Brand New here and NEED HELP!

[Animal_lover]

Thank you for rescuing these birds! They must be so scared . You must be feeling very over whelmed right now. Great advice in previous posts. Do some reading on avian behaviours ...so interesting. Best of luck to you and your husband. Keep us posted

 

[honestlyfungirl]

We have only had them for 2 weeks. We are very new to them. My husband has been going over to the neighbors house for over a month to feed them and make sure they were cared for but we only moved them 2 weeks ago. I am getting the idea that Spank needs more entertainment. I will create some toys for him and see if he can keep his mind busy. I am working very hard at not being scared of him. I was cleaning the bottom of his cage and he went for my face. I was able to not over react just moved away from him and put a guard between us and finished my job. Inside I was terrified! Afterward I did laugh. Like macawpower58 said, I had better laugh or I was going to cry.

 

[Love My Zons]

Even though he seems like he wants to kill you, Amazons are one of the few species that atleast gives you a warning with their body language. You have seen the flared tail and the pinning eyes. A puffed up nape (back of the neck around their head) can be another sign. As for the pinning of eyes and flaring of the tail not all of the time does that suggest aggression. Sometimes and overly excited happy or stimulated Amazon will do this too.

Trust me I know what a lunge is like it happens here from time to time but mine are not all out not able to be handled it happens when someone is telling me NOOOOOOOO! Like they do not want to step up it's usually a back to cage type thing or it can be one of them being jealous of the other one.

 

[roxynoodle]

Welcome to AA. I think you've gotten a lot of good advice already . I do also have a Yellow Crown amazon, but admit he's very sweet. He shouldn't be He's wild caught and male. He should be a pistol, but its more like he has amazon moments

So I'm not sure I count as one of the zon people here I could offer tips on making friends with birds in general but not necessarily zons in particular. Later, when I'm not trying to eat with a cat zooming 30mph around the room, and trying to grab my food every time she flies past, I'll read the whole thread, and see if I have more ideas for you.

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

Jeannie, thank you, thank you, thank you for rescuing those poor birds. Back in 2009 I inherited two older Amazon Parrots, Precie, a hen, who was 29, and Pedro, a cock, who was 25 years old. Precie adjusted quite well to a new owner, but Pedro did not. Pedro was quiet and able to be handled for exactly ten days before he went crazy on me and became a raving, attacking, biting nightmare: like you describe Spankey. I had to learn to handle him while keeping him from ripping my face off. I used the pot lids for fending him off, I keep on hand on a shield while I timidly changed his papers and cleaned his cage and I tried and tried and tried to make friends for him. He would not take treats from my fingers (he would rather bite the fingers off), he loved to foil my attempts to change his food and water and one day he jumped off the top of his cage and bit my face! (That day I DID cry!)

From what I can see of their cages, they need a lot more toys and things to destroy. That helped Pedro a lot and he shreaded box after box and destroyed many, many two by fours. He seemed he was happier when he could destroy stuff. It took Pedro six months to settle down and to even start regarding me as worthy of listening to or even tolerating. I called a bird behaviorist and got some pointers about handling aggressive birds and she suggested training Pedro for better behavior. If he tried to bite me while I was putting his fresh food in the bowl holders, I was to tell him no and that he should behave; if he did not back off and allow me to place the bowls after three tries, then to not give him his fresh food right then and come back later and retry later. The first day I tried this, it took me eight tries before he allowed me to give him is fresh food. But within three months, all I had to do was tell him, "Pedro, I have your food" and he would back away from the food door hatch and allow me to place the food without threatening me.

So, you see it can be changed. You can, in the future after he gets used to you, change his view of you; but right now he is scared and afraid and doesn't trust you. His daddy is gone and nothing Spanky sees right now is right and the world has been turned upside down. Until he understands he is safe with you and that you will feed him and take care of him, he is going to be very difficult. Just hang in there, Jeannie, and keep trying.

And again, thank you for caring for these abandoned birds.

 

[Macawnutz]

What a story, thank you for bringing them into your home. You have so much fantastic advice so far I have very little to add. Time is so important, what you feel is a long time is nothing to a parrot.

