Intro to DYH Amazon. Any indication of age

[kiran1103]

HI,

I bought home a DYH Amazon from a breeder which seems to be tame. Allows the touch but scared. Not biting. I am aware it takes time to warm up so will have to be patient. I was told it was 11 months old but reading through and looking at his yellow head it seems more than that. Any thoughts on what could be the age. This weekend will plan to get it DNA sexed. Pic attached. Also please advice tips to get it more warmed up. He has some sounds but not saying any words. Another thing that the breeder lied. LOL

 

[wrench13]

Welcome and be welcomed. I LOVE double yellow heads, however they as a group uniformly hate me on sight! Otherwise I would have one. Your DYH is at least into adulthood, so maybe 4 yrs old or older, judging by the full yellow head, because it starts out only the front of the head and progresses until the entire head and neck are yellow. Not to worry though, they live a LONG time. Once they hit adulthood it is impossible to accurately know how old any parrot is.

So, 2 reading assignments. Go to our Amazon sub-forum and read, carefully the 2 threads at the top. Amazon Body Language and I Love Amazons. These contain absolutely essential information on living and loving Amazons. A great idea is to read it out loud to your new DYH. First it will acclimate him to your voice and second because Amazons love being read to.

The great thing about Amazons is that they are able to "reset" the clock with a new owner and there is no reason why you 2 cant have a long and loving life together.

 

[kiran1103]

Thank you. This is very insightful. I will read through those links. I see the bonding is the key with no expectaitons to begin with. It will slowly gain trust. Atleast its bit tamed so very excited and already loving it.

And do you think the yellow on my DYH is fully developed or if its into adulthood it will grow further?

 

[SailBoat]

Nice looking Adult DYH Amazon you have there!! You are correct regarding the full yellow cap your DYH Amazon has. That said:

Your 'stated' young Amazon should have had a DNA Test as part of its purchase and also have the appropriate Hatch Certificate, Documentation, which is required for all Amazons Born during the last six years.

If you do not have a Hatch Certificate for 'it' you need to contact the seller and obtain that paperwork. Not having the documentation, could bring in to question whether the Parrot has been stolen.

If this breeder(???) is stating that this is an 11 month old DYH, one needs to question, what else they are lying about!!

 

[kiran1103]

Yes I do think it was bit shady. No documentation and its not have closed ring. I am stumped as how could anyone steal a pet. Atleast its not a wild one.

 

[SailBoat]

Far more common that most think! Drugs are a major driver to such crimes.

Please assure you read 'with understanding' the two threads at the top of the Amazon Forum!

 

[Laurasea]

welcome to you and your Amazon!
Id say you are off to a good start!
The burds like you and allows contact right off is a wonderful thing!

Hand feeding treats and just saying hi a billion times a day works wonders in building ( bribing your way into his heart) trust.

A healthy diet that includes lots of fresh veggies and leafy lettuce, like bell pepper, Romaine, cooked sweet potatoes, squashes, green beans and oh such more. Leads to a healthy mind and body.

Pet Bird and Parrot Behavior – Pet Birds by Lafeber Co.

Pet bird and parrot behavior information.

lafeber.com

 

[kiran1103]

Thank you both. SailBoat is a savior. I read the posts and very knowledgeable. What I noticed is my DYH isnt eating any vegetables. Also even with the mix of pelleted diet its very choosy. The only treat that he takes is Cashew. But cashew I read its too much fat so not more than 3 in a day. How do I make him eat everything including veggies and fruits. Thanks

 

[Laurasea]

This might help. Its a process, keep trying

Tips for Getting Your Parrot to Eat Vegetables or Unfamiliar Foods.

So you know the three essential, but ultimately simple, skills for feeding your pet birds – chop, grain bakes, and sprouts. You feed a pellet base (or maybe not, depending on your views), and…

threebirdsandacloud.wordpress.com

 

[SailBoat]

It is not unusual for an Adult Amazon who has not had a Diet that did not include a wide selection of fresh foods, including Veggies. They will add those items with time, but it will take your active involvement, like having your DYH Amazon joining you for meal time. They see you eat it and with time they will try it.

