New Amazon bubba help please

[Lunasmum]

Hello everyone, I am the proud new mummy of a almost 1 year old double yellow headed amazon parrot apparently a magna but I don't know enough to be sure. I am looking for some help on how to stop her biting if anyone had advice please. Online all I can find is how to stop aggressive or fearful biting and it doesn't seem to be either of these, I would say it's much like puppy biting she nips constantly on everything including me... And it can get very painful when she clamps down. I've tried to put her down when she does it but she runs up my arm to get to my head or shoulder which makes it very difficult to get her off. She steps up easily then instantly starts having a munch on my hand and she goes straight for my nails as well and breaks them clean off. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Ps. I think I attached a photo, sorry not a very good one, it's in the carrier on the way home, the rest are videos and it says too large to post. I will get some photos taken when she is awake.

 

[saxguy64]

Hello Lunasmum, and welcome to the forum! Amazons are remarkable birds, and you have a real cutie there. Lots of great information to be found here. I'll start with some links for you. Bite pressure training will be of particular interest, and then also, some helpful Amazon info.

http://www.parrotforums.com/training/63988-bite-pressure-training.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/amazons/54250-amazon-body-language.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/amazons/65119-i-love-amazons-going-journey.html

Your bird is just a baby, and is exploring the world with that beak. He's also learning about you by testing your limits. Just like a human toddler seeing what EXACTLY they can get away with. It's really a matter of communication, and Amazons are decidedly clear when they communicate, and react in various ways when we don't listen. It's up to us to learn to understand what they're telling us. Paying attention to their body language is the key. That said, an Amazon's biting is commonly out of their frustration as a way for him to tell you something that you weren't understanding,

Also try to remember, parrots are prey animals, and therefore have no reason to trust humans, unless we give consistent reason to do so.

Hope this helps! We have lots of knowledgeable Amazon folks who will certainly be along to offer more. Enjoy the forums! Looking forward to more pics!

 

[Lunasmum]

Thank you very much for the reply, some targeted reading for me to get through will help a lot

 

[Flboy]

Welcome! Our resident Amazon snob will be by shortly!

 

[wrench13]

Welcome and be welcomed.

 

[Lunasmum]

Oh my goodness salty is so clever 😍 I might have to look into teaching tricks... If luna ever stops wanting to eat me... Or give me love bites... However you look at it lol, she is starting to talk already, she says hello in multiple voices and has a few other words that we can't quite work out and also laughs

 

[Scott]

Welcome to you and your new Amazon! Wonderful advice with above links!

I'll share one additional, seemingly out of place from our Macaw forum. Initial post describes the varied uses of beaks from a bird pov. I understand your issue is biting, so perhaps some interesting background: http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/56384-big-beak-o-phobes-guide-understanding-macaw-beaks.html

 

[SailBoat]

Welcome to the wonderful world of being owned by an Amazon!

Since you live in England, you should have received a document set with your young Amazon, commonly referred as Hatch Documents. Within those documents should be the species of the parents. This is important because a 'magna' Double Yellow-Head Amazon has long been classified as endangered and 'require' a full and complete CITES Document Set. That said, a short three plus years ago, all Amazons joined the endangered classifications and as a result, the same document set for your young Amazon. At one year of age, it can be difficult to verify the 'magna" status of your guy.

You are using the term 'he' does your document set include the DNA Sex Certificate? It should.

NOTE: Your DYH Amazon is one of the Big Hot Three and that means that they suffer extensive hormonal rushes while transitioning between youth and Adulthood. In addition, their yearly hormonal rush can be demanding and keeping a calendar regarding when your's first begins his transition and after those several years of transition, when his yearly hormonal season is becomes important.

Read out loud in a comforting tone all the reading above helps settle your Amazon.

As stated so very well above, Your Amazon needs you to learn his body language and what is provided is the foundation. As each Amazon ages they add their own twists to the foundation.

Only Good Things Happen When Humans are Around is extremely important in the development of an acceptance of the NEW Humans! Think new baby dropped into a new family... Truly scary for that baby, right.

Enjoy...

FYI: Please assure that you have a Hatch Document and that the information is acute! Finding you have an Amazon that is older will change everything as you may find that he is months away from transitioning not years...