As for feeding your little wildman, I have an intern that finds my female Binky difficult at meal times. After a few days of trying to find what would work best for both of them we learned if she draped a hand towel over her arm ( like a waiter would ) Binky stays away from the door and patiently waits for her to finish adding food and water. Might be worth a try. Most older birds know a towel means business and he might give you a bit of room if you have one near. I would go slow and easy to start as some birds are terrified of towels and you would not want to scare him.

 

[honestlyfungirl]

It is encouraging to hear that others have dealt with what I am going through. Makes me feel better to know Lois that yours was okay for a while and then went off the deep end after 10 days. that is almost exactly the time line that Spanky became possessed. I have been passing the information on to my husband and he is also encouraged. We will put these ideas to practice and keep our heads up and keep trying. You guys are great!

 

[GuineaPigster]

It is encouraging to hear that others have dealt with what I am going through. Makes me feel better to know Lois that yours was okay for a while and then went off the deep end after 10 days. that is almost exactly the time line that Spanky became possessed. I have been passing the information on to my husband and he is also encouraged. We will put these ideas to practice and keep our heads up and keep trying. You guys are great!

Keep us posted!! My birdies and I are rooting for you all!

 

[waterfaller1]

Welcome to Avian Avenue. I have to run but my first thought looking at the cages is I agree with Holiday and would question the metal they are made of. Everyone has given good advice and I thank you for taking them in. I wish you all the best.

 

[roxynoodle]

I've had time now to read, but am on my second cup of coffee, so we'll see if I make sense

The cages are pretty unique and I've not seen any like them before. I am wondering if someone made them? Understand money is tight for you, and that technically they aren't your birds (at least not yet, but would not be surprised if they become yours ). So as time goes by you should probably try to find them better cages. That can be addressed later though, but it would help a lot with Spanky to have good outside opening food doors so you can give food and water without chance of being bitten. So his might be the one to replace sooner rather than later.

However, my amazon does display and act aggressive when I feed the birds in the morning. And it turned out, he's not actually angry, nor does he want to kill me. He wants me to acknowledge him personally and say, "Good morning, Petey! How are you?" and to give him a kiss. Not saying you should kiss Spanky as you might end up with part of your lip missing, but it doesn't hurt to act excited to see him and to talk to him. So yes, once Pete gets his personal morning greeting he is happy and starts eating. I totally misread him for months and thought he was angry with me and lunging to try to bite, but no, he was just excited to see me and get breakfast.

Both amazons and macaws love music. Amazons love to sing, and macaws love to dance (though some sing). I would sing and dance for them. Don't feel silly and don't worry if you aren't a good singer; birds don't care And if you try to sing opera, that might really get Spanky's attention in a good way. It won't matter if you think you sound like a dying cow; the sillier it gets the better.

Yes, amazons love to pick things up with their feet and either chew them up, or throw them. He would love some little blocks of wood and bottle caps to play with.

Pete also loves to play "stick out the tongue". So stick your tongue out at Spanky and see if you can get him to do it back. You will tire of this game before he does

Flirt coyly with him. Don't look at him directly. Cover your face with your hands and giggle and peek at him from the side through your fingers. Act like you want to flirt, but aren't quite brave enough.

Play peek a boo. Hide behind furniture or under a blanket.

Diet. I'm not a macaw expert by any means, but the mac could benefit from a pellet high in protein like Harrison's High Potency Course. The Nutriberries are a good supplement for some variety and because they have omega 3/6 fatty acids. I know they need a fair amount of healthy nuts, too. I would offer walnuts, almonds and others, but not the peanuts. Peanuts are high in fat but offer little in nutrition, and there is a dangerous fungus that can be on the shells. Of course veggies and some fruit as well. Spanky does not need a lot of fat and protein, unlike the macaw. Nutriberries are a perfectly acceptable "pellet" for amazons. He can also have some nuts, but does not need as many as the mac (he could have up to one walnut a day, or the equivalent amount in other nuts). He also needs veggies, and some fruits. Watch sugar content with amazons in particular. Some things you should limit are fruit and peas. Apples are pretty low in sugar but grapes and bananas are loaded. Plantains are healthier than bananas.

They can also have cooked chicken or turkey (again the mac more than the zon), brown rice, healthy whole grain breads/waffles, cooked eggs (scrambled seems to go over well), pasta and cooked beans (most, some are toxic). Don't give salt or onions or avocado. Many pits/seeds of fruit are also toxic like apple seeds and cherry pits.

