Training questions

OK, I just got a 2 yr old Blue Fronted Amazon that I am re-taming and have a couple of questions.
1) if he is in or on his cage, he will not let you touch him and will not step up. He will however take treats from your hand so he isn't over the top scared. If he is away from his cage, he will step up and everything. Question... what is the best way to coax him off his cage without scaring him and losing the trust I am building?
2) I know it will be more difficult to train a 2 yr old bird to talk than a young one but is it possible and will it still have the capability of a vocabulary as a young bird?

He is very quiet and doesn't make much sound at all so it concerns me that talking may be difficult to train however, we have only had him a few days and I am sure he is still getting accustomed to the new surroundings.

FYI, cage is 24 X 24 X 50"


Thanks in advance

2 years old is still quite young for an amazon. And the cliche about teaching and old dog new tricks couldn't be farther from the truth - they can always learn new things.

As for the first question: how long have you had him?

It may just take a little time of you offering treats while he's on/in the cage before he warms up to you. There are some training techniques that could help, but you don't want to rush this too much.

If it's been a week or so of just talking calmly and offering him treats on his cage then some perch training may be in store. Use a perch of some sort instead of a hand so if he tries to bite there is no harm done. Offer him the perch to step up on and lure him with his favorite treat. When he steps up give him the treat and let him step back down on his cage right away.

If his cage is his comfort zone right now, you don't want him to associate stepping up with being taken away from that comfort zone (yet).

I agree with AD, in addition you might think about a seperate training area such as a tabletop perch or parrot stand, as AD mentioned the cage is a comfort zone, and should remain so, many birds will be difficult to work with from the cage, especially if they have the height advantage, it gives them the feeling of superiority, training is much easier if you can have the bird at about waist height to you, as for talking, many birds don't even start to get the hang of vocalization till about a year old or so, living to 50 years and beyond, at 2 years old he's still a baby yet

Thank you both for your responses. I do plan on training away from the cage but the problem is trying to get him off of his cage in the first place. I do like AD's suggestion of using a perch to slowly get him off of his cage. Being that we have only had him for a few days, I know it will take some time to be able to get him away from his cage but would like to start working with him right away. Bobby, the top of the cage does sit about 6ft. I might have to stand on a chair next to the cage when working with him (until I can get him away from the cage) so I am more at or above his level. Thanks for that tip.

Ja, that is like me, I have a permanent chair next to my cage.

Because you have only had him for a couple of days then, if I was you, I wouldnt try and take him away from the cage yet. Like AD said, start the perch training after a week or so.

Good luck and I hope to see some photos.

He is going to need time to adjust to a new place so I would not worry that he isn't talking yet. I would say give him at least a few weeks before he is comfortable and in that time, keep talking to him in soothing tones, no quick movements and just hang with him until he starts to trust you more. I am not surprised that he is clinging to his cage at this point....still really early to expect him to get right on your arm. Eventually, start offering it to him when he is out on top of his cage. Once he starts allowing you to pick him up, even if it is still off the floor or a perch, give lots of verbal encouragement and make it an experience he looks forward to. Take it slow, whatever you do! Do you have any info on what his old home was like and if he was well socialized?

Bobby34231 said:

especially if they have the height advantage, it gives them the feeling of superiority, training is much easier if you can have the bird at about waist height to you

Click to expand...

There is no truth to this myth.

Just wanted to see if you have had any luck with getting your new addition to trust you. I just adopted a 5 year old blue front amazon about 5 days ago and I am having similar issues.

it seems as if this is an ongoing issue with amazons(at least speaking from my personal experience) i have also got an OWA recently rescued her from a depressing environment at a pet store. she has been a member of our family for about 10 days now. the first few days she didnt want to have anything to do with us, but around the 3rd day she started taking food out of our hand. since then we have been working on "touch" which we hold a sunflower seed in our hand and have her touch our hand and then giver her the treat. just last night she was so curious that she climbed down the door of her cage and stretched as much as she could to steal a bite of my pizza(i was eating right next to her cage). she still is afraid of me reaching out for her and trying to touch her, but from what i see the curious side of them will eventually bring them closer on their own. i also guess that this is a good way to let them overcome their fear of us. for vocalizing i find it very useful to play video clips from youtube of other amazon parrots, it does wonders.