Mealy Amazons?

[alshgs]

Can anyone give me more info on this particular species? Someone in rehome highway has one and it stood out to me, almost telling me that I need to inquire about him. So now I want to know more. Diet, experience, temperament, ect? Trying to decide if he would be a good fit for us!

 

[Love My Zons]

I have a male who will be 9 on the 22nd. He was a baby when I got him.

They are large, they can be very loud at times, but mine's very easy going, smart, strong willed and is just fun.

Diet will be varied. Pellets, fresh foods fruits such as berries, leafy greens, peppers, nuts as in almonds, pistachio, cashews NO PEANUTS, NO SUNFLOWER. Mine loves to eat, very food motivated. Excercise, yes a must mine is flighted, has been so since he was little.

Comical, good talker very smart!

 

[macawpower58]

My boy is 19, had him since a baby. He's big. He's loud. I've heard they are among the loudest of the Zons, and I believe it.

Mine is all bark and no (or very little) bite. Loves to sing, loves it even better if I sing along.

Chews wood better than a woodchuck, out chews my Greenwing! Loves to eat, and eats anything I give him.

My boy's an easy keeper as long as I don't allow him near my windows. He chews the wood around them.

Happy to play on his perch all day, not at all like my drive-you-mad GoffinToo.

Love him to death... Oh, did I say he's LOUD?

 

[alshgs]

I’ve gathered that they are loud from research on here. How bad are amazon bites? I’ve always been scared of amazons because of the top aggressive ones, however I have never met an Amazon in person. The one in rehome highway is tugging at my heart strings, but most people say not to get an amazon unless you’ve had experience. But the only way to have experience is to gain it.

 

[Love My Zons]

My boy is 19, had him since a baby. He's big. He's loud. I've heard they are among the loudest of the Zons, and I believe it.

Mine is all bark and no (or very little) bite. Loves to sing, loves it even better if I sing along.

Chews wood better than a woodchuck, out chews my Greenwing! Loves to eat, and eats anything I give him.

My boy's an easy keeper as long as I don't allow him near my windows. He chews the wood around them.

Happy to play on his perch all day, not at all like my drive-you-mad GoffinToo.

Love him to death... Oh, did I say he's LOUD?

And wood around door jambs, window frames.........

Other than that, he's the best! They are very lovable but very independent. I have never been bitten badly by him, he has nipped but a true bite never.

 

[Love My Zons]

I’ve gathered that they are loud from research on here. How bad are amazon bites? I’ve always been scared of amazons because of the top aggressive ones, however I have never met an Amazon in person. The one in rehome highway is tugging at my heart strings, but most people say not to get an amazon unless you’ve had experience. But the only way to have experience is to gain it.

Mealy's are the gentle giants of all the Amazons. They are very pretty birds, being all green with that pretty silvery sheen on their backs. Some have yellow or yellow and red feathers on their crowns. Kazoo has a yellow and red feather this year. He usually gets a tiny yellow feather but they just fall out. So far, this one pretty feather is still on his head it's been a few weeks!

If you give a Mealy a home, he will need the largest cage you can afford. I would say a Macaw size cage is perfect. Plenty of toys to add to it. They are very independent but at the same time very dog like.

They love water, love to shower.

 

[macawpower58]

Same here with the bites, never badly, usually a nip if I move too fast.

Mealy's are called gentle giants. For the most part I believe it to be true.

They do get spicy, but their body language is loud. Nothing like the hot 3!

 

[macawpower58]

You can tell there are 2 Mealy lovers on this thread!

 

[Love My Zons]

You can tell there are 2 Mealy lovers on this thread!

Very much so. When it came time to add another Zon to the mix- the Mealy was the one that sounded like the perfect match. He was the perfect match! I was very lucky to find a breeder just a few hours from us that had babies!

Yes, my boy knows me as his Momma He is the bomb diggity I love it everytime he calls my name. Cracks me up and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The when he calls Hoosier, he truly knows who we are so that's LOVE!!

