Help with my new amazon!

We recently adopted an amazon parrot that was rescued. We can't seem to train him, he trusts us and he takes food from us and he talks to us but we cannot get him out of his cage or get him to step up. We try every day to get him to step up and have read books and watched videos and all we have is a parrot that says step up over and over. Yesterday we were working with him and he bit my husband so hard his hand bled and swelled up like a golf ball, he has never done this.
Now we are very frustrated and just don't know what to do.
Can someone help us!

toby

Hi Stella, and welcome to the forum, Amazon's are one of the most complex species in the parrot world, I think to have better results in training them you have to first better understand what makes them tick, training books and videos don't take into account the natural behaviors and idiosyncracies of individual birds or species of birds, they just offer techniques on teaching birds a LEARNED behavior, that being said, I'm not an expert on amazons, but there are many members here that are owned by amazons that are or have experienced the same thing your going through now, so I will leave it up to them to try and help you better understand your fid (fid=feathered kid) Good luck

Thank you!
We knew Amazons were very difficult but we didn't realize it was going to be THIS difficult! I hope someone can help us.

Hi there Stella. You and your husband need a big does of patience. Is your bird for sure male by DNA and how long have you had him? That will help us. What is your cage set up, where is it and is your bird getting enough sleep - at least 10 hrs. per night with no TV or other noise. What are you feeding him and have you had him to an avain vet for a baseline check up? Sorry for all the question but it is part of what we need to help you. So your bird gave your husband a message - "don't come too close to me" You will need to establish trust/bond and you do not know too much detail of what has already happened to him in relation to humans or do you? Try to learn what he likes as a special treat and have that nearby. Sit with him while he is in the cage with door open and sing, talk or just be relaxed so he can learn to trust. I am sure other members who have amazons will help you. take care and try to relax around the new bird so he will relax.

http://www.goodbirdinc.com/parrot-behavior-problems.html#1

Stella, I am sure you will get the answers you need.

I took care of a friends Yellow Nape Amazon for a couple of months after their house burned down. Sugar was real stressed and we are all surprised that she made it through the fire. I am no expert at all on any kind of birds but just be patient and keep talking to him.

Mike

Another question for you if you know, how old is Toby?, that will help in determining where in life he is, juvelile, adolescent or adult, if your not sure of his age and he has an leg band, sometimes the year of hatch is on it..........

We havnt got a chance to take him to the vet yet but we have had him for a month or so, we are unsure if its a male or female, but they just guessed he was a boy so that's what he has been to us, but we are thinking he might be a she because he has a little toy that has litttle peices in it and he does the little head bob feeding kind of move at it all the time! They said he was 8 or 9, but his ankle band doesn't have a date on it but we know hes from a washington breeder if we could get him out of the cage we might be able to read what it says. He definitely gets plenty of sleep. We have him in a pretty big cage in the living room infront of a window and I only work part time so I pretty much spend my whole day talking to him like a crazy person but sometimes he talked back and it's always funny. The only treat we have found that he goes crazy for is peanuts but the lady at the bird place said dont feed him peanuts!!
Another thing is when i put my finger up to his cage or my hair he preens my hair and his will grab on my finger and sort of lick me and he tries to bite off my fringer nail but has never bit me.
Well I hope this gives some more information! kind of a ramble

It sounds like you are doing the right things. Just do not expect too much. One month is not a very long time for a new bird to get adjusted. Perhaps he or she has issues with the male gender. Don't forget to give him lots of shredding toys. Are you cleaning the cage with him or her inside? You are on the right track. Pay close attention to his body language. You can find lots of eductional articles on this topic on the net. Keep the faith!!

I adopted a six year old YNA a little over two months ago. I have to agree with the previous comments. Give him time to trust you. Talk to him, give him treats, sing to him, but let him choose if and when he wants to come out of the cage.

I have found that there is a big difference in Freddie now that he trusts me...and we still have work to do. There's no rush. If you force him, it'll take longer to gain his trust. He may distrust men more than women, which would explain the hard bite.

There should be warnings before a bite, which your husband may have missed. Research the body language, and watch your bird in particular. Amazons do give warnings...you just have to know what they are. Fred will back up, open his beak, sometimes make a little growl....Some birds pin(eyes dilate)....The signs will be there, and once you can see them for what they are, you can avoid most bites.

Good luck, and don't get discouraged. Amazons are beautiful and intelligent. They're so interactive and entertaining. Just go slow...

thank you everyone for all your advice!
Does anyone know any good ways to make your bird not afraid of the stick when you try to target train him?

I really appreciate that you saved a parrot.

Perhaps you need to spend more time hand-feeding him first. Then, try to increase the distance between the food and him. And, try to put your hand in-between the food and him so that if he wants the food, he has to step on your hand...

Hey, again, I really appreciate your kindness.

Hi Stella,
Your Amazon is going to take longer than one month to get adjusted to his/her new environment (and to you) but it sounds like you are doing great just by spending time and talking to him. He will slowly gain trust, just don't force the issue. Also if you know anything about his old home that might help. My bird was rescued from a crappy owner who was a man, so she took to me first and was slower with my husband. She is very wary of male visitors to our home but she shows off for females. Your bird is not being aggressive when he bites, he is just scared. Take it slow, no fast movements and try to stay relaxed around him because he will pick up on your anxiety. Go easy on the peanuts and seeds- Amazons can get fat very easily so transition the bird to a pelleted diet + veggies and fruit. Good luck and with some patience you will have a friend for life!! Thank you for adopting a "used" Amazon. They are fabulous birds and well worth the effort.