Need any advice in socializing an Amazon

So my boyfriends Mom has an Amazon Parrot named Teddy. We believe he was abused in his previous home as he hates all males and will go out of his way to bite. His favorite person is my boyfriend's Mom.
However, he seems to tolerate me well enough. He takes fruits and veggies from my hand. Has accepted petting before and only tried to bite me once. But his owner barely takes him out and honestly, his cage is really dirty on the bars. I already have a black capped conure who is very well socialized, loves everybody. But I feel terrible about Teddy rarely getting let out and his cage being so dirty. So I want to give him the chance to socialize outside of the cage and have a clean cage with proper nutrition everyday as he doesn't get fruits and veggies often.

So my question is: How should I go about socializing him? What should I look for to prevent being bit often or badly? He's done it before to other people. I am worried about being bitten as he is bigger and I know his bites are far worse than our conure and the lovebird in our house as well. Also worried about how exactly to put him away when I need to go out or do something else. Please give me advice!

Also, I know to expect bites when owning birds. I just would prefer to do anything to prevent bites that require medical attention from bigger birds like Teddy. I'm not very experienced in body language, socializing or anything with birds as our conure is our first bird aside from when I was younger. But I feel driven to give him a good life that involves outside time, good food and a clean cage. As well as I do want to own bigger birds in the future!

Thanks for caring about this 'zon, I'm sure he will appreciate (someday) the care you are trying to show him. The good thing about Amazons is, they telegraph their intentions pretty clearly, if you know Amazon body language. Go to the Amazon sub-forum, and read the stickies at the top. Invaluable information resides there. Until you know this bird better, I would advise No Shoulder. One of the big Amazons can deliver a truly disfiguring bite to face or ears; so shoulder priviledges are earned. With enough work you might even get this one to tolerate men or even like them.

Doesn't necessarily mean he was abused. Probably more likely that this bird is overbonded with a woman...

Sounds like he's cage bound. Cage bound zons tend to be territorial. Work with him away from (out of sight of) the cage. And it really does sound like a socialization issue rather than an abuse issue with me. Abused Zons "FEAR BITE." (i.e. recoiling in horror at your approach and trying to avoid you, making fear based high pitch zon sounds.) Territorial Zons protect their stuff... (i.e. coming toward you, threat posturing, lunging, making growling/territorial intrusion noises) HUGE difference.

Body postures, and noises are the keys to what an amazon is doing and why. Please read my amazon body language post for more insight.

As for the bites, take two hand towels, wrap them around each of your arms with an ace bandage. Then put on a long sleeved sweatshirt. Step him up using your forearm. Now you have armor plating... the bird doesn't know it's there, and if he does bite, he gets a beak full of towel.

Lucky for you, amazons don't hide their intention to bite. They give you more than fair warning to remove your hand from their beak range or to stop something they don't like! This video is a favorite of mine for demonstrating aggressive body language (and see how long this bird gives the human to cease and desist before attacking? More than fair warning!). Flared tail, slightly open wings, aggressive stalking, pinning pupils, not a happy bird and doing it's very best to show that:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1XiT25JIXA"]Parrot Attacks and Bites Violinist: Amazing, Scary, Hilarious! - YouTube[/ame]

It sounds like this guy just needs some TLC. How long has the current owner had him? Have you offered to help wash the cage? Parrots are messy animals for sure, but cage bars dirty enough to comment on really needs a good steam cleaning or pressure wash. I bet he would be happier in a clean home too! Work with him at his pace socialization wise. It could be rapid or very very slow. Just have patience and understanding. Start with just chatting to him while he's in the cage and offering him treats then go from there. No need to take him out, risk a bite or any of that when neither of you quite trust each other yet. He'll feel safer, you'll feel safer and you can eventually progress to stepping up and go forward from there. Patience and persistence with rescues!

P.S. My rescue amazon "hated women" when I adopted him (I'm a woman). He certainly did take to my husband with less bites/quicker than he did me, but I never gave up and he eventually warmed up to me too. He's kind of a mommas boy now It only took the better part of a decade, but I finally am really reaping the rewards of giving him all the time he needed to learn to trust me and can do many things with him my husband can't because I have put in a lot of time teaching and building his trust It took about 2 years to get him to an "acceptable" behavior level and it's a daily process to this day to keep working with him and offering positive reinforcement to keep being the happy, friendly bird he's turned into (from a once aggressive, defensive, angry bird).

Welcome to the forums, thanks for joining! You've just received advice from three of the most knowledgeable and experienced members, with more to come!

Generally, when its someone else's Amazon, they need to buy into changing the interactions with their Parrot! After all they are the one that will likely be around the Amazon more often and at the end of the day - its their Amazon.

Start, by have a general discussion of what level of interaction the owner would like /want to have with their Amazon. If there is a buy in, you now need to determine the level of effort they are willing to put into make this happen.

If there is an interest; Start the owner with reading to the Amazon the Sticky Thread (at or near the top of the Amazon Forum) high lighted in light blue: Understanding Body Language. Have them read it a loud to the Amazon several times. Two things happen, the Owner and the Amazon get to spend some together time and the Owner begins to understand that the Amazon has in fact communicating with the Owner.

The first three pages of the Amazon Forum has a number of highly useful Threads regarding working with Amazons! Understand to some level, this is a re-start from step-one and it is useful for everyone to understand it.

Once you have a buy-in from the Owner and she gets started, come back for more!!!