Newbie on the avenue!

[o0msd0o]

Hello! I'm new on the avenue! But I have been reading threads on here for months! I think its very possible I have read each and every single species thread on the good, the bad, and the ugly! So I finally sucked up my courage today and joined! I have been trolling on here all morning and searching each comments that mentions yellow naped Amazon's! And I am willing to bet... you guys can guess why!!! So... a little history about myself first! I got my first budgie at age 9.. Im now 33.. and I've had multiple types of birds for... well.. you do the math! I've been around for awhile and don't consider myself a complete newbie! I have been looking for another bird for awhile! My most recent bird was an African grey... she was a rehome.. 7 years old.. and within hours.. she went from being completely untouchable.. to my best friend! And I brought her home! After about 6 months of unconditional love.. She decided my little boy (who was around 1 year old) was her most hated person in the universe! She didn't fly.. but she would run over to him, climb down my arm, climb off her cage, climb over baby gates (you get the picture).. and try to bite! It was constant! And I did sessions with a behavioral specialist.. I read day and night.. I tried training.. all I wanted.. was for her to tolerate him being in the same room.. I have playstands everywhere.. all up high so he cant reach them! Nothing worked.. so I caved and did my best to find her the most stable, loving home I could find. And I made them come meet her and spend time with her.. and made sure she would accept them first as well! It ripped my heart out, but I still get updates from them and i know she is happy and healthy and no longer has to be caged for aggression! Anyway.. after months have passed.. I decided to start volunteering with a rescue! Just because I missed the companionship and I really wanted to help! And to my surprise.. this dude.. that was in the back corner of his cage.. always on the same perch.. who ran from anyone who tried to get close.. and bit a couple of people who insisted on tried to touch him... (which I would have done the same.. some people have no respect for boundaries?)... Anyway.. he came off his perch.. to the front of the cage.. and he started talking to me... so with permission.. I moved him (in his cage) to a private space.. and I opened the door... and offered him a treat... and within 30 mins.. I was giving him scritches!.... and the coordinator and other volunteers all stood back and watched in awe... because I guess he picked me! And I'm super excited! Because my husband and I usually take our son with us.. so he got to meet him too.. and showed zero signs of aggression.. he isn't cage aggressive... fingers coming in the sides don't seem to bother him at all! He just moves away! My son crying had no response.. He honestly seems like he has some real potential! So.. they are "holding" him for me to give us more 1 on 1 time with him... just to make sure everyone will be okay! They knew I was searching for what I call "a needle in a haystack" bird.. and I just get this strange feeling that this guy is "the one"! But I also know deep down.. and lord knows I've read the threads and comments on the hot 3.. and everyone says.. MALE yellow naped Amazon's have some of the worst attitudes of all birds! And although I am no stranger to hormones.. I am a little concerned (or maybe scarred from my previous experience?).. i can't help but wonder if 6 months or 2 years from now.. if this guy who has picked me.. will have a complete attitude change and start constantly trying to attack my kid? He is 25 years young! So.. puberty is a thing of the past? Am I worrying for nothing? I realize I probably won't see his true colors for awhile? And I know he will change due to a complete environment change.. But the fact that he hasn't bitten ANYONE who didn't put their fingers up in his face.. is a good sign? No aggression when cleaning his cage, moving his perches and toys, changing food and water.. no aggression with the door open? Am I crazy? For wanting to bring this guy home and love him for the rest of all eternity?

 

[Clueless]

Not crazy.

Amazons are adorable.

I have 4 grandsons. Had 2 dna male blue front amazons that were wild caught. I've been bit, hubs was bit a time or two..... all others are fine.

Secret isn't friendly but doesn't go after grandsons.

If necessary, you can get that clear fiberglass and put a panel around the bottom of a huge cage so baby can't stick fingers in.

 

[o0msd0o]

Not crazy.

Amazons are adorable.

I have 4 grandsons. Had 2 dna male blue front amazons that were wild caught. I've been bit, hubs was bit a time or two..... all others are fine.

Secret isn't friendly but doesn't go after grandsons.

If necessary, you can get that clear fiberglass and put a panel around the bottom of a huge cage so baby can't stick fingers in.

Thank you for that! If I'm being honest... you were one of 2 people I was REALLY hoping to get a response from! I've read tons of your other comments on other threads! And you gave me hope! I'll be going back to meet with him (Willie nelson) again next saturday.. and I will hopefully get some pictures and be able to give an update!

