I just have had my new Amazon for 2 weeks, he is male and around 70 days old. he is not so active, and I notice that he is never twitter since he back home, even when he is hungry, he is still silent!! I have experience in feeding three bird babies before, but none of them like him. I was wondering is there any dumb bird?
Any reply will be highly appreciated.
Forgive me, but this seems like a strange question. I'll try to address it anyway.
I'm in the middle of hand-rearing a BFA, who will be seven weeks old tomorrow. She's about half your yellow nape's age (he's a nape, right?), but she does make a few noises. When she's really hungry, she will make the typical baby Amazon "feed me" noise, which sounds like a little kid imitating a machine gun. At four months old, my male DYH made that sound when he wanted attention. My baby BFA occasionally play growls. Her most common noise is whining, which usually elicits a cuddling session from me. My impression is she's a very bright and sensitive little girl.
As to your Amazon's intelligence, my first guess is that something besides lack of intelligence is keeping your bird from being the curious baby he should be at ten weeks.
1. My first concern would be for your bird's health, simply because any signs of potential illness should be taken very seriously. Brian Speer (one of my male DYH's vets) described Amazons as "tough as nails," but because parrots are prey animals, they hide their symptoms, sometimes until it is too late. That's why I bring this up first. Unfortunately, it's hard to decide what is "normal" for your bird because you haven't had him for very long.
2) Something in his environment is upsetting him. Generally speaking, Amazons aren't easily fazed, but they're still prey animals. Pretend you're a baby bird and take a look around. Maybe follow your bird's gaze. Take special care to notice anything scary above eye level. Hawks and eagles are the main predators of parrots in the wild, so they may fear what they perceive as strange objects above them.
3) He simply hasn't had time to settle in yet. Did you give him time to adjust before insisting he come out to visit you and explore? Maybe he's overwhelmed. My as-yet-unnamed blue front has surprised me with her sensitivity. I suspect she may be an
HSP (highly sensitive person [parrot]), a trait that has been documented in many animals, including people. Or it could simply be that she's seven weeks old and would still be in the nest, unable to fly or fight off a predator. To help her feel more confident, I gave her a "nest" in the form of a cardboard box where she can retreat if she feels overwhelmed. She comes out to play, taste-test solid food and take toys back to the cardboard box so she has something to do there. XD I was trying to make the outside world seem enticing, but she's partially defeated that plan by taking the fun to the nest box. For now, that's fine. I've started asking her to play on a blanket on the floor, to go exploring for toys and food, but so far she would rather stay close by and cuddle. I'm going slowly with her because for whatever reason, she is a sensitive little bird.
That's my two cents. Make sure your parrot is healthy and if he is, make sure his environment is non-threatening and that you aren't pushing yourself on him too quickly. Instead of assaulting him with toys, maybe have just a few in non-threatening locations in his cage. Every time you walk by, talk to him gently and give him his favorite treat. The way to an Amazon's heart is through his crop.
Amazons really, REALLY love food.
