What's Amazon personality?

I know he basics of Amazon personality, but I would love to know your own personal interaction and what you think of them. My boyfriend wants a double yellow headed Amazon so badly, I requested that he buys a female in hopes we won't have the same hormonal aggresiom(if any) as a male.

The bird will have a great life, we are going to train the bird extensively and also have plans to free fly the bird. I'd love to rescue a bird, but for what we have planned I feel a baby is vital, at least with a free flying bird.

Please let me know some experiences with your birds

W call our Amazon Bipolar Buddy at times. His name is Buddy but he earned the nickname from his antics. He is sweet and loves me. I get all his love but my Husband, forget it. Even when Husband tries to give him treats he isn't very nice. He is like this to varying degrees with different people. They are one person birds mainly, pair bond. I was very lucky when I got Buddy, he was 24 and had a great home but his owners passed. He took to me right away so we've been like peas and carrots. The only other person I've seen him like (he had hearts shooting out of his eyes) was my mother in law. But all are different.

There are many here that their amazons may act like a toddler and throw fits but have good relationships with other family members, some tolerate other members. If you can let the bird choose you.


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My DYH is cuddly and friendly with me. I can do anything to him. He tolerates hubby. He uses hubby as a taxi to get to me. Dislikes my boys both in their 20's. He actually tries to hunt them down in the house to tease them. He's a talker but only says a few things. I know he knows more because I've heard him practicing in his cage. Laughs alot.
I've had him for almost a year. He was given to me by a 84 year old. She and her husband had him since he was weaned. With that being said, I can tell he wasn't socialized very much. The first 12-13 years of his life. I've been working on getting him out and around more people.
Amazons tend to be a one person bird which mine definitely is. One thing for sure is I can't imagine my life without Happy. Our bond happened so quickly, my husband said it was clear we were supposed to be together. Made the 7 hr drive to get him all worth it.

I got my girl a year ago off craigslist. And I adore her. She is the best. She hasn't bit me, she is very quiet (relatively speaking), and lovely to live with. She's a great companion honestly. She doesn't have a huge vocabulary but what she does have she uses lol. She's even good with my GCC (they aren't allowed together but she's never so much as raised a feather against him).
I am hoping she doesn't decide to lay as that is the one thing that terrifies me. So she has no nest like areas. We will see.

Our male BFA is pretty friendly, strongly bonded, laid back and totally fearless. He comes all over with me. His hormonal issues aren't a huge issue anymore, as he's matured and calmed down a lot. He is not what anyone would call cuddly though and does not appreciate being petted. A lot of amazons don't. He does like giving you kisses and preening on you though. He was a rescue and was pretty mean when we got him, but we put in the time and effort (a LOT of time and effort) and he's really a good boy and I'd venture to say just about the "ideal" bird.

Oh my gosh! Are you seriously asking about a DHY???

I have a simple answer for you (and your BF): GO FOR IT - you won't regret it! :heart:

They are AWESOME, Ashley, they really, truly are!!! I will admit that hens will probably be easier than males (once maturity hits), but there will NEVER be a dull moment with an Amazon, I promise!

You will laugh until your belly aches.
You won't need a TV.
You will never regret it.
You will fall in love - HARD.

Need I say more? :54: Oh, not to mention....they are DROP DEAD GORGEOUS!

I love my Sammy endlessly, but his personality? He can be the suckiest, most loveable bird in the world one day, and a Pitbull with a hangover, on steroids, the next. It's NEVER boring!

We've had our BFA Gloria (30 years old) about 3 and a half months and she's been a delight. She does have her moods but she seems happy if we are near her. She has some vocabulary that she uses all the time and she doesn't bite--only an occasional nip if startled. She has not gotten our my hand or a stick yet. She seems unwilling to do that so we haven't pushed it yet. I do put my hands in the cage a lot so she is used to them and she loves taking food from them. It's a slow progress for us due to her age but I have really enjoyed interacting with her. She's definitely a part of our family.

We've had a DYH for 5 months now. If someone is willing to spend time with the bird everyday, is patient, can accept that the bird sets the rules of engagement, and doesn't mind the odd ill-tempered day, then DYHs are great.

Some days Monty is a clingy bird, and some days he is a bitey bird. But overall, he is great fun to be around and interact with.

Also, I hope your BF knows that a DYH could madly fall in love with you, and treat him like a sack of garbage. This is how Monty is with my wife and I, even though he was supposed to be her bird.

Our Salty is a mixed blessing. SOme days he wants to be scratched and sit quietly on my shoulder, some days all he want to do is to rip up my hands ( thats how Amazons play - they tear stuff up). And I am his person. My wife - she feeds him, changes papers, give him his fav treat ( peanut in the AM) and still spends time talking to him by his cage. She can not scratch him at all, but he does come to her and sit on her hand for awhile. Salty only talks to her. He occasionally talks to me , when we are doing trick training.

He has never biten biten ( like as in needing stitches or taken meat out) but he can leave a tiny blood mark or two when he is in overload mode.

But he is hysterical to watch and listen to. If he is not laughing, he is making the craziest sounds, or hanging by his toe on a toy or chain, or beating hell out of one of his bells. He is a part of our family now, and we wouldnt trade him for sacks of gold.
Well, maybe sacks of gold...