 

[greys4u]

Welcome, sounds like he is your heart bird, you both deserve each other!

 

[o0msd0o]

Welcome, sounds like he is your heart bird, you both deserve each other!

Im thinking you may be right! Cause lord knows I can NOT get those eyes out of my mind!... this particular rescue/sanctuary has well over 100 adoptable birds... mostly macaws... and 95% of the others are large birds as well... and I loved being around each and every one of them.. cleaning cages and giving treats.. but this dude... he struck a cord in my heart! And it's like it killed me to walk away at the end of the day!

 

[o0msd0o]

Guilty as charged... I definitely just stole a picture of him from their website... and set it as my profile picture on here!

 

[Feathery]

Hi and welcome!


Congrats on finding a great fit for you and your family! Hope all goes well bringing him home!

 

[macawpower58]

Just curious, but how long did you have the African Grey?
About the Yellow Nape.
They have that reputation for aggression for a good reason.
There are YN's that don't attack, but there are many more that do. They even bite the ones they love.
It's in their genetic makeup. They're spicy and a huge challenge.
What happens if this sweet one does become difficult.
If you decide that you don't want to handle aggressive hormonal behavior, I'd really think about this.
And 25 is young. Not past hormones by any shot.
There may be many many sweet happy days. You must decide if you can live with the ones that aren't.

 

[Sparkles99]

& welcome!

 

[o0msd0o]

@macawpower58 I do totally understand where youre coming from! And although I did rehome the grey.. i honestly was more or less coerced into it and very unprepared for the situation. I now have a room dedicated specifically for whatever bird I choose to bring home with a door that keeps my son away or there is a second option now.. we are also incorporating an aviary. And.. I do realize I will still have to deal with hormones and mood swings.. but I honestly feel like there is not a single species of bird which that does not apply to? I have been bitten multiple times by both small and larger birds.. and I am lucky enough to have quick reflexes and no scars to speak of.. but in reality i have never met a bird that wouldn't bite if they are forced too. I have also been doing reading on the spicy 3 thread and quite a few others.. which I think opened my eyes quite a bit. The screaming people mention.. well.. we also have a jenday conure who belongs to my husband (and can remain separated from another bird).. and I have been volunteering with the rescue and dealing with TONS of screaming birds all at once.. which actually doesn't really bother me aside from one macaw who was particularly loud. And I am aware.. that this guy will eventually probably become a terror at some point.. im thinking it will most likely happen around mating season.. and I'm just trying to remain hopeful and looking for opinions.. that maybe it won't last for years on end without any sign of a light at the end of the tunnel. I am mentally prepared that there will be times that I probably won't be able to enjoy having "hands-on" time with him.. but I believe I will still enjoy his noises, talking, and crazy antics from a distance.. and i have a cage that is HUGE now.. so if he does have to be in there for any length of time then he will have ample room to move around and explore! (76w x 30d x 60h) I am honestly doing my very best to cover all of my bases this time..... it really hurt my soul to loose my grey! And i never want to experience that kind of heartache again if I can help it! So any advice you have at hand.. i would appreciate! I can also take constructive criticism! I just want to help this dude.. more than words can express! What are your thoughts and opinions of him having a TOTAL personality change and becoming completely unmanageable? Do you think if that happens then it would be okay to just let him be a bird in his cage or an aviary? And continue to love him and talk to him without touching? I know with his attitude towards the staff and other volunteers... and the rap sheet that these birds carry.. the chances of him finding a home anytime soon are probably pretty slim.. they seem to have a lot of "lifetime residents".. and especially since this particular rescue REQUIRES the bird to "pick their person" (which I fully support).. plus this guy has shown zero interest in anyone that has approached him until now... which definitely doesn't help him.. And I'm sure it REALLY probably doesn't help matters any knowing that i totally fell head over heels in love with him at the same time.. even though i have played with all of their other birds... and spent time with several of them one on one.. there was something about him that just stole my heart!... I just don't know what to do... I guess I'm just looking for any other opinions... or other people's experiences... that may help lead me in the right direction? Because the way i feel right now... is like I'm going to be bringing him home with me as soon as I know we are both comfortable with each other.. and doing everything I can to make sure he can live out the rest of his days knowing that he will have a flock of people who will love him and try their best to keep him happy and entertained!

