Training tips for a bird, before he hurts someone!!!!!!!?

Question

I have a Tre'smarie Amazon parrot. He is a rescue bird, his prior owners hit him with a broom when he didn't do what they wanted.He is constantly lunging at people who walk by, my vet says he may be better off sent to an aviary, but I would like to try one more time before I give up. Any suggestions on how to rehabilitate him????

Answer 1

It will probably take quite a while and may not be possible.

How does he get along with you?  If he is more comfortable with you than with other people, you have a start you can work from.  If he isn't, can you get him to be?  That's the key question.  If you can't get him to respond to you, you're not going to get anywhere.

When I rescued my Mexican Red-headed Amazon (15 years ago. He too had been hit previously, though with a hand rather than a broom), it took about 5 half-hour visits (one per week) to get him to take a treat (grape or almond) from my fingers.  I talked to him a lot, and didn't push him too hard.  He was still hesitant, but would do it.  That was enough progress that I felt I could work with him.  If he had not shown any response or progress, I wouldn't have taken him home.  Someone else would have needed to try, or he might have been better off as an aviary bird or breeder.  (And all the time I was doing this, I kept reminding myself that he wasn't going to be as nice as our hand-raised red-lored amazon.  He surprised me and has turned into a really sweet bird, but you can't expect it)

If you decide to try it, remember that it will take a long time and that he probably won't ever be a cuddly cockatoo.  You might try Sally Blanchard's Companion Parrot Handbook (or her The Beak Book).  Nothing I can say in the space of this answer will be adequate.

Answer 2

I find that I have the most luck by starting out slow.

Get him used to people and their voices.  Isolate him in a room by himself.  Then come inside and ignore him, but have a conversation with one or two people, doing what people would normally do: laughing, raising voices, making hand gestures, etc.  Hopefully this will get him used to humans their their presence.

After he seems to have calmed down, try to get near to his cage.  Sit down and read aloud or just talk to him.  You could also just do some chores around the room; once again, to get him used to human invovlement.  

I don't think that you'll ever get him tame enough to take him out of the cage and play; I think that the best you can do with him is just to get him used to your voice and other peoples' voices and presence.

However, based on  the information provided, it sounds to me like he would be happier in an aviary with other birds.  Since he lost trust in humans, he might live a fuller life with other birds as companions rather than humans.  If he has totally lost trust, and it isn't possible to take him out of the cage, then he won't be having fun and he won't enjoy himself just listening to peoples' voices drone on and on.  

But it's your decision.

--Phoenix

Answer 3

o wow

thats sad....srry, but i think u should do what the vet said

good luck!

Answer 4

Amazons that are battered are very hard to calm down again. Once you ruin one's trust in the human hand they don't forget easy. There are exceptions but they are few. I would like to see a picture of your Tre'smarie. There are only a handful of them in this country. The  bird could be a very valuable breeder. Put the bird with a like bird and let him breed some babies. Tre'smarie Double Yellow Heads are scarce as hen's teeth.