Hi, I'm new ^^

[JamieleighFox]

Hello everybird! I have three birds so I thought it would be about time to register somewhere birdy. I have an , and an (except she is yellow naped, not forhead).

Thing is that my latest, Levi the amazon, I just got her. She is nine years old and a "veeeery pretty bird", to use her words exactly. She is starting to bond to me, but reacts unsure and almost aggressively towards others. I act calm and consistent to her and I don't reward her "bad behavior" (something I think is because we are completely new to her). When someone other than me enters the room she fluffs up her feathers and pins her eyes. It's obviously a sign that tells us that she wants to be alone.

Levi has attmpted to bite me, where I have just kinda held her beak back, sort of just "biting" back. Never hard or anything, just to tell her that I'm boss. I know that the amazon is a moody one, and I think I handle her well. I just wondered if anybody else has any similar experience?

Other than that, Jack the African Grey is a friendly, mommy-addicted parrot. At the moment he's singing merry christmas. My budgie-boy doesn't talk much but he is very good and friendly.

Well, that's just us

[Pajarita]

LOL - I'm afraid that your 'lesson' is 'going in one way and out the other'. Parrots don't understand the concept of 'bosses', they don't live in that kind of society. Dogs, horses, elephants, lions, wolves, etc do but not parrots. There is no leader, no alpha, no hierarchy and, ergo, no boss in a flock of parrots so trying to teach them the concept of them having to obey somebody by force doesn't really work because you can't teach an animal a social concept that it's not hard-wired in them. As to biting, in my personal experience and for what I have read, parrots only bite when they feel threatened in some way or when they are taught this is the only way to get what they need/want so the best way to avoid the undesired behavior is not to do anything they don't like, not to ask them for anything they are not willing to do and to provide for all their needs. I know it sounds hard and a bit farfetched... I am sure you are thinking "Come on! This is a bird we are talking about, not a human being!" But pet parrots belong to undomesticated species and their genetic make-up is identical to the wild ones so, in order to make it work, you need to think like a parrot because the parrot will not think like you. Establishing complete trust and, later on, a bond of affection is the best way to go when it comes to a long-term successful relationship. This method has worked for me throughout the years and I take in parrots that not even rescues want because of their aggression. I have 6 amazons, three of them males, two wild-caught and one of them an ex-breeder, while the third was abused (his previous owner punched him every time he bit), all three extremely aggressive when they first came but they don't bite me now even though they are fully flighted and live cage-free 24/7/365. Not even during breeding season when they are nesting (I don't breed them but I allow them to go through the motions)!

[JamieleighFox]

Hey thanks for reply ^^

Don't worry, I haven't used any force. I am never mean or dominant to her. I feel exactly the way you wrote in your post, I don't take her out of her cage when she clearly doesn't want to. Sorry if I made it sound like I was harsh

Anyway, how cool! You have wild-caught amazons! that is so amazing I am bonding to mine now and I realize it's gonna take time, but we're getting there. I truly love amazon parrots now after getting her. I really admire you guys who have 5-6 of them. They are like children and takes alot of your time, so bravo

[Pajarita]

Actually, having a small flock of zons is the easiest thing in the world because they are profoundly flock oriented so there is never the question of whether they would accept another zon, they ALWAYS do - and, as they always have each other's company, they don't need a whole lot of human interaction (clean their room, give them fresh food and water while talking/singing with them and you are done). AND, to put the icing on the cake, they all end up eating VERY well because if one eats something, the others do too. Same with bathing, one starts and then you end up with 6 zons all bathing (and that is the coolest thing to watch!)