I had a couple and the male died.

[Natalia-Couch]

I have a pair of double yellow head Amazons Juanito and Carmen. They were going in and out of the nest, I didn't want to disturb them, so I never opened the door to check on them, however, I could hear them moving. They were very well-fed and healthy. Yesterday morning, I didn't hear any movement and I found the male (Juanito) dead inside the nest. They chewed up the steps inside the wooden nest covered with metal mesh to climb their way out, so I assume he possibly starved to death. However, she (Carmen) was in and out, which led me to believe that she was feeding him, which is why he didn't come out. They didn't make any noise like they were trying to get out at any time. He was about 30 years old. The only difference I noticed in him the last 3 weeks, was that when he slept at night he would just fall on his back while perching, up to 3 times in just 1 night. Other than that, he was strong and happy.
What should I do with her? Should I bring another male to give her company? They were paired when I bought them a year and a half ago and they took great care of each other. She is fine, she eats and sleeps well, I'm giving more attention to her, and I don't know if it is too soon to bring another male or not. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[PrimorandMoxi]

ohhh so sorry!

Were they together for thirty years?
She must be in shock and most likely too soon the introduce another bird.

 

[Ronnie27]

My condolences. 😔
It's too soon to get another bird, as your female could attack the new feathered friend. Now, it's important to keep Carmen busy with a new toy or changing a little the routine to help your bird cope with this stressing moment of her life. Have fun together.
Amazon parrots have a good memory, this is an example of their ability to remember: Mera is my female yellow head Amazon (A. oratrix). When I moved to Med School alone, she stayed in my parents' house; at that time, she was a 6 year-old and had almost been living 5 and a half years with us. During 7 months, when I returned home each Mexican holiday, Mera used to ignore me on purpose and threatened me if I insisted to start any kind of contact with her. Until 8th month, she forgave me and became the same loving bird.

 

[Terry57]

I'm so sorry for your loss of Juanito

I agree about it being too soon to bring another male into the picture, Carmen needs time to be allowed to grieve.

I had a pair of bonded Amazons, a Double-yellow headed female (Cally) and a Red-lored male (Ki). Cally was in her 50s or 60s when she passed, and Ki was devastated. We decided not to bring in another female because Ki had been so attached to Cally that he was a nervous wreck all the time, trying to protect her from everything. He seems much happier being by himself.

If you do bring in another male, I'd suggest waiting awhile. Carmen will let you know when it's time.

Again, I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[Natalia-Couch]

Thank you for your words of support. I'll follow your suggestions.

 

[Kentuckienne]

It would be good to figure out why the male died as soon as possible. I don’t understand how they can be going in and out of the nest, and him starving inside, at the same time. It seems more likely that he chewed something like the metal mesh that was toxic or sharp. Any kind of galvanized or coated metal is poisonous. If the male did most of the chewing, he might have consumed more of the poison (like zinc) and with him gone she might be poisoned the same way, as could a new male. It’s best to wait long enough to be sure there is nothing dangerous in the cage.

Falling on his back while sleeping is another bad warning sign. Now that you have some experience, you have an idea what you need to learn in order to keep parrots safe and healthy. There is a lot of great information on this forum to start with.

 

[Natalia-Couch]

It would be good to figure out why the male died as soon as possible. I don’t understand how they can be going in and out of the nest, and him starving inside, at the same time. It seems more likely that he chewed something like the metal mesh that was toxic or sharp. Any kind of galvanized or coated metal is poisonous. If the male did most of the chewing, he might have consumed more of the poison (like zinc) and with him gone she might be poisoned the same way, as could a new male. It’s best to wait long enough to be sure there is nothing dangerous in the cage.

Falling on his back while sleeping is another bad warning sign. Now that you have some experience, you have an idea what you need to learn in order to keep parrots safe and healthy. There is a lot of great information on this forum to start with.

