just got this bird and....

[Dougc1369]

Hi, I just inherited a parrot from my sister. It has a bad history, her ex hubby got it for her then ended up taking it to work where apparently he amd a coworker or teo mistreated it. (I don't know the details) my sister got it back eventually (it also seems to have been passed around to several people). Last summer my sister and her family moved from the house they were living in to a smaller place. They still had the house tho and left the bird there, coming by several times a week to feed it. This ended saturday when they brought it to my place. I was told that it is an african green by my sister but here was told that it is a blue fronted amazon. I now have to rehab him and try to make friends. The problem there is he bites, so petting is out of the question.

Any suggestions?

Doug

 

[JerseyWendy]

Start off slow with him, Doug. Sounds like the poor thing has been through the wringer. THANK YOU for giving him a loving home, he deserves nothing less.

Amazons are quite forgiving if they "like" you. He must learn to trust and accept you, and that may take some time.

I'd start off by quietly sitting by his cage, talking to him sweetly and softly, and perhaps try offering him some tidbits of food via hand, and see how he does with that. Patience is the keyword here.

You can't undo what has been done to him, but you CAN start fresh.

When's the last time that your new fellow had a bath? Fresh food???

What type of diet is he on? Here are some great links for food, as I'm sure that topic will come up sooner or later:
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

 

[Dougc1369]

I don't know about a bath, but I am feeding him the seed mix my sister brought with him plus a few slices of apple. She told me he also likes hot dogs, baloney, and pizza crusts. I have been trying to pet his feet and chest, I can get away with it a couple of times before he tries to grab or bite.

 

[getwozzy]

Thank you for taking him in!!!

You'll want to start weaning him onto a better diet at some point- pellets and fresh fruits and veggies....and please don't feed him any more hot dogs, bologna, etc- those are highly processed foods with TONS of sodium which are really bad for birds. you can continue feeding him the seeds though -make sure they're for medium/large hook bills.

What's his attitude like towards you?

 

[Dougc1369]

His attitude to me seems mixed. When I try to pet him he tries to bite or grab me with his claws. I tried to open the door to see if I could handle him and he bit me several times....good thing I was wearing some heavy gloves! When I leave the roim however, he starts squacking and ringing a bell he has in there until I come back into the room. (I have him in the living room,) He has been doing that today a lot, even when I am in the room, I think he's trying to get my attention. I'm going to try to attatch a pic, as I said above I've been told he is an african green and a blue fronted amazon so if I can get verification on what he is I'd appreciate it.

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

Thank you for taking him in!!!

You'll want to start weaning him onto a better diet at some point- pellets and fresh fruits and veggies....and please don't feed him any more hot dogs, bologna, etc- those are highly processed foods with TONS of sodium which are really bad for birds. you can continue feeding him the seeds though -make sure they're for medium/large hook bills.

What's his attitude like towards you?

Not to mention cancer causing carcinogens which are incredibly unhealthy for humans, let alone animals that weigh 1/100th of the size.

Poor thing, thanks for giving him a home. Good luck. This is a great forum, and I hope you find the help you seek here.

 

[Dougc1369]

Here is the pic (I hope,)

 

[getwozzy]

there's no such species as an "african green", but he definitely looks like a blue front amazon...an amazon for sure though.

he's probably scared of the gloves, and if his past abuser was the same gender as you then that's two counts against you now. don't get discouraged though- with A LOT of time, love, and food he will come around eventually.

amazons are easy to read though and they make their emotions well known- tail fanning, head feather flaring, eye pinning/flashing, pacing back and forth (aka the amazon line of death dance) all mean anger or excitement- it's best not to handle him when he's like this because you WILL get bit.

if he doesn't want to come out of his cage now, that's totally fine- you don't want to push him to do something he doesn't want to. sit by his cage, read him a book, talk softly and use happy tones in your voice...amazons LLOOOOVVVVVVE food, so you could see if he'll eat bits of fruit or veggies from your hand.

with him allowing you to already touch his feet etc, it's only a matter of time and patience for him to come around....when my jackie boy come to our home I could hardly change his dishes without fear of losing a finger lol

 

[getwozzy]

another thing- if he's squawking/screaming for you when you leave the room...ignore it. otherwise you'll reinforce that screaming gets your attention and it's a pain in the butt to undo...

 

[Dougc1369]

Lol, just like with a kid! I've been doing it so far because I think he might have separation anxiety. I'll stop tho so I don't encourage him. I'm already ahead of where my bro in law was, he couldn't even touch him without the bird trying to bite. About baths, how often and how do I get something in there without getting attacked?

 

[JerseyWendy]

Amazons "usually" LOVE water and baths.

If you can get him out safely and place him on a simple T-stand, and then use a water mister/spray bottle, put the settings on fine mist, fill with warm water and spray him down.

You can also build a shower perch and spray him down in the bath tub. My Amazons don't like the bath tub much, they prefer the mister.

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

Doug,
Is this your first parrot or bird?

 

[getwozzy]

Amazons "usually" LOVE water and baths.

If you can get him out safely and place him on a simple T-stand, and then use a water mister/spray bottle, put the settings on fine mist, fill with warm water and spray him down.

You can also build a shower perch and spray him down in the bath tub. My Amazons don't like the bath tub much, they prefer the mister.

I'd also like to add- try not to spray him directly, but spray above him and let the water fall down onto him (it may be less "traumatic" for him) and at this point bathe him once a week until he gets used to it.

When they go into "bath mode" you will know it- extending the wings, etc

 

[Dougc1369]

Maria, this not only my first bird, it's my first pet since high school! And since Ii'm now 50 that is saying something. It is going to be a learning curve and I'm grateful for all the advice so far.

