cage newby

[debdans]

I have to do something 1/2 my lower arm is bites and bruses. My hand only 5 spots this week. I keep trying with out gloves to approach him when he is acting nice.So he will not be scared of gloves like one of you all said. Well sometimes I am wrong.He was just acting sweet. I did get him out 3 times today for just a few a minute are 2. And he tore into gloves and small spot on arm. But I see hope last few days he does not keep attacking as bad as he was.
Regardless bruses has to stop because my 78 year old mother bites worse and she will reem me a new one if she finds I willingly traded a parrot that just sat there never responding to you unless picked up and then just try to jumb back to cage. And I traded for a Talking Buzzard that eats me.It is non of her business but like most southern older women every thing and Dan does is her business. But as much as he talks he has ether been a pet before and talked to a lot or like Wolfs Mimi one smart bird. Time will tell when breeding season wears off.

[Wolf]

To tell you the truth, I would open the cage and talk to him and offer him a treat once in a while and nothing more than that, other than cleaning his cage and giving him food and water. Let him choose when to do more than that. In my experience that is the fastest and the best way for him to learn to trust you and it will save you from some bites.
Some of this is hormonal and he can't help that as he is driven by the hormones and instinct to protect the nest area. As for the rest of his biting, this was forced on him because someone would not listen to him when he tried to tell them that they were pushing too hard and insisting that he do what ever they wanted him to do when ever the wanted him to. This not listening to him forced him to resort to biting in order to be heard.
Birds don't do discipline, they don't do orders, they do for you because they want to , but they do not always do the things that we want them to do. They are intelligent creatures and are meant to make their own choices and to interact in a harmonious manner within the flock, but there is no one telling them what or when to do a thing.
Watch his body language, learn it, he will always tell you with body language that he is not ready and if you push he will bite you. The best way to teach a bird to not bite is for you to avoid getting bit. If he is fanning his tail feathers and his eyes are pinned or flashing back off, he is not ready and will bite. You are pushing too hard because of what you want and are not considering what the bird is trying to tell you. And you will never reach him by continuing in this manner.

[debdans]

Agreed I Will stop till he is ready.I remember someone said get him on the stick for a short time do not leave the room.Till he is ready.I HAD SO rather do the lazy thing and just sit and talk.I will let you all know in a few days if he is comming out and calmer taking treats with out throwing them down are nipping me instead of treats.The little stinker will grasp a peanut in shell some times throwing it down.But carrot I have to throw in his bowl before he can meet me he grabs carrot drops it and grabs gloves now.Will not try bear hand.But peanut he adores grabs it not me and runs.Same with Apple no gloves.I will try other fruits soon,Greap and pear.
I deeply thank all 3 of you for all help that Kiwi and I can use.Debra

[Pajarita]

Yes, I agree with Wolf, please stop trying to second guess his 'good moods' and forget about interacting physically with him. You do NOT want to piss off an amazon, my dear. They can be dangerous. These are large, powerful, fearless animals and they will not think twice about biting a chunk out of you. What you do when a bird first comes to you is the very foundation of your future relationship with him and pushing the envelope is not recommended. Let him make the first step. Just talk, sing, whistle, let him out of his cage and offer him treats every now and then. Do not try to move him, do not put your hand anywhere near him because, as Wolf pointed out, the only way to teach a parrot not to bite is to avoid it. Parrots don't bite out of aggression, they do it to protect themselves, their nest or their mate BUT when a parrot learns that the only way he can prevent people from doing something he doesn't like is biting, you are in trouble because now you are not starting from zero, you are starting from a negative position. So what you need to do is convince him that you will never do anything he will not like and, for now, that means no touching, no putting your hand anywhere near him, not moving him, nothing more than verbal interaction.

Now, just a clarification. In my personal opinion and experience, the birds that talk the most are the ones that were the less happy. The best talker I have had spent eleven years in the same cage. It seems to me that the more they lack in terms of affection, freedom, etc. the harder they try to communicate with us.

Also, you can't feed a bird his first meal of the day at noon. It simply does not work, my dear. They need to eat after sunrise and before sunset. People might get away with putting their birds on a human schedule for a while but it hardly ever lasts. Eventually, either the human or the bird will have to pay the price for it. This bird is highly hormonal and you need to put him on a strict solar schedule or he will never stop biting. You also cannot free-feed pellets or seeds, it not only contributes to sexual hormone production, it's bad for their liver and kidneys.