Whenever I as much as look at my parrot he bites aggressively.

Hi everyone! I have a Yellow Naped Amazon and I am having the weirdest time with him, currently and about 4-5 months back. While I was away on a trip, my partner taught my parrot to fly over on people.

Unfortunately this means, my parrot flies towards me - to attack me. Not to hang out. When I have him out in the living room on a perch with toys, food and rope and stuff, whenever I look at him he bites the ropes and toys.

When I look away he's just sitting being all fluffy. Currently I cannot move my parrot around, without forcing him. My partner he can use a perch to move him back upstairs and downstairs, meanwhile if I just as much as touch the perch, he flies straight at me to attack me.

Overall his body language just seems like it is in attack mode whenever I am around him. Needless to say, it's my bird and I've had him for about 8-9 years and he has only been in the same house as my partner for 3.

In the past, when he has been babysit or been at other people he has never connected to one person. He has always seem to enjoy the company of whoever seem interested in him. Well until now. He hates me when he is outside his cage.

When he is inside his cage, I can rub his back, his neck and he is completely confident with me. But as soon as he is outside, he won't let me go anywhere near him. I find that weird as I would always assume it would be the other way around - that he would be territorial in his cage, but not outside.

My partner cannot touch him or stroke him like I do; so it doesn't seem like he trust him as much as me - but then again he doesn't seem to trust me at all either?

After such a long time trying to fix this and be patient with him, I am still not sure what to do. He is more of a wild falcon at this point, as I need to have my arm wrapped in a towel whenever he is out so he won't attack my face or anything else.

During Christmas we had him with us to the in-laws. When he was there, I didn't have anywhere near as big issues as back then. He seemed to be comfortable around both of us and standing up straight, not hunching over leaning into attack things all the time.

I have read the amazon body language so many times. When he is angry and is chewing on stuff with his head lowered; I try and ignore him not to pressure him into situations. No luck though.

It's an 8-9 year old Male Amazon. He's been behaving like this for 5-6 months. It's a bit frustrating as his nails need to be trimmed soon, and because I cannot get near him I am not sure what to do, as none of the Vets around here seem to do anything with parrots or birds.

Any advise would be helpful. I've worked a lot with him lately and it almost only seem to be getting worse.

If required I can try and provide a video sample of his behavior; but it's evening now so it has to wait until tomorrow if it would help clarify why he's behaving the way he does.

Any number of issues could be affect this, from not getting enough sleep to switch bonded relationship, to medical issues, to something else in the home pressure the response.

Take the Position: Its NEVER the fault of the Amazon! It is Always the fault of the Human. This forces a different view and by doing so, see where and what is in fact happening and change it! Your Amazon is sending a signal or reacting to something. You need to identify it and change it.

We are also entering Hormonal Season here in the North America and that could also be playing a part.

Time to set back and take note of what is going on in your Amazon's World.

SailBoat said:

Any number of issues could be affect this, from not getting enough sleep to switch bonded relationship, to medical issues, to something else in the home pressure the response.

Take the Position: Its NEVER the fault of the Amazon! It is Always the fault of the Human. This forces a different view and by doing so, see where and what is in fact happening and change it! Your Amazon is sending a signal or reacting to something. You need to identify it and change it.

We are also entering Hormonal Season here in the North America and that could also be playing a part.

Time to set back and take note of what is going on in your Amazon's World.

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I always think of me being the issue; when he attacks me, my boyfriend gets angry at the bird, but I try not to.
I've been working with him quite a lot and he's loving and cuddly for the most part, but he can flip in a sec to be aggressive.

I am glad there is progress, I am also slowly feeling more comfortable around him again, which is great as I bet he's not very happy with me either, if I am unsure and slightly scared of him.

He still flies right at me if I turn my back and bites me, so there is still stuff to work with, but having him around me now is a lot better than weeks ago.

It's come a long way and I still, sadly haven't found the exact reason or source to why he suddenly started behaving this way. I am just happy after so many months things are finally starting to look up...

Mr. Boat is a wonderful Amazonster!
I would add this about hormones... Ever since the Rickeybird hit sexual maturity at about 3-4 years of age, I've had to manage his hormones! If kept on too steady a long day, and too much light, he stayed "in the mood" (aggressive, even louder than usual, pleasuring himself on my neck, attacking me out of the blue, ALL that kinda thing) year round. If I keep him on a natural light schedule... up with dawn, down with dusk, year around... THEN he's only a little monster rooster from July to September). He has his own room, so I can do that easily.
Good luck, and good for you for reaching out.

GaleriaGila said:

THEN he's only a little monster rooster from July to September).

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I need a little clarification. Sailboat said that we're entering Hormonal Season here in the North America. But I thought you implied that was true of the Rbird from July to September. Do parrots have different seasons based on breed? Location would make sense because of differing weather patterns. How long does this hormonal season last?

Bering, I feel your pain. My little green cheek conure is doing the same thing. I'm more wary of her than my CAG. She goes on FULL ATTACK mode and then sweet as an angel. Good Luck!

I don't know about other species... good question.
I would suspect that local weather/light cycles would be the determining factor, not original ancestral habitat. I just can't see that it would be in their permanent DNA as opposed to their DNA reaction to current light. That seems to fit with the fact that when the days are the longest, that's when they'd be breeding, which I think is the case with most birds. Rb is at his hormonal worst from about late June to early September, as I recall.

trimblegirls said:

GaleriaGila said:

THEN he's only a little monster rooster from July to September).

Click to expand...

I need a little clarification. Sailboat said that we're entering Hormonal Season here in the North America. But I thought you implied that was true of the Rbird from July to September. Do parrots have different seasons based on breed? Location would make sense because of differing weather patterns. How long does this hormonal season last?

Bering, I feel your pain. My little green cheek conure is doing the same thing. I'm more wary of her than my CAG. She goes on FULL ATTACK mode and then sweet as an angel. Good Luck!

Click to expand...

GaleriaGila said:

I don't know about other species... good question.
I would suspect that local weather/light cycles would be the determining factor, not original ancestral habitat. I just can't see that it would be in their permanent DNA as opposed to their DNA reaction to current light. That seems to fit with the fact that when the days are the longest, that's when they'd be breeding, which I think is the case with most birds. Rb is at his hormonal worst from about late June to early September, as I recall.

Click to expand...

Reference: North America - Parrots that 'normally' lay eggs in the Spring are in or just entering Hormone Season now. The starting points during any given year commonly begin or are shortly after the beginning of the Transitions of the Seasons: Mid -late December, Mid -late March, Mid -late June, Mid -late September. The actual start day is effected by any number of local factors and the health of the Parrot.

Warning: Humans can by choice or error cause a Parrot become Hormonal at anytime of the year!

The use of a Solar driven light schedule provides the best method of scheduling (knowing) when your Parrot will natural begin their Hormonal season. Which quarter of the natural year your Parrot will begin his/her season is best understood by living though it couple of years or speaking with a Breeder that is using a Natural Year Cycle with your type of Parrot.