The first 72 hours....couple questions

[lmh]

Got my first good 'SMELL' of Oscar yesterday!! I had read about Amazons having a very particular odor to them...they were right...I cant describe what it smells like, but I loved it!! lol

He also showed his flying skills to me last night. He had been sooo quiet during the day, didn't talk, didn't want to come out of his cage, didn't really do anything....thought maybe he was alittle sad from being away from his previous owners....then evening approached and his overall attitude changed. He came out, he asked for a cracker, he let me pick him up easily. He also decided to fly for me. Oh dear! lol Everytime I picked him up and started to walk back to the cage he would take off and fly into another room. (the den, kitchen, dining room and living room all have connecting archways/doors so he can fly (we can walk) in a circle from room to room to room. He landed on the floor at one point and didnt want to 'step up', he kept squawking at me, running away (more like a waddle)and when I would put my hand toward him he would grab ahold of my hand/finger. He wouldnt bite, just held on to it and yelled at me. I ended up offering a perch to him and he stepped riight up. Then he flew straight to his cage.

He does not like fruit or veggies. I will keep up on offering them to him. This morning he took and ate part of a bisquit from me. He will take his tortilla, he calls it a cracker, and will munch on it, then bring it over to his water bowl and dip it, then eat more of it. Too cute! The veggies/fruit in his other bowl were just given the evil eye and he walked around and away from it. He seems interested if he sees me eating something - might invite him to the table tonight for dinner and give it a shot. He might take a carrot or manderine orange if he sees we are all eating them?

The previous owner is getting me the email address of his first owner (in New Zealand) so I can ask if he has something special he likes to eat, sing to, say, or do. I would like to 'bring back some memories', if possible, for Oscar to enjoy!! There might be a special food/fruit or something that he just looooves! (besides his crackers). lol

Can older birds learn new words? He isnt very vocal, which is fine, but the kids were asking if he will ever say their name or anything new and honestly I dont know the answer/what to tell them. Previous owner said he was a very quiet bird with a small, limited vocabulary. I havent been able to talk yet to his first owner of 28 years to see if he does know more or if he has always been quiet. I told the kids to find one song/verse they all can sing and sing it to him everyday - he just might repeat it!

He has not really played with any of the toys I hung in his cage. I saw him grab one of them with his foot but then let it go very soon after. He might jjust need more time or maybe he has never played with toys?

He is about 30, which some say is young, some say old. Do they 'slow down' with age?? Do they lose spunk as they get older and arent as clownish? It might just be his personality??

No matter - Oscar is amazing!!! We all love him very much!!

Lora

 

[Birdman666]

He is about 30, which some say is young, some say old. Do they 'slow down' with age?? Do they lose spunk as they get older and arent as clownish? It might just be his personality??

No matter - Oscar is amazing!!! We all love him very much!!

Lora

My 42 year old amazon perch potatoes part of the day, and is out running around the bird room the rest of the day.

They tend to have an established routine, and if that routine didn't involve a lot of human/bird interaction for the past 30 years, then that would explain it...

The more you interact with them, the more interactive they become, though they usually have an independent streak a mile wide...

New home opens the door for a new routine, and re-patterning with more interaction.

 

[jthorntonwillis]

About older birds learning new words...My Mack is 29 and it took him about 6 weeks to learn"whatever" and "who's your buddy?" So ,yes they will definitely learn new words/phrases!

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

Waiting for Zilla to say "yummy!" since I seem to say it to her a million kazillion times a day trying to get her to eat some of the foods she doesn't really care for so much.

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

Try eating things you want him to eat in front of him. Act like they are the yummiest of the yummy stuff and you are enjoying it so so much, refuse to give him any for a few minutes to make him really really want it bad, then try giving him some. It's worked with Zilla a few times. If he wants to eat off of your plate (spoon/fork) try that with some things you want him to try. I also make chops and mashes with lots of good stuff in them.

Lots of good recipe's in the "diet" section of the forum

 

[henpecked]

That's a lot of questions but i'll try an address some. Welcome to the forum and the amazon huffers club. That smell means they are happy to see you. I so hope you can keep him flighted and out about your house. They love to be involved in daily activities. he's just getting used to your home and is looking acceptance into a flock for security. Now's your big chance to make friends. The next phase might involve him looking to take charge , he;ll start to see if the "biggest" bird is ruling the flock. It's natural but he'll need a good confident,outgoing, and interactive leader. Most issues can be resolved by seeing the world though his eyes. They are very adaptable birds but need good socialization skills and outgoing leadership. Diet,,,, he needs about 50% or better fresh foods. Like veggies, some fruits , natural stuff. Seeds and human food should be in very small amounts. If getting him to eat fresh veggies means eating dinner with him,,,, then by all means. Loads of good info here about diet for amazons. The good thing is he's flighted, that helps for them to be active and burning fat , and energy. Great enrichment. Yes,,, older birds can learn new words but they're not big on it. They'd rather train you to their language. If needed they will learn new things in order the make themselves understood. They will use words they've learn early on and haven't used in many years. You might hear things that the last owner hasn't heard but the bird knew and never used. I will say older birds and most zons in general will learn new words from other birds faster that they pick up human words.Things that get your attention will be more appealling to him, Baby crying, smoke alarm, phone ringing, door bell,timers, etc, are things that you respond to immediately. If you notice, he'll ask using a word or phase. If that doesn't work he'll try another word or phase. Reward him when he uses the right context and be aware of why he uses that phase or action. Toys,,, many haven't had them before and may even be afraid of them. keep trying new ones and even playing with them your self. Coo ,cuddle and enjoy them. Intro them on the outside of the cage or even on the table beside the cage. You'll be surprised when he finds one he likes. Most of my zons are well over 30, yeah they slow down a bit, nothing like a 2 yr old male,LOL. They still have moments of craziness when much older than that. Have you seen the vid of my 45 yr old hen nape playing with the soccer ball? Thanks for taking in an older bird who needs a good home. Read though some of the older threads and ask questions if you have them. PS Get him on a better diet, it can be done.

[ame="http://youtu.be/ohYe981nsSg"]Soccer Jake - YouTube[/ame]

 

[lmh]

The soccer ball video is grand!!! I still need to get him some foot toys to try out.

Thank you ALL for the input and information! So appreciated!

Oscar really seems to be food driven - ohhh so curious on what you are eating (especially if it looks like a tortilla). Still no luck with him eating any healthy foods, he loves his breads/carbs. LOL I will keep trying and the kids are being a great help also. I told them if Oscar has to eat healthy then you do too!! HA!
He did hold a small piece of hard boiled egg tonight, then he dropped it. He took the second piece and dropped it again. geesshhh I might be better off just setting in his other food bowl and seeing if he goes after it on his own.

Anyway - again, thanks for the responses. I am sure I will be back with more questions. This forum has a lot of information, I am loving it!!