 

[JennHacken]

Hello Doug! I sounds like you're in the same boat I am- I rescured a neglected 6yr old conure. We've been together for a little over a month and we have come leaps and bounds from being "hand aggressive". I would first suggest, STOP using the gloves and START using some bond building (I highly suggest clicker training)-
I've been blogging my progression with my bird- and have been detailing my training methods- 1, it gives me something to look back and see out progression, 2 i hope to help others in the same boat, and 3 i enjoy sharing information! check out my blog at www.teachinggus.wordpress.com and hopefully it will help..

one of the best ways to change feed, water, and toys is training your bird to stand on a certain perch before you go into their cage... I now have Gus stand at the bottom of his cage before I even open the door.. we started working on moving from place to place with him on a portable perch, and i use the perch to move him rather then offer my hand, until he realizes my hands aren't going to hurt him (we've just started working on touching, and standing on my hands)

I've touched on bathing in my blog as well and the progression it took me before Gus actually understood what was going on.

 

[Merlee]

Welcome to the forum. Hang around and you will learn a lot. Amazons can be a handful but what you get in return is worth it. Since it's your first parrot, I suggest your reading some books on behavior to get you started so you don't give up prematurely. PetSmart or PetCo should have something available.

Are the wings clipped? I know a lot of people are against this, but it may be beneficial if you do it for now. At least this way you can let him out of his cage without him flying off and hurting himself.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Doug, did your new friend come with a playstand? Since this is your first parrot (pet since HS), here is a picture of a very simple T-stand you can build yourself from PVC pieces.



The colorful stuff you see on there is VET WRAP, it makes the PVC less slippery, and the bird can easily grab onto it.

Vet Wrap can be purchased either online, or places such as Petco, Petsmart, and possibly even Walmart sell it. It's self adhesive, rubbery wrap.

Here is a link to our DIY section. If you look around, there are tons of thread on stands some of our members have built on their own.
Do It Yourself - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

Here is just one example of some stands our Blanca has made:
http://www.parrotforums.com/do-yourself/37154-new-diy-perches-coqui-savannah.html

What's your Amazon's name???? Does he have some toys in his cage to play with? You mentioned a bell. Amazons like all types of different stuff, and it would be ideal if toys were rotated regularly to avoid boredom.

 

[SandyBee]

Awww, good luck.
Patience is a virtue, the good news is that amazons are very forgiving, highly sociable and adaptable parrots.

They are very food driven, treats will go a long way. Promoting a healthy diet is important but making friends and creating a bond is more important in the beginning.

My amazon loves cashew nuts, cheese, popcorn, chips, little pieces of beef or chicken.

Showering preferably a few times a week, but even if you can only manage once a week in the beginning that's fantastic. Often they will want to shower when they hear the sound of running water or a vacuum cleaner. Amazons love being the center of attention, so lots of praise. They also love music.

 

[Dougc1369]

Thanks for all of the replies, his name is Zack, his wings aren't clipped....as far as I know.....but I have been told he never learned to fly. I will look up some books on them as soon as possible. I will also pick up some pellets and toys. Not going to be a lot as I am currently unemployed but I will do the best I can for him.

 

[MomtoPercy]

Thanks so much for not only taking him in but making an effort to do well by him and convince him that not all humans are angry creatures who scare him!

My Percy is a blue front amazon and he was not abused perse but he came to me at the age of 5yo and I was told he "hated women". It turned out that that was true but I found out that his previous owner's wife did not like him "at all" and I can just imagine how her dislike of him and the fact that he hated women are linked

Anyway, I am telling you this because you may also run into gender issues with yours because it sounds like his abusers were male. We have been able to overcome (for the most part) Percy's agression towards me and my mother but he still cannot abide unknown women. It has taken me 5 months of constant interaction, trial and error, harassing the kind forum members here for tips and I've gotten bit many times....but I've won his trust, if not his full respect and love yet. Be patient with your guy, he WILL respond to love and kindness...and treats! My baby looooves pecan nuts and will do anything for them. I use a 1/4 pecan each time I need to coax him into his cage - works each and every time! Find out what your bird's favourite treat is and use that as a reward for the right behaviour. Amazons are very food driven - use that to your advantage.

But please only give him appropriate treats! Like mentioned above, processed meats and the like are dangerous to your bird. Offer lots of fresh foods - he may resist at first if he's a seed junky, but persist. Also, sharing your food with him is a nice way of introducing him to new food. Have a nice raw veg salad and share with him. (Even if you don't like the veg, pretend you're loving it )

Regarding bathing - I also recommend misting with a fine spray bottle. If he can't or wornt leave the cage, why not mist him in his cage? You can always replace his wet cage liner after you're done and wipe down thew cage to dry it. Introduce the mister carefully though - he may have previously been sprayed with water as punishment and may be afraid of it. Just judge the situation as you go along and stop as soon as he looks uncomfortable. Most birds loooove bathing though, so it may not be too difficult. You don't have to dry your bird and in fact, drying him with certain hairdriers could be very dangerous so rather steer clear. Birds are very good at drying themselves by "shivering". It may look scary (I thought I gave mine pnuemonia the first time I saw it LOL) but as long as he's not in any drafts, he will be fine.

Does he have enough to do in his cage? Toys to play with, things to climb on, etc? A busy bird is less grumpy

Last tip from me - make sure he gets plenty of sleep. I recommend 12 hours to begin - it greatly improves my bird's mood if he's well rested.

Good luck and please let us know how he's doing.