Outdoor Aviary for cage bound Amazon?

MustLoveAnimals · Sep 26, 2017

Hello all! I have two parrots, a cockatiel and an amazon. I got my tiel at a shop, she was only eight weeks old. She was very shy for the first six months but has really come out of her shell (although she is extremely sassy). I've had her for about three and a half years. I'm pretty sure she would love to be outside in an aviary when the weather is nice.
My amazon is a different story. I know practically nothing about her background, but I'm almost positive it's not a good one. She is completely untamed, will not allow anyone but her one person to touch her (not me). She does not step up, will rarely take food from us, and she also happens to be completely cage bound. I've only seen her outside of her cage a handful of times since I brought her home about two and a half years ago, and half of those times she was spooked out of her cage. She is not very active at all, and her energy level seems drained. I was thinking about getting an outdoor aviary in the near future, do you think being outside will help her reveal her true personality, or do you think it would make her behavior more reserved? Since she is not tame, I would have to grab her with gloves/ a towel and put her in the carrier to transport her to the aviary. Would this be too much stress on her? I've tried bonding with her, but she will not let me in. The only food she will take from me is human junk food (which I only give to her on occasion) and raisins. She prefers men to women, and I am a woman so I feel like all hope is lost.

wrench13 · Sep 26, 2017

Hi !
GLoves and towels are no way to gain trust with any parrot. Read the stickies in the Amazon sub-forum several times over, there is invaluable lessons in there. I will bet you a steak dinner that if you follow the advice there religiously for a month, your Amazon is going to be a changed bird.

Kiwibird · Sep 26, 2017

What have you done so far to try and help with her being cage bound? I would personally work on that first. I think being put in an outdoor aviary could be a frightening experience for a bird who is scared to even poke a toe out her cage door. I'd also work on earning her trust, even if that may seem an impossible goal. My "woman hating" male BFA made a huge turn in his behavior towards me, though it took several years of persistence to win his trust and tolerance.

SailBoat · Sep 26, 2017

The information provided above is a wonderful place to start from regarding the understanding of Amazon Body Language! It is highly recommended that you consider sitting along side your Amazon's cage and read that Thread out-loud to your Amazon!

Sometimes it becomes important to understand a bit of History to define where you are with your Amazon. It can seem like you are the only person who is faced with this type of problem and by coming to the understanding of just how common it was, and becoming again, helps greatly in seeing the full potential of the Relationship sitting just in front of you!

Prior to the Import Band of twenty+ years ago, near all Amazon sold in the Parrot Trade where wild caught!!! They had been anywhere from chicks to older Adults. The lack or care, horrible handling, trash for food (if any) and the 30 - 60 days hold period, plus the heavy single wing feather cut, left this group with little to no want to ever trust a Human! That all said, the vast majority of this group became loving members of Human families!

If you compare where your Amazon is today and where those Amazon started from, why would you believe that you and other members of your family cannot develop a deep and meaningful relationship. Will it take time, Yes It Will! Will it be worth it, Yes It Will!

While you are on the Amazon Forum and between re-reading to your Amazon about Amazon Body Language, please also, read the first Segment inside of the huge Thread, titled: I Love Amazons - ... That first segment is titled: I Love Amazons! Take a look at the long list of Segments and consider where you could take your relationship with your Amazon!!!

Now to your Question regarding an Outdoor Aviary!
- Unless you develop a relationship with this Amazon first, the placing the Amazon in the outside Aviary will likely only make things worst. At some point in the future - possible, but right now, you and everyone in your family needs to be working on developing a strong relationship with this Amazon.

Your Amazon: Red-Crowned Amazon, aka: Green-Cheeked Amazon, Mexican Red-Headed Amazon is classified as Endangered. Its population in its Natural Range and in North America are becoming smaller. Each member of the species is becoming more important. So, developing a rich relationship with your Amazon is strongly recommended.

Has this Amazon seen an Avian Vet since coming to your home? Helps me understand what would be needed before stepping to a Outside Aviary at some point in the future.

