Persistent very bad behavior

bostralian · Nov 18, 2016

Hi,

I've had my amazon parrot for 3 years. He is 4 years old. I let him fly most of the time when I'm home (4-6 hours a day), I always talk to him, I always buy him new toys so he doesn't get bored, I give him a fresh and varied diet, but he NEVER listens.

I live in an antique house, and he has a habit of ruining picture frames (we have many paintings) by flying on to them and then biting / sharpening is beak. Whenever he does it I say NO firmly and make him get off. I have told him maybe 10000 times in the past years NO whenever he does something bad, but he just doesn't seem to get it, and does it again.

Am I doing something wrong?? He has plenty of things in his cage, why won't he learn?! I'm really frustrated to the extent that I'm reluctant to let him fly as frequently as I do

please help me

SailBoat · Nov 18, 2016

Sometimes is worth stepping back and taking a very long look at everything.

One of the biggest ways of understand is to change your vantage point. Try this one: It's Never the Fault of the Amazon! It's always the Fault of the Human(s). View your Amazon's behavior from this view point will allow you to more quickly determine what you are doing wrong.

Take the time to read the second Thread in the Amazon Forum regarding Amazon Body Language. Set with your Amazon and read it to him out loud several times a day for several days! This will allow you to more quickly understand the Language that you're Amazon uses to communicate with the World around him!

Having an Amazon is like having a Toddler for ever! All the joys and all the issues of that relationship! At the same time, your Amazon is still very young and is still testing the the World around him.

FYI: When all else fails, try increasing your one -on- one interactions! Well better yet, make it part of your normal day.

chris-md · Nov 18, 2016

Bostrian

I'm sorry your frustrations. You won't like the answer though.

Your bird is being a bird. This IS what it is like to have a parrot: they get into things, they shred things. No amount of "NO" is going to stop him from doing what birds do. He's never going to know what a picture frame is, let alone know that they are off limits.

You need to be on top of him. Don't give him the unsupervised opportunity to touch anything he's not supposed to touch. You must understand having a parrot is having a perpetual 2 year old int he house: same curiosity, same mischief. It's your responsibikity to keep them away from things hey aren't supposed to be near.

Scott · Nov 18, 2016

Might there be some sort of compromise? Is it possible to "bird proof" a portion of your home to allow free flight without fear of damage to valuables? There may also be a safety problem with chewing old wood if it has been painted; lead was frequently used to enhance color and longevity.

Flboy · Nov 18, 2016

If the paintings are the only issue, is there some way you can modify the top of the frames with something that will frustrate him every time he tries to land on them?

AmyMyBlueFront · Nov 18, 2016

You ould also think about having his wings clipped

so he CANT go fly and land on the paintings..BUT if he has always been flighted,he certainly wont dig on idea

Jim

plumsmum2005 · Nov 18, 2016

bostralian said:
Hi,

I've had my amazon parrot for 3 years. He is 4 years old. I let him fly most of the time when I'm home (4-6 hours a day), I always talk to him, I always buy him new toys so he doesn't get bored, I give him a fresh and varied diet, but he NEVER listens.

I live in an antique house, and he has a habit of ruining picture frames (we have many paintings) by flying on to them and then biting / sharpening is beak. Whenever he does it I say NO firmly and make him get off. I have told him maybe 10000 times in the past years NO whenever he does something bad, but he just doesn't seem to get it, and does it again.

Am I doing something wrong?? He has plenty of things in his cage, why won't he learn?! I'm really frustrated to the extent that I'm reluctant to let him fly as frequently as I do

please help me

This gives him a reaction from you, a reward for bad behaviour.

Has he a play stand/tree that is his to bite, chew, sharpen his beak, hang from and generally just be a parrot on? If no then he will land on things you don't want him to.

GaleriaGila · Nov 18, 2016

I agree with folks above.

My bird is fully-flighted and fearless, and basically the household runs by the Rickeybird's Rules.

I pretty much surrendered ages ago.

Some birds are so docile and sweet. Mine is a hellion. A beloved hellion.

I think the only way to establish control would be to clip his wings, and I can't do it.

KevH · Nov 19, 2016

Welcome to the parrot world we're no furniture or picture frames are safe I'm afraid saying no to a parrot isn't like saying no to a dog as for wing clipping don't ruin his life disabling him you will end up with far more problems than you have now it's far outdated and so cruel try taking the pictures down and do some target training using his favourite treat make him more interested in you than the frames

PrimorandMoxi · Nov 19, 2016

We give our Amazons and our Macaw plenty of pine wood blocks to chew on/tear apart.

this does not stop Primor from destroying the window sill if I turn my back for a moment.

If you see the way they shred one of these blocks into matchsticks you know they have this deeply ingrained need to do it.