 

[kiran1103]

Alright. Couple updates. Got the DNA back and its a Male. Planning to name him as Kiwi. Bonding process is improving. He comes to hand and lets me massage his head. But he is bit aggressive when he is on his cage or portable perch. Agressive means its not biting but shows anger and nibs the hand as is it doesnt want to come out. Only when its in an unfamiliar place it will easily step up. I also weighed him and he is 405 gms. Is it a concern as average weight is 450 plus. Eating he still doesnt take veggies. Once he ate cooked peas when I was eating in my plate. Cashew and Walnut is his favourite. Apart from some squeks and rarely when I play some parrot sounds from youtube he makes sounds. I dont think he has every talked. Maybe once I think I heard Bye when we were going out. Anyway lot of improvement. Also I read March April is breeding season and they tend to be aggressive. Is that one other reason that its taking more time to bond? Thanks again.

 

[MayMaroa]

Yup that's the reason

 

[SailBoat]

The Adult weight of an Amazon is highly dependent on the very specific region that his DNA originated. Most fully flighted Adult DYH's will start near 500 grams with the largest members near 700 grams.

Having a strong bond with your DYH is very important year around and every more so during Hormonal Season. It is important to understand that a young Amazon 'may' show signs of some early effect, but commonly it is more a general growing-up thing, especially with a New Parrot!!

The on-set of Hormonal Season is relative to where you live, as the Season starts earlier in the Southern regions of North America and later the further North one lives. Our 23 year old, starts in late December. The number of daylight hours and the number of Sunny days will effect a specific start date. But, once again, it's a combination of things, with age being a major factor.

NOTE: Your DYH has a full Head of Yellow and is likely an Adult as a full Head of Yellow is far more common with Adults.

 

[kiran1103]

Thank you Sailboat. Agree that the full head would seem as adult. If 400gms is ideal will keep monitoring. Also will keep trying the veggies. When would be the molting season. Just to see if the yellow grows further on next round.

 

[SailBoat]

Amazons as most mid to larger Parrots molt year around, especially Wing and tail Feathers. Body feathers and downy feathers commonly have two molts each year. The Spring snow storm when they prep for warmer weather and Fall when they target the Winter wear and their best display of Feathers for the upcoming Hormonal Season. Timing is more specific to where you live and variations in temperature, humidity and length of the Sunny part of the day.

 

[kiran1103]

So close to 2 months now and few updates. It is friendly now and steps up when it wants to. But still have some attitude for a while. He is out of the cage from morning to night. He does make some slow noises whenever my son walks past. He spends good amount of time with him. Hasnt started any words as we try to keep the tv on with something running. He only gets excited if I play some amazon parrot videos. Just makes some sounds if he is active. One behaviour I noticed and I need some guidance on what it is. When putting him back to cage at night and we cover it with a bedsheet. As we turn off the lights and say goodnight, he makes some crying sad gruntling noises. When I see with little light he us fully puffed up and pins his eyes and rolls his tougue. I read that they need to sleep and feels sad to leave him and go. Each goodnight he tries to communicate something. After a while he calms down and maybe sleeps. Any thoughts?

 

[SailBoat]

Yup, younger DYH Amazon, New Amazon, behavior. Keep-up the good work.

 

[kiran1103]

Thank you Sailboat. When you say younger Amazon does it mean this is a behavior of its age or just that its new environment. If you could expand on that. It almost sleeps most of the time. its not part of day but some of the days, maybe twice a week its super active and gets vocal. How can I make it more active? Thanks

 

[wrench13]

Lots of chewing toys. Parrots destroy toys as a way of playing with them, very important for heathy parrots. HAve a god variety of types some wood some paper, etc etc. once you know what he likes you concentrate more on those. A stainless steel tubular bell is a very popular one.