Do Amazons like headscratches?

Hello,

I've recently brought home my 6 month old female Yellow winged Blue Front Amazon, or well, 2 months ago. And she is adorable so far! She is not handreared, her parents reared her as i've heard many bad things about mature handreared amazon behaviour.

That aside, I got her to step on my hand already after the third day of being introduced to my home. She behaved very well & was very co-operative. I'm now into my second month with her and have taught her lots of important stuff and some tricks. She is already getting used to the aviator harness. And it's going really good.

But one thing I'm wondering is, are they cuddly? Do they typically like headscratches? I know they arent as cuddly as macaws or cockatoos, but i've heard that they love headscratches, well.. Mine doesn't seem to like it when I put my hand behind her head as she responds by evading/getting away from the finger. So I'm not going to force it till she accepts it, but how? She is not afraid of my hand/fingers at the same time, and she trusts me because she always flies to me for safety when she sees another bird or something outside the window or when/if she gets suddenly scared. She has bonded to me very closely, but is perfectly fine with everyone i've let hold her.

My question is, Will she ever be a cuddly parrot? or is that up to her? and will it take time and more trust for her to allow it? Or maybe she's too young atm? Let me know of your thoughts as I'm very interested in this. I'd hightly appreciate an informative and straight forward answer.

Thank you! :32:

I've got two. I lost a third to a tumor. I've fostered 8.

The only one who wouldn't accept head scratches were the foster DYH who was not at all tame or friendly when we got him, and my little 42 year old lilac crowned amazon, who is otherwise very sweet...

All the others would, BUT not all the time. Sometimes they will tell you no, and that IS NOT A HINT! They tend to be opinionated in these matters. Don't force the issue.

My BFA was the biggest cuddlebug I ever owned... even out cuddling my super bonded greenwing... My red lored and my nape is/are not far from that...

Birdman666 said:

I've got two. I lost a third to a tumor. I've fostered 8.

The only one who wouldn't accept head scratches were the foster DYH who was not at all tame or friendly when we got him, and my little 42 year old lilac crowned amazon, who is otherwise very sweet...

All the others would, BUT not all the time. Sometimes they will tell you no, and that IS NOT A HINT! They tend to be opinionated in these matters. Don't force the issue.

My BFA was the biggest cuddlebug I ever owned... even out cuddling my super bonded greenwing... My red lored and my nape is/are not far from that...

Click to expand...

Sad to hear about your loss.

It's wonderful how parrots can differ from bird to bird in terms of personality. As I mentioned I've only had her for 2 months now. I had an OWA who wanted headscratches like almost everytime, and was a cuddlebug, but was not as tame as my BFA, not even near it. But at least she allowed me to scratch all over her head and really enjoyed it.

Do you think this will come in due time, or is it just something that she will let me know off by her self? So far she seems pretty comfortable scratching her self with her foot and not allowing me to. At the same time she doens't seem to like it when I put my hand behind her, not on her but behind her neck sort off. She evades it, even though she lets me touch her on her chins & forehead. But she doesn't seem to enjoy or care about it. Maybe she's too young to understand?

Thank you for the super fast response though.

My BFA is a very sweet and tame bird (or as sweet/tame as a mature male can be), but he does not like head scratches or really being touched on the body at all. He is interactive, but not a cuddler. Every bird is a unique individual of course and while some amazons are, they are not known for being an exceptionally 'cuddly' species in general. Smaller zons (which your OWA would be) are known for being a little more accepting of it, but the hot 3 zons (BFA, YNA, DYH) are hit and miss at best on which one will want you to pet them.

Kiwibird said:

My BFA is a very sweet and tame bird (or as sweet/tame as a mature male can be), but he does not like head scratches or really being touched on the body at all. He is interactive, but not a cuddler. Every bird is a unique individual of course and while some amazons are, they are not known for being an exceptionally 'cuddly' species in general. Smaller zons (which your OWA would be) are known for being a little more accepting of it, but the hot 3 zons (BFA, YNA, DYH) are hit and miss at best on which one will want you to pet them.

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Great answer! That's what I was thinking actually, but you proved it to me now. I have some Pictures of Kiki on my gallery that you can watch. From day 1 till now. I find it funny though that my OWA which is also a female, is bigger in size than my Blue front amazon female and has a slightly bigger beak and eyes. Isn't that weird? I probably got me a midget blue front LOL. Well I can only hope for her to let me scratch her some day. But i'll be perfectly fine even if she doesn't. She's still Amazingly cute and lovely!

Snabb133 said:

Great answer! That's what I was thinking actually, but you proved it to me now. I have some Pictures of Kiki on my gallery that you can watch. From day 1 till now. I find it funny though that my OWA which is also a female, is bigger in size than my Blue front amazon female and has a slightly bigger beak and eyes. Isn't that weird? I probably got me a midget blue front LOL. Well I can only hope for her to let me scratch her some day. But i'll be perfectly fine even if she doesn't. She's still Amazingly cute and lovely!

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There are actually 2 recognized subspecies of the blue front amazon. The Aestiva xanthopteryx, (like my big boy) which are more common in the pet trade. There is also the smaller Aestiva aestiva, which are less common in the pet trade, but still out there. There are also hybrids between the 2, showing characteristics of both subspecies. Your Kiki looks like she may be a hybrid to me showing the colorations of the AX with the size and temperament of the AA. And it really doesn't matter, as she is a beautiful girl and I'm sure will be loved and give you no problems with proper care/socialization. You have the EXACT right attitude not to expect her to be cuddly and if she turns out to be, all the better

More info on blue front subspecies:
Blue Front Amazons
The picture showing both subspecies sitting side by side illustrates the very apparent difference in size and coloration. The hybrid babies of the pair on this page look spot on with your Kiki.

