Newbie to birds adopting an Amazon

[trypcruz]

Hi! I've posted a couple of times in the conure forum and bird enrichment forum asking about a quiet bird to live in my apartment.

The gist of it is, I was told to go to a rescue and ask about a quiet bird for a beginner to birds, which I did prior to joining this forum. The man at the rescue (back in early July) showed me this little Amazon parrot that seemed kind of scared that he didn't remember it's age or which species it was.

I went back to that rescue today, and the rescue workers showed me Jasper, who they said was a Red-Spectacled Amazon (RSA?).



Meet Jasper, who (I think) is almost definitely a White-Fronted Amazon. The rescue worker opened his cage door, and started petting him. Then she let me put my hand in and start petting him. He enjoyed the pets and seems ok with me. I went off to kind of wander around and see the other birds (including a room of grey's that I like mimicking all of their whistles back at them). When I came back and tried to pet him again, he fanned his tail and pinned his eyes, so I pulled my hand out and just sat next to him and talked. Then later I started petting him again.

The woman at the rescue told me that Jasper is ~20 years old. He came in after his owner died. He brought into the rescue in a parakeet cage, and recently got transferred into a bigger parrot cage. He also came in covered in something greasy, they think nicotine or kitchen grease. They said he plucked himself a little to get rid of the greasy feathers, but that new feathers seemed to be coming in. I was told Jasper is quiet, friendly, and gives HUGE amounts of warning signs before biting, and even then, his bites aren't bad. As I was leaving, the staff were covering cages for the night. When one of the workers started to cover his cage he growled at her. She then opened his cage, and tried to pet him. He growled, then let her pet him. I tried to pet him one last time, but he growled, and I didn't want to get a bite on our first day.

Anyway, I think I'm adopting a 20 year old amazon parrot as my first bird? Help?

@Clueless @Elysian I know you've both adopted amazons that you weren't expecting to fall for.

 

[trypcruz]

@Pritz I just saw that you have white fronts

 

[Birbs4ever]

With what do you need help with

 

[Shezbug]

@Pritz I just saw that you have white fronts

Not sure you’ll hear back from this member- they have only posted the once and don’t seem to have been here in quite a while.

 

[trypcruz]

With what do you need help with

What size cage do I need? What kind of toys will a small amazon need? How do I set myself up for success? I've been planning on getting something like a cockatiel or a green cheek conure. Now I'm seriously considering adopting an amazon.

 

[Shezbug]

What size cage do I need? What kind of toys will a small amazon need? How do I set myself up for success? I've been planning on getting something like a cockatiel or a green cheek conure. Now I'm seriously considering adopting an amazon.

This might be helpful for cage sizing…

Wingspan Info | Natural Inspirations Parrot cages

There is a chart with sizing as well as some information.

Toys are often dependent on the individual bird and it’s personal chewing/playing preferences but @Mizzely will be able to give you some help with toys.

Setting yourself up for success is the same whether you get a larger or smaller bird.

 

[Gypsy]

Is this variety typically quiet? I am just wondering if he is going to change in a different environment. I have never heard of an amazon being quiet. lol My yellow nape can get loud at times, not often, just when he wants something. I think when amazons are mature, they are not as loud or rambunctous.

 

[Mizzely]

Quiet is so subjective. I have heard that white fronted (aka spectacled, but "red spectacled are a different species lol) are quieter, but I'm not sure what that is compared to, and is that in volume, frequency, or both.

As for toys it is so dependent on the bird. Many of the Amazons I make toys for are chewers. They like pine, balsa, cork, etc.

My Jardine's is about 210 grams, which is about the same weight as that species, and he easily goes through $50 to $75 worth of toys a month.

 

[Elysian]

There was a white front amazon at the rescue I got Opie from, and it was even smaller than he is! It also seemed quiet.

It's so hard to say what the bird will be like once it's really comfortable though
I'm in my bedroom right now with the door closed and the only birds I can hear are the budgies chattering. I did hear Oggie make a few calls earlier. If Opie has made any sound this morning, its soft enough not to carry. He was quiet at the rescue too, so he doesn't seem to have changed in that regard. He is still warming up though - yesterday was the first time I saw him bite a toy that did not have food stuffed in it.

With the biting, I was initially much more afraid of Opie than Oggie. His beak is bigger and sharper. Now he is the one I'm least afraid of.
He bit me once at the rescue, but has never bitten me since I brought him home. He doesn't let me pet him, and if I offer too hard he will progress through stages - slick his feathers down, step back, slightly open his beak, then lash out. I have ample time to avoid the last 2 states, let alone a real bite. I really appreciate that about him.

I know he does have the ability to be loud, but so far he has never exercised it. And if he did I'm sure it would be short in duration.

I have Opie in this which is 23x38, and he seems satisfied with it. Of course he gets to come out and climb to his playstand a lot too.
If we did not have a dog I probably would have gotten one that goes all the way to the floor though.

