Need Help Identifying Age & Feeding Needs of Rescued Amazon (Photos Included)

[cheeky1]

Hi everyone,

A young Amazon parrot recently came into my care. We’re unsure of an estimate of their age( based on eyes we know it's still young), diet or background. They’re very calm, allow handling and even fall asleep on me. For now, they’re in a warm, quiet room inside a box lined with soft towels.

We plan to take them to a vet as soon as possible, but in the meantime I’d be so grateful for any advice on:

-How often they should be fed at this stage

-Whether it looks like they’re in the weaning stage or any signs to lookout for

-Any other care tips while we wait for a vet visit

Photos are attached. Thank you all in advance. This community has already been incredibly helpful just reading through past threads. I really appreciate any guidance.

 

[melissasparrots]

It looks like the bird could be weaned, but also might not be. The beak looks soft enough that it possibly is still hand feeding. I'd offer hand-feeding 3-4 times a day and feed it when it's hungry. If you see it slowly bobbing its head up and down while make a burping or sheep ba, ah, ah, ah, ah sort of noise, that is food begging. If it has never hand-fed before, you could have a serious challenge getting it to eat. Also make sure to offer plenty of pellets, seed and veggies so that whatever stage it's in, it has something to eat. Warm sweet potato mixed with banana, cooked beans, quinoa and rice is a great weaning food and good for adult amazons too. Also, monitor it's weight with a gram scale first thing in the morning on an empty crop so you are weighing the bird and not the food in the bird. At this age, the weight may be dropping a little bit as it weans, but it shouldn't be 20 grams a day sort of dropping. Can it fly or has someone clipped it? Most baby amazons don't start putting real effort into eating on their own until they are flying well. If it's not clipped, and not yet flying, that is a big hint that it's still hand-feeding. Once they start flying, they often will fully wean in about a month or so. That isn't an exact timeline, just how things usually go. I always default into, it's hungry, feed it something... if not flying yet or just starting to, then it probably needs formula. If it is flying, it probably still needs formula a few times a day, but it might also be willing to eat some warm veggies in place of a hand-feeding. If it looks at a bowl of warm veggies and still begs at you, you can try walking away so it can't see you for 15 minutes. If it starts eating on it's own with no one to beg from, then great. If you come back 15 minutes later and it still hasn't eaten and is still begging, then it needs formula. If this so happens to be a wild baby that fell out of a nest or was taken, it might not know to beg from you, which is where keeping tabs on its weight becomes important. I'd still offer formula, even if you only get a couple drops in it's beak so it learns you are a food source. Don't try to force feed it though without a lesson from the vet as that is a quick way to kill a baby. BTW, if you didn't already know, that is a very nice looking lilac crowned amazon.

 

[KayceeJ]

It looks like the bird could be weaned, but also might not be. The beak looks soft enough that it possibly is still hand feeding. I'd offer hand-feeding 3-4 times a day and feed it when it's hungry. If you see it slowly bobbing its head up and down while make a burping or sheep ba, ah, ah, ah, ah sort of noise, that is food begging. If it has never hand-fed before, you could have a serious challenge getting it to eat. Also make sure to offer plenty of pellets, seed and veggies so that whatever stage it's in, it has something to eat. Warm sweet potato mixed with banana, cooked beans, quinoa and rice is a great weaning food and good for adult amazons too. Also, monitor it's weight with a gram scale first thing in the morning on an empty crop so you are weighing the bird and not the food in the bird. At this age, the weight may be dropping a little bit as it weans, but it shouldn't be 20 grams a day sort of dropping. Can it fly or has someone clipped it? Most baby amazons don't start putting real effort into eating on their own until they are flying well. If it's not clipped, and not yet flying, that is a big hint that it's still hand-feeding. Once they start flying, they often will fully wean in about a month or so. That isn't an exact timeline, just how things usually go. I always default into, it's hungry, feed it something... if not flying yet or just starting to, then it probably needs formula. If it is flying, it probably still needs formula a few times a day, but it might also be willing to eat some warm veggies in place of a hand-feeding. If it looks at a bowl of warm veggies and still begs at you, you can try walking away so it can't see you for 15 minutes. If it starts eating on it's own with no one to beg from, then great. If you come back 15 minutes later and it still hasn't eaten and is still begging, then it needs formula. If this so happens to be a wild baby that fell out of a nest or was taken, it might not know to beg from you, which is where keeping tabs on its weight becomes important. I'd still offer formula, even if you only get a couple drops in it's beak so it learns you are a food source. Don't try to force feed it though without a lesson from the vet as that is a quick way to kill a baby. BTW, if you didn't already know, that is a very nice looking lilac crowned amazon.

Hi melissasparrots i’m new and not able to privately message you. I found where someone said you was an Amazon breeder and from all your comments and helping others your very knowledgeable!! I’m getting a yellow winged BFA born 5-1-25. I’m getting it the 19th and gonna finish hand feeding and weening. In my research I found Tony Silvia recommending adding peanut butter to his babies formula for a higher fat/protein content. The breeder is feeding kaytee exact with omega 3 but I found kaytee exact High fat and I was wondering if I should slowly change the baby to the high fat formula if that would benefit him more?