This is long... advice on my new 'zon :)

[thursnov]

I had my first meeting with my new baby tonight and, of course, instantly fell in love. He's a 5 year old yellow nape amazon named Buddy, and I will be his third (and hopefully last!) owner. He was shy, but very interested in me. After a short time of checking me out, he moved to the very edge of his perch and got as close to me as possible without falling off. Then he started waving his foot in the air repeatedly, so I offered him my hand and he stepped right up. Yay! He was pretty quiet, but kept whispering things to me and moving his mouth like he wanted to say something. He also kept tilting his head sideways when I talked to him, which made me want to tilt my head to match (who's mimicking who? ) - it was pretty cute. Oh no, I'm already becoming that annoying parent who thinks everything their "kid" does is cute.

I thought I had the diet part of amazons well-researched, until I found out what Buddy's diet has consisted of for the past several years: a seed mix from Big Lots (and apparently only eats the sunflower seeds and peanuts from the mix), pop tarts, pepperoni, pasta, potato chips, oatmeal, pizza, canned green beans, fried egg, biscuits and gravy, and whatever else his owner is eating at every meal. Surprisingly, his feathers are full, shiny, and beautiful despite his very unhealthy sounding diet. However, he's a chunker. I'll have my vet assess his weight, but I foresee a diet and a diet-change in his very near future. Tips for transitioning him from junk food to healthier human food and pellets? Owner says he won't touch pellets and puts all of them in his water bowl knowing they will get thrown out and replaced with fresh water, even after mixing them slowly for months. What else can I try? My first thought was to wean him on to a pellet that contains sugars, thinking he might take to that a little easier, and then wean him from that to a healthier pellet?

Is it too much to move houses, change owners, and transition diet all at once?

What can I use for bonding treats that won't contribute to his rotund figure?

He needs a nail trim and I want to have my vet check him over, but I'm worried a vet visit will be traumatic for him (he's never been to one, as far as current owner knows) and make him not trust me right off the bat?

Current owner has had him for several years and smokes around bird all day and night. This worries me. I cannot wait to get Buddy into a smoke-free environment. Does anyone else have birds raised in cigarette smoke? Are they okay? I really don't like this at all.

He is really beautifully feathered, but the feathers on his "underneath" and lower stomach and near his feet are stained a dirty brown color. Is this poor diet, smoke, lack of movement, lack of baths, a sign of bad health? What can I do to fix it? (see photo of him perching for better explanation of what I'm talking about.)

His wings are not clipped, but he never tries to fly (due to his weight?) - leave unclipped, or have my vet clip them?

And finally, he isn't caged. He lives on a perch with one toy and a food bowl and a water bowl. It actually seems very boring. Should I buy a fancy perching tree with more perches and toys and space, or should I try to introduce him to a cage?

And finally, the room we are in the most is downstairs, which gets very chilly in the winter even with the heat on - we usually have on warm clothes and a blanket or two. Are electric space heaters safe for birds? Is there anything else I can do to keep him from getting cold? Maybe I should buy him a playstand and a heated perch?

Okay, that's all, for now. I meet with him again one more time tomorrow before hopefully bringing him home tomorrow evening to begin the process of settling in to his new world.

If you made it through any of this, I'm sorry, and THANK YOU!

Brittany

 

[henpecked]

