New baby coming!

[PL84]

Some scary growling, would you dare to stick your finger in his cage?
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUFN9nXzE1c"]Aatu makes scary sounds - YouTube[/ame]


Aatu makes pretty funny noises when he is excited.

 

[Ladyhawk]

European BFA's seem to primarily be of the a.aestiva subspecies, generally known to be a bit calmer and more in line with the personality of smaller zons than their wild a.xanthopteryx brothers. Wonder why they are so much more prevalent over there? They are rather unusual over here in the US.

Congrats on your beautiful new addition! Generally, amazons tend to get along well with other amazons (no guarantees, of course), but they are social and flock oriented by nature. Hopefully both your beautiful green guys get along well and become best buddies. It's super sweet to observe buddy amazons together

I don't see any apparent yellow on Aatu, so yeah, that would make him an aestiva. I'm still not sure about my little girl. Her post-fledging weight is 365 grams (small for xanthopteryx) and she looks a lot like the aestiva subspecies except for the bit of yellow on her wing. I've been wanting to call the breeder to find out more about her parents, but she's developing so fast it's all I can do to keep up with her.

I've done a bit of reading and it seems like the two subspecies are ill-defined, with parrots in the middle of the range exhibiting features of both subspecies. Kinda messy trying to figure it all out.

 

[Ladyhawk]

Short video of Aatu whistling some song i dont recognize (probably some Finnish golden oldie) while we're driving back home from his earlier home:

Aatu whistling - YouTube

Aatu speaks, whistles and laughs. He's very vocal... More videos coming

One part of that sounded like the opening repetitive four-note tones of the Twilight Zone series. Try playing it for him and see if he gets excited.

 

[PL84]

European BFA's seem to primarily be of the a.aestiva subspecies, generally known to be a bit calmer and more in line with the personality of smaller zons than their wild a.xanthopteryx brothers. Wonder why they are so much more prevalent over there? They are rather unusual over here in the US.

Congrats on your beautiful new addition! Generally, amazons tend to get along well with other amazons (no guarantees, of course), but they are social and flock oriented by nature. Hopefully both your beautiful green guys get along well and become best buddies. It's super sweet to observe buddy amazons together

I don't see any apparent yellow on Aatu, so yeah, that would make him an aestiva. I'm still not sure about my little girl. Her post-fledging weight is 365 grams (small for xanthopteryx) and she looks a lot like the aestiva subspecies except for the bit of yellow on her wing. I've been wanting to call the breeder to find out more about her parents, but she's developing so fast it's all I can do to keep up with her.

I've done a bit of reading and it seems like the two subspecies are ill-defined, with parrots in the middle of the range exhibiting features of both subspecies. Kinda messy trying to figure it all out.

Aatu is a.aestiva, atleast according to his papers

 

[Ladyhawk]

European BFA's seem to primarily be of the a.aestiva subspecies, generally known to be a bit calmer and more in line with the personality of smaller zons than their wild a.xanthopteryx brothers. Wonder why they are so much more prevalent over there? They are rather unusual over here in the US.

Congrats on your beautiful new addition! Generally, amazons tend to get along well with other amazons (no guarantees, of course), but they are social and flock oriented by nature. Hopefully both your beautiful green guys get along well and become best buddies. It's super sweet to observe buddy amazons together

I don't see any apparent yellow on Aatu, so yeah, that would make him an aestiva. I'm still not sure about my little girl. Her post-fledging weight is 365 grams (small for xanthopteryx) and she looks a lot like the aestiva subspecies except for the bit of yellow on her wing. I've been wanting to call the breeder to find out more about her parents, but she's developing so fast it's all I can do to keep up with her.

I've done a bit of reading and it seems like the two subspecies are ill-defined, with parrots in the middle of the range exhibiting features of both subspecies. Kinda messy trying to figure it all out.

Aatu is a.aestiva, atleast according to his papers

As mentioned by KiwiBird, southern blue fronts (xanthopteryx) were exported to the United States while northern blue fronts (aestiva) were exported to Europe. Maybe Americans and Europeans had separate facilities and ports. Here's a LINK about the subspecies.

Your little BFA has a lot of blue. I wonder if that's an Aatu thing or an aestiva thing? My baby has a well-defined large blue patch on her forehead with blue fading into green around her eyes, plus she's small. I wonder if that's a Kizzy thing or an aestiva thing? She's at least part xanthopteryx (yellow is evident), but her smaller size (365 grams post-fledging) might mean one parent is aestiva or from the middle of the range. I suppose it really doesn't matter. Amazons are Amazons and we should treat them like the individuals they are. I'm just curious about the genetic makeup of BFA subspecies (well, all subspecies, really) and the odd distribution of xanthopteryx to the U.S. and aestiva to Europe.