 

[Lunasmum]

Yes we do have a document with hatch date June 6th is her birthday, she is also dna tested as female... If I said he is probably because I'm so used to it having had 4 male children and a male dog for so long lol. Her birth certificate states double yellow head but the shop said magna... Hence I'm not confident of this status and don't know enough to make that claim myself. She actually seems quite confident with us and particularly me and will instantly step up onto me any time I put my hands in the cage. The 'biting' really seems to be exploration but it can get painful which is what we are working on now thanks to the information above. I haven't had her full out of the cage for a couple of days since it is easier to prevent her rushing to my shoulder if I try to put her down but she seems to be learning to be more gentle since I've started shutting the door and walking away if she bites hard. Today we took her outside in her cage for a couple of hours and she enjoyed that although she had a good scream at first when she heard the neighbours lawnmower lol

 

[Lunasmum]

I added a couple more photos, she appears to be molting?

 

[Lunasmum]

She also met my dog today, previously they have been in the same room but with couches positioned to not allow the dog too close to her cage.

 

[MonicaMc]

The best way to teach a parrot not to bite is to not get bitten in the first place. I realize this is easier said than done... however, it starts by learning the bird's body language and avoiding bites, redirecting before the bite occurs and replacing it with new behaviors.

You are right in the fact that she is basically a "feathered puppy" at this stage and, IMO, it's a great way to look at it! She is young and inquisitive! So how do we work with this behavior??? First off, we try to avoid the bites and nips as much as possible. If she's wanting to explore with her beak, then give her toys and foraging opportunities! Next, we can train new behaviors. Target training can be an excellent first behavior to teach, which can then lead into training other new behaviors! Training helps to stimulate your bird's mind and give direction into desired behaviors.

Want to easily get your bird in or out of the cage? Target training! Want to get your bird off of your shoulder easily? Target training! Want to recall train your bird? Target training! Want to teach your bird to take medications with ease? Again, target training! It's a really versatile training technique!

 

[Lunasmum]

We have actually been doing a bit of target training with a clicker but only with her in the cage because out of the cage she is too busy trying to get to my hair to preen whilst chomping my head, ears and neck lol, she will go from one side of the cage to the other to touch aka try to eat the stick, I have to only poke the tip in though or she trys to step on in lol she also tried that outside the cage. She also does have toys which she is getting shredded into splinters in record time but Im planning to go look for some slightly more robust ones since the ones from amazon seem to not be so good

 

[SailBoat]

Note, at this point, stay with the easy to make into tiny pieces as introducing more robust may only result in her directing her chewing to far more expensive things!

As an FYI, correcting an Amazon needs to be kept short as the longer the time-out the quicker they forget why they got a time-out.

Happy that your girl is adjusting so quickly.

 

[Ira7]

Hi! Beautiful bird!

I have an exactly 1-year-old YNA, and he (we don’t know sex) bites too hard playfully from time to time. I sharply blow on his head when he does.

How is your gal’s diet? I bring it up because...

I’m extremely lucky because Archie eats everything, just about. He gets very little seed. However, I had one session a few weeks ago where it was like he was shot out of a cannon...after having some cherries. Since then, I cut down on very sweet fruits to only every other day. Or at least not before I take him out of the cage!!!

Archie just started to come down from my shoulder without a huge fuss. It was just a matter of me getting my technique down. What also helps is I’ve been wearing the same light denim jacket when “handling” him. It gives him a much better surface to solidly perch/clamp down on, and he’s more confident about stepping up from there. (And I don’t care how often he craps on it.)

If you’re just wearing a t-shirt or very light shirt, they can kind of slide around a bit up there.

Archie below, after eating his yam.

 

[Lunasmum]

Hello, luna was on a seed mix at the shop which i changed. We have been feeding her a fresh chop mix that I made in the morning consisting of, peas, corn, runner beans, kale, broccoli, red peppers, lentils, brown rice and barley. She took a couple of days getting used to it but now eats the whole thing so I'm wondering whether to feed more? After a couple of hours I wash the bowl out and put in pellets. I'm currently feeding zupreem natural I think it says medium but has a picture of an eclectus parrot on the front... I intend to switch to Harrisons towards the end of this bag since its 100% organic and I read its much better for her. We have been hand feeding seeds only to allow her to get used to us whilst ensuring she is still getting seeds because I didn't want her to get hungry while switching food. Yesterday she was being a little madam and screaming everytime I left the room and reaching over treats to bite my hand 😱 the previous day I had given her a couple of grapes so what you say maybe makes sense... Or she has come into some confidence and is pushing her luck a little? Good tip about the denim jacket... I think I have a white one somewhere that I never wear so will give it a try.
Ps your bubba is so cute with his dirty beak 😍 it's cool our birds are the same age for comparison

