Getting a blue fronted next Friday have a few questions

[brittani299]

I am getting a 5 year old blue fronted next week. I went and meet him tonight. He only speaks and understands Russian which is a problem for me. He also eats a horrible mixture of food. And lastly his owners thought is was cool for him to be a shoulder bird so he only likes to be on them. How can I change all these things about him. Also should I keep him upstairs from my green cheek for a week or so?

Thanks,
Brittani

 

[Hermit57]

I have a BFA and I would strongly recommend that you not let him continue to be a shoulder bird. Try to redirect him to your hand or a perch when he tries to make his way to your shoulder. They are very food motivated, so a few treats may encourage him to perch where you want him to. If he's a talker, it won't take him long to pick up your language. I would think he'll always say the Russian words he knows but with less frequency since he won't be hearing them from you.

 

[MomtoPercy]

Yay for you! Congrats!

I have a 5yo BFA too. You're in for a treat!

I've only had him about 5months so I'm still a bit inexperienced. However, I agree 100% with Hermit.

My BFA was also a shoulder bird but we are working hard to change that. The main reason I don't want him on my shoulder is because of all the delicate areas (face, neck, ears) that he can bite there. He tends to bite if startled or jealous so it is best to have him on your hand or a handheld perch. A note on using a handheld perch - approach your bird carefully with the perch the first time incase he's frightened of it. Mine cannot stand any form of stick near him so I assume he may have been 'disciplined' by the hitting of sticks or brooms or something against his cage but I'm not sure.

He was also on a very poor diet but I found it very easy to get him onto proper pellets and fresh food. Like hermit says, they are food motivated. Continue providing the food he is used to in small amounts but offer the right food too, in generous amounts. Also, a good way to gert my BFA to bew interested in any food or toy is for ME to eat it or play with it LOL. Let him share a plate of food with you - they love that.

Good luck and enjoy your new beauty!

 

[brittani299]

Thank you I don't want him to be a shoulder bird so I will try the treat and hand or stick idea. I also forgot to say that he only knows step up in Russian so if you say it is English he doesn't know what you want. So should I just re teach step up in English? They said he gets hormonal during summer which is normal I believe right?

 

[MomtoPercy]

I would learn the step up phrase in Russian for the bird's sake. Then you can use the commend in Russian and repeat in English until he knows it is the same thing.

Oh yes, hormones! They do get hormonal and plain cranky if you ask me, in breeding season. But it blows over soon enough. Just be careful around him when he is frisky and respect his space.

 

[Nathan1]

I just adopted my first amazon 2 days ago(Red crowned, in my pic). He can scream pretty loud at times, so I think my Quaker who loves to be loud will have some competition. However, I am currently Quarantining him for 30 days so yes I believe you should quarantine your new bird.

My RCA is 10+ years old(actual age unknown) from a rescue so like you with yours, I'll have to be patient with him. Before I start trying to handle him or take him out, I'm giving him a couple of days to settle in from the traumatic traveling experience, new home, etc. But I still talk to him. As for diet, that's not an issue for my amazon(already on pellets) but with other birds I've always eaten the pellets myself in-front of them which usually works quite well. You should mix it with the old diet and gradually increase the amount of the new diet, some people poor juice on the new food for it to better appeal to the bird as well. Many may disagree with me on this but "Shoulder birds" have never been a big problem for me. I've always tamed my birds very well, I can pick them up with my hand, roll them over on their back, open their wings and I trust them enough for them to be on my shoulder if they like. However, I wouldn't allow this until I trust them, much like they may not trust me to "scritch" them at first. But if you don't like "shoulder birds" then I suggest you listen to Hermit's advice.

 

[Merlee]

Your new bird should be kept in quarantine for a minimum of 30 days. He should be kept somewhere the furthest away from your green cheek. It would be a good idea to have a vet look him over just to be on the safe side.

 

[Birdman666]

I had a 38 year old blue front who was not just a shoulder bird, but a head in the eye socket bird...

If he's calm and trustworthy, and doesn't bite, and has been trained as a shoulder bird, I wouldn't worry about that so much, and trying to keep him off of there may actually cause more problems than it is worth if he behaves... Almost all of the amazons I have ever had were shoulder birds (despite what the book says.) And most of them CAME TO ME as "biters." Some of them were "maimers." (That would be the bird that now curls up into a ball with her head upside down on my shoulder, and uses my cheek for a pillow!)

Just my two cents.

Amazons are food oriented. Switch him over with some seed mix in with the pellets, and then just gradually reduce the amount of seed. He'll eat.

Vitamin A foods for fresh, especially carrots and sweet potatoes.

He will speak and understand what ever you teach him to speak and understand.