 

[Mizzely]

A white front has a wingspan of about 22". The rule is minimum 1.5x their wingspan wide, and 1x their wingspan deep. So you'll want a cage about 32" x 22" minimum. They need to be able to stretch their wings out fully inside the cage, and as you fill it up with perches and toys, that available area is reduced.

 

[Mizzely]

There was a white front amazon at the rescue I got Opie from, and it was even smaller than he is! It also seemed quiet.

It's so hard to say what the bird will be like once it's really comfortable though
I'm in my bedroom right now with the door closed and the only birds I can hear are the budgies chattering. I did hear Oggie make a few calls earlier. If Opie has made any sound this morning, its soft enough not to carry. He was quiet at the rescue too, so he doesn't seem to have changed in that regard. He is still warming up though - yesterday was the first time I saw him bite a toy that did not have food stuffed in it.

With the biting, I was initially much more afraid of Opie than Oggie. His beak is bigger and sharper. Now he is the one I'm least afraid of.
He bit me once at the rescue, but has never bitten me since I brought him home. He doesn't let me pet him, and if I offer too hard he will progress through stages - slick his feathers down, step back, slightly open his beak, then lash out. I have ample time to avoid the last 2 states, let alone a real bite. I really appreciate that about him.

I know he does have the ability to be loud, but so far he has never exercised it. And if he did I'm sure it would be short in duration.

I have Opie in this which is 23x38, and he seems satisfied with it. Of course he gets to come out and climb to his playstand a lot too.
If we did not have a dog I probably would have gotten one that goes all the way to the floor though.
View attachment 390192

Ooh what cage is this? Looks nice!

 

[MR. Mango]

Keep us updated on what happens with you and jasper, you can ask the shelter volunteers what type of toys he likes

 

[Elysian]

Ooh what cage is this? Looks nice!

Well, that picture came from Elegant Style Flight Cage 38 x 23 and says HQ cages? But it's always out of stock.

It's identical to mine except mine is a pale grey and has more oval shaped bowls. I got mine in person on sale at a bird fair, almost a year ago now. I've lost the card of the guy who sold it to me.
It was also his display model, so it had no box or instructions LOL

I keep trying to figure out what it is so I can get some extra bowls for it!
I really like it, glad I got it even though I didn't have a bird for it at the time. The panels at the bottom at clear plexiglass on mine.

 

[Forest]

Well, that picture came from Elegant Style Flight Cage 38 x 23 and says HQ cages? But it's always out of stock.

It's identical to mine except mine is a pale grey and has more oval shaped bowls. I got mine in person on sale at a bird fair, almost a year ago now. I've lost the card of the guy who sold it to me.
It was also his display model, so it had no box or instructions LOL

I keep trying to figure out what it is so I can get some extra bowls for it!
I really like it, glad I got it even though I didn't have a bird for it at the time. The panels at the bottom at clear plexiglass on mine.

That cage might be made by Kings Cages. Their Superior Line Flight Cage has the plexiglass at the bottom and has oval-shaped bowls. It's 32x21 though; I can't find one that's 38x23, but maybe the bowls will still fit. The Kings Cages website does have replacement bowls.

 

[Elysian]

Hey thanks! Those do look like my bowls
I don't know why my cage is such an odd size lol

 

[tka]

Something that I'd recommend doing before you bring a bird home - any bird - is have a think about what you can reasonably offer the bird in terms of attention, and stick to that as consistently as you can. You won't manage it every day because life gets in the way and schedules change, but it helps your bird know what to expect and helps you make that commitment. Many people get a bird and have it out all day and offer near constant attention at the beginning - perhaps because they're on holiday or working from home - but they realise that they can't sustain that. So the bird gets less and less time out of the cage and finds it disorientating.

 

[trypcruz]

Something that I'd recommend doing before you bring a bird home - any bird - is have a think about what you can reasonably offer the bird in terms of attention, and stick to that as consistently as you can. You won't manage it every day because life gets in the way and schedules change, but it helps your bird know what to expect and helps you make that commitment. Many people get a bird and have it out all day and offer near constant attention at the beginning - perhaps because they're on holiday or working from home - but they realise that they can't sustain that. So the bird gets less and less time out of the cage and finds it disorientating.

Hopefully, I'll be able to do the opposite of that. I currently work full time away from home. However, as I establish myself in my position, I'm planning on working more and more from home. A couple of people in my department are almost entirely work from home and only come into the office for 2 hours each day to carry out the couple of daily tasks we're required to be on site for. I also already know that I'm more productive working from home than in my cubicle.

 

[tka]

Trust me, you will almost certainly want to establish a cage as a safe, fun space for your bird to hang out even - perhaps especially - when you're working from home. At the moment my girl is very hormonal and trying to nest so if she's out, I'm blocking off spaces or getting her up from the floor every five minutes. Not exactly helpful when I need to get work done.

Your bird will decide that there's something they want to do or get into that isn't conducive to working, whether that's chewing something they shouldn't be chewing, hanging off the curtains and begging to be "rescued", getting into something they shouldn't be be and so on. It's tough attempting to concentrate when you have to get up to see to your bird every few minutes.