OutlawedSpirit
New member
- Apr 12, 2016
- 1,020
- 21
- Parrots
- Bo - DYH ~ Gus - CAG ~ Twitch - Linnie ~ Apple - Pineapple GCC ~ Goliath - Quaker ~ Squish - Peach face Lovebird
So, I have a new foster, my first ever amazon. I must say I'm already smitten and can already tell it is going to be harder than usual to say good-bye to him when he's ready to move on.
Willie is a little over 20 year-old, blue front. He lived with his family, a husband and wife, since he was a baby. A few years ago the husband, who was Willie's person, passed away. Since then, Willie and his "sister", and blue and gold macaw name Ringo, have lived with just the wife. She is getting older and is finding it harder to get around, and has not really been able to handle the birds in a couple years due to her declining health. She still opened their cages every day, but we don't think she had the physical strength to hold the macaw anymore, and didn't have the emotional strength to hold the amazon after her husband passed away.
The two birds were in need of some major grooming when they came to us, and some upgrades to their cages and accessories. They needed some new perches, new toys, and a diet change. However, I do not think that they were neglected. I think the perches, diet, and stuff was merely a result of ignorance and old school thought. They are on a typical seed diet that was thought to be okay 20 years ago. Although they are familiar with eating fresh foods, so it wasn't completely horrible. The grooming issue was a result of the wife's failing health I believe. Like I said, I don't think she had the strength to really handle the big birds anymore, let alone try to get them into travel cages and get them to a vet in the past few years to have their nails and stuff done like they should have been. I do not doubt that she loved them. When they were picked up from her house, many tears where shed, but she said she knew it was the best for them.
Anyway, most of the immediate issues, such as having them seen by a vet, adding variety to their perches, etc have been addressed. The main problem with the amazon is that he is severely underweight. So far, everything the vet has checked for has come back okay, so he doesn't seem to be suffering from any major illness or disease.
I have found that he is not a big eater, however. From what I have seen everyone say about amazons, that is really unusual. He will nibble throughout the day, but he just doesn't seem very interested in food. I've tried offering him high quality seed. I went and bought crap seed (even though it killed me to even buy the stuff with the intention of feeding it to a bird), just because I figure that is probably along the lines of what he is used to being fed. I just ordered some in-between seed that should be here in a couple days. It seems to be a good quality seed, but it is full of sunflower seeds so it's not the best, but I'm hoping it will be more tempting than a mix without them. I've offered him pellets which he will not touch at all yet. I've given him chop which he will pick at a little. He likes grapes. I've done some other various veggies in bigger pieces like bell pepper, with various success. Success being used very loosely.
I've tried feeding him in his bowl. I've tried offering him everything by hand in his cage. I've tried letting him eat while holding him. I've tried eating with him. I've tried feeding him while he is on my shoulder. I just have not found any place or anything that he seems really enthusiastic about eating. He needs to put weight on, but I can't get him to do that if he won't eat more than a few bites here and there throughout the day, definitely not as much as a bird his size should be. Anyone have any suggestions.
Willie is a little over 20 year-old, blue front. He lived with his family, a husband and wife, since he was a baby. A few years ago the husband, who was Willie's person, passed away. Since then, Willie and his "sister", and blue and gold macaw name Ringo, have lived with just the wife. She is getting older and is finding it harder to get around, and has not really been able to handle the birds in a couple years due to her declining health. She still opened their cages every day, but we don't think she had the physical strength to hold the macaw anymore, and didn't have the emotional strength to hold the amazon after her husband passed away.
The two birds were in need of some major grooming when they came to us, and some upgrades to their cages and accessories. They needed some new perches, new toys, and a diet change. However, I do not think that they were neglected. I think the perches, diet, and stuff was merely a result of ignorance and old school thought. They are on a typical seed diet that was thought to be okay 20 years ago. Although they are familiar with eating fresh foods, so it wasn't completely horrible. The grooming issue was a result of the wife's failing health I believe. Like I said, I don't think she had the strength to really handle the big birds anymore, let alone try to get them into travel cages and get them to a vet in the past few years to have their nails and stuff done like they should have been. I do not doubt that she loved them. When they were picked up from her house, many tears where shed, but she said she knew it was the best for them.
Anyway, most of the immediate issues, such as having them seen by a vet, adding variety to their perches, etc have been addressed. The main problem with the amazon is that he is severely underweight. So far, everything the vet has checked for has come back okay, so he doesn't seem to be suffering from any major illness or disease.
I have found that he is not a big eater, however. From what I have seen everyone say about amazons, that is really unusual. He will nibble throughout the day, but he just doesn't seem very interested in food. I've tried offering him high quality seed. I went and bought crap seed (even though it killed me to even buy the stuff with the intention of feeding it to a bird), just because I figure that is probably along the lines of what he is used to being fed. I just ordered some in-between seed that should be here in a couple days. It seems to be a good quality seed, but it is full of sunflower seeds so it's not the best, but I'm hoping it will be more tempting than a mix without them. I've offered him pellets which he will not touch at all yet. I've given him chop which he will pick at a little. He likes grapes. I've done some other various veggies in bigger pieces like bell pepper, with various success. Success being used very loosely.
I've tried feeding him in his bowl. I've tried offering him everything by hand in his cage. I've tried letting him eat while holding him. I've tried eating with him. I've tried feeding him while he is on my shoulder. I just have not found any place or anything that he seems really enthusiastic about eating. He needs to put weight on, but I can't get him to do that if he won't eat more than a few bites here and there throughout the day, definitely not as much as a bird his size should be. Anyone have any suggestions.