OMG I just adopted an Amazon...

[Clueless]

I adopted/rescued 2 amazons that are over 30 years old just a few months ago - I had absolutely no bird experience. They had small cages without toys also - and their cages were in horrid shape.

We couldn't afford new cages, we found used ones. We took a power washer to the cages, then sterilized them with a bleach water solution - and rinsed them extremely well.

I started our parrots with just a toy or two - didn't want the parrots to be too frightened. I hit pay dirt with the parrot that wouldn't play - I bought her a little foot toy that was wooden - it was soft wood and she found she could shred it. Took her quite a while but she's learning rapidly to shred wood now.

Good luck!

 

[Doris48]

Wow your brave, adopting two older ones..I do hope I can get that cage from my friend.Im going to see her tomorrow and Ill offer her some money for it.She'll let me pay it off whenever Im sure.
My dog has to go to the vet on monday(he gets allergy shots and hurt his leg pretty badly today somehow).Im going ask her if she knows anything about birds.Im pretty sure she wont do exotics and will send me on to the city.

 

[henpecked]

Hey Doris, welcome to the forum.Lots of great people here,many of us also have amazons (lots of OWAs here,i have 6). Good luck at the vets today . If your vet is not too up on parrots. Maybe call the other and at least touch base with them, maybe you could carry him in when you go that way.I don't know where your pet was kept in his old house, but i wouldn't put him "up high".I'd bring him down to your level and close enough to the center of activity that he can be part of your daily,normal life.Where you can interact when you pass and he can still feel like part of what's going on.Cover his cage at night if he's used to that and doesn't mind. From the looks of things he needs some sunshine and vit A rich foods like carrots and cooked sweet potatoes. We have a social group about amazons and your well come to join (community,social groups,bonding with amazons) or post your questions and concerns here. You and your OWA have a real chance at enriching each others lives and making a great friend.

 

[Doris48]

Thanks I wanted him up high so he could feel safe and get used to our dogs, they can be rather noisy and rowdy sometimes.Is it okay just to have him up there for a few days? I need to rearrange some furniture to make a nice area for him.

Also is there a way to tell if he is a male or is it a DNA thing only?

 

[roxynoodle]

Other than DNA or surgical sexing, the only way you will know is if exhibits sexual behavior that is telling. I need to see how to say this without being graphic...females will generally back up against an object with their tail up when feeling hormonal and a male will generally mount something with his tail pointed down and kind of forward.

 

[henpecked]

Hey Doris, yeah that's OK, and ditto to what Roxy said.

 

[roxynoodle]

I was about to do the DNA test on Pete since he has never been done, but I knew he was hormonal and it was a matter of time before he showed me which he was. Since your bird is an adult, and it's breeding season you will probably find out soon enough!

As it turned out Pete was named correctly after all, unlike my little Grey hen who has a boy's name, lol!

 

[melissasparrots]

I would keep him at about waist level. You can put him on a kitchen or end table and that should be about the right height. His feet don't look too bad in the picture from what little I can see. I would have him vetted the sooner the better. A few good showers and some organge veggies every day and you'll be surprised how fast he will start looking better.

Regarding the big cage, some amazons can be remarkably resiliant. Once you get the big cage together, if he were mine, I'd seriously consider just putting him right in it. If he's not cage bound then chances are very good he will just move right in with no problems. If he is cage bound, then you might have to let him get used to looking it first, then playing on top, then moving inside. Honestly though, thats not usually necessary with amazons. They tend to be a fairly self confident group.
Melissa

 

[Tammy]

Well, I guess that answers your question about what your next bird was going to be! I've had my amazon only 3.5 months and he is a wonderful bird. I never thought I'd have one either. But, he cracks me up with his sounds and things he says, and his "batman" routine. And every time I give him something he likes to eat, or I sing for him his eyes get really big and he yells, "I LOVE you!" That makes it worth it right there

The "batman" routine has always cracked me up. He does that when he's super excited & wants to get to me or when he wants to attack my mother. Even without wings, he will do the batman & repeat "Hurt Hurt" whenever he sees her.

My OWA was/is my first bird and he's such a comedian & loving. I never stop laughing. I was yelling at my 9 yr old to stop whining & go to bed. Mr. Precious then started yelling "Knock it off" "Stop It" "Be quiet!" We all had to stop & just laugh at that point.

 

[Clueless]

Doris,

I was new to having birds and didn't realize there were "avian" veterinarians out there. I actually found web sites to search for veterinarians that are trained in treating birds. They're a unique animal - I personally feel better knowing the vet I chose had experience with exotic birds.