Please keep us posted with pictures and videos, if possible. I really like the videos where you can see just what a beast your mealy is. He's so big! I want to see him after his next moult. With a good diet, enough baths and time out of the cage, those ragged tail feathers will be replaced by gorgeous ones. Having full-length tail feathers might make him look even bigger. I'd like to see him in person.

Is he less clingy now? I wonder if it's sunk in that you're the real deal? Let us know how the grey-mealy-BFA-human dynamic progresses.

 

[PL84]

I don't see any apparent yellow on Aatu, so yeah, that would make him an aestiva. I'm still not sure about my little girl. Her post-fledging weight is 365 grams (small for xanthopteryx) and she looks a lot like the aestiva subspecies except for the bit of yellow on her wing. I've been wanting to call the breeder to find out more about her parents, but she's developing so fast it's all I can do to keep up with her.

I've done a bit of reading and it seems like the two subspecies are ill-defined, with parrots in the middle of the range exhibiting features of both subspecies. Kinda messy trying to figure it all out.

Aatu is a.aestiva, atleast according to his papers

As mentioned by KiwiBird, southern blue fronts (xanthopteryx) were exported to the United States while northern blue fronts (aestiva) were exported to Europe. Maybe Americans and Europeans had separate facilities and ports. Here's a LINK about the subspecies.

Your little BFA has a lot of blue. I wonder if that's an Aatu thing or an aestiva thing? My baby has a well-defined large blue patch on her forehead with blue fading into green around her eyes, plus she's small. I wonder if that's a Kizzy thing or an aestiva thing? She's at least part xanthopteryx (yellow is evident), but her smaller size (365 grams post-fledging) might mean one parent is aestiva or from the middle of the range. I suppose it really doesn't matter. Amazons are Amazons and we should treat them like the individuals they are. I'm just curious about the genetic makeup of BFA subspecies (well, all subspecies, really) and the odd distribution of xanthopteryx to the U.S. and aestiva to Europe.

Please keep us posted with pictures and videos, if possible. I really like the videos where you can see just what a beast your mealy is. He's so big! I want to see him after his next moult. With a good diet, enough baths and time out of the cage, those ragged tail feathers will be replaced by gorgeous ones. Having full-length tail feathers might make him look even bigger. I'd like to see him in person.

Is he less clingy now? I wonder if it's sunk in that you're the real deal? Let us know how the grey-mealy-BFA-human dynamic progresses.

Waiting for his moult too, his diet is pretty good, he seems to eat whatever we give to him =)... + everything he steals (1 small baked botato + some edam cheese today)

Åke is really interested about Aatu, Aatu is starting to tolarete him a bit. They fit on a same perch now =)

 

[PL84]

What is a good amount of food for a small 'zon like Aatu? Our other birds have food always available but this seems not to work with Aatu, he eats as long as there is food

 

[SailBoat]

Most Amazons will self monitor their food intakes and then there are the others that provide Amazon's with their reputations of being Foodies! If you believe that you are the proud Owner of a Foodie, monitoring their food intake becomes important.

It is very important with a Foodie to have an active weight monitoring program in place. Once you have a feel for both food intake and weight, you should notice a preference for some foods and a bit less for others. Commonly some forms of Seed, Nuts, Grains and Fruits.

I am a strong believer that Food should not be overly controlled and that limiting food can cause some behavior problems.

If your Amazon will eat Green Veggies with the same interest as other food sources, increase the amount of Green Veggies during the day and provide other high protein and sugar content foods in controlled amounts.

 

[PL84]

Most Amazons will self monitor their food intakes and then there are the others that provide Amazon's with their reputations of being Foodies! If you believe that you are the proud Owner of a Foodie, monitoring their food intake becomes important.

It is very important with a Foodie to have an active weight monitoring program in place. Once you have a feel for both food intake and weight, you should notice a preference for some foods and a bit less for others. Commonly some forms of Seed, Nuts, Grains and Fruits.

I am a strong believer that Food should not be overly controlled and that limiting food can cause some behavior problems.

If your Amazon will eat Green Veggies with the same interest as other food sources, increase the amount of Green Veggies during the day and provide other high protein and sugar content foods in controlled amounts.

I believe in that too, food should not be controlled... But when your stumpy 'zon eats all the time, i think it needs to be controlled

I think Aatu seems little bit... ...fat. What do you think?

Other question is his stance, look how spread his legs are. He seems to stand like that always, is that normal? Never seen that before.

 

[SailBoat]

"Quote: Originally Posted by Ladyhawk

I don't see any apparent yellow on Aatu, so yeah, that would make him an aestiva. I'm still not sure about my little girl. Her post-fledging weight is 365 grams (small for xanthopteryx) and she looks a lot like the aestiva subspecies except for the bit of yellow on her wing. I've been wanting to call the breeder to find out more about her parents, but she's developing so fast it's all I can do to keep up with her.

