Tell me about your amazon

Hello parronts!

So long story short I used to have a Grey. I always joked that if he were human he would be an old man who would wear a top hat and smoke a pipe that he would slowly puff on with an air of distinguishable intelligence. For a long time I thought it was just Woody, but then as I began to get to know other Grey owners it seem that their Greys were also similar in attitude!

I've decided to adopt another parrot - and I'm extremely torn between getting another grey, or getting an amazon. I've read that Amazons are very much "the clowns" of the medium sized birds. What do you guys think?

Had Rio BFA for less than a week and she is fantastic. She's our first parrot but so far so good, only just over 3 months old but training going brilliantly : )

I have a sweet 27 y/o male yellow nape who has been rehomed. He literally is a perch potatoe. He talks a lot and loves to sit on shoulders.

Amazons are AWESOME!!! I have a 14 year old YN hen, Hunter, who's been with me since she was a baby. EVERYONE in the family can do anything and everything with her at any given time. She sings, talks, dances....she NEVER screams.

Then there is my Sam, my 18 month old Magna DYH, who's been with me since he was 7 weeks. Now he "can" be a bit feisty with other family members, but again, I can do anything with him. He talks a WHOLE lot, sings, whistles, and is a HUGE clown. He really never sits still for every long. He loves his toys, loves playing on his back and is SO much fun.

Both my Amazons LOVE their food, too.

So yeah, I'm a wee bit partial to Amazons.

Aw Thanks for your responses guys! I enjoy reading about your babies!

I have my Yellow Shouldered Amazon Mango, I guess he is about six months old. He is very sweet and clownish. He is smaller than the other types which is kind of nice.

We adopted our Amazon a year ago from a rescue, he is 36.

He is funny, silly, loving, territorial.
He loves to fly, he loves to cuddle, he loves to play hard and chew, chew, chew!!!

Amazons love their food and are very loyal companions. They do keep you on your toes and make you laugh like crazy!

get another grey coz iv just tried adopting a BFA big mistake totally different to greys too hormonal aggressive and territorial and if if you thinks greys bite hard well nothing compared to an amazon im sticking with greys talk better and are more hands on and friendly.

My most bonded bird EVER was a 38 year old BFA... I Wouldn't get both feet in the door and she would launch from her cage or a play stand to my shoulder, sing to me, and do her little displays... exceptional talker, exceptionally funny bird, exceptionally sweet and cuddly.

I have had my red lored amazon for over a decade, and she is also as sweet as they come.... got her as a vet rescue. She was taken to the vet to be destroyed because she was a vicious biter... after two months of rehab she was fine with me, and another two month of training she was fine with anyone, and out and about trained...

I also have a 40 year old Lilac Crowned Amazon who is both sweet and shy. She was wild caught... and had been rehomed about five times before

I have fostered several DYH amazons that ranged from not handle-able during breeding season, to as cuddly as they come. Depends on the bird and how they were socialized, I think.

I have also fostered several Yellow Napes. Again they tend to be a bit moody during breeding season, but overall, they are fun birds...

The big thing with a zon is to understand their body language, and don't push them if they are warning you that enough is enough...

Zons can get themselves worked into a state when playing... and how do zons play with their toys? They ATTACK them! "My bird just suddenly and for no reason attacked me..."

Ummm.... yeah. Don't try to handle them if they are worked up into a state like that. Give it a few seconds to a few minutes and let them calm down first.

There can also be territorial issues during breeding season...

Obviously, I love these guys...

And macaws...

And conures....

And CAGS...

And pretty much most of them.

I have only been owned by my DYH for about 4 months, but i love her. She is such a clown, she talks and sings and dances...but i have never been able to pet her, hopefully that will come in time, or not, i guess my best advice is to just make sure your ok with that, i have heard stories from both ends of the spectrum, but I love my DYH and wouldn't trade her for the world

sorry but just to add to that i have an example of my DYH's normal behavior lol, she stays in my office mon-fri and comes home with me on the weekends, she loves to entertain everyone who walks through the door....anyways i have been trying to get her to come out of her cage and hang out with me all day, i tried once about every 30 min, she wouldn't have it and even lunged at me once (she has never actually bit me) about 15 min ago she started saying "step up" by time i got to her cage she was already lifting her foot for me lol

My Orange Winged Amazon is now in his 3rd home that I know of. Im sure there are more that I don't know of and not having a way to know his age makes that even more likely. But I cant get him to play. does that go away with their age? He seems happy. lets me hold him. rub his head. feeds from hand. but play is not in his character right now.
any ideas?

dreamin_sqaw said:

My Orange Winged Amazon is now in his 3rd home that I know of. Im sure there are more that I don't know of and not having a way to know his age makes that even more likely. But I cant get him to play. does that go away with their age? He seems happy. lets me hold him. rub his head. feeds from hand. but play is not in his character right now.
any ideas?

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Yours was cage bound. My red lored didn't play either when I got her.

As they get out of the cage, and exposed to more and more interaction with people and things, the natural "clown bird" comes out.

Then again, I have a 40 year old Lilac Crowned amazon that is content to hang out and eat, and eat, and eat...

Did anyone mention that Amazons are rather fond of food?!

I almost feel like my Bluefrnt [is the whole parrot package]. Im not sayning their easy but I wonder if Id gotten him first .If I would have wanted anymore birds [their amazing ]

Pinkbirdy said:

I almost feel like my Bluefrnt [is the whole parrot package]. Im not sayning their easy but I wonder if Id gotten him first .If I would have wanted anymore birds [their amazing ]

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My best bird EVER was a blue front, but I've also seen them be holy terrors as well. This is a socialization issue...

My family got George, a male YNA, when he was 2 and I was 12. We sort of grew up together. He is a one-man bird (my dad's, even though I was his primary care taker from the moment he came home), but he will step up for me if I really want him to. He knows all of our names and calls out to us - "Chuck!, Jaaaaaamiiiii, Hey Jim!" - he used to mock my brother and I fighting - diffused more than one tense situation, let me tell you! He's only cuddly with my dad, but you can tell he enjoys hanging out with the rest of us. He was crazy playful when he was younger - YES! ATTACKING his bells and ring toys - but then kind of mellowed. He has his playful moments, still, but not as often. I got him his first foraging toy a few months ago and he is completely uninterested - as my dad said, "he's been foraging in his food cup for 25 years..." Oh! He also learned how to unlatch his last cage so...smart smart...but learn the language because they are also fabulous at biting when they want to...