Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello. I have a yellow-naped amazon that is just about to turn two. I have been with him since the day he hatched, and have been by his side. However, he has always been a massive biter and i have tried everything to get him to stop. One thing I have noticed is that because his wings are not clipped he flys away whenever I try to disapline him. This could this a major part of the problem? Nothing seems to help. He is also now screaming at the top of his lungs whenever someone is not in the room. If someone is there, he stops. He screams for about an hour non-stop, and Im getting tired of him. I dont want to sell him, but my family is getting extremely upset with him. I know that he is a bird and screaming comes natural, but he is taking advantage of it. Does anyone know a training technique that actually works? Anything would be great. Also, if anyone knows a good way to get rid of the moths from the food, Im all ears.

Okay the easier part first. To keep moths out of food the best way is to store it in the freezer or refrigerator. Airtight containers will work to a degree but the cold seems to work the best.

Okay for screaming this is one of the hardest problems to get rid of. The reason for the screaming is for attention of course and he gets the screaming reinforced every time someone goes in to tell him to be quiet or to try and calm him down. The best way to deal with it is the hardest, simply ignore the scream as soon as you have checked to make sure there is no underlying problem for the screaming. A nice pair of ear plugs for each person in the family may work. I know that not many people can stand to just sit in the other room and listen to a bird scream but this is usually what it takes. You have to be persistent in this and not give in to the screams. Then the second step is rewarding the quiet. When your bird does finally calm or when he/she hasn't started screaming yet go in and praise him and give him a treat, if he starts screaming while you are in the room then leave the room. When the screaming stops come back into the room and praise, treat. This will take a while and can drive even the most sane person insane LOL but it is the only way I have found that works in all birds.

You can of course try the cover method, when the bird screams automatically cover the cage and do not remove cover until scream stops. This does work in some birds but not in all.

To train your bird I would definitely suggest clipping the wings. You can always choose to let them grow back but some birds are so stubborn it is "almost" impossible to train when they have full flight capability. Birds can be trained while having their wings unclipped but it can be much harder, take much longer and involve many more bites.

For biting. I think the target method, or distraction method works well on amazons. Have you worked on taming/training your bird at all? Is he used to step up, come, etc? Try training with a target toy or stick, if using a stick use something smaller such as the size of a chopstick with one end painted a different color. Teach this as your target. When working with your bird get him to touch the end of the stick and then praise, treat. When your bird will consistently do this it can be used as a distraction to keep them from biting. When you notice he is in the biting mood use the target to get him to bite or "touch" the target instead of biting you. Do not poke the target at him or allow him to chew on the target just a quick touch or bite then away and praise, treat.

When your birds wings are clipped you can try other ways of curbing the biting as well. When he bites or nips immediately sit him down, on floor or couch etc. You do not need to rush him back to the cage as that may be exactly what he wants. Instead place him down, move away and allow yourself to calm down along with him and try again. When working on a training session try to end on a good note. If you notice he is getting nippy or unhappy try one trick or activity he likes then put him back into his cage with praise and a treat so he sees training as something positive not something boring and always ending badly.

Good luck, hope I didn't ramble on too much, LOL!

You can also try to re-direct.
Whenever Charlie starts screaming (when I'm in the same room), I ignore him, but say "kiss kiss" every once in awhile without eye contact. I praise him when he either makes his kiss noise, or is quiet. Find another sound or a word that your bird knows and use that. Words are alot quiter than screams.
Also, if he is screaming when no one is in the room, and stops when you come back, he is just doing a contact call. He just wants to know where you are (and wants you to come back!). Try telling your amazon when you're leaving the room. Tell him "I'm going upstairs" or "I'm going in the other room, I'll be right back". If you use the same phrase whenever you're going a certain place, it should eventually calm him down. If he's screaming and you're within range, try talking back to him, saying "I'll be right there"...it works. Really.

How are things going with your Amazon?