Help with my blue fronted amazon

[ag_187]

Hello, how are you all doing today.

A couple of days ago i have brought a Blue Fronted Amazon, it is 8 months old.
The problem is that it is scared from me. Sometimes i give him some of his pellet diet from my hand and he eats but he eats suspiciously. Every time i put my hands next to him he moves his head forth and back and then goes away from me. If i try to go any closer or touch any of his feathers part he screams. He lets me touch his feet slowly and sometimes he puts one leg on my finger and feels my hand then he goes away. He is scared of any movements and gets alerted. If i just sit next to his cage he is quite and sometimes plays with his toys but i can see that he is still scared of my presence. Now can someone please tell me how can i get my parrot to not be afraid of my presence, movements and my hands so i can start having fun with my new companion and start playing and teaching him tricks. Sorry for my bad english and thank you very much.

 

[Peepers]

Well training parrots takes a long time, its a step by step process. He is in a new home, new everything, his environment has TOTALLY changed so that is why he is scared. It will take a couple weeks for him to settle in maybe even a month, it takes younger birds less time to adjust usually. You are doing it right, little bits at a time. If he is scared back off a bit, give him some space. Feed him treats from your hand slowly, always slow movements. Find a special treat he likes a feed it to him. Sit by his cage, talk to him in a gentle loving voice. It will take time but baby steps you will get their.

 

[Phlox]

I've had my blue front for a month as of today. She still won't let me touch anything other than her feet, but she's just started singing and whistling and clicking, etc. Birds are prey animals, so they are slow to trust. Just go slow, be consistent and BRIBERY with their favorite treats.

I use nut pieces (almonds, pecans, walnuts) and sunflower seeds. Amazons are usually pretty food motivated.

 

[Birdman666]

Generally speaking: An amazon's initial reaction to anything new is to recoil in horror at the sight of it...

They get over this fairly quickly if you are patient.

With an amazon it's all about getting them over their fears, and letting them know that the person, or object is not going to hurt them.

They are also stubborn. Sometimes they cling to that fear, and fight like hell not to get over it... You make progress once they get over it. (Until they get over it, it's just standoffishness on thier part, and frustration on your part.)
So the hardest part is usually just getting them over that first hump.... You are at the hardest part. Work at it, and it gets better.

Try taking it slow. Try just sitting there talking to him. Use treats. Let him come to you at first. Then basic step up, and basic taming and training.
Then touching exercises...

And if that doesn't work, try something else.

Amazons are contrary birds. Even when they want to, sometimes they just won't until you make them do it the first few times... then they will, and they enjoy it.

Watch your thumbs. They tend to go after thumbs if they are going to bite. Always tuck in your thumb.

 

[Kiwibird]

You have gotten good advice from everyone so far! It does take a lot of time and patience with parrots to get them to trust you. I would search "target training" on youtube (tons of free videos) and work with your bird using that concept to build trust and teach tricks If we had known about target training when we got our BFA, we probably would have tried that when he was still new and didn't trust us.

 

[Phlox]

I tried target training. She's afraid of the dowel and wants to eat the chopstick.

Iris like hands better...as long as they aren't touching her feathers...but we'll get there. She really responds to singing and music more than the typical training tools. She's performing dances for me now and mimicking my whistles and clicks. So progress every day.

 

[henpecked]

Hey ag, welcome to the forum. What part of the world are you in? Did you have the bird shipped to you? Did you pick it out,or pet store bird? Any background on where he came from? The reason i ask is, 8 months is a weird age, they are old enough to have gotten used to a routine. They often are out of that "baby" stage and aren't handled as much. It might take a while but i'm sure he'll "friendly up" pretty quick. Loads of good info here and great members with good advice.

 

[ScottinVentura]

Generally speaking: An amazon's initial reaction to anything new is to recoil in horror at the sight of it...

Repeated for truth.

Even after more than a decade at my house, my BFA - Boo - has to be gently acquainted with new toys. I've learned that standing near his cage (not too close, but close enough for him to really see me) and playing with them myself before I put them in his cage gets him interested and wanting to play with them himself. If I just hang a new toy in there he stays clear away from it and will climb around the outside of the cage, just to keep away from the Scary New Thing.