Help!! My BFA attacked my daughter tonight!!

[crjones66]

I just started fostering this BFA about 8 days ago. She has previously been owned by and bonded with only men, and has made it clear that she prefers men. She tolerates me, but she really dislikes my daughter. Tonight she lunged at my daughter and bit hard on the wrist (the wrist was not being offered, I believe she put up the wrist to defend herself), then Mary Beth freaked out a little and started flailing and the bird wound up entangled in her hair. It was quite a chaotic scene and very traumatic for my daughter. My daughter had just walked up to say hello to the bird, who was sitting on the door of the cage. I know that there is usually an explanation for behavior like this, but since I didn't see the whole thing happen, I am at a loss. Can anyone helop reassure me and help me understand how to make sure this does not happen again? And how can I help my daughter not be forever afraid of birds now because of this? She is only 14. Thanks!!

[kensbuns]

First of all is this Amazon a male? From what I can tell by the boards there seems to be some kind of correlation with the full moon and bites. I got bit 3 seperate times myself by my YNA. I would definately keep your daughter away from the bird. 8 days is not very long. The bird has been displaced and is confused. If it is in fact a male it could all be hormonal. There is nothing worse than a hormonal male amazon. Make sure the bird is clipped at all times. I would explain to your daughter about the displacement and ask her how she would feel if everything she ever knew and loved was taken from her. Appeal to her sympathetic side and after you have had the bird for a lot lot longer re-introduce them. Have her offer the snacks and favorites, not you. Help them to build a relationship together. Also remember an amazon gives prior warning before an attack. Usually a fanning of the tail, fluffing of the feathers and pinning of the eyes. OH I'm sorry I didnt realize this was the experts section. Oh well I hope I helped

[cpryslek]

please dont let your daughter become afraid of birds. when your daughter re-enters the room have her talking to the bird but while it is still in the cage. and at the same time make sure she doesn,t rush right in the room but walk in slow and talking. she can say "your ok, ill just sit here and talk to ya." also could be the bird is still afraid of his/her surrounding as youv'e only had the bird for a few days. most birds will need to be kept in their cages for couple weeks for the adjustment period. then you can start to slowly introduce new things or commands. especially since it is a rescue and may not know what really happened to this bird before it came to you. in other words you will have to earn your trust by the bird and vise versa. and that can take alot of time and patience. good luck. as they say once fallen off the horse, get right back in the saddle or the animal will know it has won. and will keep doing that learned behavior by the reaction of the human.

[Lisa B]

I have been attacked by a blue front. Its not fun. I suggest that since the bird is so new into the household, your daughter stays clear.
You are going to have to monitor the birds moods and learn just what sets the bird off, and learn the warning signs. An Angry Blue front is nothing you want your daughter to mess with because it will make her afraid. After the bird settles in more you can see the birds reaction to her in a mutal room, and not near the cage.
If the bird is a mature male, you might be in for a ride. Not saying this cant be overcome, but even the die hard amazon folks will tell you that a hormonal zon can be tough to work with.
good luck.

[kateBird]

from experience from my mature male amazon, he is not very comfortable with children. they move quickly, make unexpected movements and they are just "jiggly" little people. pico would lunge out at them if they ever got close because he feels very insecure. BUT, if there was a child that wanted to touch pico (this is outside of the house), i would tell them to slowly approach him while talking softly to him. usually, he will allow a scratch on the head if approached this way.

being that you've only had this bird for 8 days, like the others have said, your bird is still in the "honeymoon" phase...he doesn't know whats the rhythm of the household yet, he is still trying to figure out where he is, who are the people he can trust and what happened to his former family. allow him time. if your daughter wants to visit him, make sure he is in the cage. allow her just sit by his cage, maybe with a bag of treats, and have her talk to your bird. can your daughter read? maybe she can read her favorite stories to your bird. i find that if i read to pico from a picture book, he really looks at the pictures in the book with interest.

kensbuns makes a great suggestion in trying to let your daughter understand your new bird's displacement feelings. he was scared and did the only thing he probably knew to get his feelings across to your daughter.

i hope your daughter is doing okay and will learn to enjoy having her new bird again.