This forum is fantastic - I've been monitoring it for several months and just recently signed on.

I was scared to handle my rescues - we took them by a bird store and had their wings clipped and nails done before we brought them home. The owners were very nice people. They were horrified by the cage that one was in and recommended strongly to throw that cage away once they knew they had large cages in good shape waiting for them at home.

When we put the open doors together (remember, no bird experience here) - the blue front amazon wouldn't move from where she was clinging in the old, nasty cage. My son-in-law suggested that we turn the cages around (because the bird was in the old cage that was closer to us). It worked. When we turned the cages around (the old cage in the back/new cage in the front) - she IMMEDIATELY went into the new cage and to the side that was facing us.

The orange wing amazon is adventurous - the doors opened and out he went into the new one.

If I'm not mistaken - you will be going through a brief period of time like a "honeymoon" with the parrot. Their true attitude comes out later - they're scared and don't know what is going on in their world. I've read not to have them higher than you because it makes them feel that they are the boss. I bought large used cages (cleaned & sterilized prior to use) and they are taller than I am - but the perches are at a lower level so we can maintain eye contact.

Have fun and good luck!

 

[henpecked]

About sexing your OWA, there's an old wifes tale about OWAs, if you count the maroon colored feathers on the wing,males should have 5 and females have 4.I read somewhere else that male OWAs that only had 4 feathers never had female mates. What's what i've heard.I think it's true for the one older ,wild caught, pair i have,But it seems i have some immatures that ,that's not true for. Of course there's a couple of OWAs breeders that i'm not man enough to check.

 

[Doris48]

I dont feel comfortable checking his feathers yet.He is in love with my older two sons.He flairs his tail, makes kissy noised and laughs when they come over...He wont let me touch him now, like he did the first day or two.IDK...
I had a green cheek I adopted years ago, I worked on her for 3 yrs (tried clicker training and everything)and she hated me and only liked men.I finally rehomed her because she was unhappy(found a man to take her).I cant help but feel like this is going to happen all over again with Paco.


When I say she hated me I mean she would fly to my shoulder and bite me so hard on the cheek as to draw blood.I trimmed her wings after that. She drew lots of my blood in those three years and I was nothing but nice to her..

 

[roxynoodle]

There are birds like that. I know Rowdy might rather have a male owner, but thankfully she still likes women well enough. But, despite our being good friends and bonded for a dozen years, she flirts horribly with almost every man she sees, and I think if one said, "Hey, baby, wannna come home with me?", that she would go!

 

[Doris48]

Ive often wondered if a bird raised by say a woman see only other women as what they are.For example a man would be like another species of bird..Or visa versa..So a cockatiel may know another cockatiel is one of their own.But that same cockatiel may get along with a budgie but knows its not another cockatiel and would prefer its own kind...IDK does that make sense?

 

[roxynoodle]

Ive often wondered if a bird raised by say a woman see only other women as what they are.For example a man would be like another species of bird..Or visa versa..So a cockatiel may know another cockatiel is one of their own.But that same cockatiel may get along with a budgie but knows its not another cockatiel and would prefer its own kind...IDK does that make sense?

It is hard to say with birds. Rowdy really liked Pete as soon as I brought him in, and I don't know that she has ever seen an amazon before except on TV and videos. She also liked Merlin right away. And she spent most of her life here with another conure, never amazons or greys.

She even chose me as a baby, but I bet if she had been mature she would have picked a man. But Pete was always with a man, and his previous owner thought he liked men, and he made friends with me pretty quickly. He also chummed up with a female vet assistant pretty quickly. I do have kind of a deep voice for a woman so maybe that made a difference? Pete's male previous owner had a very high voice for a guy.

 

[Margarita]

Hey Doris,
I really do understand your situation. I was in similar Having only budgies and cockatiel I re-homed WF amazon last year. I have to admit, I had a "Amazon Fewer Syndrome" a long time before, and I have read and prepared myself mentally to make it happened. That's what I thought at that time!

It took me some time and eford, but right now all my birds are living in one big inside apartment aviary, and nobody is fighting with nobody. I guess I was lucky too!
I'm writing that to tell you, that you never know what's possible with birds. With proper introduction, etc. they have a good chance to be very ok!

My Amazon choose my bf as his person, and even that I love that bird and I would never do different if I had a second chance! Lucky give us a lot of smiles and joy!

Good Luck with Paco and Twitter!

 

[henpecked]

You've got to love a red,white and blue amazon. Lucky looks very lucky to have you.