Is your Yellow-Crowned Amazon Parrot giving you the bum’s rush? Screaming, feather plucking, and biting are driving you from your home? Before you pull your own hair out or give your lovely parrot away, consider checking out our training package or trying these 5 quick fixes:
1. Diet is key
Ever seen the movie Super Size Me? In that documentary, Morgan Spurlock ate McDonald’s for 30 days, and boy did he get cranky and sick. A diet of seeds and nuts is like Mcdonald’s for your bird. Get your Yellow Fronted Amazon Parrot onto a better, more varied, diet.
This will help his mood and aggression. I recommend, as do many avian veterinarians, an organic pellet-based diet. Make sure your Yellow-crowned Amazon parrot gets plenty of fresh fruits and veggies and don’t forget the fiber – bean mixes are a great way to make sure your bird is getting the fiber, minerals, and protein that your parrot needs.
2. Sleep is vital
Make sure that your Yellow Fronted Amazon Parrot gets 10-12 hours of sleep during the night. This must be uninterrupted sleep in a dark room. This especially helps during the spring and summertime because it curbs the seasonal mating issues that often arise. This means that if you have to relocate your bird at night to a sleeping cage or a quieter room, take those steps.
3. Control your reaction to his behavior
When Yellow Fronted Amazon Parrots become sexually mature, they will automatically start exhibiting some bad behavior. Don’t allow your bird’s behavior to alter yours.
For example, if your parrot is feeling particularly hormonal and decides that he doesn’t want to step up or to have you pet his head. He may lunge at you and look like he’s going to bite. Instinctively you retract your hand and change your mind about interacting with him. This is of course a normal reaction but it causes a problem. You’re training your Amazon Parrot to think that anytime he doesn’t feel like interacting, he can lunge or bite and his problems are solved. Unfortunately, this can escalate to more aggressive and more frequent behaviors.
Instead, when your bird gets cranky and aggressive you must stand your ground. When your bird lunges for your hand, you can turn the back of your hand so your bird can only bite the back of your hand. This throws him off and he may end up only bumping into it. He may nip but it won’t hurt very much.
You’ll likely find that he just wanted to scare you and doesn’t really want to hurt you. When you’re not scared, he doesn’t get the reaction he wants and he’ll end the behavior.
4. Be aware of how your Yellow Fronted Amazon Parrot’s environment affects his behavior
Sometimes very unexpected and strange things can set off your bird to behave badly. Some birds respond unfavorably to particular colors like red. New furniture or additions to your home can throw some parrots for a loop.
If your bird begins exhibiting unusual or unfavorable behaviors, you need to think back and determine what has possibly changed in his environment. New people, new pets, new cage location, just about anything can be a trigger. Pay attention to your bird’s environment. He will like some rooms and locations better than others. Experiment with location to find the best situation for your bird.
5. Take time to trick-train your bird
Simple cues like step up or step down are the beginning of a long and happy relationship. Through trick training and positive reinforcement, you shape your bird’s behavior. You guide him to figure out the rules of your home while at the same time, you strengthen your bond. Your Yellow Fronted Amazon Parrot will trust you, want to follow your rules, and will want to trick train with you because he loves you. Your yellow front will stop screaming, pulling his feathers out and he will stop biting.