Expanding the Social Circle

[MOWMAI]

I've been considering for quite some time now that it would be nice if my parrots, namely my Red Lored Amazon, Boo, would be able to spend time with my parents or close friend when I'm not around. Both my birds seem to feel very threatened around men and Boo will not interact with my mom other than with a growl and alarmed beak. I talked to my mom today and she agreed that she would like to be able to hold Boo or at least pet him through the cage.

I've seen Wolf suggest a couple times when it comes to trust building with your parrot to approach the cage slowly until they start to exhibit nervous behaviour, then remain in that spot for a while speaking softly to them and giving words of praise. This continues until you can stand right at the cage without any issues and further training with treats ensues and so on. Would this be the suggested method for my mom and/or others like my dad or brother to take?

I'm able to handle Boo a decent amount (he recently started letting me kiss his head, even leaning toward me to do it). Is there a way I can reinforce or help this process along, or is this something that each person is going to have to tackle on their own?

[Wolf]

Is your mom able to approach Boo's cage at present without Boo getting nervous or moving away ? This method will work, but your mom may be able to begin at a different point in it, say perhaps at the point of offering treats through the cage bars while talking to Boo. Also it will help if your mom provides food and water once a day as well. This puts her in the position of being a bringer of good things.
At this point, Boo is still new and flock dynamics are not yet settled in, Boo and yourself have only just began the bonding process and because of this the results of doing this could be different than what you want. Boo, not being fully bonded to you could change allegience and choose to bond to your mom instead of to you.
Birds are unique in many ways and they truly look at each person as individuals and what they accept from one person they will not from another. If the other person is to handle the bird then they too must prove to the bird that they are worthy of its trust. It is truly only done on an individual basis.
Personally, I think that you are moving too fast if you start introducing too many people too soon into the mix, and the results can be quite unpredictable.

[Pajarita]

No, Wolf, you are getting confused, she has had Boo for years. But, yes, the method works as long as it's done right and several times a day. The important thing is to allow the bird to set the pace (or, in this case, the distance where he/she feels comfortable) and not to rush things so, if it takes 6 months, then that's what it takes. But it's up to each individual to do it. But you need to keep in mind that, usually, amazons don't like to be touched much. Scritching and allo preening the head, neck and cheeks is about the most you can do with most of them.

[MOWMAI]

Pajarita is right, I've had Boo for several years. He has a history of being mistreated by birds and people alike and was extremely cautionary when he first started living with us. He's also a rescue bird, and with all the birds that I had fostered he had trust issues, bad habits, and was afraid of people.

Originally Boo bonded with my older sister but she wasn't interested in him and only handled him when he needed to be moved around. It took a long time for me to come in and not be seen as a threat. My mom scared him very badly a while back and made a bad relationship worse.

She can probably get almost to the cage without Boo getting too nervous. He's fairly used to people around his cage, and mom will occasionally stop to visit my other parrot whose cage is right beside his. I'll start asking mom to bring them dinner and tell her to speak softly to Boo while she does it? I would consider a job well done if she could one day hold him, or even if she could just pet him through the cage.

The other parrot is eccentric and grabs the attention of many people. He's loved meeting my friends one at a time and usually climbs all over them. He reaches a point where a friend that he's already met has come over, he'll step onto her, and eventually he'll just bite. Arms, ears, wherever and whenever he feels like it. How can I discourage that behaviour and how do I know when he's going to do it? I feel like I can read him like a book, aside from this specific situation.

Thank you guys for even reading this hahaha I appreciate all your help