Hormonal Amazons

SharonC · Oct 24, 2010

Do any of you know the time of year that hormonal behavior is likely, with a Yellow Naped Amazon? I would have thought spring, but I'm hearing from owners on forums that it is a problem now. We're just moving into winter here...days shorter, cooler outside temps, although inside is kept warm with heating. Fred is a little grouchier than usual, and screams a little more than previously...I'm just trying to figure out if there may be a problem that I need to address.

SharonC · Oct 24, 2010

I'm getting a little disheartened. I've just had Fred out, and he bit me three times in ten minutes. He's ticked off about something, and I can't figure out what it is. Could the trick training be annoying him? He just high fived me perfectly, got the treat, and then bit me...HARD...when I asked for a High Five again! He's been like this for three or four days now. When he bites, he means business...he darts in for the chomp, and it is not a warning. He's in his sleep cage now, where he'll stay until morning. Does anyone have any idea what I could be doing wrong????

nofearengineer · Oct 24, 2010

I don't know Sharon. I'm not telling you anything you don't already know when I say they have their good days and their bad days, just like us. He definitely seems to be voicing an opinion on the trick training though.

Me personally, I would just give him a little more space. His social urges will force him to get over it eventually. Stay around him, but don't pay a lot of attention to him.

That's just me though...a biting Amazon is high on my "no no" list.

Pheonix Rising · Oct 24, 2010

Good luck Sharon we are all here to support you
I can't offer more than that myself sorry but I wish you all the best and I think sb has a good idea with giving him a little space

Pheonix Rising · Oct 24, 2010

Sorry not sb I mean nofear

All the grey owners on here I get confused lol

SharonC · Oct 24, 2010

Thanks for the comments. I'd be giving that exact same advice, but I do find it hard to convince myself that I haven't done something to make him hate me. I was cleaning up the floor under his cage today, while he was on the cage, and he made the effort to climb down and get me on the top of the head. Geez! I did have that incident a couple of weeks ago when I got angry with him, after a HARD bite...and I clipped him after that. I felt really badly about getting angry with him. Tonight, I just quietly put him in his sleep cage after getting bitten. I was angry but didn't show it. It's very frustrating when he changes like that...I need to try to remember that "moodiness" is part of the Amazon personality. I will underhandle him for awhile, and stop the trick training. Maybe he's not enjoying it....

Pheonix Rising · Oct 24, 2010

Perhaps it is a test on his part
by trick training you are showing in a way a new authority for yourself
perhaps he is reacting to that to see what level of authority your taking and just where he stands now
I would keep up with at least a little training so he's not getting his way so to speak but distance is still good Now to

SharonC · Oct 25, 2010

One thing I have noticed with the training is that he seems to be ticked off that the treat is so small. I use very small bits of Whole Wheat Pita bread, as that's his favourite. I break it up to about 1/8 inch diameter pieces. Maybe, he's protesting, as he has difficulty sometimes in grasping it. Who knows? It's a new day...

Pheonix Rising · Oct 25, 2010

I like your attitude Sharon

keep being positive and trying new ways. Your sure to find something that will work and Freddie will be back to normal in no time

Cowtown · Oct 25, 2010

I am so sorry Sharon.. I haven't had that happen with Abby yet... She does sometimes lower her head and fluff her feathers at me when I go to get her out of her cage.

Have you been giving the other birds more attention than Fred?
Has anything changed? Moved his cage, new toys, something new in the room?
I am just kind of throwing things out that remember reading that would cause a parrot's attitude to change.

Keep us posted on Fred... I do love his antics on video.

Mike

SharonC · Oct 25, 2010

I did move his cage last month, but he didn't seem to mind. He gets new toys every month or so, or at least the toys are rotated every month. I'm using a new hair dryer to dry him after his shower...he hates it...but he seems to hate everything new...

michelle_brown_uk · Oct 27, 2010

SharonC said:
One thing I have noticed with the training is that he seems to be ticked off that the treat is so small. I use very small bits of Whole Wheat Pita bread, as that's his favourite. I break it up to about 1/8 inch diameter pieces. Maybe, he's protesting, as he has difficulty sometimes in grasping it. Who knows? It's a new day...