I've done a bit of reading and it seems like the two subspecies are ill-defined, with parrots in the middle of the range exhibiting features of both subspecies. Kinda messy trying to figure it all out."



Note: Judging in Parrot Shows and defining the specific species for those shows rarely occur prior to 'at least' three years for most Species of Amazons, since their coloration is not fully in place and commonly do not place as well due to not meeting the Species over all requirements including size and weight.


Unless, you have documentation from the Breeder as to the Parent's History and proven Show Placement standings with in that Species, its all going to have to wait until you have an Adult to define its Species. Everything else is just speculation!

 

[SailBoat]

"I believe in that too, food should not be controlled... But when your stumpy 'zon eats all the time, i think it needs to be controlled

I think Aatu seems little bit... ...fat. What do you think?

Other question is his stance, look how spread his legs are. He seems to stand like that always, is that normal? Never seen that before."

What a Parrot 'looks like' is never a tool in determining weight! Weight has to be monitored properly! At a very minimum, three times per week! First thing in the morning after the morning movement and before the first Food! After at least two weeks you will start to see a pattern and that will be the foundation.

You may need to obtain a larger diameter perch for your Blue-Fronted Amazon! Look for natural wood perches with a diameter over 50 mm up to 75 mm.

 

[PL84]

"I believe in that too, food should not be controlled... But when your stumpy 'zon eats all the time, i think it needs to be controlled

I think Aatu seems little bit... ...fat. What do you think?

Other question is his stance, look how spread his legs are. He seems to stand like that always, is that normal? Never seen that before."

What a Parrot 'looks like' is never a tool in determining weight! Weight has to be monitored properly! At a very minimum, three times per week! First thing in the morning after the morning movement and before the first Food! After at least two weeks you will start to see a pattern and that will be the foundation.

You may need to obtain a larger diameter perch for your Blue-Fronted Amazon! Look for natural wood perches with a diameter over 50 mm up to 75 mm.

I know but i cant weight Aatu yet, i cant get him to step up (yet). Same goes for the perches, those were the perches that came with Aatu, he is afraid of any other perches (bigger ones). There is 2 bigger ones for him now but he hasnt touched them (yet)

How about that stance? He keeps his legs really wide all the time.

 

[Ladyhawk]

Most Amazons will self monitor their food intakes and then there are the others that provide Amazon's with their reputations of being Foodies! If you believe that you are the proud Owner of a Foodie, monitoring their food intake becomes important.

It is very important with a Foodie to have an active weight monitoring program in place. Once you have a feel for both food intake and weight, you should notice a preference for some foods and a bit less for others. Commonly some forms of Seed, Nuts, Grains and Fruits.

I am a strong believer that Food should not be overly controlled and that limiting food can cause some behavior problems.

If your Amazon will eat Green Veggies with the same interest as other food sources, increase the amount of Green Veggies during the day and provide other high protein and sugar content foods in controlled amounts.

I am reading the Parrot Wizard's book and he believes in limiting food intake. I haven't made up my mind on this because 1) Kizzy is still very young and she has some quirks. For example, she doesn't eat well when she is in the cage. She still doesn't like being confined. I also noticed she's a lot nicer when she's not hungry, so I was starting to question the food limitation idea on those grounds alone.

There is already one statement in his book that is patently false. He claims it is just as difficult to parrot-proof a home for a flighted bird as it is for a clipped bird. Having dealt with clipped birds for so many years and suddenly taking on a flighted bird, I can say with some authority that he has no idea what he's talking about on this particular issue. With my clipped birds I never had to put streamers around the ceiling fan or go around and tap on glass and insist the parrot touch it, too. In ways, it limits me because I am so used to gauging what's safe for a clipped parrot. Maybe he's so used to gauging what's safe for a flighted parrot, he doesn't see that clipped parrots are safe from ceiling fans, windows and pet supply stores with too much head room. I'm not making a judgment as to whether or not birds should be clipped, just an observation.

A lot of his book has to do with limiting a parrots calorie intake and sorry, I'm not sold on the idea. I'd have to talk with veterinarians and other people before I limited Kizzy's food intake.

 

[Ladyhawk]

I know but i cant weight Aatu yet, i cant get him to step up (yet). Same goes for the perches, those were the perches that came with Aatu, he is afraid of any other perches (bigger ones). There is 2 bigger ones for him now but he hasnt touched them (yet)

How about that stance? He keeps his legs really wide all the time.

I agree with Sailboat. He's probably too fat. The wide stance might be due to something else, however. People used to claim you could sex birds by the way they stood. Females had a wider stance than males. That's poppycock, but so are a lot of things people used to believe about parrots. I bet a lot of stuff accepted as true now gets debunked in the future. That's why I stay open to new ideas without caving to "authority" no matter who that happens to be.