new OW owner

[wackymagnet]

Hello everyone. Newbie here to this forum. I just adopted (2 months ago) a 16 year old male (supposedly, no DNA papers or leg band) OW amazon named Peppi. I was told he is aprox 16 years old and has had 4 owners so far. (I plan to be his last move/owner) When I got him he had never been handled but would come out of his cage and take food from hands. He will now step onto a stick to come out of the cage (bites hands that go in the cage) but once out he will step up onto my hand no problem. He talks up a blue streek and can say many words and phrases clearly as well as a common stream of PINGU garble. What I would like to do more than anyrhing with him now is be able to tickle him on the neck and head. when he sees my hand move anywhere near him he threatens to bite. I spend time with my hand held closed except for the first finger, infront of him beak level, and after a min. or so, he will allow me to touch his beak briefly, but he is obviously not comfortable with this idea of being touched. Am I pushing him too much, asking too much from him too early? When he sits on my hand I also touch his toes. When I do he says aww aww and pulls his body up away from my finger and looks at my finger resting on his toe but will settle down into a more relaxed position soon after. I don't want to stress him but I do want him to be relaxed and enjoy being touched and eventually preened when he starts to molt. Any ideas to help me with this training?

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Welcome to the forums,

It sounds like you are doing everything just right and I'm surprised/impressed that you've done as much as you have with a 16 year old bird who has never been handled. I suspect if you keep working patiently as you already have you will get him to love to be pet/scratched - give it time.

Be sure to reward him - either calm praise or the occasional good treat when he lets you touch him - but only when he is calm. For example, with the beak or foot thing, do it just as you have been doing. He tenses up at first, but tolerates it; then you wait, when he relaxes a bit while you are still touching his foot then praise or give a treat and let him go on his way if he chooses. You want him to not only learn that nothing bad happens when you touch him but actually good things do.

All in all though it sounds like you're doing everything just right - keep it up.