- Our DYH Amazon was also a women hater when he arrived a bit short of 3.5 years ago! Today he is the biggest mommies boy out there!!!

MustLoveAnimals · Sep 27, 2017

wrench13 said:
Hi !
GLoves and towels are no way to gain trust with any parrot. Read the stickies in the Amazon sub-forum several times over, there is invaluable lessons in there. I will bet you a steak dinner that if you follow the advice there religiously for a month, your Amazon is going to be a changed bird.

I'll read through the Amazon forums. Thank you!

MustLoveAnimals · Sep 27, 2017

Kiwibird said:
What have you done so far to try and help with her being cage bound? I would personally work on that first. I think being put in an outdoor aviary could be a frightening experience for a bird who is scared to even poke a toe out her cage door. I'd also work on earning her trust, even if that may seem an impossible goal. My "woman hating" male BFA made a huge turn in his behavior towards me, though it took several years of persistence to win his trust and tolerance.

I've been opening her cage door, sometimes I sit next to the cage and talk to her, other times I leave the room. I've also tried putting perches on the door so that she may easily exit. This is very tricky, because she is terrified of new perches and toys. I've removed the new perches because she becomes so stressed. I've tried feeding her new things, I start by dropping them in her food bowl or treat dish. But she is very picky, I'm still trying to find out what food she absolutely cannot resist. I feel that when I find it, it will become much easier to gain her trust. Thank you, I really hope I find myself in the same situation.

MustLoveAnimals · Sep 27, 2017

SailBoat said:
The information provided above is a wonderful place to start from regarding the understanding of Amazon Body Language! It is highly recommended that you consider sitting along side your Amazon's cage and read that Thread out-loud to your Amazon!

Sometimes it becomes important to understand a bit of History to define where you are with your Amazon. It can seem like you are the only person who is faced with this type of problem and by coming to the understanding of just how common it was, and becoming again, helps greatly in seeing the full potential of the Relationship sitting just in front of you!

Prior to the Import Band of twenty+ years ago, near all Amazon sold in the Parrot Trade where wild caught!!! They had been anywhere from chicks to older Adults. The lack or care, horrible handling, trash for food (if any) and the 30 - 60 days hold period, plus the heavy single wing feather cut, left this group with little to no want to ever trust a Human! That all said, the vast majority of this group became loving members of Human families!

If you compare where your Amazon is today and where those Amazon started from, why would you believe that you and other members of your family cannot develop a deep and meaningful relationship. Will it take time, Yes It Will! Will it be worth it, Yes It Will!

While you are on the Amazon Forum and between re-reading to your Amazon about Amazon Body Language, please also, read the first Segment inside of the huge Thread, titled: I Love Amazons - ... That first segment is titled: I Love Amazons! Take a look at the long list of Segments and consider where you could take your relationship with your Amazon!!!

Now to your Question regarding an Outdoor Aviary!
- Unless you develop a relationship with this Amazon first, the placing the Amazon in the outside Aviary will likely only make things worst. At some point in the future - possible, but right now, you and everyone in your family needs to be working on developing a strong relationship with this Amazon.

Your Amazon: Red-Crowned Amazon, aka: Green-Cheeked Amazon, Mexican Red-Headed Amazon is classified as Endangered. Its population in its Natural Range and in North America are becoming smaller. Each member of the species is becoming more important. So, developing a rich relationship with your Amazon is strongly recommended.

Has this Amazon seen an Avian Vet since coming to your home? Helps me understand what would be needed before stepping to a Outside Aviary at some point in the future.

- Our DYH Amazon was also a women hater when he arrived a bit short of 3.5 years ago! Today he is the biggest mommies boy out there!!!

I'll definitely check out the Amazon threads. I can see how just sitting and talking to her would help, but I've done that so much already. I'll keep at it though. It's nice to hear that there is hope, no matter how "far gone" a bird seems to be. It just seems like she's had no real relationship with humans, I feel like I'm starting from scratch. But I would love to build a relationship with her, and I'm going to keep working on it.
Yes, she's been to an avian vet twice since I've had her.

