(Huge) Mealy Amazon male and biting

[SailBoat]

At his age, he would be a really big guy at 800g. Commonly, they are near ten years old before you start seeing them that big. Possible, but not as common.

Let's wait until he is a bit more settled and go for a scaled weight!

As you know, the best weight is taken at the same time each time and the most consistent weight is taken after the first moment of the day and before the first meal of the day.

Yep, need to do that to say anything for sure

But my friends cockatoo sit next to him today (they get along just fine too, my Mealy seems to like every bird he sees) and i can say that he is few centimeters taller than that 730gram umbrella cockatoo (crest down of course)

A 'few' centimeters taller? Really. Hmmm, Big Boy for sure!

Mealy's are well known to be the Gentle Giants of the Amazona Family! However, that does not mean that if pushed, they will inflict extensive damage to other Parrots and Humans alike. Like any of the larger Parrots, always pay close attention around 'stupid' Humans and 'pushy' Parrots.

 

[PL84]

At his age, he would be a really big guy at 800g. Commonly, they are near ten years old before you start seeing them that big. Possible, but not as common.

Let's wait until he is a bit more settled and go for a scaled weight!

As you know, the best weight is taken at the same time each time and the most consistent weight is taken after the first moment of the day and before the first meal of the day.

Yep, need to do that to say anything for sure

But my friends cockatoo sit next to him today (they get along just fine too, my Mealy seems to like every bird he sees) and i can say that he is few centimeters taller than that 730gram umbrella cockatoo (crest down of course)

A 'few' centimeters taller? Really. Hmmm, Big Boy for sure!

Mealy's are well known to be the Gentle Giants of the Amazona Family! However, that does not mean that if pushed, they will inflict extensive damage to other Parrots and Humans alike. Like any of the larger Parrots, always pay close attention around 'stupid' Humans and 'pushy' Parrots.

Sure thing, i wouldn't never left my birds unattended with any other birds. I wont let them be even together unattended.

And yep, he is few centimeters taller than my friend umbrella2 _BUT_ was my mealy streching out a bit or was his u2 crouching a bit... cant say.

Only thing i know is that his u2 is 45cm from tail to beak ... And my mealy isn't atleast "shorter" than him when they are sitting together in perch.

Heh, i haven't googled these before but i'm only now starting to understand that he really is a one big boned zon =)

E: He was playing on our living room table, crouching and picking seeds so i grabbed tape measure and roughly measured him... I'm pretty sure he is quite accurately 44cm from peak to tail... So maybe the u2 was crouching then ... Or u2 has shorter legs =)

E2: He is really driving me to healthy diet too... He goes mad when he sees french fries, so i cant have french fries anymore... Just now i figured out it's the same thing with potato chips, he just jumped to my arm and tried to take them from my mouth. Then i dipped one in water glass (to take salt of), gived it to him and thought that would be enough for him but no, then he goed straight to the potato chip bag, and stole one more... ...potato chips are now in kitchen closet, damn i cant have anything good because it's not good for my parrot ... I might need to get the bag from the closet and make a video what he does when he sees it.


When i try to eat french fries:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xugWzc37DpU"]Mealy and french fries - YouTube[/ame]

When i try to eat pizza:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJc7dUpxCKw"]Mealy and Pizza - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Birdman666]

I'd go back to basics with this one. Reinforce the stuff we train every bird.

Basic step up training. Laddering. Basic no bite training.

Sounds like he just hasn't been worked with in a long time, and needs the basics.

Also amazons can be a tad "contrary and opinionated" and use their beaks to express their opinions... they need to be taught to pinch, rather than latch on.

You will ALWAYS have some degree of pinching with a zon. Usually it's pretty mild if they're bonded and well trained. It can get worse when they're hormonal.

 

[PL84]

I'd go back to basics with this one. Reinforce the stuff we train every bird.

Basic step up training. Laddering. Basic no bite training.

Sounds like he just hasn't been worked with in a long time, and needs the basics.

Also amazons can be a tad "contrary and opinionated" and use their beaks to express their opinions... they need to be taught to pinch, rather than latch on.

You will ALWAYS have some degree of pinching with a zon. Usually it's pretty mild if they're bonded and well trained. It can get worse when they're hormonal.

We've been slowly learning basics and it's working

 

[PL84]

I made him his own "birdie potato chips" by peeling thin slices out of potato and then frying them in frying pan without any oil (and ofcourse no salt or anything else added. I know, no stick pans are big nono).. I know potato isn't the best treat for parrots but it's Åkes favorite and it's easiest to use when training (going to change to something healthier when i get Åke to learn the basics and relax a bit more)

Got him to step up many times with those potato chips, of course when i taked video he didn't step up, he more like hopped up but still good

E: Did batch of sweet potato chips too, success! He loves them too, now this is getting really much easier to train him when i have a treats he accepts

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uZxYa6yEq0"]Ã…ke "stepping up" - YouTube[/ame]

 

[PL84]

His velcro bird behavior seems to get worse as we progress with the training... He follows me now EVERYWHERE and i literally mean everywhere... Toilet, shower...

