by Pajarita » Tue Nov 18, 2014 12:07 pm
You also need to bird proof all the rooms he will have access to.
But (and I don't mean to put down your observations or anything like that) he might not be sad and depressed. Amazons are not cheery birds from day one and are all couch potatoes which would much rather just perch there doing nothing than moving around -especially in an unfamiliar environment which might hold all kinds of dangers! They do open up and become little clowns but these are highly intelligent animals that take their own time to figure things out - and one of the things they figure out is whether you are worthy of their trust (and, if you are lucky, their love later on). So, give him time - would you like it if a stranger wanted to touch you? He hasn't been well treated and he has been completely neglected so why would he trust another human being implicitly and from day one? They are not dogs, they don't have the brain connections that make them want to please anybody so you need to show him that you can be trusted and that means showing respect for his needs AND wishes. Bird proof the room, turn off the artificial lights and open his cage at around 2:30 pm and just stand back and observe him. Give him the benefit of the doubt, he might just want to come out of his cage and perch on top of it. Don't stare at him (that's a predator behavior -look at him from the corner of your eye), talk and sing to him (amazons LOVE songs), give him lots and lots of praise in a high, soft, baby-talk kind of voice, say things like good boy! pretty bird, I love you, these are phrases that we all use so he will recognize them. Offer him a treat (just one and see if he will take it from your hand). Sit a distance from him (watch his body language and see when he reacts to your proximity and, when he does, take a single step back and sit there) and either busy yourself or pretend to busy yourself with something so he relaxes. And, at 3:30 pm, put his seed dinner in his cage and take a few steps back, turn your body sideways and watch him from the corner of your eye and, as soon as he goes into his cage to eat his dinner, close the door.