I Iyrlloe Naoed fell in love with my husband~ Now I am always under attack

[RockyWay]

Hi Everyone! Cracker (32-35 yrs old) was my mother yellow naped amazon. My mom passed away and I inherited Cracker. I have known Cracker for about 15 years and she/he has always been untrustworthy (meaning I have never given the bird an opportunity to bite me) my mom had a cockatoo for years who loved everyone Cracker was my moms bird until she remarried when Cracker fell in love with her husband (who could care less). So anyhow for the last several years Cracker has been caged more than not. Anyhow since moving Cracker has adjusted really well! Cracker enjoys time out of the cage when we are home and has perched outside and in the house. Anyhow Cracker grabbed a quick bond with my husband and has increased her aggressive behavior towards me to the point where she climbs off her cage and try's to attack my legs, flys from her cage to attack my face, stalks me around the house is aggressive in her cage when I am trying to feed and water. I am at a loss on what to do for Cracker to accept me.

 

[SailBoat]

I am certain that other Amazon Owners will step in an add to this Thread.

Please know that you are not the only one to face this type of problem and the Amazon Forum is filled with the how, what and whys of developing a relationship with an Amazon! In the first seven pages of the Amazon Forums there are at least as many if not more Threads that define and cover what you are experiencing!

I would love to go into great deal, but we are traveling and my time is limited!

Please read the First Thread in the Amazon Forum, which provides the basics regarding Understanding Amazon Body Langauge. I strongly recommend that you read this Thread out loud to your Amazon several times a day for several days!

Basic: It is NEVER the fault of the Amazon! It is ALWAYS the fault of the Human! By seeing all interaction with your Amazon from this vantage point will assure that the Human sees what they are doing wrong quicker and correct what they are doing!

FYI: The second Thread is "I Love Amazons - ..." Please read at lease the first Segment and all additional Segments that will help will help 'as you needed that information.'

Enjoy!

 

[Flboy]

Ditto and ditto!

 

[mh434]

Take a little of Sailboat's advice. I did, and it's helping!

My YNA Sammy suddenly became downright vicious to me (his sole "chosen" human), about 2 1/2 years ago, possibly because an African Grey came into the flock, and we think Sammy thought his place as the alpha bird was threatened.

The advice I've been following has been to sit beside his cage, and talk to him. Just talk, nothing else - no attempts to touch, no prolonged eye contact (could be taken as a challenge), just...talk.

After just a few sessions, he started to calm down & tolerate my presence again. It's a LONG, SLOW process to regain the trust. Sammy was in 100%, full-on attack mode toward me up until I started doing the talking thing - flying at my face, going for my eyes with beak & talons, and NOT backing down.

I've been at it a couple of months, and now he'll even let me tweak his tail from time to time and (very occasionally) give him a neck scritch, without attacking me.

I've also switched from Harrisons pellets due to the high soy content which, some experts apparently believe, can cause huge hormone swings in Amazons, leading to uncontrolled aggression. It seems that soy (a bulk "commodity" product, like coffee beans) can contain toxic substances, depending on where & when a particular crop is grown...and there's simply no way of knowing where the soy in your latest batch of bird pellets originated. It's probably fine...or, maybe it's toxic. You won't know until you have problems.

I discussed the Harrison's issue with my avian specialist vet (and Harrison's is the brand they carry), and he was surprised by this information...but he thought it might well be true. He plans to do some research and, in the meantime, he suggested switching to another high-quality, soy-free pellet brand. Currently, we're using Brown's "Tropical Carnival"...not because of its bright colors or packaging designed to attract bird owners rather than birds, but because of its content. We showed the content list to our avian vet, and he agreed it seems excellent.