Got bitten once today too, we were learning stepping up and he stepped up to my arm and got the treat, he started to eat it. I DIDNT DO ANYTHING i didnt flinch a muscle and he started to growl and lightly bit me on arm, then more growling and bit me harder. I still didn't flinch a muscle and i didn't say anything, then he growled some more and bit really hard (no blood still), then i said no and put him on his perch back.

 

[Ladyhawk]

His velcro bird behavior seems to get worse as we progress with the training... He follows me now EVERYWHERE and i literally mean everywhere... Toilet, shower...

Got bitten once today too, we were learning stepping up and he stepped up to my arm and got the treat, he started to eat it. I DIDNT DO ANYTHING i didnt flinch a muscle and he started to growl and lightly bit me on arm, then more growling and bit me harder. I still didn't flinch a muscle and i didn't say anything, then he growled some more and bit really hard (no blood still), then i said no and put him on his perch back.

He might have been testing you to see how much you'll put up with. Feisty giant Amazon!

As for Velcro bird, join the club. I'm currently of the opinion my BFA, Kizzy, is the avian equivalent of a Highly Sensitive Person. I can empathize . HSP's are hardwired to process information more deeply and as a result, we can't handle as much input. We need downtime in order to function. If Kizzy really is an HSP, I can't necessarily use the same tactics that worked on my hard-headed DYH. We'll see as training progresses. Her sensitivity may be for some other reason and disappear as she gains confidence in her various skills.

Right now, she really is trying to do everything I ask. She strays onto the ceiling fan because she has locked onto it as part of what she considers a safe flight path. I have scared her off with a red broom handle, but I thought of another way. I have put a more accessible perch in a spot where she can fly to keep an eye on me without resorting to the ceiling fan. I still won't let her stay up there. I'll get her down immediately with no praise. When she uses the perch, I'll give her praise and a treat. If that doesn't work, I suppose I'll have to resort to the evil red broom handle. I wouldn't mind using the broom handle to scare a bird like Gabby, but my perception is that Kizzy is already trying to please me and can't stop locking onto the ceiling fan. In order to break that flight path, I will offer another.

I believe Kizzy will naturally become more independent as long as I support her in doing so. She's already come a very long way. She's spending a lot more time alone on her playtop doing Amazon parrot things like eating and playing. She doesn't feel the need to check up on me every single time I disappear into the kitchen.

Your mealy is probably flabbergasted that someone has finally taken an interest in him. He might feel afraid you will relegate him to a lonely cage again. I'm just guessing, but as he becomes more familiar with you, I have a feeling he will feel more secure doing things on his own. It's just a hunch. We are talking about Amazons here, not cockatoos. They should naturally learn to play on their own as they feel more secure in their attachments.

 

[PL84]

Your mealy is probably flabbergasted that someone has finally taken an interest in him. He might feel afraid you will relegate him to a lonely cage again. I'm just guessing, but as he becomes more familiar with you, I have a feeling he will feel more secure doing things on his own. It's just a hunch. We are talking about Amazons here, not cockatoos. They should naturally learn to play on their own as they feel more secure in their attachments.

That was exactly what i was thinking but i didn't say it because i thought it sounds silly

But yes, they are highly intelligent creatures so why wouldn't they be capable of that kind of thinking.

E: He has been playing today with his toys, not wanting me to play with him (so much). So we're getting there

 

[Ladyhawk]

Your mealy is probably flabbergasted that someone has finally taken an interest in him. He might feel afraid you will relegate him to a lonely cage again. I'm just guessing, but as he becomes more familiar with you, I have a feeling he will feel more secure doing things on his own. It's just a hunch. We are talking about Amazons here, not cockatoos. They should naturally learn to play on their own as they feel more secure in their attachments.

That was exactly what i was thinking but i didn't say it because i thought it sounds silly

But yes, they are highly intelligent creatures so why wouldn't they be capable of that kind of thinking.

E: He has been playing today with his toys, not wanting me to play with him (so much). So we're getting there

According to Dr. Elaine Aron's research, all "higher" animals (to me that's anything with a backbone, plus some cephalopod species) show the trait of high sensitivity. 15-20% of individuals in a species are highly sensitive. There seems to be an evolutionary benefit for some members of the population to be sensitive while others are risk-takers. Both are needed for the species to thrive.

I imagine there might be some dissension from people with border collies and such, but it's my opinion that (in general) parrots are the most intelligent companion animal. I don't think it's anthropomorphizing to apply some simple psychology to them. After all, some of our first theories on attachment came from studies conducted on rhesus monkeys. (I have always thought these particular experiments were cruel. At various times through human history, we have viewed animals as automatons. I hope Harlow, were he working today, would not go through with some of these experiments.)

 

[PL84]

Åke really likes his potatoes in any form, he seems to go nuts when he sees potato in any form

He makes those little pig oinks when he eats potato (or cheese).. I think it means it's really good =)

+ he does step up with a treat really nicely now, i haven't been bit in 2 days! Yay!