 

[Lunasmum]

Oh and grated carrot is in her food also lol

 

[Ira7]

Hello, luna was on a seed mix at the shop which i changed. We have been feeding her a fresh chop mix that I made in the morning consisting of, peas, corn, runner beans, kale, broccoli, red peppers, lentils, brown rice and barley. She took a couple of days getting used to it but now eats the whole thing so I'm wondering whether to feed more? After a couple of hours I wash the bowl out and put in pellets. I'm currently feeding zupreem natural I think it says medium but has a picture of an eclectus parrot on the front... I intend to switch to Harrisons towards the end of this bag since its 100% organic and I read its much better for her. We have been hand feeding seeds only to allow her to get used to us whilst ensuring she is still getting seeds because I didn't want her to get hungry while switching food. Yesterday she was being a little madam and screaming everytime I left the room and reaching over treats to bite my hand �� the previous day I had given her a couple of grapes so what you say maybe makes sense... Or she has come into some confidence and is pushing her luck a little? Good tip about the denim jacket... I think I have a white one somewhere that I never wear so will give it a try.
Ps your bubba is so cute with his dirty beak �� it's cool our birds are the same age for comparison

Archie also gets a little nippy when I put my arm fully in his cage, which is why my feed cups are accessible from the outside. He never gets this way for step-up, just for rare occasions like hanging a new toy. And I don’t blame him for this at all. He’s thinking:

“What the hell are you doing in here if it’s not to take me out? And why are you putting that stupid thing in my cage?”

Of course, I can put the new toy in when he’s out, but I like him to go right at it.

I can’t get Archie to touch a pellet. In the morning now, I put 4 or 5 standard Nutriberries in his dry cup (the one without fruit), a drop of already shelled sunflower, some flax seed (which counteracts high fat content of sunflower and other seeds, so they say), a few pistachios and an almond and scraps of walnut.

And I have no idea if this is good for him or not. All I know is the portion is very light, and the fresh stuff is still 75% of his diet. He gets his fresh veg at the same time. At night, I’ll toss him a few more Nutriberries, the fruit ones included, with another veg or fruit cup.

I was able to get Archie into so many different fresh foods by only feeding him one thing at a time, getting all excited and making a big game out of it. Every bird is different, but I don’t want him to get bored eating the same thing all the time. This is why I avoid mix chops. Of course, I’m retired and have no life, so I especially enjoy steaming him some parsnip in the morning, and beets at night! (He gets two fresh meals a day, though not full cups.)

Have you given your girl steamed beets yet? Some birds like mine adore it, but don’t freak out at his red feet. He is NOT bleeding, and that stain is very persistent!

I thought he was dying shortly after I gave him beets the first time. Others have had the same experience with pomegranates!

Also give her a hunk of corn on the cob, either raw, or boiled or steamed, after cooling. 99% of the time raw, because it’s easier, but I also give him raw green beans with this. Corn isn’t very nutritious.

 

[Ira7]

And you know this, right?

Her screaming is GOOD screaming! You just have to pray she controls it!

Every day, Archie does this when I’m out of his sight. But it only lasts a few minutes. Like, he has to get it out of his system once a day.

Only happens when he knows I’m in the house. My wife tells me (Archie loves her) that he never screams when he KNOWS I’m out of the house.

 

[Lunasmum]

No I haven't tried beetroot yet but will remember not to panic over red feet lol, I made a batch of food to freeze to enable me to make it more varied rather than be limited to 1 or 2 things if I made it daily. I intend to try out some different combinations to have a selection in the freezer. I have only had her for a week so I'm kind of learning as I go and hoping I don't mess up too bad. She tends to have a short scream in the morning and evening which I know is natural behaviour, the screaming everytime I need to pee or make a drink or food etc could become annoying over time though ��. I'm trying to ignore the screams and answer only when she sweetly says hello which happens every 30 seconds or so to see if I can get her into the habit of calling nicely... Wishful thinking maybe?