biting parrot

Question
I have had my amazon parrot for about 10 years.  I have no idea how old he is.  he started out being nice to me, but over the years he has gotten more violent towards me. he will lunge at his cage when i walk by and scream incessantly.  he has bitten my hand while perched on it (which every article i have ever read has said they will not do).  i feel terrible because when he bit me that way, i dropped him which i have now read was the worst thing i could have done.  i fear he has gotten worse since then. that was about 2 yrs ago. now he chases my feet when he is out, and attacks my hands if i bend over to pick up something.  most recently he was out on the back of a chair. i stood up and put my hands in my pockets (because he always comes after my hands) and he flew at me and clung to my elbow and kept biting me.  my boyfriend and i had to (as gently as possible, even though i was angry and scared) push him to the floor with a pillow and cover him with a towel to get him to his cage.  even then, he was trying to bite through the towel.  his wings aren't clipped, because i can't even get him out of his cage without biting me.  are his wings causing him to be aggressive?  ten years ago, i had read an article that said to snap them on the beak if they try to bite, which now everyone says is the worst thing to do.  have i made him worse?  i love my bird and it makes me sad that he hates me so much.  i have even been considering having him put to sleep.  i don't know what to do, but i can't think of giving him away to someone and having him hurt them.  he bit my mother an inch below her eye before!  i am also afraid that someone else would be mean to him and mistreat him.... HELP!

Answer
Hi,

It does sound like you've received a lot of misinformation. It is not uncommon for birds to bite the hand/arm they are perched on. And as you have now come to realize- "snapping" a bird on the beak when they bite will not discourage them from biting in the future.

Since your bird has such extreme aggression, I would recommend consulting a parrot behavioralist. You can find one at these websites:

www.companionparrot.com

http://www3.upatsix.com/liz/consultation.html

www.kimbear.com

http://www.parrothouse.com/ask-the-experts.html


Here are some articles about aggression and biting in parrots that are available for free online:

http://www.parrothouse.com/jdoss1.html

http://www.parrothouse.com/jdoss.html#Articles%20by%20Joanie%20Doss

http://www3.upatsix.com/liz/articles/territory.html

http://www.parrothouse.com/sf3.html

http://www3.upatsix.com/liz/articles/biting.html

I would also recommend "The Beak Book" (all about aggressive behavior in parrots) by Sally Blanchard. It can be purchased for $20 or $25 I think on www.amazon.com or www.companionparrot.com.

I would also recommend toweling your amazon and getting him to a vet to get his wings trimmed (so that he cannot fly to attack anyone).

If you cannot seem to correct or manage this behavior (remember- if it took two years to develope, it might take just as long to correct... or longer)  However, there are rescue groups and sanctuaries that might be able to take your amamzon in. You can find a rescue group near you at these websites:

http://www.birdadoption.org/groups.htm

http://www.avianrescue.org/sanctuary_map.html

http://www.cockatielrescue.org/rescue.phtml

Some of the big sanctuaries that I know of for parrots are:

http://www.the-oasis.org/

http://www.maars.org

http://www.fosterparrots.com

I hope this helps. And good luck with your amazon.

-Maggie