Hello!
This is my first post and I thought might ask you all several questions that I cannot seem to find the answers to.
Brief history: I recently started living with my girlfriend and her DYH Amazon, Boni. She is about 8 years old and confirmed to be female. Boni has a very picky nature, as she only prefers certain food, toys, hangout spots, etc. She is very energetic, bilingual, adventurous, and is potty trained. She is pretty much our lil Diva
My girlfriend has owned her since Boni was young, but now Boni has quickly bonded with me. Boni used to love going on my girlfriend, but now Boni randomly bites my girlfriend especially when I am nearby. It is to the point where my gf is afraid to pick up Boni to play with her. My gf now only gives her head scratches angled from above the beak.
She is out of her cage most of the time - we only lock her in her cage if she needs to sleep or we are out of the house. We feed her pellets and occasionally different types of fruits such as mangoes, bananas etc. I also read online that Parrots' light needs to be regulated, so we introduced putting a blanket over her cage at night starting around 8pm. Boni yells at us if there is too much light and past her "bed time."
I do have several questions as I am a worried parrot parent!
1) Boni is plucking out only her white feathers but keeps her green feathers. I was thinking she was only molting, but Boni plucks them to the point where it seems like she is hurting herself. She grunts a bit in pain. My GF says this a new behavior. Is this because of her hormones? Infection? or is this simply molting?
2) How can I get Boni to like my girlfriend again?! My gf pets her everyday, but Boni just bites her VERY hard and seems randomly aggressive towards her. Should I reduce the time I spend with her?
3) She loves going down her cage and walking to the bathroom when my gf is in there. She either tries to get in the cabinets or tries to attack my gf. Should I absolutely prevent Boni from going down from her cage?
4) Should I continue putting the blanket over her cage every night? Should I let her sleep out of her cage?
5) Should I invest in a perch? Her favorite hangout spot seems to be on a specific kitchen chair. Maybe she would like to be on a branch instead?
All-in-all, Boni is an extremely well-behaved parrot - just not when my gf is around! I may not have been in my parrot's life that long, but she has quickly became like a daughter to me and I love her very much!
Thank you for taking the time to read my post!