Hope some of this helps

 

[ilikebirds]

flirting is a good idea i flirt and wink at my birdees, especially shy ones. you will see them wink back this is how i have gotten jaime to let me pet her twice.

 

[Cara]

Since they are fearful, I'd be cautious with toys, but you may want to see if they want to shred. Drill a hole through a phone book, or even just roll up a few paper plates and stuff them in the bars. A busy bird is usually quieter. Hubby could try playing tunes for them too. I don't know that much about Amazons, but I think they are usually pretty food oriented. If you can figure out what Spanky likes (and that isn't bad for him), you may find a way to win him over. Try a carrot (veggies should always be your first effor. Like kids, they probably would prefer junk or fruit), or a piece of apple (not that nutritious, but not harmful). Blueberries, papaya, mango, cantaloupe are better nutritionally on the fruit side. For the macaw, you could try almonds as a better option than peanuts.

We call the paper towel roll 'The Psychotic Cockatoo Feeding Device"

Best of luck. There are a WORLD of great resources here. Don't hestitate to ask!

 

[Danita]

One bird is possessive of your husband, then that will pretty much be the way it always is. So watch yourself if you get close to your husband and the bird, they get ornery and will lunge.

The screaming is a common thing with parrots, #1 reason for rehoming. Things to avoid is, running to them right away, give them exercise which could be a spray bath or wing flapping, only approach when they are not screaming, sometimes contact calls are good (say words they like to say back to them, so then they say that instead of yelling).

Diet, cheap ways to improve their diet is search on here for chop recipes, it is pretty much things you have in your house. Or just chop up veggies/fruit in to small pieces and offer every day, even if they don't eat it. Mix some into their regular diet too. Common foods that birds usually like are walnuts, almonds, grapes, apple, carrot, oranges, oatmeal, try a little of everything if you have it in your house. Coconut oil isn't that expensive anymore, they sometimes like to lick it right from the spoon. The ideal diet is fresh, so if you are changing it, you might want to slowly go that way. Warm oatmeal with banana is nice too, they like spoon feeding, it will remind them when they were babies. Fresh is less expensive the pre made mixes if you have time.

You will read so many things about parrot ownership and all the different things you need to do, don't worry about all of it, focus on the important things, diet and adjusting to the new environment. You are always learning new things as a parrot owner and you may start to think we are all fanatical lol and we are.

Parrots usually love to hear kids songs with their names in it Old MacDonald's Farm is a favorite. Peek a boo is a fun game, the macaw will love.

The toy suggestions are great, another one is hide a nut in a paper towel and knot it, they like that.

Last thing, my god, I admire the both of you for taking on such a big task, not knowing how to care for them! We were all new at one point

Keep asking! Keep reading!

 

[danadear]

You will get the best advice you can imagine here..I am so glad you found this site. These people are wonderful. Thank you so much for opening your hearts and your home to these guys.

 

[Mikniknar]

I wanted to say, good for you on the rescue of these birds. I as well have a parrot I rescued 15 months ago...

 

[Brigidt36]

Hi Jeannie, and Welcome to the neighborhood. So glad you found us. Bless you for taking these birds into your home and caring for them. Coming here is a great place to start learning about these two beautiful birds you have brought into your home.

Diet: I would introduce them to a pelleted diet. My guys prefer Harrison's Coarse Pepper pellets. I'd add some pellets to the diet you are currently feeding and make the pellets available at all time. To get them to eat more veggies, I'd make a mixture of brown rice, chopped broccoli, chopped carrots, chopped peppers (any variety, especially the hot varieties like jalepenos) and mix it all together with baby food sweet potatoes. Serve warm. A warm, mushy comfort type food may encourage your two to try new veggies. This can be made ahead of time and freeze into serving size portions. Each time you make it you can add different veggies and some fruits. Only keep the mash in the cage for an hour because you don't want it to spoil and cause bacteria to grow. If possible, I would offer the warm mash two times a day; first thing in the morning and again in the late afternoon. If you have any skewers, you can also skewer some apple pieces, orange pieces, carrots, etc and hang them in the cage to encourage them to eat fresh, raw veggies/fruits.

