Is he going to be Okay?????

[Iago'smom]

Hi Everyone!

I haven't posted in a while because I have just been trying to get acquainted with my newest feathered family members. But I need to download now and ask for advice.

So I had originally gone to the shelter in search of one Amazon. The shelter told me that they had housed a RLA with my DYH about 7 years prior so if I truly wanted him I would have to take them both. I did. I initially thought I might bond better with the RLA because she had come towards me at the shelter. What I later found out was that she was overly protective and obsessed with Rascal. The shelter did tell me that he was not partial to her but she was partial to him so I quickly began to understand what that meant. Because of her extreme aggressiveness towards Rascal, if he refused to preen her, I had to put them in separate cages. His feet were badly mangled so much so he could not get around in the larger cage so I put him in the smaller one until he healed and then I switched him back once he was able to navigate. Lily never adjusted to anyone other than my 10-year-old and he could only touch her through the cage. We couldn't take her out because of how aggressive she was towards me and I couldn't risk her hurting one of the kids. I was warned by the shelter that if I split them up they were worried she would die but after a consult with another more knowledgeable shelter they assured me she would be fine and would benefit from a more experienced team of personnel that could give her what she needed. Ultimately I decided she deserved better than just being in a smaller cage without the freedom to roam that she had been accustomed to. Although I was told Rascal wouldn't mind much if they were separated he very much seems affected. She has only been gone three days and he has started making this weird noise periodically whether we are around or not which I can only assume is a cry for her to respond to or he is mourning. He still eats and interacts with me, he preens me and lets me pet him but he has started randomly screaming (much like she) when I leave the room or he doesn't see me for a good length of time. I don't think he's mad at me per se but I can definitely tell he misses her and was accustomed to the company because he is MUCH more demanding now. We are headed to Bird Tricks Master Class in June and although I am excited, I don't want to rush progress with him as I have no experience with this sort of thing. Any advice you can give would be much appreciated. Will he move past this? Do I need to get him another companion? How do I help him?

 

[HeatherG]

Maybe he’s contact calling more because his love/hate relationship is gone?

If she’s mangling his feet, that’s not doable.

Can’t live with em and can’t live without em. Maybe after they both get used to their new situation they’ll both be better off.

 

[Iago'smom]

I hope so!! I’m super worried!

 

[HeatherG]

So give the extra attention and respond to the contact calls and hopefully this clinginess will fade away.

When jasper first came to live with me he made a shrill whistle contact call that actually hurt my head. Once I realized it was about anxiety and stopped being annoyed, and reassured him, those whistles faded way back.

 

[texsize]

He will probably be ok. I agree with above. Rascal is contact calling for his friend.

I have had 2 paired amazons and a loner.
Bingo is the loner he is a YNA.
My first pair was a RLA (female) with an OWA (male).
They got along very well but the male would be aggressive at times.
When I lost both RLA and OWA in less than a year I could tell Bingo missed them.
He did not physically interact with them but I could tell he missed them.

My second pair of amazons are the birds I call the Twins.
they are 2 Mexican Red headed amazons.
The bird I think is male is more aggressive towards the bird I think is female.
I don't think it would go well if I was to separate them.
When I say that I mean to sell or adopt out one of them.
Not that I would.

Your birds relationship was by no means healthy and they needed to be separated.
But in my opinion you went too far. I think you should have kept both birds just housed them in equal size cages as close to each other as possible.

I have my Twins housed in... I guess you could call it a conjoined cage. two cages side by side connected together by a bird sized opening. This lets Luna (the female) to escape and be by herself when the male bird Merlin is being a jerk.

 

[Iago'smom]

I appreciate your feedback and insight. While I agree that this was not an ideal choice it wasn’t easy dealing with her extreme aggression day in and day out! Some days she would scream non stop for HOURS and our neighbors would complain. I love parrots just as much as anyone here but I would not lose my house for one. Rascal settled in and adapted but Lily didn’t. The shelter knew I had no other experience but with a quaker and they encouraged me to adopt two of the most challenging birds one can own. I did the best I could and four months later self preservation kicked in. I’m simply looking for advice on how to move forward with a bird that I absolutely adore.

 

[wrench13]

Parrots absolutely love routine. It works for them in the wild. We however, with our highly adaptable monkey brains, thrive on change and different experiences. When put together, sometimes the loser is the parrot. I think he will adapt over time, but certainly provide him as much attention as you can. Answering contact calls, keeping him engaged and busy are going to numb down his loss eventually. IMHO.

 

[Icca]

When I got my conure she was a contact SCREAMER and it was not fun. But she did make this soft trolling sound too. So every time she made the soft trill I would respond back with a soft trill (or as close as I can make) and over time it really quieted her down. So I second the advice to respond to contact calls but you might be able to find a sound he makes that's a little softer on the ears and then mimic only that call

Ok just saw the last poster that said the same thing. Guess I type slow😆

 

[texsize]

I appreciate your feedback and insight. While I agree that this was not an ideal choice it wasn’t easy dealing with her extreme aggression day in and day out! Some days she would scream non stop for HOURS and our neighbors would complain. I love parrots just as much as anyone here but I would not lose my house for one. Rascal settled in and adapted but Lily didn’t. The shelter knew I had no other experience but with a quaker and they encouraged me to adopt two of the most challenging birds one can own. I did the best I could and four months later self preservation kicked in. I’m simply looking for advice on how to move forward with a bird that I absolutely adore.

I totally understand. Everybody has different situations.
Not ragging on you or anything.
I don’t like typing long drawn out messages and sometimes my point gets watered down by abbreviation.
Bingo was never bonded with my RLA/OWA pair but after they died he missed them.

Part of the reason I rescued Luna MRA was …. I don’t know how to put it. Not company exactly.Bingo doesn’t really want a parrot companion, he thinks he is more human than bird. When I saw Luna’s reaction to Bingo I completely miss-read her body language. That was why I bought a second MRA . As a companion for Luna. Plus this also made me happy as loosing Pacho & Plumas left a huge hole in our family.

Not saying another bird is a solution.
I got lucky with my Mexican red head amazon match making. But getting the two birds was also to help Bingo.
And I think it did.
Bingo is happier having neighbors (that’s the word was looking for)

 

[SailBoat]

Sad that the first Rescue had provided you with a Non-Sense Reality!

There is no question as so well stated above: Love /Hate Relationships when split will have a missing-you component. Your DYHA will shift to Loving Who He is with. Everything just takes time!!

Please ensure you READ with Understanding the Two Threads at the top of the Amazon Forum. They are must reads if you hope to survive life with Amazons! I find that even after all these years as an Amazon Snob, reading those two Treads are still insightful!! Especially understanding Amazon Body Language and especially this time of year with Amazon Hormonal Season at its peak.

If your Amazon is not located in the center of the family action that is a mistake. IMHO, Amazons love to be part of the family and placed off in the back-ground will vasty slow the families relationship development with your Amazon!!

DYHA are wicked smart and their active minds are best kept busy with interaction with the family or other entertainment activities. Contact calls are very important and are an on-going part of interactions, especially when not with in sight of each other.

Please read the two Threads at the top of the Amazon Forum. It is found that reading them out loud with them sitting on you or near is highly rewarding.

Understand that Amazon have more Fun when everyone is involved!!

 

[Iago'smom]

Thank you all so much! This has been extremely helpful!!