superbug

We have a Amazon parrot that is 5 years old. We've had him since he was a few months old and he has steadily gotten harder and harder to handle. He'll bite and scream and is just a son of a bitch. Well, we got a wild hair up our butts and are going to try and make him friendly again.

Has anyone had the pleasure of dealing with one of these? They can be some pretty mean animals. LOL! They make a pit bull seem like a teddy bear.

superbug

We keep his wings clipped so he can come out. I'm thinking of building an aviary in the back yard for him, but that wouldn't be til spring.
We like the bird enough, and we're just tired of not being able to interact with him. We were told by our vet that the trick is to work with him every day for about 5 to 10 minutes. They say to take him into another room he is not used to, this way he is away from his cage and comfort zone. It puts the owner in charge and makes the bird submissive.
I just hope this works.

Otter

Usually that means cutting the primary feathers- It dosen't hurt, and they do grow back.

I haven't had a large parrot, myself, but we were taught a couple of guidelines for handling them. One is that it never works to yell 'NO' at them, like you might a dog- they like loud noise, and so yelling is actually positive reinforcement. Discipline is better provided by a 'time out' - putting the bird away and covering the cage. They also need to be kept below your head level- height equals prestige, so a bird kept or held up high will see itself as dominant to you. You may want to join the Amazon society, since there are many knowledgeable folks there who can answer questions about your breed.
amazonasociety.org - Content
And here are a couple of articles I found on parrot behavior:
Parrot Behavior; Yes, No And Maybe
The best little Hen House - Understanding Amazon Parrot Behaviour Article.

__________________
And I shall go as an Otter lank
and harry thee close from bank to bank
And I shall go in the Lady's name
all to bring thee home again

superbug

Thanks. One of the things we do with him is take him into another room. So far he's still just as mean, but we've only putting forth a greater effort for less than two weeks now.

Otter

Good luck with him. The one thing I have learned is that bird bosy language is not intuitive to us in the way dog and cat signals are- it's easy to miscommunicate. I'll ask our avian clinician the next time I see him if he has any particular advice.
I always wanted a big parrot, but right now I have too many other animlas, and not enough time to take one on. It's like adopting a child. A small, feathered child from Mars.

__________________
And I shall go as an Otter lank
and harry thee close from bank to bank
And I shall go in the Lady's name
all to bring thee home again