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SwkcWCn4eE"]YouTube[/ame]

 

[Birdman666]

His velcro bird behavior seems to get worse as we progress with the training... He follows me now EVERYWHERE and i literally mean everywhere... Toilet, shower...

Got bitten once today too, we were learning stepping up and he stepped up to my arm and got the treat, he started to eat it. I DIDNT DO ANYTHING i didnt flinch a muscle and he started to growl and lightly bit me on arm, then more growling and bit me harder. I still didn't flinch a muscle and i didn't say anything, then he growled some more and bit really hard (no blood still), then i said no and put him on his perch back.

That was an attempt to communicate something. Growling and pinching like that. I don't know what, but something the bird saw, he was trying to get your attention. You didn't see what he saw, so he kept doing it progressively harder... SOMETHING CLOSE BY, LIKE AN OBJECT, THAT HE DOESN'T LIKE?! Again, educated guess. But I've had lots, and lots of zons... and foster zons... and rehab zons... and all of them were pretty much "biters" when I got them. (Except Kiwi. That bird was perfect!)

 

[PL84]

Thanks for the sticky threads we're making really good progress. It was so little things that i needed to change in my own behavior to make things work, thank you guys again! SailBoat you really know your Zons!


Åke was in shower with me today, he was sitting on our shower window and watching me shower:


Click for larger image

After a while he hopped on my shoulder for shower (wings spreaded so i couldn't see anything) so i couldn't get good video of it, for the last few secs he hopped on their shower perch:

[ame="https://youtu.be/J0u8W_E42Og"]20170720 120201 - YouTube[/ame]


I've been bitten but it's 100% "testing his limits" biting, like when i'm on my laptop he flies to my arm and starts to nibble keyboard keys, if i move the computer or my arm he growls and bites. I've been putting him (after the bite) to his perch and totally ignoring him for 5 minutes. It seems to work because the biting has come down A LOT, it only occurs anymore when he's REALLY excited about something (mainly my laptops keyboard caps).

 

[LordTriggs]

I can assure you it's a lot worse if yo have a "mechanical" keyboard. I like heavy keys on mine and they make lots of noise when being used. Useful for getting a conures attention, but he would try to dismantle him and it was despicable for me to try and intervene. Only the glasses got more attention. Or the playstation controller, I came to conclusion he was "helping as he would let me press buttons then start poking hem with his tongue

 

[PL84]

I can assure you it's a lot worse if yo have a "mechanical" keyboard. I like heavy keys on mine and they make lots of noise when being used. Useful for getting a conures attention, but he would try to dismantle him and it was despicable for me to try and intervene. Only the glasses got more attention. Or the playstation controller, I came to conclusion he was "helping as he would let me press buttons then start poking hem with his tongue

I got mechanical keyboard on my desktop, haven't tested it with Åke yet =)... Poking wouldn't be a problem but when your bird removes the key cap, flies around with it and when you get it back it takes 30mins to get it back to your laptop... ...after that it was no keyboards for Åke and he doesn't like it

 

[Ladyhawk]

What a fantastic job you're doing with this little lost soul! I can tell he is so happy to have found you. On edit: I just saw the video of him hopping on your arm. What a beast! He could poop a bird Kizzy's size. XD

 

[PL84]

What a fantastic job you're doing with this little lost soul! I can tell he is so happy to have found you. On edit: I just saw the video of him hopping on your arm. What a beast! He could poop a bird Kizzy's size. XD

His poops are quite majestic and he saves them until they're big enough. Not like my CAG who poops once in 10mins, Åke brews them with love. He poops only maybe once times / 2 hours but those are the big ones. He says a little sound that sounds like "aaaah" when he poops, and i'm not kidding =)

 

[LordTriggs]

I can assure you it's a lot worse if yo have a "mechanical" keyboard. I like heavy keys on mine and they make lots of noise when being used. Useful for getting a conures attention, but he would try to dismantle him and it was despicable for me to try and intervene. Only the glasses got more attention. Or the playstation controller, I came to conclusion he was "helping as he would let me press buttons then start poking hem with his tongue

I got mechanical keyboard on my desktop, haven't tested it with Åke yet =)... Poking wouldn't be a problem but when your bird removes the key cap, flies around with it and when you get it back it takes 30mins to get it back to your laptop... ...after that it was no keyboards for Åke and he doesn't like it

It all depends on how he does with the "taka taka" noise they make. Mine is the loudest I could get due to my love of the noise. I'm sure my keyboard is louder than the conure! It also didn't help that the keys light up and sent out a pulse each time they were pressed, meaning attacking the keys made a light show. I wish I got a video of him doing it

 

[SailBoat]

The recent photo of him in the shower window has his Wingtips looking like that of an Eagle's. Take care small critters, Big Mealy is in the area!

 

[PL84]

Hide your keyboards, hide your potatoes, cause Åke is in town.

 

[PL84]

Åke did some speaking ("Hallo!") and some whistling.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha8MNA34eFY"]Ã…ke speaking + whistling - YouTube[/ame]