Hey Brittany, Welcome to the forum. Thanks for giving an older zon a new home. I will attempt to answer some of your questions, but reading though some older post might help. The dark feathers could be where was bathing in his water dish. You'll notice his feathers turn brown looking when wet.Diet? loads of good topics in the forum about switching diet to pellets but at least Buddy is getting a variety of foods which should help.His diet is way too fat. Zons crave fat and will search it out in their diet, if given the choice they'll go for the fatty junk foods first.A variety of healthy fresh foods and pellets shouldn't be that big of a deal.Many zons do dunk their pellets in their water dish and is an issue we can help you with later.Be aware that wet pellets will spoil in a few hours ,where dry pellets can be kept in the cage 24/7. Once you find a pellet he will eat( try different brands and size) ,switching them to another is usually not a issue. I'd buy a digital kitchen scale and start a routine of wieghing him in the AM before feeding. This will help you with weaning him to pellets and also with weight loss if he's over weight. Scales will also help you notice the early onset of sickness.(which birds hide well).New house,owner and diet? Zons handle change better than lots of other large parrots. I'd keep him in his old cage for now, and change diet gradually . Training/bonding treats? find something easy that he enjoys and only feed as a treat. You may find handfeeding moistened pellet is a treat and a good way to help switch diet.Taking him to the vet? Only 5 yrs old and you have no other birds, i don't think there's any big rush but you do need to look around for a good AV. Not all Avian Vets are created equal and the more i learn about birds ,the harder it is to find a good AV. I's suggest in your case to give it a few weeks and research AVs in your area. A small travel cage that Buddy is used to will help keep the visit from being too traumatic. Beside you will want to carry him outside for sunshine and he'll love going places and doing things with you. A good travel cage is a must IMO. Now i read he doesn't have a cage?? Yes get him a cage. Only feed and water him inside of the cage, you need to be able to cage him when your not around. Clipping wings, He doesn't fly because he hasn't ever learned how. I'd lightly clip maybe 5 primaries on each side until you know him better, IMO.Don't assume that your AV knows best about clipping wings, be involved, most AV "know best" and ignore owners.You can always clip more if needed but too many can lead to injuries. Downstairs in the basement? not the best situation. Upstairs ,near the center of activity, well lit and warmer would be better. I don't know your situation but that's my opinion. I could write a book but tried to keep this short, hope i helped with some of your questions. Feel free to contact me or post more questions, good luck with Buddy.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Hello Brittany and welcome.

Henpecked has given you some awesome expert advice already. I'd like to add that it is VERY unhealthy for a bird to be around cigarette smoke. Poor guy didn't even have a chance to escape the second hand smoke.

Yes, get him a cage. Put some different perches in there, definitely a sandy perch, and that may help with his nails. He may be a bit shy in the beginning, not knowing what to do with all these new, different things, but Amazons DO adapt quicker than you might think.

And boy he's on a God-awful diet right now. Might as well feed him lard. :32:

I would stop giving him JUNK immediately (poptarts, FRIED eggs, pepperoni, Pizza crust all fall into the JUNK category) Of course you'll want to wean him off the Sunflower & Peanut diet as well, but do it slowly. In the beginning he's probably going to only dig through his dish, only wanting what's the tastiest (and unhealthiest), but I believe with patience and guidance he'll eventually learn to eat what's good for him.

I wish you the best of luck with Buddy!

PS. I forgot to address your question about WHERE to house Buddy. Whatever room has the most foot traffic, where you spend most of your time. How chilly is chilly? If you feel Buddy would freeze, an electric spaceheater should work well. Just make sure and get one that doesn't emit any kind of fumes (invisible to us but deadly to birds).

 

[wenz2712]

Hi Brittany

I cannot offer you any better advice than you have already been given by HP and Wendy.

I wish you the best of luck with Him and look forward to seeing more pics when you bring him Home

 

[thursnov]

Thank you! These responses were very, very helpful.

He was dry where the brown feathers are, but maybe it's just staining and will go away when he receives better care. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a known sign of a problem that needed to be addressed immediately.

I spent a lot of time researching and talking to vets and other local bird owners prior to looking for a bird, so I feel very confident in the avian vet I've chosen, and have 3 backups as well. I was surprised to find so many vets specializing in avian care. The vet I decided on is the one I deal with for my wildlife rehabbing animals and he handles raptors (especially eagles, hawks and owls), macaws, 'toos, and other large birds on a daily basis. Other parrot owners in the area think I made a great decision choosing him - but I will definitely continue to do my research. Thanks for the tips about primary feathers - I was just going to leave him fully feathered since he doesn't fly, but until he trusts me, I don't want anything to get out of control.

I have a scale to weigh him, but I might have to wait until he's settled in and comfortable with me handling him. A lot of people have recommended I set him up in our most trafficked area of the house and don't touch him for a couple of weeks other than feeding and spraying and sitting next to his perch talking?

