Ringo acts like a 2 year old all the time and has for the last 10 years. He throws tantrums, harbors grudges and will do just about anything, including screaming, to get the attention he thinks he has coming.

Finally: Ringo is a wonderful pet and companion partly due to the reasons listed above. He has personality, he's a situational talker not just a mimic, and he can be very cuddly and lovey when he wants to be. It saddens me that people who do not have time for a parrot get one because they're cool, or just something interesting to talk about, then ignore them or lock them away. My bird is only caged at bedtime and that's because he wants it that way. I don't have cats or other animals. Ringo is an all or nothing kinda guy.

I disagree with this completely, although most parrot owners seem to feel this way. Biting is not a natural parrot behavior, it's something they do when they feel they have no other choice. My parrot bit me once, the first day we met, and it was entirely my fault - I pushed too hard before he trusted me. In all the years since then, he's never bit me. If I'm ignoring him when he's trying to communicate something, he'll clamp down on a thumb nail once in a while, but he isn't trying to damage me, he's trying to send me a message. And he's certainly not doing everything he can with his beak - I've seen him open brazil nuts, he could tear open my finger like a paper bag, if that's what he wanted to do. As it is, he doesn't even leave a bruise, he just gets my attention and gets me to listen the message he's trying to send.

Biting is learned behavior, not instinct. Maybe Boo is an exceptional companion parrot, but parrots in the wild don't draw blood, either.