Funnily enough my parrot will not accept a treat if its too small. She will just drop it on the floor or refuse to take it then look at you with a frown as if to say you taking the micci?! Give her a bigger piece and then she will eat it!
Cant really give much more advice than anyone else has but i would suggest not stopping the training but do less of it and give bigger treats when you do it. I would also advise like 'nofearengineer' says ignore him a bit so he will appreciate your attention more when he has it

SharonC · Oct 27, 2010

I actually tried bigger treats yesterday, and he was better so I'm resuming training. I will do shorter sessions. Thanks, that seems like a good idea! He seems in a better mood lately. He had a shower this AM, and although I dreaded it, he enjoyed it thoroughly...and no biting. He did bite my husband HARD this AM though...

Amazons are very compicated little packages!!!

lordburrito · Oct 28, 2010

Hello SharonC!
Don't be frustrated about what's happening. Amazons are just like us... have good and bad days. If he bites you...just does mean, that he doesn't want your attention. I have the blue fronted amazon, and she is the sam "Jekyl and Hide" , remember, they are VERY smart and they always know when they do something wrong, and once he bites you, Never never jell at him or punish him, just change your tone of voice, but do not raise it!!!! , then ignore him completly for 20mins(he'll die 4 u then), and never ever punish him with puting him in to his cage!!! If you do that, he shell soon understand that "the cage" is "punishment", and he'll start screaming inside, and believe me, that "the screams" are going to be a torture for you, you should always reward him, when you put him in his cage, cause cage is his "home", and he should be comfortable with that knowing...it is O.k. ro be in the cage..it is my home.... also about screaming... If you raise a voice against your bird.... he thinks you are playing with him....cause screaming is in their DNA, and in the wild, they scream all day long... so never raise your voice... amazons can be very noisy

) ....veryveryvery noisy

SharonC · Oct 28, 2010

Thanks for the advice!

Fred's mood seems back to normal for the past couple of days. Guess I'll just have to get used to his moods! He certainly does know when he does something wrong...and I speak firmly to him. His reaction is almost as if he's thoroughly ashamed of himself. Fred does go to his cage when he's misbehaved, but the "punishment" for Fred is to be ignored for a while. He actually loves his cages...both his day and night cages. He chooses to be inside many times, even when the door is open. Screaming happens

but is very shortlived...thank goodness! He will start sometimes if the house is noisy...but is easily distracted into talking or singing instead. Amazons can indeed be very noisy, but I have to admit, my Linnie's contact call is much more annoying than Fred's noise. I think it's the pitch of the Linnie, but when Levi gets going, I feel like running away from home!!!:11:LOL!!!

lordburrito · Oct 29, 2010

Very nice!!!! way to go SharonC!!!!

michelle_brown_uk · Oct 30, 2010

Thats great news to hear!! (bar the bite

obviously!)

Its funny isnt it that they do know when they have done someting wrong - if Josie is miss behaving or begging too much i tell her to get to bed (or get to bed if you cant behave) and point at her cage at the same time and she will huff/stomp over to her cage like a teenager! very funny but at least she listens! lol!
Josie is VERY vocal at the moment too. Even when im stood in the room with her she has been shouting at me! Yesterday after spending an hour with her in the morning i put my coat on to go out and as i was doing that she just stood on top of her cage looked at me and shouted at me as if to say excuse me where do you think your going! i couldnt believe it

Amazons definatly seem to have moody and noisey times!!!

SharonC · Oct 30, 2010

I got a very funny mental image of Josie stomping to her cage!

Thanks!!

michelle_brown_uk · Oct 31, 2010

SharonC said:
I got a very funny mental image of Josie stomping to her cage! Thanks!!

:jumping40

greenbirdsf · Nov 9, 2010

Amazons will manipulate the heck out of you to get a treat. Easy on the bread; you probably should not give your bird simple carbs of any kind. They are very prone to obesity and overfeeding them treats will cost your bird it's health. I don't know your motivation for the trick training, these birds are pretty entertaining on their own without performing like a dog. Food as a reward should be something healthy. Take it from me, I had my bird on a crappy seed diet with vegetables and fruit for ten years when I had a horrible vet and no one told me to do anything differently. Now my bird has been on a good pelleted diet with vegetables and fruit for over ten years but she is still prone to getting heavy during breeding season and now it is taking it's toll on her liver at age 21. I can not stress to you Amazon owners out there enough: WATCH YOUR BIRDS WEIGHT. NO PEANUTS/SEED/JUNK FOOD/BREAD.

Hormonal Amazons

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

Lilac-crowned Amazon

Hey guys!!! Help me out here

Similar threads