Biter

[Trohl]

My double yellow headed doesnt want to step up if he is in or on his cage. He will try to bite if you even get close. I can put a glove on and then he will reluctently step up. Once he is out he is just fine. He will step up from anywhere and even ride on my shoulder. How do I get him to step up easier from the cage? any suggestions are welcome.
Thanks

[Monica]

If you can't get him to step up from his cage then you should work with him using a dowel and stepping up onto that to be moved elsewhere. Some birds will otherwise just refuse to step up any other way.

[trope]

I don't know what it is about their cage, I tell ya, my B&G does the same thing. He turns into a different bird.

Needless to say , he does not play on his cage anymore. It's too large, and he gets too mean.

Regards,

John T. & Luigi B&G

[The Outlaw]

Birds often are cage aggressive and its tough to train them when you're bending in and off balance. The key is training them outside of and away from the view of the cage. Otherwise, they strain to see the cage and don't pay attention to the lesson.

I suggestion you remove your bird from the cage this way. Using 2 Ace bandages, wrap your palm and your lower arm up to your elbow. Your bird can bite, but you will be protected. Gloves are a totally last ditch choice in bird handling.

You can make him step forward to your protected hand by holding it firmly to his chest and using your free hand to go under his perch and tip his tail upwards. He will be forced to move forward.

Immediately move away from the sight of the cage, into another room ideally. Be sure to have treats such as nut pieces in your pocket. Reward good behaviors. Make him practice laddering from hand to hand.

You must enforce the step up and step down commands before you can expect success inside of the cage. If its an older bird, he's likely to have forgetten early training or has learned to frighten humans with bad behavior.

I will say this, however: if you have an Amazon, especially a male and he's hormonal, pick your battles very carefully. Double yellow heads, male blue fronts and male yellow napes can be very aggressive and even dangerous during these times of the year. Watch your face especially for when they do latch on, they gnaw and can go right down to the bone.

Many male amazon owners will have to use dowels most of the time to get birds in and out of their cages. The females, however, are usually pretty docile and very sweet, almost like entirely different species at these times. Good luck.

[Lisa B]

He is cage aggresive, and having a male double yellow, I highly suggest never putting him on your shoulder. They are very easliy excited, and there will be no time to get him off you shoulder if you need to be before he bites. Thier excitability can be turned on and off like a light switch.

I also think a dowel might be a better offering to him while near his cage, beacuse one day, you will not have that glove on in a different setting, and he will take it out on your hand.

I suggest you work with him in a nutral room, away from sight of his cage, but this will not chage his cage aggression.

DYH's are GREAT birds. I do however have several scars from mine. Best thing about them, is that you can read them very easily. Most times you can tell a few seconds before, your gunna get nailed. I've lived with mine for 15 years.