So glad to find these forums.
Here is the situation. I have a 42 year old yellow double front Amazon that my father raised from a baby. She (assuming female) thinks she is my mother or something since she saw me as a baby and is SUPER protective of me. She was like a baby monitor and watched over me. She would fly and attack somebody on their neck if they made threatening moves towards me. Yes, she was an attack/guard parrot.
She was raised eating at the dinner table with us when I was a child. Yes, she eats EVERYTHING we do and gets her way or makes you suffer.
To introduce you, here is [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdCcf-rmC4Q"]Jojo eating chicken.[/ame]
Jojo insists on staying with me instead of my father. But she never forgets him. He has was away for 4 years and she still remembers him and allows him to handle her. My mother was able to bond with her and handle her when my father married. I have no trouble handling her, she will never bite me. We have a weird bond where I can understand her noises and body language.
The problem is my wife of nearly 14 years cannot handle her. Jojo gets mad at her, tries to bite, very territorial. She does not give a warning pinch, she will bite her hard. She will climb down to the bottom of her cage and let my wife feed her, but then raises her crown feathers and spreads her wings making her "battle call" as I refer to it while she eats. She has a VERY specific "battle call" when she is aggressive, it is not random noises.
When she is aggressive, I can easily pick her up and calm her down. Not even my father can do that.
My wife has been super nice to Jojo trying to tame her. Jojo has adopted other people that used to "baby sit" her but will not adopt my wife. It used to be just talking, feeding, and preening was enough to make friends with Jojo.
I think Jojo is just picking up my wife's fear after being bitten a few times and that's why she is always aggressive. But Jojo will allow her to preen her head feathers.
Is this a lost cause? Because my wife and daughter want to bond with her. They see how loving Jojo and Amazons can be. The ONLY time Jojo is nice to them is when they preen her head feathers.
This bird is like a family member to me, not a pet.
Maybe I am one of the few that can read and understand them. I've seen other Amazon pros pick up Jojo in battle mode and calm her down as well. I can read another Amazon and know how they will react. I know when they are going to give me the "warning pinch" when trying to handle a stranger parrot in their cage.
I honestly believe Amazons are loud, moody, stubborn. But they are also very emotional and loving, wanting to be part of the "flock."
I am starting to think the only way is for my wife to handle a young Amazon and get used to them to understand Jojo. I don't know. Handling Amazons comes natural to me, they do not intimidate me.
Thank your for your time and advice.
Here is the situation. I have a 42 year old yellow double front Amazon that my father raised from a baby. She (assuming female) thinks she is my mother or something since she saw me as a baby and is SUPER protective of me. She was like a baby monitor and watched over me. She would fly and attack somebody on their neck if they made threatening moves towards me. Yes, she was an attack/guard parrot.
She was raised eating at the dinner table with us when I was a child. Yes, she eats EVERYTHING we do and gets her way or makes you suffer.
To introduce you, here is [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdCcf-rmC4Q"]Jojo eating chicken.[/ame]
Jojo insists on staying with me instead of my father. But she never forgets him. He has was away for 4 years and she still remembers him and allows him to handle her. My mother was able to bond with her and handle her when my father married. I have no trouble handling her, she will never bite me. We have a weird bond where I can understand her noises and body language.
The problem is my wife of nearly 14 years cannot handle her. Jojo gets mad at her, tries to bite, very territorial. She does not give a warning pinch, she will bite her hard. She will climb down to the bottom of her cage and let my wife feed her, but then raises her crown feathers and spreads her wings making her "battle call" as I refer to it while she eats. She has a VERY specific "battle call" when she is aggressive, it is not random noises.
When she is aggressive, I can easily pick her up and calm her down. Not even my father can do that.
My wife has been super nice to Jojo trying to tame her. Jojo has adopted other people that used to "baby sit" her but will not adopt my wife. It used to be just talking, feeding, and preening was enough to make friends with Jojo.
I think Jojo is just picking up my wife's fear after being bitten a few times and that's why she is always aggressive. But Jojo will allow her to preen her head feathers.
Is this a lost cause? Because my wife and daughter want to bond with her. They see how loving Jojo and Amazons can be. The ONLY time Jojo is nice to them is when they preen her head feathers.
This bird is like a family member to me, not a pet.
Maybe I am one of the few that can read and understand them. I've seen other Amazon pros pick up Jojo in battle mode and calm her down as well. I can read another Amazon and know how they will react. I know when they are going to give me the "warning pinch" when trying to handle a stranger parrot in their cage.
I honestly believe Amazons are loud, moody, stubborn. But they are also very emotional and loving, wanting to be part of the "flock."
I am starting to think the only way is for my wife to handle a young Amazon and get used to them to understand Jojo. I don't know. Handling Amazons comes natural to me, they do not intimidate me.
Thank your for your time and advice.