no petting permitted

[corralup]

:( Hi Bird Lovers! I just purchased a Red Lored Amazon. I have had her for two days now and she still will not let me touch her. She is finger trained and she is getting better about biting. The first day my fingers were bleeding now she barely bites hard. I tell her no and she listens pretty good. she is around 5 years old (I was told). She let me touch her face this morning for half a second. That was the first time in two days. Is there such a thing as no petting allowed? I'm thinking it will take a while yet. And can I feed her too much sunflower seeds? And what about Peanuts? She really likes both and I know too much of anything is not good? I know Parsley, Avocados, and
black sunflower seeds are bad.
This is my first big bird. I have a cockatiel (5 years). I will appreciate any advice anyone can give me. Oh, yes can someone help me name her?
Thanks, Sandy... :o

[Love Bird B]

Hi Sandy,

It sounds like your new family member is progressing nicely if she's getting better about everything, like biting, so quickly! I'm afraid that I would probably call her Lori until another name seems better.

Sunflower seeds are not high on the nutrition counter but I still give a few to my tiel who loves them. Fruits and veggies are always good. Try banana, grapes, and shredded carrots. There will be tons of other suggestions. This place is a regular treasure trove of info! Glad you're here.

[peteybird]

I think your amazon may be testing it's limits with you. And since you've only had her two days she is still adjusting to her new environment so she may not be completely trusting of you yet. It takes a while sometimes. I'm sure she'll warm up to you and realize she likes head scritches :)

I'd give sunflower seeds and peanuts as treats. My birds all get peanuts as treats but not part of their daily diet. I hope that helps at least a little.

[krazy4birds]

Sandy.....I would say it will take time for her to get adjusted especially sinse she is 5. Was she from a pet store or what? The adjusting time will depend heavily on her past experiences if they were not pleasant it will take longer than normal for her to trust completely. I have a Timneh grey who is 9 and I got him last Sept. and he still has days he acts like he has to be on his "gaurd" Try not to push yourself on him....work slow ... you have a long time to bond so try to be patient and things will eventually go in your favor. I give my grey 1 peanut a day in the shell...unsalted. That is his treat that goes in his food dish for being a good boy while I cleaned his cage etc....In the beginning that was the only way I could get him out of his cage. Now he is very eager because he knows that peanut will be there when I'm done. There is tons of advice but the bottom line is love and patience.....Oh...and welcome to petlovers!!!!!! Good luck!

[Kaye]

Just thought I'd say congrats on getting your new bird. Also, since she's an Amazon, watch her eyes and her tail. An over excited/territorial Amazon usually pins it's eyes and flares it's tail, and if you try to pick it up or pet it when it's doing this it could lead to a nasty bite!
Be sure to offer fresh foods. Fruits, veggies, cooked foods.. there's one book called Gourmet Bird Food Recipes (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1558672591/qid=1086660029/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-5554203-9718521?v=glance&s=books) that has a lot of good food you can make for it. Fresh food is necessary for good health. Amazons are usually not to picky about food.. but there are some exceptions. If she doesn't want to eat any, just try offering it with your fingers (once she gets more used to you) or just keep offering it in the dish everyday until hse figures out it's food.
Petting could come along VERY slow. We got an Eclectus about a month ago, and she still doesn't let us pet her very much. She'll let us kiss her and everything but no petting! Petting takes a great amount of trust. A parrot really has to trust humans.. has to trust YOU.. to offer it's neck for petting! Don't try to rush it. Maybe just let her relax and ask her if you can pet her, and move your hand towards her back. If it backs away or her eyes pin or something.. take it as a hint to not try to pet her. Eventually she will probably allow you to pet her, but just respect her boundaries for now. For the first few days/week birds can be extremely nervous in a new environment and should be left alone to get used to their new surroundings, so try not to "bother" it too much. It's good to still try to get her out and everything, but if she absolutely refuses I'd just let her stay in her cage for awhile.
Our new baby, who we've had over a month now, like I said, is STILL a bit nervous around us. She didn't really step up and out of her cage until about 2 and a half weeks after we brought her home, so don't expect everything to go real fast like 'tiels might.

Anyway, I've rambled enough. I would recommend getting a few books on larger parrots/amazons for sure. Most of all have fun and don't hesitate to ask if you have anymore questions!

[corralup]

Kaye, thank you for sharing your photos with me..I think they are beautiful. I like the
eclectus. I don't know about that bird species, but I would think they are kinda rare?
My red lored let me touch her head this morning. She finally closed her eyes. I was so happy to be accepted. She is coming along very quickly. Faster than I thought.
I took off work yesterday just to spend time with her. Pretty bad huh...