 

[macawpower58]

Thanks for that detailed write-up. You do sound like you've your eyes wide open, and that's good.
As for complete personality or behavior change, I doubt at 25 that is something you'd see.
I do think though at this point you're seeing a bird on his best behavior.
Once at home and comfortable, you slowly start to see normal personality.
Many Amazon's become hard to handle at times, the hot 3 especially so.
Stick training is essential for safe (for you) handling during hard times.
Amazons also will strike from the shear joy of their excitement and fun.
I love the flash and flare of these awesome green birds, but I also hugely respect those flared feathers
and flashing eyes. Mine is not a 'hot' Zon, but there's many times when I know I need to keep my hands off.
I do think from your words it could work.
As for your child and husband....are they also in for the ups and downs of a bird like this?
It's the rare Amazon I'd consider safe with children. I do though know several raised by kids and the birds
are still with them, so it's not impossible that your child (or hubby) wouldn't click with this bird.
In fact, on another note, what if this bird decides it loves hubby and only tolerates you?
My Amazon which I had from 7 months (he's now 21), loved my daughters to death and barely tolerated me.
Only once they grew up and moved out did he begin to give me the time of day.

 

[o0msd0o]

@macawpower58 thank you for that! My husband watched me interacting with him and saw how much fun I was having... so we tested that theory a little... and although the bird didn't mind him putting his hands in the cage.. and touching his food and water bowls.. he absolutely did not want him anywhere close to him.. and he refused to take any type of treat he offered... with or without me in the room... (he treats the staff and volunteers the same way)... but something odd I did see with him taking treats from me... he won't take them with his beak... he wants me to put it in his foot instead and then he would eat it... which is something I haven't encountered with other birds... I feel like that may have been something he was previously trained to do? Opinions?
Now with my son... he has no reaction at all... no matter what we tried... nothing positive and nothing negative.. which really surprised me! So I am going back to hang out with him soon and see if that changes at all!
I do know and understand very well how birds can change their mind and go from loving one person to loving another... I have seen it happen... but something tells me that the chances of that happening with this guy are probably pretty slim... and even if that did happen... we are a very tight family.. and we all plan on loving him just the same! My husband is excited to teach him to say silly things and sing our remixed nursery rhymes for the kids! Plus... my husband also knows... touching or interacting tooo much with this guy isn't really allowed... because we have a jealous bulldog for a conure, who thinks the world revolves around my husband! And we wouldn't want him to have to fluff up and start knowing holes in t-shirts lol! He does fine with another bird around (my mother in law comes over with her cockatoo pretty often) as long as my husband doesn't "touch" it.

 

[melissasparrots]

I would make sure you are prepared to keep the bird in a worst case scenario. I don't see any reason that the bird should be expected to get along with the child. Expect that he will bite your son if given a chance. Also, expect that at some point in his life he will come off the cage and seek someone out to bite. 25 years old is not anywhere close to being past hormones. He might be at that age where hormones are predictable and seasonal. My pet male has a month or two in the spring where he is not handleable for the most part. In the summer, I have to watch body language and he's pretty hit and miss with aggression but I can handle him briefly without issues. During the late fall and winter, we have a few months of easy handling as long as the house is quiet, I'm not stressed and everything is very laid back. Also, the dogs can't be too close to me because that will get me bit. Anticipate that if your child or husband is close to you, he will bite you to drive them away. If you have a separate room with a closed door, I think it would be reasonable for you to go into that room for several minutes every day to interact with the bird. Amazons are adaptable and independent for the most part. You can have the door open so he can see what is going on in the family when he's caged and the door closed when he is out of the cage. Also, consider that it might be reasonable to clip his wings. Many people have strong feelings about this and it won't stop the urge to jump off the cage and chase feet. But, it can reduce the likelihood of those hard to forgive facial bites. If it comes down to clip the bird and keep him vs. don't clip and give him away, then clipping is the better solution IMO.
He may very well have a personality change within a month of you getting him home. It's extremely likely that he was on his best behavior at the rescue with a lot going on causing him to be less focused on his territory.
If you have a good vibe about this bird, I'd say go for it. But expect that the bird will be worse with your son and other family members that your grey was. If it turns out he is better, that is just a happy surprise.

