Should I even try interacting?

[Zonlover]

So, some of you may know the backstory here. My elderly neighbor owns a red lored zon, and he(don't know for sure, but neighbor thinks the zon is male) is never out of the cage. Unfortunately, the neighbor is now in the hospital, and most likely will be going into a retirement home or assisted living, and probably won't be able to keep the animals(she has 2 dogs as well). Nothing is certain yet. Anyways, we are taking care of the animals now(they're still at her house, we just go over a few times per day). I sort of want to somehow interact with the parrot(he doesn't have a name, but I call him Buddy), but I have absolutely no idea how I would go about that. It's probably a really bad idea, for a few reasons.
1. I have literally no experience with any parrots.
2. I really don't want together bitten(mostly because my parents would not be happy).
3. I don't know how he would react.
He tries to bite if you poke your fingers in the cage, but idk if he would do that if he came out. Of course, even if I tried, he might not even want to come out, after being in the cage for so long. There are so many things that could go wrong... but I sort of want to do some sort of interaction with him. Maybe target training through the cage bars? He will take a peanut(not the best treat, but I didn't have anything else) from me through the bars. How would I do that? What treats do you use for training Amazons? Is any of this a good idea?

Oh, as a side note, I don't really like his selection of toys. What toys would be good for a zon who hasn't had any new ones in forever? And how do you put toys in a potentially "aggressive" parrot's cage without taking him out?

PS, not sure if I made it clear, but we are not in any way going to be keeping Buddy. I just want to interact with him a bit before either his owner comes back or he goes to a shelter/new home.

Here's a picture from a while ago^

 

[Zonlover]

@Clueless @Love My Zons

 

[Shezbug]

I personally don’t think you should be considering letting someone else’s bird out of the cage especially given that you say you have no experience. Sticking fingers through bars is not a good idea either.
Can you just be content with chatting with him and seeing how he interacts with you while he’s safe in his cage?
If someone came in to my home to care for/feed Burt and then decided to let Burt out of his cage I can guarantee it would end badly for all involved and many people who have wanted to put fingers in the cage without Burt being interested in them have been warned that it’s a stupid idea.
If you are only involved for temporary basic care, feeding, cleaning then I honestly feel that is all you should be considering doing.

 

[cnyguy]

The best way to interact with your neighbor's parrot is just to sit near his cage and talk with him. Definitely don't attempt to let him out of his cage; that could lead to all kinds of problems that even an experienced parrot person could have trouble dealing with. There really wouldn't be any point to attempt training of any kind if you don't intend to adopt the parrot. Just continue to take good care of him as long as you're needed-- that's the best thing you could do for him.

 

[Clueless]

I agree with the others do NOT take him out of the cage. Don't put fingers in there either.

I'm glad the feeder doors open.

Poor little guy. Breaks my heart he's going to lose his home. He's gorgeous.

Almond slivers are a good treat for Amazons. I buy Secrets from the baking aisle of the grocery store. No salt on those. Peanuts aren't good for them.

Secret likes organic carrot and those aren't expensive. I peel them and give Secret a chunk while we eat dinner. You can sit and munch on a carrot near the cage and talk to the parrot. Don't leave the carrot in the bowl for a long time because it will go bad.

 

[Sparkles99]

He’s beautiful! I have no advice, but am sure he appreciates your efforts.

 

[SumitaSinh]

Such a beautiful Zon! You can start talking and singing to him, offer a treat, they love almond and sunflower seeds... Don't try to touch him, it took me nearly 6 months to offer Inca scrtiches. You can watch bird whisperer videos, they really helped me. Not only with amazons, with any parrots.

 

[Zonlover]

Ok, thanks everyone! Maybe I'll bring some music over and see if he likes it.

 

[sunnysmom]

I think he would likely just really appreciate your time and attention. Since parrots are flock animals, I don't think they like being alone.

 

[April]

What a handsome boy! I agree that its best if he stays in the cage but that you just spend a lot of time sitting with him and offering him yummy and healthy treats. I'm sure he will greatly appreciate that since he's alone so much with his owner gone.