My OWA adores head scratches and will accept them from almost anyone. Our DYH, though, will generally ONLY accept them from our partner, who is his favorite person. Everyone else is just OK.

My OWA LOVES head and neck scratches from me, I could pet/scratch her head all day! My Mom is the only other person she will allow to touch her though, and ONLY if she is on my shoulder. If she is in or on her cage or play stand I am the only one who can touch her.

Kiwibird said:

Snabb133 said:

Great answer! That's what I was thinking actually, but you proved it to me now. I have some Pictures of Kiki on my gallery that you can watch. From day 1 till now. I find it funny though that my OWA which is also a female, is bigger in size than my Blue front amazon female and has a slightly bigger beak and eyes. Isn't that weird? I probably got me a midget blue front LOL. Well I can only hope for her to let me scratch her some day. But i'll be perfectly fine even if she doesn't. She's still Amazingly cute and lovely!

Click to expand...

There are actually 2 recognized subspecies of the blue front amazon. The Aestiva xanthopteryx, (like my big boy) which are more common in the pet trade. There is also the smaller Aestiva aestiva, which are less common in the pet trade, but still out there. There are also hybrids between the 2, showing characteristics of both subspecies. Your Kiki looks like she may be a hybrid to me showing the colorations of the AX with the size and temperament of the AA. And it really doesn't matter, as she is a beautiful girl and I'm sure will be loved and give you no problems with proper care/socialization. You have the EXACT right attitude not to expect her to be cuddly and if she turns out to be, all the better

More info on blue front subspecies:
Blue Front Amazons
The picture showing both subspecies sitting side by side illustrates the very apparent difference in size and coloration. The hybrid babies of the pair on this page look spot on with your Kiki.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the great answer and info! I really appreciate it. So, my Xanthopteryx is/may be a hybrid you say? Why do I feel so lucky now? haha, are the any downsides to that? Because the breeder that I got her from told me it was a Xanthopteryx, is also says that on the DNA certificate. But I'm not sure now what she really is. It's REALLY interesting now! Can you tell me more and maybe provide me some more proof/links/comparisons maybe? :32: Thanks once again. I love kiki so much. And I'm a man, which is weird I think but i've always loved/owned parrots since I was 4 years old. BTW I added more pictures of Kiki in my gallery if you want to see more. And your Xantho looks BIG and beautiful too!

I have an alexandrine, a species that is notorious for hating petting. It took me two years to get him go enjoy it. My technique was to have food out with my hand over it, so he would have to place his head under my head to get at it. He also did enjoy me petting him withwithnose/feet, so when I would do that I would sneak my hand in sometimes. Finally, my bird is obsessive with my phone, to the point where he didn't care what I did to him so long as he got to chew on it. I would pet him while he destroyed my phone. It was a was a worthwhile trade off for me.

Snabb133 said:

Thank you for the great answer and info! I really appreciate it. So, my Xanthopteryx is/may be a hybrid you say? Why do I feel so lucky now? haha, are the any downsides to that? Because the breeder that I got her from told me it was a Xanthopteryx, is also says that on the DNA certificate. But I'm not sure now what she really is. It's REALLY interesting now! Can you tell me more and maybe provide me some more proof/links/comparisons maybe? :32: Thanks once again. I love kiki so much. And I'm a man, which is weird I think but i've always loved/owned parrots since I was 4 years old. BTW I added more pictures of Kiki in my gallery if you want to see more. And your Xantho looks BIG and beautiful too!

Click to expand...

I hope our resident zon expert henpecked chimes in here, but the blue under her chin, that petite little beak and smaller size makes me think she is a mix. I don't think there's a 'pedigree' on these guys like you'd get with a dog. Captive bred genetic lines are no more than a couple generations out of the wild, and the subspecies do 'mingle' in nature

We adopted Kiwi so we don't even know for sure how old he and very little about his past, but he is a BIG boy!

Kiwibird said:

Snabb133 said:

Thank you for the great answer and info! I really appreciate it. So, my Xanthopteryx is/may be a hybrid you say? Why do I feel so lucky now? haha, are the any downsides to that? Because the breeder that I got her from told me it was a Xanthopteryx, is also says that on the DNA certificate. But I'm not sure now what she really is. It's REALLY interesting now! Can you tell me more and maybe provide me some more proof/links/comparisons maybe? :32: Thanks once again. I love kiki so much. And I'm a man, which is weird I think but i've always loved/owned parrots since I was 4 years old. BTW I added more pictures of Kiki in my gallery if you want to see more. And your Xantho looks BIG and beautiful too!

Click to expand...

I hope our resident zon expert henpecked chimes in here, but the blue under her chin, that petite little beak and smaller size makes me think she is a mix. I don't think there's a 'pedigree' on these guys like you'd get with a dog. Captive bred genetic lines are no more than a couple generations out of the wild, and the subspecies do 'mingle' in nature

We adopted Kiwi so we don't even know for sure how old he and very little about his past, but he is a BIG boy!

Click to expand...

Im sorry for the late response, I didn't notice that there was a second page so I was waiting forever for your comment in vain LOL. But yeah, It would be great if I could know for sure what she is because it's extremely interesting now that i'm on the track to find out if she is a pure Xantho, or a mix between the blue front and the Xantho or other the way around. So that Zon Expert would be extremely helpful now. And I'm sorry if i'm too picky, but I just have the tendency to ''NEED'' to know what everything really is. Especially things that I really love, such as Kiki. :32: The blue under her chin does make one wonder though.. hmm.

Take a look at this picture here: http://www.petbirdbreeds.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Blue-Fronted-Amazon-Parrot-Small-Family.jpg, The size difference between these three Blue Fronts is huge!