rescued yellow nape amazon

Question
Hi Chrys,
I just adopted a beautiful yellow nape (one yellow feather on the back of the neck!) His name is Josey. He is 8 years old. He lived with his first family for one year and then they had to leave him behind. When he moved in with his new family he nearly killed himself by ripping his feet open. He is healthy and beautiful now. I got him because the lady that saved him feels called to save other animals and does not have the time to do so if she doesn't rehome some of them. Josey allowed me to pet him the day we met. I'm told that was unheard of with him. Two prior attempts to adopt him out were thwarted by bad behavior. He seems like a good bird who is just confused but... my index finger looks like I've been reaching into a garbage disposal! I have an African Grey. I have been around other birds. I am watching him and his movements. It's always the 'sucker punch.' He puts his head down for me to scratch and then a few minutes into the love-fest he rips open my finger. He seems better behaved inside his cage than out. When he gets out he charges at my feet. I have to push him (sometimes almost swat him) with a pillow. He can be so sweet but he can also be so mean! What do I do to work with him. Where do you start with a bird that bites(hard)?
Jason  

Answer
Hi, Jason.  Thanks for posting!

This amazon is most likely more than you can handle!  I say this because this bird does not trust humans AT ALL, and I don't blame him based on what you describe as his past life experiences.  You need to have a vast amount of knowledge of bird behavior and bird psychology in order to deal with this bird.  The behavior you describe in your post is typical of amazons (putting the head down to scratch and then biting, charging at your feet).  This bird doesn't like you or anyone else right now.  You need to build/develop trust with this bird in order to be able to work with him.  Do not allow the bird to be above your eye level or the bird will feel more dominate than you.  Avoid any situations where the bird will have an opportunity to bite you because he will bite at each chance to do so.  All parrots bite hard, not just this amazon!  Biting in caged birds is a learned behavior, so this amazon has learned to bite as a method of self defense or as a way of getting his own way.    

I'm concerned about the incident you describe where the bird nearly killed himself by ripping his feet open.  This is called self-mutilation and is a serious behavior problem (psychological).

Since this bird doesn't trust humans at all, you need to start from scratch with him.  You need to develop boundaries for this bird and make him stay within the boundaries you establish.  This won't be easy with a grey in the home because the amazon will likely prefer the grey as a buddy to you.  Parrots behave differently outside their cages then inside because outside they are more vulnerable.  A bird's cage is its safety zone, its personal territory, and they will defend this space.  So be careful working with this bird when he is inside his cage.  Don't allow the bird on the floor so he can chase your feet...avoid situations that allow the bird to behave badly.  Try handfeeding the bird at times in order to start to gain trust between the 2 of you.  ALWAYS reward this bird for behaving positively, but NEVER reward this bird for bad behavior.  

Since you just adopted this bird, you have to give the bird time to settle down in your home and get used to you before you even attempt to work with this bird.  This process may take time.  Right now, the bird is probably terrified of you and everything around him, so give him some time to relax.

Start with the above and see how the bird reacts.  Be aware that some birds can't be tamed, especially if they've been mistreated or not provided proper care in the past.  This could be a long process.

Chrys