 

[o0msd0o]

@melissasparrots thank you! I have taken everything you have written into consideration as well! And I do not ever plan on letting my son within an arms reach of the bird.. I only did it at the rescue to see what kind of reaction the bird had to my child being close. And i was pleasently surprised that I didn't see any signs of aggression.. but I also agree with you guys about the fact that he was probably on good behavior! So I am going to keep on spending one on one time with him and re-doing all the different scenarios and see if that brings on any changes... I plan on recording all of our future visits too... so I can really analyze the situation afterwards and make sure I'm not missing any suttle signs.. and i do have a room set-up for a bird now.. with a door! Plus we are literally in the process of building an aviary on our porch which will be temperature regulated as well. And I'm incorporating play stands out there too... so he could be placed where ever is most convenient and comfortable for his mood swings or wherever brings him the most joy. I am taking the advice of other members as well.. and I'm going to see about stick training instead of hands on training so we can prevent bites as much as possible.. but as I stated before.. i am also no stranger to being bitten.. so it's not like it will be the end of the world. And I am also taking the "clipping" into consideration too... I typically vote totally against it... but with flight attacks... it is worth at least a little consideration... I will wait to make a decision on that until I see more of his personality outside of the rescue.. if we do actually bring him home like I am hoping too!.... there are lots of things to think about and I honestly do appreciate everyone else's advice and opinions! I guess I'm going to let this all sink in.. along with everything else I have read.. and then we will go from there... and please believe I will probably post updates and have more questions later! This forum is a real blessing! And I will continue to push other potential adopters to join on here too! Just because you can never have enough knowledge on the magnificent creatures!

 

[melissasparrots]

Also wanted to mention if you take him home, keep him away from other green birds. There have been a few cases where an aggressive bird was brought home and everything was great for a long period of time. Then someone brought home a midsized green conure, severe macaw or other amazon and that was all it took to get the bird back into aggressive hormone mode and not come out of it. Keep in mind, he may be aggressive at home even without seeing any other similarly sized birds or green birds. But, if you get him home and things are going well, don't be tempted to jinx it by bringing home another amazon or similar type of bird. I might be tempted to even stay away from military macaws (green and south american), african greys (same body type) etc.

 

[o0msd0o]

@melissasparrots I can see where youre coming from... we do have a jenday at home already that belongs to my husband (his chosen person).. but they can and probably will remain completely separated! And as much as I LOVE parrots and want to rescue them all... that's just not an option... so if this one comes home with me like I'm hoping... then he will be the last new member of our flock... IMO... 2 birds is more than enough!

 

[o0msd0o]

Just in case anyone is wondering... I brought him home with me! And so far... everything is going wonderfully! He is still "settling in" and he is LOVING his new cage and toys! He is actually moving around and exploring and stretching his wings and hopping from perch to perch.. and talking up a storm! Which is a huge improvement compared to him being stuck in a corner with a pile of poop in one spot below him because he rarely moved.. and he was quiet as a mouse 99% of the time!
Plus.. He still seems like he still loves me too... I got up this morning and went and sat on the floor in front of his cage.. and he climbed to the bottom and got on the floor of the cage and asked for scritches thru the bars! I am probably not going to let him "out" anytime within the next couple of days.. because I really want to give him time to adjust! But... he apparently knows how to "step up" because he keeps saying it and lifting his foot for me! (He did the same thing for me at the rescue.. but I listened to yalls advice and offered a perch instead of my hand and it REALLY freaked him out.. so we will have to work on that)..
He really has a wide and colorful vocabulary! And seems SUPER smart!.... I was giving him treats last night.. and my husband came up and offered him one (that he saw him take from my hand).. and he told him to back the f*bomb up.... which of course made my jaw hit the floor!.... (he has also allowed my husband to give treats before and allowed him to give scritches too.. but I guess he just has to be in the mood!)
I don't know who had this guy before me... but... after hearing him jabber.... it seems like they would have been a "ghetto gangster" of some sort! (Forgive me... but I just can't think of any other words to compare)... and if I'm being honest.. that's okay with me! Lord knows I have a potty mouth sometimes too.. so I just giggle and go with the flow!
Anyway... we all REALLY love him... and so far... his personality is WONDERFUL!... now I will just sit back and wait for the "evil dinosaur" to come out of him while we work on target training!

 

[Clueless]

I remember there was a zon at my vet's office that cursed. Vet was trying to find a home for him back then. Apparently it's the ENTHUSIASM with which the word is said that makes the birds hold the word.

Find rhyming words and say them ENTHUSIASTICALLY after the curse word to see if you can change them.

You certainly don't want toddlers learning based from parrots.

By the way, glad you brought him home. Try laying the T stick perch near his cage and play with it in front of him.