Downstairs is just the lower-level of the house (has window and a walk-out patio), so it's well lit and is our most active area. When he's used to me and comfortable being moved, he can have playstands on both levels of the house, so he can be with us anywhere we are. The temp downstairs is around 60'F, whereas upstairs is 70-74'F. The single pane windows and walk out patio door, in addition to it being the lower level of the house, seem to keep it 10' cooler than upstairs even with the heat on. I will research safe space heaters and heated perches just incase it's too cold for him.

The years of being surrounded by cigarette smoking worries me. I can't wait to get him out of there and into a smoke-free environment tonight. Neither of us smoke, so he'll never have to be around it again.

I will start cage-shopping. The cage the owner has for him (and never uses) is equivalent to a guinea pig cage or cage I'd maybe put a parakeet in, so he definitely won't be going in that. So time to shop for a cage and two playstands and lots of perches.

We eat much healthier foods than his current owner, so he will immediately have organic fruits and veggies. I will go to the store this evening and buy a few different kinds of pellets to start introducing him to. Thanks for the advice - hopefully he will take to one of them without too much of a struggle. I'll start mixing it with his peanuts and sunflower seeds and offer pellets as treats, maybe one of them will strike his junk-food fancy.

THANK YOU guys! I really appreciate the advice from experts. I did years of research but still have a ton to learn. I pick up Buddy this evening and can't wait to start the bonding process. And the shopping process - lots to get for my new little man.

 

[thursnov]

he's home, he's home! I love him! he let me get him out of his travel cage and stepped right up on my hand without hesitation. I had to scrub his play stand for a long time - it was really gross. it's right next to me, so he's watching everything I do. he grumbled when Adam dimmed the lights. he took a treat from both of us and now he's pigging out on his junk seed (starting to mix healthier pellets in the morning), drinking water, scraping his beak on the perches, and fluttering his wings every now and then. for a bird that's only been with me for 2 hours, he acts like like this is just like any other night for him. I'm just letting him chill out on his playstand and take in all his new surroundings. I can't wait until he's comfortable enough to come hang out with me on the couch. welcome home, Buddy!

 

[thursnov]

now he's falling asleep and grinding his beak. that's a noise I'll have to get used to - it kind of sounds like nails on a chalkboard.

 

[3Greenies]

He sounds like a very nice bird. Fixing his diet should be easy for Amazons love food.

I would start out with some organic cooked foods like Bird Street Bistro, and also create a fresh chop of good greens and legumes. You can look into sprouting as well.

A good baked treat such as bird muffins is a hit here. I use a cornmeal mix, I add in pureed sweet potato (very high in Vit A) and I also mix in fresh chopped cranberries. I also coat the top of them after they come out of the oven with pure organic coconut oil, you can also use red palm oil (Sunshine factor) by Harrisons.

I am sure he will be onto a healthy life after making some changes. :21:

 

[henpecked]

Yeah, buddy. Let us know if you need any help or just want to chat. We love to talk about our zons. Your welcome to PM or click on "community" (blue bar at top) look for "social groups" and then look for "Bonding with your zon" we have a great group of zon owners here who love to help.PS don't forget our pictures !!!

 

[Clueless]

Amazons are awesome - thanks for taking him in. I have 2 blue-front amazons that were wild caught. One bird immediately was captivated by cheerio's. Anyone could walk in our home, rattle the plastic from a cheerio box and BOOM instant amazon glued to the front wall of the cage waiting to see if he got a treat!

Mine seem to like warm foods (but make sure not hot - ugly stories of surgeries or death from too hot of foods are out on the forums), if oatmeal is fed - NOT instant (I read somewhere it was bad for them so I only use the old fashioned kind of oatmeal), a baked sweet potato, on occasion a piece of wheat toast with a little bit of peanut butter on it . . . . . .and frankly, I google every food I offer the birds to make sure I'm not hurting them.

Good luck!

 

[LakeDesire]

How is everything going with Buddy?