Understanding Monty

[ScooterMcTavish]

Hi guys,

Love Birdman's thread about Amazon body language, and I am wondering if it is more subtle than it reads, or if I am needing to be more attuned to what the bird is telling me. Or, is this just part of getting to know your bird.

We've had Monty for three weeks now, and he is a very interactive, fun bird. However, he also lurches between energetic constant play and motion, or contented perch potato. Doesn't seem to be a lot in between. And as I've read about many young Amazons, he is rather beaky.

So normally he highlights a willingness to play by beaking fingers (or an ear), and can be given a toy to attack. He also enjoys a bit of hand wrestling, and had way too much fun being put on his back and being "tickled".

Yesterday, he was acting the same way as he has so far - active beaking and wanting to play. So we tried they toy (not a hit), then the fingers (way more fun) and I think he went into Amazon overload as I got bit hard enough to bleed when I put him on his back for tickles (OUCH).

So Monty got his time out (told "OUCH" loudly, given the stinkeye, and was placed in his cage), where he made his "Chirrup!" noise (I think he's saying "step up") for the next ten minutes. He then decided to eat the leftover dinner that was in his food bowl, and was taken out about 30 minutes later.

What makes me wonder if this was not "overload" is that typically Monty always wants to come to me. Yesterday after being taken out of time out, he was content to perch potato with my wife and daughter, and only showed interest in coming back to me a few hours later, just before his bedtime.

In trying to think of what was different than normal, all I can think of is Monty joined us for dinner last night, and got sweet corn, as well as a little baked potato (no toppings), and a tiny (I mean tiny) piece of ham.

Could he have had an out of body carb-loading experience that made him way more wound up than normal (like kids and Lucky Charms), and I misread his agitation as wanting to play? Problem was he wanted to be with me before the hard bite, yet he was fidgety and acting like he wanted to play.

Or is this just part and parcel of owning a young bird?

 

[Anansi]

Well, the whole thing with amazon overload is that it happens as a result of your bird getting too wound up in his play. It's not actually anger. So him seeming like he wanted to play probably meant... he wanted to play!

Amazon overload becomes an issue once they get so excited with the fun they're having that they just lose all control and bite you hard in their euphoria. It wasn't meant, and it would even happen to a bite-pressure trained bird.

So the training to avoid this is strictly on you. Watch their body language closely. After a while (and likely a few bites), you'll get very good at seeing overload point coming. Before crossing that red line, you'd just back off and give him time to cool off.

Oh, in answer to your other question, yes, it is possible that a certain food can affect a bird's behavior. One of our members has a sweetheart of an amazon who would completely lose his mind for around 8 hours after eating flax seeds! It would be a bloodbath until the 8 hours had passed. Then complete sweetheart, again. Bizarre, but it happens.

But from the sounds of what you described, I'm leaning toward amazon overload as your issue.

 

[Birdman666]

Yeah.

Even a bite pressure trained zon can lose control of his/her bite pressure when he's on overload. Don't take that personally. This is a young bird, who plays rough...

And yeah, that sounds about right. Three speeds, actually.

1. Wound up playing, to the point of overload (and occasionally to the point of crazed psycho-bird!)

2. Perch Potato.

3. NOT NOW, I'M EATING!

Kiwi can actually do numbers 1 and 3 at the same time... hanging upside down attacking the toy on one side, and her food bowl on the other...

 

[ScooterMcTavish]

Thanks guys,

So recognizing we are getting near overload is the key, and no, I don't take it personally, as I figured it was somehow due to a sign I missed. I was just a bit concerned as he seemed to be avoiding me for a few hours after his time out.

Everyone's out tonight, and apparently Monty hasn't had his usual 1 on 1 time today with the others, so I'm sure I'll be going home to a needy (and excitable) bird. Will keep a close eye on his behavior and will give him treats for behaving well.

 

[Birdman666]

Amazons Pout...

Sally has been known to turn her back on me and show me her tail feathers when she's pouting about something... NOPE! YOU'RE GETTING THE SILENT TREATMENT.

 

[ScooterMcTavish]

Amazons Pout...

Sally has been known to turn her back on me and show me her tail feathers when she's pouting about something... NOPE! YOU'RE GETTING THE SILENT TREATMENT.

When we first talked about getting a parrot, we were thinking TAG or Eclectus, or even Galah.

We only have Monty as the breeder thought we should meet him.

I'll call it serendipity, as so far, I'd be pretty hard pressed to meet a parrot personality type that so suits my own. I've been known to pout too.

 

[Birdman666]

Amazons can be very fun, personable birds.

Their reputations as biters, though NOT undeserved, usually come from lack of understanding... on the human's part.

They're playful. They're goofy. And then they're quiet. They have big personalities.

They're hardy. They're tough. They take a lickin' and keep on tickin', usually without plucking...

They can give you attitude... or preen your eyebrows, or both in the space of fifteen minutes.

There's a lot to love, once you understand what you are dealing with.