Mean, or just needs more time?

[savagem13]

We've had Jasper a little over a month now. He is still lunging at me every time I go near his cage, and anytime I try to hold him. I can get him to come out on a perch, and then bring him into the garden to sit on a bench with me. He'll take his favorite foods out of my hand without trying to bite. But I cannot touch him, and I'm afraid to have him step up onto my bare arm. Once in a while, when he's sitting on the bench with me, I'll feel him gently touch my hair a bit. But otherwise he pretty much acts like he hates me. Will he ever come around? All of my other birds are so sweet. Jasper is like a demon amongst angels. Wait, I guess my little female lovie is a bit of a devil, but I'm not afraid of her beak. Jasper has actually drawn blood twice now, so I'm a bit fearful of him. I don't have experience with aggressive birds. How do I handle him?

[kellywess]

Patience and time. You are still learning each other and he can probably sense your fear and your hesitence towards him. Which in turn makes him nervous probably. Don't rush things. Take your time with him. A month is not very long for you to be worried about petting him and such. He is still adjusting and learning to trust you. Just give him some time and please do not make him do anything he doesnt want to do. When he comes out of his cage is it because you stick your hand in and he steps up for you to come out or do you let him come out on his own?

[Tom Lawless]

I don't have any experience with aggressive adult birds either but I will say, from what I've read, a little over a month is relatively short in time for an Amazon in a rehome situation. Most people talk about it taking several months before they start to feel a real bond developing. I understand your fear. A couple of good bites is bound to make anyone a little gun shy. Parrots, not just Amazons, will exploit this power if they think they have a chance.

That's just my two cents. Hopefully someone with more experience will be able to say more.

[jenseits]

I agree with what's been said above. A month isn't long to establish a lot of trust.

In most cases, I don't think an aggressive bird is "mean" as much as misunderstood. He's communicating with you the only way he knows how. The fact that he's preening your head means he's at least a little fond of you, if not a little unsure.

For what it's worth, MOST birds don't like being touched (except cockatoos, of course) and their biting is their way of letting you know. Best solution: don't try to touch him. It's just not natural to them.

Give it more time, do everything you can to prove to him that you're trustworthy, that you're his friend (not his captor, not his boss, not a bully, just a friend who gives him lots of goodies but respects his space). Take time to learn his body language, what it means, how he responds to stuff, and soon you'll find different ways to communicate.

Patience... you'll get there.

[FoxersArtist]

It sounds very much to me like Jasper is a bit cage aggressive - a behavior that is very normal for many parrots, including amazons. Does jasper seem to settle down quite a bit once he is out of sight of his cage? You said you were able to hand feed him some treats. If he was actually eating those treats and not just crumbling them or throwing them away, it sounds like he was comfortable being out with you. Most birds wont eat when too excited or on full alert, so an eating bird is typically a relaxed bird. Some amazons are just not the cuddly type, but this does not mean that they do not like you, so don't let that discourage you.

A few very important things to watch for to avoid a bite: Watch jaspers eyes and tail very carefully. Many times an amazon who is threatened and ready to bite will pin it's eyes and fan it's tail out while slightly leaning forward. Learning to watch for these things will greatly help you to avoid getting bitten, no matter where you are with jasper.

As far as being able to step Jasper up, first try wrapping your arm in a thick towel and step him up that way. If he bites he'll get the towel and not you but it will get him used to stepping up onto your arm. As far as the cage aggression issues, do whatever you can to be respectful of his area. If it is possible, remove jasper from his cage BEFORE changing his food, water, or tray papers so that he never has to see you touching his "stuff." If you don't have a perch for him to sit on, put him on the shower rod/door in the bathroom. Anywhere where he cannot see you near his cage. This way the ONLY thing he ever experiences when you go near his cage is love, treats, and lots of kind words. It's amazing to see how many parrots let down their defenses when they no longer feel the need to use them!

Another great tactic (especially if Jasper is so food motivated) is to offer him his favorite treat right before you step him up. If he is really food motivated, he will want to keep the treat and his mouth will be full of treat so he'll have to make a choice to keep his goodies or drop them to bite you. This is a great tactic for returning a bird back to it's cage when you know they will be crabby about going back.

