I have not read through everyone's responses. Personally if the breeder says they are not to be pets, that means if you want to take one in, then be willing to accept it if the bird never changes. Also, don't think you are "rescuing" the bird. The bird may be coming from a very good breeder and living a good life right now. Just because its being rehomed does not mean that its being treated horribly. Now the intent of your question, if you would be disappointed if the bird was aggressive, charging the cage bars, or just never became tame, then I'd guide you away from these birds. Some amazons(mostly females but not always) that were former pets can actually convert back to being pets with surprisingly little effort. Especially if they were really well socialized and human bonded before being put into a breeding situation. I have one such female. She is currently with a mate. If for whatever reason he dies first, she would probably go back to being a pettable pet within a few weeks or less. Her mate on the other hand, no way. If Ellie dies first, I will be looking for a retired older hen to pair with him. Oscar does not want to be a pet. Trying to make him into one would just make him hate me more than he already does and would make him miserable. If you are going to rehome breeder birds, that means you really have to accept them as they are. Some of them just need a good place to land where they can just be birds. That means hang out on top of their cage and not be bothered too much. You may forever have to handle the bird with a stick and either clip it or be willing to duck if it tries an air attack. Don't think that spending a lot of time with it will make it want to like you. With amazons it isn't so much how much time you spend as what you do when you do spend time with them. Spending hours being close to a bird that resents your existence because you took it out of the aviary situation where it was happy will just make it hate you more. On the other hand, if you stop by frequently to talk to it for short periods, drop treats in the bowl on your way by, offer a scratch, but don't hang around insisting, then you might make some headway. Amazons tend to be creeped out by needy people that want to spend a lot of time with them. They are an independent species to start with and that goes double for breeder birds. Multiple very short interactions will get you further. I guess if you want to get one to fulfill some emotional need of yours and make it into a good pet, you may very well be disappointed. Its possible you could be surprised, but usually if a breeder thinks the bird might have some pet qualities, then they will advertise it as a possible pet with some work by an experienced person. If they are just outright saying, not a good pet, then I'd suggest respecting the bird and either not try to make it a pet, or purchase it with intent of find it a friend if it doesn't turn out to be a good pet. Any time you rehome a bird, you really have to have a big enough heart to love the bird even if it doesn't love you back or turn out the way you hoped and dreamed it would. And you have to be willing to do the right thing for the bird. And be willing to accept that the right thing might not be to be your pet. Very possibly the right thing will be to find it a mate. You can choose to give it a nest box or not or to let it incubate eggs. So getting it a mate doesn't necessarily mean you have to become a breeder. In my case I got a very nice pet quality female but could not shake the feeling that she would be happier with a mate. So I got her one and decided to just see how things worked out. Turns out they are a great pair and happier together. She has lost some of her pet qualities and he is atrociously aggressive. However, they are happy and that is my primary goal.
That's actually a very good description of Pete as well! First he does the harbor seal and then he starts barking like a JRT, as that is the breed of dog he used to live with.
But, since all my birds were used to being covered here and in their previous homes, I've kept on doing it at night. What I'm doing with the extra large, extra tall cages is using king sized blankets and putting them over the top, sides and front only and leaving the back mostly uncovered. But, they are all up against a wall.