I bought them in October of 2021 at Bill's Birds, a reputable store that has been serving South Florida for decades. They also sold me the nest and I trusted that they knew that was safe for them. Last July, Juanito was making a snoring noise while he breathed, so I took him to Broward Avian & Exotic Animal Clinic. The doctor commented this on his diagnosis: "Juanito presented today for labored breathing. During his physical examination, he was open-mouth breathing, his left nares were swollen, he had multiple white-colored lesions on his choanae, and he was missing all of his choanal papillae. Initially, I placed him in an oxygen chamber to help with any breathing issues. He was then placed under sedation for blood collection. His blood work was within normal limits. The heavy breathing could be associated with the lesions in his mouth. To treat the mouth lesions and any associated upper respiratory infection he could be fighting I am starting him on an antibiotic medication. The absence of the choanal papilla is consistent with a chronic vitamin A deficiency, so I am starting him on a vitamin A supplement as well. He will take all of these medications for 2 weeks."
He was great after that. I fed them with Harrison and ZuPreem FruitBlend, plus natural fruits and veggies that I knew were safe and good for them. Also, I bought the parrot hormone rescue pack and the unruffledrx bird calcium, magnesium + D3 that I got at BirdSupplies.com which I gave them as instructed. Besides, I got them the full spectrum LED pet light from M&M Cage Company with a timer. My husband always told me that he would love to be my parrot! I did my best to learn about them and provide everything they need. Sadly I couldn't have kids, so all my baby animals are my kids. Carmencita is eating, drinking, and sleeping normally after Juanito passes, I always had a camera where I can monitor them when I'm working. I'll take her to the vet to check on her, I didn't want to stress her that's why I didn't yet. Thank you for sharing all that information.

 

[SailBoat]

Sorry for you loss!

It may sound odd or hard, but it was good that he past with her there with him as she understands that he had past.

The full spectrum LED light was a waste of money as they are meant for reptiles, not Parrots. Also, most supplements are quickly passed though their high speed digestive system.

Please remove that nest box and any associated wire mesh and reframe from replacing it.

Your girl likely needs your time at this point and she maybe happier as a single companion parrot at this point in her life.

 

[wrench13]

I am sorry to read of the loss of your male DYHA. I think they have to go through a grieving process, just like humans do, so introducing a new male should wait awhile. THe female has seen the corpse so she will understand that he is gone, emotionally she might not be ready for a new male.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

It would be good to figure out why the male died as soon as possible. I don’t understand how they can be going in and out of the nest, and him starving inside, at the same time. It seems more likely that he chewed something like the metal mesh that was toxic or sharp. Any kind of galvanized or coated metal is poisonous. If the male did most of the chewing, he might have consumed more of the poison (like zinc) and with him gone she might be poisoned the same way, as could a new male. It’s best to wait long enough to be sure there is nothing dangerous in the cage.

Falling on his back while sleeping is another bad warning sign. Now that you have some experience, you have an idea what you need to learn in order to keep parrots safe and healthy. There is a lot of great information on this forum to start with.

It would take quite a while without food for a large bird the size of an Amazon to starve to death, unlike a small bird like a finch that wouldn't last a week.

 

[ravvlet]

It sounds like the diet you have them on now is great. Absent chonanal papillae is not something that develops overnight; there is no way that would have been your fault - likely whoever had them previously had them on an all seed diet. My amazon is also in his 30s and has absent choanal papillae.

My guess would not be starvation - falling over, weakness in limbs, resting frequently and being sedentary sounds very much like heart disease. Kirby (my parrot with the condition your male also had) has heart disease, and his vet has indicated that this will likely eventually be the cause of his demise. He has wonderful bloodwork now that he’s on a species appropriate diet, but you can’t reverse heart damage or arterial calcification.

I would ask your vet to evaluate your remaining female’s heart, because medications such as enalapril can greatly help with their circulation, grip strength and longevity. Kirby is on supplemental enalapril for life, and as a result he is much more active, his grip strength has improved, and he almost never falls off of his toys or perches anymore.

I am so sorry for your loss, and thank you for giving these older birds a wonderful home. Sometimes middle aged parrots come to us with a lot of health issues and there is nothing more we can do but give them a safe and stable home for as long as they remain with us.