I have lived with both an OWA and a DYH. My OWA is unusually chill for an Amazon. Handleable by anyone, including little kids (he REALLY likes kids), pretty even-tempered 90% of the time. He does prefer me and is more affectionate and handle-able with me than with my boyfriend, but I think if my bf tried harder to win his affection he would probably respond. They both seem satisfied by the level of interaction they have with each other. That said, I still miss the DYH my ex and I had together, and I think about him (the DYH) often. He was much feistier, harder to handle, and tempermental, but so smart, so easily trainable and food motivated, such a good talker, and had so much personality. I love my sweet, mellow bird, and he's definitely the right bird for my household, but I miss the DYH all the time. If you can tolerate the highs and the lows, a DYH can be amazing.

Hey guys i got to ask , i got a red lored amazon and she is 9 years old and i got her 2 weeks ago . Ok well she tries to bite me all the time . I try to get her to step up even with food she tries to bite , pinning her eyes . I am not mean to her and even talking softly to her and not making fast movements around her. What am i doing wrong help!.

I recommend you make a separate post about this. This way your questions visibility will be elevated

Skinner36 said:

Hey guys i got to ask , i got a red lored amazon and she is 9 years old and i got her 2 weeks ago . Ok well she tries to bite me all the time . I try to get her to step up even with food she tries to bite , pinning her eyes . I am not mean to her and even talking softly to her and not making fast movements around her. What am i doing wrong help!.

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FIRST OF ALL, is this bird tame?!

Was this bird tame when you got her?

Is she cage bound?

How often did her prior owners handle her?

How bonded was she to her prior owners?

How well does she know you?

How well trained was she before you got her?

What is her body language when you approach her? Is it a territorial intrusion thing?

So many variables I can't begin to advise you without more details. And I agree, do your own post.... and read my amazon body language post.

Hot 3 reputations - overstated, but sometimes deserved. Depends on the bird, the training, and how territorial they are allowed to become.

The biggest issue with any amazon is to teach them to control their bite pressure, and not get them so wound up that they go into amazon overload mode...

The problem with a lot of zons is they don't get handled enough, and end up cage bound and territorial THEY WILL BITE, AND THEY WILL BE AGGRESSIVE AROUND THEIR TERRITORY DURING BREEDING SEASON.

If allowed to overbond, they will. Then they will bite anyone who is not "their person."

ALL PARROTS BECOME HORMONAL. Not just amazons. And ALL Amazons become hormonal, not just "hot 3" amazons.

And the only real issue with the hot 3's is that they have a LONGER breeding season, therefore the hormonal behaviors last longer than they do with some of the other species... it doesn't change their basic personalities.

That being said, all of mine are females. Males are more prone to territorial behaviors during breeding season because they establish and protect the nest. (That doesn't mean females DON'T or WON'T defend their nest, particularly if they are cage bound. "This is all I have in the world and I will defend it to the death." Cagebound zons can be fierce critters!!!) WHICH IS WHY YOU HAVE TO PICK THEM UP ONCE IN AWHILE...

My red lored zon was the sweetest amazon of the 3. But she also ran hot/cold.
she would turn on me in the middle of scratching/petting with no warning.
She took to me from the first time I was her in a pet shop.
Just keep working at it and don't force yourself on her.
maybe open the cage and let her climb out before trying to get her to step up.

My red lored amazon was taking fingers off and biting to MAIM when I got her...

She is the same bird that curled up into a ball with her head upside down and pressed against the side of my face for an extended head scratch two months later...

She not only WASN'T TAME... She was cage bound, and she had been abused by her former owner. She had to be taught to trust again. She had to be taught basic step up, no bite, allow touching.

It literally took five hours a day for two months to get her to interact safely with me. It took another two months before she would interact safely with everyone else. And I took a few bites from her...

She's now been with me for ?! I lost track... 16, 17, 18 - ish years...

BUT SOMETIMES THAT IS WHAT IT TAKES. You don't know what they've been through. Sometimes you just have to start over. This is how things work IN THIS PLACE bird. I don't hurt you. You don't hurt me. These are the rules. This is your new routine. This is your new home. You are safe here. You are well fed. You get regular baths. You have toys to play with. You're not locked up all the time. You feel better. Nobody is going to hurt you. This is what love feels like...

All living things respond to love and proper care. This isn't rocket science.

What i just found out is that the guy i got her from didnt pick her up much and he had her since she was 6 months old now she is 9 years old , but i let her out of her cage alot . She is out right now. Sitting on top of her cage door sleeping on one leg. She will not step up even with food. She only got held by the old owner for a very short period of time and only let her out very little . She was on a seed diet , that im changing to the medium size roudy bush diet is this ok.

skinner36 said:

what i just found out is that the guy i got her from didnt pick her up much and he had her since she was 6 months old now she is 9 years old , but i let her out of her cage alot . She is out right now. Sitting on top of her cage door sleeping on one leg. She will not step up even with food.

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she doesn't remember how to.

You have to go back to the very basics and start over.

Birds that do not get handled do not stay tame!!!

This bird is not tame.

Well i got her stepping up . I think she knew how just didnt want to , i dont think i have had her long enough for her to trust me fully. But i aint giving up .