AGGRESSIVE AMAZON

[Lina]

Any hints and tips how to deal with a aggressive amazon? Riki is sweet in his cage will come up to the corner and let you head scatchhim and all but out of the cage he is one mean ass bird. He launched from the top of the cage today onto my arm and started chomping and clawing me for no reason... there was no eye pinning no tail fanning nothing he just went for it.

It hurt like a mother too, so i may not let him out of the cage again for awhile . Could it be he just an aggressive bird or do i need to do somthing im missing?

[Pricey_boy]

you still need to let him out of his cage alot for free space if you cant go near him just leave the door open so he can climb out and just let him chill on his own, keeping him locked in the cage wont help the relationship. try wearing a jumper. all aggressive bird have a reason to bite you just need to figure out why and just work with it

[Pajarita]

Male amazons get very aggressive during breeding season and, if I remember correctly, you just got these birds from your sister who fed them seeds and little else, right? Reduce protein in his diet, keep him to a solar schedule and let him out in the pm after you take his food dish out of the cage, he will go back in when you put his dinner in it right when the sunset starts. And don't put your hand inside his cage or ask him to step up or anything -just talk, sing, dance for him and offer him a treat every now and then until he calms down -zons can do A LOT of damage with their beaks (I have notches missing from my ears from their bites).

[Lina]

Thanks I wont let him even close to my shoulder i dont even ask him to step up. both times i have been attacked he has launched onto my arm from the top of his cage. I have started singing for him, i will try a lil dancing and takeing out the food dish and then putting it back in. Been trying to get more fresh fruit and veggies for him to eat. He does love to have me rub his cheeks and above his eyes , but ia am only doing that now while he in the cage cause when he out he is able to leap on me and start biting.

Well i will see how it goes thanks for all the advice

[MandyG]

I'm not familiar with your situation, but I do know that it is the season for hormonal Amazons! Mojo has been VERY aggressive and unpredictable this past week. I'm just trying to take things day by day and keep reminding myself that this crazy demon is the just from the hormones!

[Lina]

I am fostering two amazons of my sisters due to MAJOR heathissues and i know JACK CRAP about birds thats why im here
I have found since talking to everyone here im pretty sure the blue front is a female and the yellow nape is a male .
I do believe they have had the wrong diet and oth things in thier life they have been living under some bad bad life. My sister has spent so much time in the hospital since Feb and her husbands had not been caring for the birds.
I know when i pulled the cage for Riki out of her house it was half grey with cob webs and 3 inchs of crap in the bottom. I had to move him to my house in his cage ( which was a month ago) in the back of my SUV .

I know i have a long road with these birds , I know my sister loves them and while she was healthy she gave them a great home. But she not healthy now and her husband isn't (able , willing or careing enough) to help.

[Lina]

I did have Riki out of his cage for well over an hour while i was cleaning the room (cause birds are soooo messy) and i was surprised he never tried to come down off his cage. I am still working on gettin g the room bird freindly since i dont think there is a bird proof room.

They both now have clear glass pie dishes with water in em to bath...Buzz went ape shit for it she was rolling in the dish and wrapped her wings around the sprayer this morning...she loves water. Riki not so much he dont like to be sprayed so i put him in a dish too but he don't seeem to want anything to do with water.. i guess some men just don't like to bath

[Pajarita]

Amazons all love water but some people use the spray bottle as punishment (like, for example, when they scream, the human would spray their faces with water) so the spray bottle ends up having a negative effect instead of being something they enjoy and they have to re-learn the joys of misting. Try putting a smaller, deeper bowl (glass is not a good idea around animals, try using a dog's steel bowl like these: http://www.bing.com/shopping/standard-s ... &FORM=HURE) and see what happens. I have a YN hen which likes to bathe in a small bowl she hardly fits in so she can't even step into the water, she perches on the side and dips her head and chest into it. They all have their personal likes and dislikes but bathing is VERY good for them so it should always be encouraged.

By the way, you are doing GREAT with them!

[cmaygar]

Most male amazons go through an aggressive hormonal stage when they're between 5-8 years old. This may be the reason why he is acting in this way. It is a phase and he will get over it, but you must be careful because they can cause quite a bit of damage to you. I also would suggest not letting him get on top of his cage. Aggressive birds become more aggressive when they are at a higher level than you are. The rule of thumb is not to have him so that his eye level is above yours. If you could put him on a stand that places him below your eye level, that may help somewhat with the aggression.

In an effort to get him from the cage to a stand, you may try having him step-up on a dowel instead of your arm (which may be the best approach because of the aggressive behavior) and then transfer him from the dowel to a play stand. Keeping him at that lower level may help.

Good luck!

[MandyG]

Most male amazons go through an aggressive hormonal stage when they're between 5-8 years old. This may be the reason why he is acting in this way. It is a phase and he will get over it, but you must be careful because they can cause quite a bit of damage to you. I also would suggest not letting him get on top of his cage. Aggressive birds become more aggressive when they are at a higher level than you are. The rule of thumb is not to have him so that his eye level is above yours. If you could put him on a stand that places him below your eye level, that may help somewhat with the aggression.

In an effort to get him from the cage to a stand, you may try having him step-up on a dowel instead of your arm (which may be the best approach because of the aggressive behavior) and then transfer him from the dowel to a play stand. Keeping him at that lower level may help.

Good luck!

Ahh, this makes sense. Mojo has never been aggressive like this before and he's turning 5 in two weeks! He was a little calmer last night than he has been in the last week but I did have to use a dowel to first remove him from his cage. I was able to get him to step up nicely from the dowel after and take him for a walk in his Pak-o-Bird and he was nice when I took him out after. I probably could have gotten him to step up without the dowel but I don't want to damage our relationship at all as I'm a little beak shy at the moment and he does softly grip my hand with his beak most times he steps up onto my hand. I'm just not sure if he's nicely going to step up or lash out and I don't want to pull my hand away from him just because I'm jumpy.