Double Yellows need a set of rules when they are growing up or they quickly take control. No shouldering, no playing on top of their cages, and they should be stick trained as well as arm trained. This bird is probably a bit hormonal and began biting when she started setting up nesting areas. Without proper handling, this type of problem has turned into behavioral biting as well.

To see if she is still doing hormonal biting, cut back on the amount of light she is receiving and at night lower the temperature in the room she is kept. If after a week she is still biting, it means she is now doing behavioral biting. That means she realizes that she has power in that beak and when she can't get her way or things don't quite suit her, she will bite.

<<Obviously she is jealous of the macaw and will attack if she's seen me giving it attention.>>

Jealousy is part of hormonal behavior so part of her biting could be hormonal. Do not allow her to play behind furniture, in paper boxes or anything that she may look to her like a nesting area.

<<I've scratched her head , had her walk away and then come back to take a chunk out of some treasured part of my body.>>

The swing of her moods indicates hormonal biting. In males, the most vicious attacks on humans are almost always hormonally based.

<<Other times she is a total cuddle bug. I certainly would appreciate some  advice or be pointed in a direction where I can find some answers. > > 

 You can win any Amazon's heart through giving them treats. Amazons place a high value on food. It is also a good motivator to training them.

Since she is a rescue, it will probably take several years to get her back to pet quality again. Since she can't be trusted at the moment, watch her like a hawk for biting. Amazons always warn before they bite. It might be something as subtle as just bringing the feathers near the beak forward, but it will be there a few seconds before the bite. Each bird is a little different so you have to study her carefully before she bites so you know her warning signals. You want to avoid getting bit as every time she bites makes this a harder habit to break.

Joanie Doss / The Amazing Amazons

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Amazons have places to go and things to do. It is hard for them to sit still. That is why you hold them for only a short time and then put them up. As they get older you increase the holding time. It is best to always put them up before they start nipping and squirming. My BFA Kodiak as a 10 year old is just now starting to want to sit still for a while.

Joanie Doss / The Amazing Amazons

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• Is she inside or on top of the outside of her cage? 
• How far out are her wings? 
• Is it a routine type thing or has it just started? 
• Does she have her eyes open or shut when she is grasping the bars with her beak? 
• Where does she put her legs? 
• Does she list to one side.....the same side every time she does this?
• Are her jaws clenched tight on the bar or are they relaxed?

The slight difference in answers to these questions can make a lot of difference in what is going on here.

Joanie she is on top of the cage, wings fully extended. This is a first time but she was not let out of her cage much with the previous owner. She was in a room with 27 dogs...yup, 27. This baby never even had a name. Her eyes are open and her beak is between two bars. Legs are under her...kind of of like a squatting position. She is not listing to the side at all and it is like she is laying on top of the cage but legs are under her.

There are three things that have similar stance except for some the questions that I asked. They are fear, curiosity and pain.

She is showing a stress/fear stance. She will bite if she feels cornered or threatened. She needs to realize that she is now in a safe environment. She probably is waiting for some of the 27 dogs to come bounding into the room! Wild-captured birds do a similar stance and hang this way from the sides and tops of the inside of their cages when freshly captured and shipped.

The best thing to do is ignore her. Who ever is in the room with her should watch TV or read. Over a period of weeks they should move closer and closer to her and still ignore her so she can see they are not going to grab her. Even walking up to her she probably has that fear. Avoid eye contact. Do not stare at her for any period of time. Especially do not look at her and walk slowly up to her as that would be the body language of a predator stalking. When you walk up to her cage, look at the floor or some other place rather than at the cage. Just don't walk into the cage because you are looking somewhere else! <grin>

Joanie Doss / The Amazing Amazons

All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form or by any means, without permission from the author.