 

[alshgs]

What would I need to keep my eyes open for or expect with them? Im not familiar enough with amazons, so my confidence is low when taking one home. My biggest concern is my kids. They respect my smaller birds, and my smaller birds usually don’t interact with them much. And when we had Peg, my daughter absolutely loved her, but Peg only lunged when she was in her cage. Her bite hurt, but I’m sure it’s nothing compared to an amazon bite, which is my worry. Not if he bites me, but if he goes after my kids, even if they aren’t around.

Part of me also believes that I’m letting my fear of amazons get in the way. Which is why I need y’alls help!

 

[Fia Baby]

I don't have an amazon, but a mealy is one I'd choose if I got one. I've heard they're pretty mellow, but loud like most amazons. I've played with amazons before - the nice thing about them is that they are really obvious about their intentions. They tell you they're going to bite you before they do it. Their excited displays are impossible to miss. I wouldn't be afraid of this guy, but I'd work slowly to see how he reacts to your kids - which I'm sure you'd do.

 

[Clueless]

but most people say not to get an amazon unless you’ve had experience.

Horse feathers.

MC and Secret came to our home and we had zero experience with birds. They are blue front, DNA Male, wild caught amazons. We're all alive and kicking.

I have grandsons. I had baby walkers deliberately rolled into MC's cage by the oldest one. He always chose the bird section of the zoo when they first got to the zoo. He's turning 6 now.

All 3 boys were told don't put your finger in the bird cages, they bite. So far, no bites.

How old are your children?

 

[alshgs]

They are 6 and 11. My 11 year old is more into our reptiles. My 6 year old does like my other 3. She knows not to touch Diego since can be iffy. Tuki will fly off if you come towards him and Pickles (supposedly the sweet one) has hit her twice already, neither bite was eithers fault. She was trying to get him off the floor, and my sudden movement spooked him. With Peg, I was the only one who got bit by her, thankfully because her bites hurt

 

[camelotshadow]

Ohhh...I'd say meet Sydney...if something about him is calling to you...
Gentle Giants but LOUD is what the consensus is so carefully consider...

Exciting

 

[Clueless]

For what it's worth, I can't imagine life without my two.

What could it hurt to just meet this fellow?

 

[Hankmacaw]

When I volunteered at The Oasis years ago there was a mealy there. His name was Taco and he was the nicest sweetest bird - nothing like the bunch of YH, DYH and BFA we had there. Every one of them you had to be on your toes every minute. But Taco was just a big green marshmallow.

 

[alshgs]

I do plan on meeting him if able to. He is tugging at my heart some kind of bad. It’s something about him that’s calling out to me. I’ve always been scared of the other amazons, but at the same time I’ve always wanted one

 

[Clueless]

No fear. Just look in their eyes.... you'll fall in love

 

[Love My Zons]

I would not be afraid of a Mealy. They are too nice natured and aren't the hot Amazons. I will say that Kazoo will tail flare along with a puffy nape and eye pinning all at the same time. It's all bluff LOL He's not in the least bit aggressive.

If you go into this with your eyes wide open to expect the expected and unexpected you will be fine. Amazons are not really cuddly at all. Some may roll around like my Red Lored when he gets all cute but that's on his terms and very short lived. Kazoo on the other hand is NOT a cuddle bug at all. He is like a green dog, very inquisitive and very active.

With this being said, you need to ask aside from this bird tugging at your heart, what you want in a bird. Behavior, social-ness and talking ability? Some may talk just saying a few words. Both of mine don't have a large vocabulary, neither does our Cockatoo.

First meet him, or her then go with your gut.

 

[Lwalker]

I was like you and admired amazons but always had a healthy fear of them too. Then I met Cocoa. She is a Red-Lored and is not usually agressive but has her hot moments. Reading and learning from people on AA gave me the confidence to bring her home. If you are patient and pay attention to his body language, respect him you should be fine.

Do you know about his past? I was lucky as Cocoa does not seem to have been abused, just fed too much junk food - which is bad in itself but did not cause aggression. The fact that she trusted people was a huge bonus.