My bird bites me and doesn't trust me. Is it too late to train her?

Heavy panting and moving away from your hand could indicate that your hand is stressing out Louis and he's afraid of it. While it is hard to say if it's "too late" or not, you can still try to gain his trust by offering a favorite treat every time you come by the cage, and then transitioning to offering it in your hand, while petting, etc, over time. If he becomes afraid or stressed at any of those steps, going back to the previous one where he was more comfortable is best for a bit until he is calm.

Winning the trust of a scared bird can be difficult. The book "A Guide to a Well Behaved Parrot" by Gary Gallerstein, is a great reference for behavioral training in birds. Continuing to offer treats by hand with slow, deliberate movements can help win trust. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out and including photos. Training birds can be difficult, especially as they reach sexual maturity. Continue with the training process and establish a dominance hierarchy with you primary. A book titled "A Guide to a Well Behaved Parrot" is a good start. Good luck.

The best thing to do is just spend time with your birds as much as you can. You can offer a treat every time you come by, or talk soothingly and quietly when you are around them to help them get used to you again. If you can't always be there paying attention to them, making sure they have other enrichment such as extra toys, a playpen, treats, etc can help with boredom.

It may be a simple preference. Some pets, birds included, have their favorites. You can try to gain her trust gradually, but be prepared for rejection. Start by simply sitting by the cage for ever increasing periods of time. Progress to placing you hand in the cage for ever increasing periods of time. Make no attempt to touch or hold her. End each session with a small reward or treat. Be patient and be consistent. If it makes you feel better, I have a parrot close to 30 years old that I have cared for since she was a chick. She will bite me any chance she gets. It's not just you.

It will take patience and consistency (and maybe some Band-Aids), but it is possible to train even an aggressive parrot. The key is to work with her for short periods of time, multiple times a day. You'll need to start from scratch and get her acclimated to having you around. Begin by simply sitting near her cage for ever increasing periods of time. Move slowly and speak softly. End each session with a small treat. Make no attempt to touch or pet her during this period of acclimation. Once she is accepting of you near the cage, place your hand in the cage for ever increasing periods of time. She may flutter, squawk and move to the far side of the cage at first. She may also bluff and feign attack. Again, make no attempt to touch or pet her. Reward her as she progresses. Eventually, you may be able to get her to allow you to pet her. Always approach with your hand from below eye level, not above her head which can be threatening. Offer treats from an open palm. Once she is taking food regularly, try the perch command, place two fingers out and gently press against her chest while saying "step up" or "perch". Reward her when she complies. Be patient and consistent.

Thanks for reaching out about Sky. Despite what many people may think, birds are not supposed to bite readily. They come to learn to bite when the other forms of their body language are not seen/listened to by others, including owners (and veterinarians!). I would recommend looking at Sky's body language and your actions in situations - both before she tries to bite and when she is trying to bite. You may see that Sky tries to move away, or leans away, prior to trying to bite. It may be that Sky has not had any good or non-frightening experiences with humans yet so she doesn't know how friendly you are trying to be. I would recommend moving very slowly, and using food items that Sky likes to eat to help start to form a bond with her. When you start to move towards Sky, and there are no signs of avoidance (see above), then she gets a treat that she really likes. If she shows any signs of avoidance, then you just move away - you leaving may be her reward, and that is okay because you haven't pushed her so much that she feels like she needs to be desperate enough to bite. For training, you may want to start by asking her to step up using a stick or wooden dowel instead of your finger. This will be more safe for you, and may be more comfortable for Sky initially as well. There are videos online that give training tips as well - I would recommend searching for positive reinforcement videos as these tend to be very successful for birds. I hope this gives you a place to start, and good luck with Sky!