[bb100]

Hi,

I know exactly how your daughter feels. My Dad's male y/n attacked & bit my left finger so bad it required a plastic surgeon. He's still alive & with my Dad over 25+ years. It took place when I was a child. Give your daughter a big hug from me as she may likely feel they way I did - very, very afraid. It will take time but if you read up on amazon behavior & explain in to her you will help her get over this. By the way Joannie Doss has some excellent articles that weren't available when I was growing up in the early 80's.

Honestly, you need to be very careful with your daughter. I would not allow him out when she is around. They can be downright dangerous when they are hormonal. I am well into adult hood now but I still need to conjure up "nerves of steel" when I handle him.

Not all but some go into a "blind rage" meaning they have hormones which take over their personality. Jekyll & Hyde so to speak. It doesn't mean your fostering parrot hates her just that she must be careful and by the way so do you. If you need to use a step up stick & be wary of your face. I always make sure he's on a stick lowered to my waist. Sometimes keeping my head slightly turned with one of my eyes square on him. Why because I can't tell you how many times he's tried to jump up to remove my nose during breeding season.. maybe he thinks I need a nose job...

In time she'll love & accept an Amazon for what they are - I do... So much so that when my father passes he will return home to that little 10 yr old girl he knew a long time ago..

[The Outlaw]

I agree with the other posters. Amazon parrots, especially the hot three males, are hormonal and can be very difficult during breeding season. No child is safe when they are cranked up. I suggest that you keep all children away from this bird and absolutely keep it clipped. Amazons are known for going for the face and ears. Your daughter was smart to protect her face.

We are tracking the moon phases on ********** and this past weekend was the full moon phase. At least 4 of us got nailed by normally docile birds within the last 3 days. We see a definite corelation with bites and the full moon.

[Tiki]

Do you know why your bird likes men and hates women? Is your daughter a girly-girl? Maybe if you have her wear a man's t-shirt and jeans and put her hair up or under a cap, no jewelry or glasses that might be helpful. Maybe this bird was abused in the past by a woman and is scared of all women. Supervise her carefully. Once she starts to establish a relationship with the bird, she can gradually let her hair down, wear her normal clothes. The bird needs to learn she won't hurt him and she can be trusted.

[kp_in_scott]

With this bird, your daughter may need to just step back and watch from a distance. Some birds just don't like some people. We have a DYH male who hates me beyond belief. He is bonded to my husband and loves him dearly. I cannot handle this bird. (without some protection) We also found that we MUST keep him below head height. No playing on the cage top. He has a special stand that is waist height. He is out all day long and as long as I don't bother him(bother meaning speak to him or mess with anything on his stand) he stays put and never leaves the stand. We have learned how to live together. That being said, with the full moon this weekend, he did jump off the stand at me as I walked by on Sat. Angel, my beloved CAG, bit me in the lip(not hard), and yesterday, my Jesse(TAG) got my middle finger yesterday and left a nice little bleeding hole.(yes, I did the "Monkey Dance"!). I didn't mess with any of the other birds in the house this weekend. I might have had to go to the ER. lol

[crjones66]

Thanks, guys!! Just as I expected when I joined BirdBoard, I got the support I needed in abundance. I think the general message I got form all of you is that she needs more time. I think I have jumped the gun a little in allowing her a lot of outside the cage time, and I need to read up more on the breed itself. But this full moon thing? I had no idea. Helpful, though, because I am off here in a few minutes to go to Charlotte to pick up a Grey. He is gonna have the double whammy of a new environment and a full moon, bless his heart. I'll chat with you all later and let you know how things are going. Thanks for all of your advice!!