Offering the bird two fingers is pretty universal for step up. I never used voice commands for that one.

Holding a foot in the air is pretty universal for pick me up... same deal.

The rest he will learn over time. And if he's only 5, you have an entire lifetime to teach this bird...

Blue fronts are my absolute favorite Amazon, by the way, and my most bonded bird EVER was my BFA...

They are excitable, but the more you handle them, the more interactive they become.

Just don't let him go into the zon overload on your person, or try to pick him up in zon overload, which is where their bad reputations come from.

Amazon body language means something. LEARN IT!!!

 

[Hermit57]

"Holding a foot in the air is pretty universal for pick me up... same deal. "

This really made me think, Birdman. My BFA uses the foot in the air as the "keep away " sign. I'd hate to ignore a pick me up request because I'm misinterpreting it. Is there a way for me to tell the difference?

 

[Birdman666]

"Holding a foot in the air is pretty universal for pick me up... same deal. "

This really made me think, Birdman. My BFA uses the foot in the air as the "keep away " sign. I'd hate to ignore a pick me up request because I'm misinterpreting it. Is there a way for me to tell the difference?

Well, first of all, not enough information.

What body language was he displaying immediately prior to the foot up in the air? Particularly his shoulders and his tail? Was he hunched over and fanning his tail, or was he standing upright? Was he trying to push your finger away with his foot? DOES THE FOOT GO UP AS YOU APPROACH, OR WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO GET HIM TO STEP UP?

My BFA was actually flighted. She pretty much didn't wait to be picked up. She would give me her "aaah-aaah-aaah" call, and hold her foot up, and if I didn't get there fast enough, she'd fly to me.... THAT ONE WAS A TAD OVERBONDED! And that probably goes for both ways...

 

[torrap]

Oh my, I would love to have a Russian speaking Amazon!!!
I am trying to teach my English speaking DYHA some Russian (at least some songs), but she doesn't want to pick anything new at all. So, I pretty much gave up and speak and sing English with her.....

 

[JerseyWendy]

I can understand why you don't want your soon-to-be BF on your shoulders.

This is a subject that has been chewed up thoroughly as well. It's a personal choice, of course, but I would NEVER recommend allowing a bird one doesn't know well on the shoulder, for quite obvious reasons.

I don't think it will be difficult for you to learn the "step up" and "step down" in Russian. Each time you say it, follow with the English commands, and he will learn to understand you rather quickly.

 

[GW.Joe]

My Poe used the foot up for both also. But you could tell for sure by his body language, he was very funny, he would put his foot up at me to stop anything he didn't want me to do, he would even put it on my face ever so gently to stop me from "over loving" him, I miss him!

 

[Constantine]

My BFA uses the raised foot both as a sign of step up and keep away...you have to notice the rest of the body language to figure out which one is which....the step up raised foot is combined with the bending of the neck/head to grab the finger and step up on it....the stay away raised foot is combined with the straight, stretched, totally upright neck and half-open beak, ready to defend/bite...

 

[Birdman666]

My BFA uses the raised foot both as a sign of step up and keep away...you have to notice the rest of the body language to figure out which one is which....the step up raised foot is combined with the bending of the neck/head to grab the finger and step up on it....the stay away raised foot is combined with the straight, stretched, totally upright neck and half-open beak, ready to defend/bite...

EXACTLY! You can totally tell what means pick me up, and what means "finger removal service."

 

[SandyBee]

When my amazon raises his foot he wants to play. He doesn't asked to be picked up he just flies to me or crawls down his cage and step on LOL

I also don't use words to ask him to step up, I just offer my hand. I guess I've trained too many dogs LOL but he understands.

 

[Hermit57]

The 'step up' vs 'stay away' for foot lifting illustrates another good trait of BFAs. They're very goods at telegraphing their intent through body language.

 

[henpecked]

The holding out their foot to either bite you or step up is common with most any species of zon. The reason being humans aren't smart enough to understand NO from a birds perspective. I could write tons more about this if anyone is interested.

 

[JerseyWendy]

The holding out their foot to either bite you or step up is common with most any species of zon. The reason being humans aren't smart enough to understand NO from a birds perspective. I could write tons more about this if anyone is interested.

Yes, please do write more, Capt. I LOVE reading your posts and info on Amazons.....and I know I'm not the only one.

 

[SandyBee]

The holding out their foot to either bite you or step up is common with most any species of zon. The reason being humans aren't smart enough to understand NO from a birds perspective. I could write tons more about this if anyone is interested.

Yes, please do write more, Capt. I LOVE reading your posts and info on Amazons.....and I know I'm not the only one.

Not at all alone, I want to hear more too!!!