Loko · Nov 19, 2016

Everything mentioned pretty much covers it all. Another thing I found that works is if Loco or a friends bird kept perching somewhere that either wasnt safe or somewhere he shouldnt be, introducing more perches around the house where he is allowed to land helps a lot. If he keeps flying to the pictures in one side of the room, maybe try to add some kind of stand or "boing" with toys near that side so that he can still go to that area but land somewhere safe that wont cause damage. A lot of times a bird will be attracted to an area because it is a good vantage point where it feels safe being able to see all thats going on, so if you add a better option in that same area he might accept. If the problem is not about him just wanting to be in that part of the room and instead the problem is a chewing urge, like mentioned above you can either modify something to make him unable to land there and add more chew toys, or just remove the pictures and bird proof it from happening in the first place.
This happened to me a few months ago where Loco would fly onto the top of the couch by the TV and window and chew the hell out of it. I constructed a lamp pole into a make shift pole to hang his "boing" from and he no longer goes onto the couch and chews it, he goes to the boing where there are toys even though they are only a few feet apart. He wanted to be in that part of the room near where I sit, and of course wanted to play and chew, so I just gave him a better option. Its possible your amazon is seeking that wood though and that this wont work, though its worth a try.
I wouldnt clip wings either. There are better ways you can work around this.

Flboy · Nov 19, 2016

Have to add, if you had a 3 to 4 year old human in your house and you had a collection of glass thingies everywhere, well, you would explain to the child that these pieces were worth hundreds. How would the child respond? Yes, daddy, I understand! Sure!!
So, you and I, caught up in materialism, have to find a balance with these creatures, that in my opinion, have it right!
A rant? Yep!

Kentuckienne · Nov 20, 2016

You have an interesting problem, and to solve it you must think like a parrot. Parrots are not domesticated animals like dogs or cats. They are merely tame. Your parrot has no idea what paintings are, or why you make a noise when he sits there. Parrots are born to fly, to perch on high things, to chew things up, and to stay with the flock. These are clues. Your parrot likes to sit on the paintings because the frames are up high on the wall, and stick out like branches. Plus, they are made of wood, which is for chewing!

You will not be able to teach your bird not to land on the frames or not to chew them, because the programming in his DNA is so strong. You must use your knowledge to trick him.

As others said, if you can put up a bigger perching area near the paintings, he will probably prefer it. You might be able to position it where he can't reach a painting from it, or where it blocks his ability to land on the frame. You might try making a fake painting, with a big frame made of branches and wood, that will be more attractive to him than the skinny old ordinary frames.

It's much easier to teach a parrot to do something than to teach them to not do something. I could not teach our Amazon parrot to not scream, but I could teach him to whistle and whisper when he wanted something, and so he did those things instead of screaming. You can't teach your parrot not to land on bad places, but you can teach him to land on good places. If he goes to the place you want - the fake picture, the perch in a better location - because he gets attention or rewards, then he will choose to go to that place. And since he can't be in two places at once, this means he won't go to the picture frame.

Now you get to play detective, and look at the house from your parrot's point of view, to see what it is he likes, and why he likes it. If you were a parrot, and wanted to fly somewhere, where would you pick? Use your insight to create a devilishly clever addition to the house that he will find irresistible!

jhsatx · Nov 21, 2016

Helpful post.
Thank you

Kentuckienne said:
You have an interesting problem, and to solve it you must think like a parrot. Parrots are not domesticated animals like dogs or cats. They are merely tame. Your parrot has no idea what paintings are, or why you make a noise when he sits there. Parrots are born to fly, to perch on high things, to chew things up, and to stay with the flock. These are clues. Your parrot likes to sit on the paintings because the frames are up high on the wall, and stick out like branches. Plus, they are made of wood, which is for chewing!

You will not be able to teach your bird not to land on the frames or not to chew them, because the programming in his DNA is so strong. You must use your knowledge to trick him.

As others said, if you can put up a bigger perching area near the paintings, he will probably prefer it. You might be able to position it where he can't reach a painting from it, or where it blocks his ability to land on the frame. You might try making a fake painting, with a big frame made of branches and wood, that will be more attractive to him than the skinny old ordinary frames.

It's much easier to teach a parrot to do something than to teach them to not do something. I could not teach our Amazon parrot to not scream, but I could teach him to whistle and whisper when he wanted something, and so he did those things instead of screaming. You can't teach your parrot not to land on bad places, but you can teach him to land on good places. If he goes to the place you want - the fake picture, the perch in a better location - because he gets attention or rewards, then he will choose to go to that place. And since he can't be in two places at once, this means he won't go to the picture frame.

Now you get to play detective, and look at the house from your parrot's point of view, to see what it is he likes, and why he likes it. If you were a parrot, and wanted to fly somewhere, where would you pick? Use your insight to create a devilishly clever addition to the house that he will find irresistible!

Persistent very bad behavior

bostralian

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