New Blue Fronted Amazon

Hi,
We just got a blue fronted Amazon. It is 7 months old. We were told some people bought him and then gave him back 3 months later because they had to move. We then bought him from the seller. He had been at the sellers for a week or so. We put him in a travel case and brought him to Pennsylvania, a 3 hour trip. For days he wouldn't eat. If we held out food to him he would turn away. He wouldn't touch the food in his cups. Only if my wife fed him by putting food into her mouth would he eat. The seller told us that he had been hand fed (with a syringe) once a week up to 6 months, which I thought odd. He has been warming up and now eats, but he is very independent. He just plays by himself in his cage and is fairly quiet. The two Timneh African Greys I have had were very attentive and needy of attention. Whenever I left the room they would whistle and squawk. This amazon doesn't much care what I do, for the most part. I finally got him to let me pet him. It is normal for Amazon's to be more independent than other parrots? Maybe he was traumatized and is slow to warm up.

yes it's normal for amazons to be more independent than say a TAG. I'm sure he'll warm up to you in the near future. Welcome to the forum and good luck, of course ask questions if you have them. PS we love pictures/vids.

Dear Henpecked:

Thanks for the information. I also noticed that Lucky is molting, and I think his wings will now grow out (originally clipped). Are your birds unclipped? How often do they molt? Do you let them fly outside? How do you keep them from flying away?

Many congrats on your new addition!

If Lucky is clipped, he probably won't regrow all his flight feathers at once. It can take a few molts for them all to grow back.

My Amazons typically molt once a year, but they do lose a few feathers throughout the year.

Since Lucky is fairly young, perhaps you can introduce him to a flight harness, especially if you are planning on taking him outdoors.

And yes, Amazons can be VERY independent. Give Lucky some time, I'm confident he'll warm up to everyone. The MOST important thing is to socialize him. The more he sees, the more people handle him, the more situations he is exposed to - the better.

Hi, thanks Wendy. I have one other question. Ever since we bought Lucky, at about 6 months, he has drank a lot of water. We were told that his first owner still hand fed him with a syringe once a week, even at 6 months. Now he stands in front of the water cup for minutes at a time, almost as long as he stands in front of the food cup. His droppings are mostly liquid. Is this normal? Thanks so much for any response.

If his droppings are consistently watery, then I would most definitely have him checked out by an avian vet. Of course they will be watery if he drinks a whole bunch of water, or if he eats a whole lot of watery fruits/veggies, however, there should be a fair amount of solids in his waste, too.

If I understand you correctly, he was only weaned for a month before you brought him home, is this right?

Do you have a scale for him? I'd recommend monitoring his weight. Gram scales aren't expensive. You can get one online, or at Bed Bath & Beyond (plus other places).

Congrats! Lucky is beautiful! This forum has a lot of great people on it with wonderful advice. We would all love to see more pics!

Zons are the most independent and hardy of all of them...

Have you tried warm oatmeal on a spoon with the bird sitting on your lap?

Or mashed sweet potato (or any potato for that matter! Zon's favorite food!)

Sounds to me like this bird really just doesn't recognize food yet.

Zons that won't eat have never been a problem in my household...

Zons that won't stop eating is more par for the course.