Unfortunately, Jasper may always be protective of his cage and this is not something he should be expected to change. If it does change, great, but if it doesn't I hope you can work with him and around his feelings to make him as comfortable as possible - that's where a lot of the deep bonding can begin.
-Anna

[ndeben]

I agree with all said above, you did not say how old Jasper is, or where/how you acquired. For a rehomed bird with a not so good/bad background, 1 month is not enough time to start judging. Patience is the key, only reward good behavior. His cage is the only place he feels safe right now, so he will protect it. Sit and read, sing with the bird in his cage, door open, offer treats thru the cage at first, they thru the open door, eventually (and this could that from 6 months to years, depending on the bird, and his/your situation) you can have the bird you are looking to have. Always remember, humans have good and bads days, so does every animal. Not enough uninterrupted sleep is a huge problem for my birds, if you wake them too early or during the night, look out, the next day you will be bit!! Keep a journal, of what worked and what did not, toys, foods, treats, light schedule, people in and out, and go back and see what days were good. Good luck, I am sure you will be writing success stories soon.

[mmr]

It took me 4 months before I could even touch my U2. I have had my rescued macaw for a little over 3 months and he still lunges at times.

You need to be patient. Cosistant. and be on a routine. These babies live for a very long time...that being said you have plenty of time to bond!

[savagem13]

Thank you for the encouragement, everyone. Jasper is definitely cage aggressive. Anytime I go near the cage, the eyes are pinning and his tail is spread. I tried having him step up on a towel-covered arm yesterday (before I read that post), and he kept biting and biting and biting--for a full 10 minutes. So I think we'll drop that exercise for now. Personally, I don't think he'll ever be cool with me around his cage. He is very food motivated, though, because he will take a peanut from me thorugh the cage bars without biting, and actually settle down to eat it and not throw it down. That seems to be the only time he lets down his guard around his cage. Interestingly, the other day my goffins leapt over to his cage before I could stop her. It thought she'd lose a toe, but instead, Jasper started crooning softly to her (it's definitely a she), and didn't lunge at all. In fact, he climbed up on the bars and Polly tried to nip HIS toes! And this despite the fact that the woman who had him before me said she rehomed him because her Umbrella wanted to kill him. But he's definitely not afraid of white birds!

This woman only had him for 2 months. She had gotten him from a boy who was going off to college, who'd supposedly had him for 5 years. Jasper is reporterdly 6 years old. The boy told this woman that he would always perch Jasper to remove him from the cage, and that once he was off he was very calm and affectionate with him. So it sounds like Jasper has always been cage aggressive. And if she was telling the truth, Jasper had a good life up until several months ago. So is the way to deal with this to respect his protectiveness instead of trying to break him of it? This won't allow him to think that he's in control in our relationship? Like I said--I've no experience with aggressive birds--this is all new to me and I could use advice.

[mmr]

TRY THIS FOR THE CAGE AGGRESSION:
slowly walk up to his cage till you see his body start to tense up, when you see this turn around and walk away. Do this several times getting a little closer each time. This will take time to accomplish, but this way he also knows that you are not a threat over time.
Also remember that, that is HIS house!


If he is that aggressive about his home then I suggest doing all your training away from the cage. In a different room so that he can't even see it. You will have you most productive training sessions that way.

[jenseits]

I just wrote a post on my blog about not forcing the issue of stepping up. The short of it is: If he doesn't like stepping up (i.e., he bites and bites and bites), skip that behavior and move onto something else. If he takes treats from your hand and you know what kinds of treats he likes, you can easily move on to clicker training.

Even though he's had a good life for many years, the last few months surely have been very traumatic. He doesn't know who to trust. Things keep changing, he's not sure if he'll be rehomed again tomorrow. So give him time to feel reassured. Give him treats and start training him (starting with things that don't involve you getting bitten). Training really helps a bird feel like he's your partner in an endeavor rather than "prey". (Trust me, he doesn't think he's in control of the relationship at this point)

I've heard it helps with cage aggression to change things around (i.e. redecorate) the cage every week or two. It makes it seem less like his "nest" and also adds some element of new and interesting.