Is my Amazon showing Hormonal Behavior?

[Echo&Rowdy]

I'm hoping someone here can identify the behavior my Blue Fronted Amazon has been exhibiting for the last month. She is almost 7 years old and has never done this before, so I'm hoping it is just a new hormonal behavior that will cure itself! She has never shown any kind of nesting or hormonal behavior before.

She is normally a sweet, affectionate bird. She never bites, always steps up for me, and usually steps up to visitors to our home too. She loves to have her head scratched.

However, for the last few weeks, she has acted fearful of me every time I come near her. If I open her cage door, she starts flapping around hysterically, panting and making a weird noise (it's like a clucking sound in a machine gun rythum). When I get her out, I literally have to chase her around the house to get her back in her cage. I'm getting to the point where I'm afraid to take her out of her cage now, because she is close to hurting herself trying to get away from me (scooting under cabinets, ramming into walls in her frantic attempt to avoid me). If I do get her out, she acts fine on her perch outside on the screened porch until it is time for me to bring her back in. It is definitely me she is afraid of, and not anything in the environment outside her cage.

I live alone, and nothing has changed in her environment. She is not fearful of my male Sun Conure. I can still put him in her cage for a visit, and she even welcomes head scratches from him! She is eating normally, but talking slightly less than her normal chatty self.

Does anyone know why my sweet Blue Front would suddenly act afraid of me? What I can do to help her get over this phase?

[Michael]

I don't think this is hormonal behavior. Usually when our parrots get hormonal they get obsessed with us, another bird, or an object. They could loving toward one and aggressive toward others. On the other hand fear behavior I don't believe is linked to reproductive hormonal behavior.

It sounds more like the parrot had some kind of unpleasant experience with you. Probably this: "When I get her out, I literally have to chase her around the house to get her back in her cage." Work on making going back in the cage more reinforcing just like coming out. See:

http://TrainedParrot.com/Taming

[Echo&Rowdy]

My chasing her around to get her to go back in the cage is a result of her fearful behavior (and fleeing from me), not the cause. Until a month ago, she would step up to me with no problems. She was so well trained and comfortable that I was able to take her into nursing homes as a therapy bird (though we have not done this in nearly a year).

Perhaps I should treat her as a new bird and start all over with trust & training exercises? I have had her since she was first weaned and she has never shown this behavior before, not even after wing clippings (which she hates).

[Michael]

Could be traumatized from that as well. The cause may not be chasing around but that can definitely add to it and make it even worse. Starting out like on a new bird is your best bet cause you can't lose. Most likely it will go much quicker than a new bird cause the bird does know you. You're just using that to make the good overcome the bad whatever it may be (even if you're unaware of it). My parrots will go through a "frightful" period once in a while and the cause isn't always known to me.

It could easily be something like there was a sudden frightening noise outside coincidentally a minute before you walk in and the bird associated that with you or any similar event. The important thing now is to take care not to do anything that is causing fright, slow down, and make it worthwhile for the parrot. Perhaps even not letting it out of the cage for a few days could make it become more eager to see you to let it out.

[Echo&Rowdy]

Thank you. I will try leaving her in the cage for awhile, and see if I can win her trust all over again.