New Green Cheeked Amazon owner

[tinks599]

Hi! I'm Julie. I am a new owner of a Green Cheeked Amazon.

I have owned birds before though it has been a couple of years since I last had a bird. A friend of mine needed to thin down the flock he had at his home because he just had too many dogs, cats and birds. He has some health problems and he is slowly finding homes for several of the pets he has taken in over the years.

He had a Green Cheeked Amazon who was not getting enough attention. I suspect it is because this bird is so laid back and sweet.

While having a parrot is not unfamiliar to me, this breed is new to me. I had a Quaker in the past and grew up with family who had larger birds.

When I went to pick him up, I did realize he is obese like nothing I have ever seen before! He seems pretty laid back and not too stressed, but we have been letting him take things at his own pace because I am concerned about the upheaval and about his weight. He cannot fly, and he can barely get himself out of his cage. I am going to call my vet for an appointment to make sure we know what we have in store for us. We have four people in the house who are familiar with parrots and enjoy having the, so he'll get all the attention he could wish for, but I hope the process of acclimating him to our house is not too much given his severe obesity and debility. If anyone has insight or questions I need to gather for my vet, please let me know. I will greatly appreciate it.

 

[MonicaMc]

You should probably get a blood panel done to check liver and kidney functions, vitamin and cholesterol levels.

Also, discuss a diet plan with the a-vet and encourage him to start flying!


If your new zon eats seeds, you'll probably want to switch him to a pellet and fresh food diet... or perhaps feed sprouted seeds instead of dry seeds!


And welcome to the forum!!!

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

Hi. Great to hear u brought him to a home where he will be loved and get attention.

How old is he?

If u have a safe area, u can get him used to playing and walking around on floor. Get a fun rolling toy or a few
, balls, dowels, etc. maybe u can get him to "work out" daily lik that.
Pritti will stay on the floor for hours with lots of toys. He climbs back up when ready, if it before i pick him up. If he is there for long time, dont forget to leave some water and a bit of pellets, a cloth of some kind like old tshirt. Just make sure it is a safe floor area from vig feet and wires etc.

 

[tinks599]

You should probably get a blood panel done to check liver and kidney functions, vitamin and cholesterol levels.

Also, discuss a diet plan with the a-vet and encourage him to start flying!


If your new zon eats seeds, you'll probably want to switch him to a pellet and fresh food diet... or perhaps feed sprouted seeds instead of dry seeds!


And welcome to the forum!!!

I do plan to do that. He was on a seed/pellet diet. They said he ate vegetables and liked things like mac and cheese and chips. Right now I've tried a couple fresh veggies and he wasn't too interested, so I figure we'll just keep trying different ones until we find something he likes. Thanks!

 

[tinks599]

Hi. Great to hear u brought him to a home where he will be loved and get attention.

How old is he?

If u have a safe area, u can get him used to playing and walking around on floor. Get a fun rolling toy or a few
, balls, dowels, etc. maybe u can get him to "work out" daily lik that.
Pritti will stay on the floor for hours with lots of toys. He climbs back up when ready, if it before i pick him up. If he is there for long time, dont forget to leave some water and a bit of pellets, a cloth of some kind like old tshirt. Just make sure it is a safe floor area from vig feet and wires etc.

He is 8. They owned him since he was five months. He is a fully hand-raised bird and is amazingly sweet. I have always had experience with birds who had a mean or ornery streak so this is a real treat for me to have such a tame/docile bird.

I do have three dogs. He is used to dogs from his former home. My dogs are pretty laid back. Two are elderly and have been around birds before. The younger one is a bit more "curious" but she is obedience trained and eager to please, so she obeys me and is behaving appropriately around the bird (proper curiosity + avoidance, but not exhibiting her prey drive). I don't feel it is appropriate to leave him on the floor right now without direct supervision, but he is getting more exercise just by having the cage door open and being able to come out and play on top. I am going to get a couple new toys to regain his interest. I used a wash rag last night so he could play with it. He actually liked it.

 

[tinks599]

I need to give and get some perspective. This bird is nearly double what he should weigh. I found the weight should be around 270g. He weighs 548g. We are in for the long haul for safe weight loss. I suspect just the additional exercise he is getting should be sufficient, though I want to address any nutritional deficits.