Kentuckienne · Sep 27, 2017

With new perches and such, sometimes it helps to leave them sitting in plain sight for a while before you put them in the cage. That way it becomes familiar - hey, it's been in He table for a week and hasn't moved or tried to eat me, must be okay.

With new foods, what's worked best for me is to sit by the cage and very slowly eat the food myself, offering it briefly when I see he's watching. If he doesn't take it right away I withdraw the offer. They may not realize that stuff IS good, but watching you eat it clues them in. If you have someone else you can give the food to, that can help. Everybody's eating that, it must be food...

Birdman666 · Sep 27, 2017

CAGEBOUND AND OVERBONDED AMAZON... STOP ME IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS BEFORE...

I don't have time to go into this now, but somewhere on this site I have already posted the protocols for working with a cage bound bird.

In a nutshell, you get the bird out on a playstand, in a room away from the cage, where he cannot even see it.

Expect him to be nervous at first, it's normal. The cage = the nest. It's a place of safety, and if he's that cage bound, it may be the only world he knows. Inside, he is safe from intruders, and only has to protect things coming in through the door. OUTSIDE the cage he is suddenly vulnerable on all sides, and doesn't really know how to react or behave, because CAGE BOUND.

Leave him out. Let him watch the comings and goings. Let him get used to it. Interact positively. Get him used to it. That's when things start to open up. Then feed him treats. Teach him basic step up, go down. Then, perhaps, touch training...

BeatriceC · Sep 27, 2017

Amazons are stubborn creatures. It took me *three years* to break through to my SO's relatively well adjusted yellow nape when I first moved in with him. An amazon with a bad history could present even more of a challenge. Read everything in the stickies and be persistent and patient. You will get through to her eventually.

MustLoveAnimals · Sep 27, 2017

Kentuckienne said:
With new perches and such, sometimes it helps to leave them sitting in plain sight for a while before you put them in the cage. That way it becomes familiar - hey, it's been in He table for a week and hasn't moved or tried to eat me, must be okay.

With new foods, what's worked best for me is to sit by the cage and very slowly eat the food myself, offering it briefly when I see he's watching. If he doesn't take it right away I withdraw the offer. They may not realize that stuff IS good, but watching you eat it clues them in. If you have someone else you can give the food to, that can help. Everybody's eating that, it must be food...

That's an excellent idea, thanks!
She's definitely interested in the food that I'm eating, so every once in a while I'll hand her a few pieces. But I have not tried handing food to another person while she's watching, I'll have to try that.

MustLoveAnimals · Sep 27, 2017

Birdman666 said:
CAGEBOUND AND OVERBONDED AMAZON... STOP ME IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS BEFORE...

I don't have time to go into this now, but somewhere on this site I have already posted the protocols for working with a cage bound bird.

In a nutshell, you get the bird out on a playstand, in a room away from the cage, where he cannot even see it.

Expect him to be nervous at first, it's normal. The cage = the nest. It's a place of safety, and if he's that cage bound, it may be the only world he knows. Inside, he is safe from intruders, and only has to protect things coming in through the door. OUTSIDE the cage he is suddenly vulnerable on all sides, and doesn't really know how to react or behave, because CAGE BOUND.

Leave him out. Let him watch the comings and goings. Let him get used to it. Interact positively. Get him used to it. That's when things start to open up. Then feed him treats. Teach him basic step up, go down. Then, perhaps, touch training...

I'm guessing this is something that should be done after a relationship has been built? There's no way she will allow me to remove her from the cage peacefully, and I have not taken her out since her last vet visit.

MustLoveAnimals · Sep 27, 2017

BeatriceC said:
Amazons are stubborn creatures. It took me *three years* to break through to my SO's relatively well adjusted yellow nape when I first moved in with him. An amazon with a bad history could present even more of a challenge. Read everything in the stickies and be persistent and patient. You will get through to her eventually.

Thank you, I sure hope so.

Outdoor Aviary for cage bound Amazon?

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