Showers: Most birds enjoy daily showers and this helps keep their feathers in great condition, keeps them from getting itchy and keeps all those down feathers from floating all over the house. I'd start with with a large spray bottle with room temperature water. Have the nozzle turned to a mist like setting, not a stream, and mist them, watching for their reaction. Some people say to shower them in the morning so they can dry out through out the day, but since my guys jump in their water dishes at all odd hours I spray them any time. Amazon's are pretty dusty birds and most LOVE, LOVE, LOVE their showers.

Perches: Make sure you have different size perches in the cages to work their little feet. Varied widths keep their feet healthy.

Toys: Chewable wood toys are a favorite. Anything they can destroy and whittle down to toothpicks is good. Also keeps their beaks healthy.

Behavior: My amazon used to go through periods of attacking and biting anything that came too close to him. The bites hurt, and his posturing was terrifying. When cleaning his cage I'd wrap my forearm up with a kitchen towel and then wear a heavy long sleeve sweatshirt over it. That way, if he lunged and bit, it wasn't so painful and it allowed me to clean and service his cage.

Water: Lots of birds love to soak their food/pellets in their water, turning the water into a murky, mushy, gross mess. I don't stop them from doing this as I believe there has to be a valid reason they do this. I just make sure that their water gets changed out several times a day. My rule of thumb is, if I wouldn't drink out of it then they shouldn't either.

These two have had a lot of changes happen to them and they are trying to settle in. Don't be surprised if they try and test you on occasion. Good luck, and please keep us posted. They are beautiful and I think I fell in love with the amazon

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

Jeannie, bird owners call those first easy days with a new bird the "honeymoon" period. The bird will be quiet, easily handled and almost docile. Then they get acclimated to their new place and realize they are never going back to their old place and then either begin to act out slowly or (definitely an Amazon thing), they go off the deep end and become raving maniacs ready to kill, kill, kill. With Pedro, he was separated from the only person he loved and suddenly was saddled with me; a person he didn't know from Adam. I felt really sorry for him while still trying to keep my skin in one piece!

The longer he is with you, the more acclimated he will become to your household and your routines, the calmer he will become. But this will take time and it can take a long time as a parrot's sense of time is not the same as ours. Also, parrots are prey animals while humans are predators. Our fast, surprising movements are often surprising to them and if they do not trust you, threatening. As far as Spanky is concerned, you could be planning to turn him into lunch some day! Only time will change his perceptions.

 

[gibsongrrrl]

sounds like you are getting great advice here already, so I just wanted to say how awesome it is of you guys to take these birds in and how extra special it is that you are doing so much research and are trying to better their lives/take great care of them. You guys rock

 

[Lady Jane]

While I am not a large bird person I do have one suggestion. Since these birds came from a male household try having just your husband interact and feed the Amazon. Do you know if they will be returning or do you have them forever? There is a very nice basic reference book called Parrots for Dummies and it will help you learn the basic needs of parrots. There is a 50% off on this book for a while. Amazon.com: parrots for dummies: Books

 

[ArtBird]

Wow. What a story! You both are so brave and generous to take in these two beauties....I'm pretty new here as well, and have been learning tons from these amazing people. As you can see, many wonderful replies with a lot of great help for you.
I would just want to add, if you like or enjoy a more organic or holistic approach, (in addition to other advice, and not instead of pellets) you might try an avian sprout mix as part of their chop. Regular seeds are dormant, and the nutrition in sprouted seed/nuts/legumes is tripled or more after being soaked in water and allowed to germinate and sprout. Its so very easy, and adds another means of giving them food to look forward to. I sprout almonds and hazelnuts as well. (plain nonroasted unsalted raw almonds.) It sounds like your beautiful guys may be starving for some real, living food. (Imagine them in Nature, the bounty that is available to them....now take that away, and give them only dried up seeds, ....heartbreaking. ) Lots of threads here about sprouting, I've been getting an avian mix from China Prairie for 8 years, there are also others. I'm happy to help you with any of it, if you need anything just ask.
Everything else has been thoughtfully addressed....good luck it gets better! Once you love a parrot...your heart will reward you over and over.
This might help...to watch them at their best: Saving Yellow-naped Amazon Parrots in Nicaragua - ENGLISH - YouTube
This shows them in their natural world, and also what they would eat in the wild, and shows how beautiful they are, and how endangered in their natural habitat. (less than 50 left- due to poaching?)