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Something I found amazing meeting an Amazon

d_hoover18

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Hi everyone,

I just wanted to tell a little story about my first time meeting an Amazon this past weekend. She was a blue fronted and 32 years old. She is currently at a rescue near me and I have been growing more and more fond of Amazons so I wanted to go see one for the first time. She only ever had one home and her owner just passed away unfortunately so she was brought to this rescue. She is currently listed as "unavailable" because she needs to see the vet. Anyway, I was talking to one of the volunteers their and she said that she never personally let her out of the cage yet but she would if I would like to interact with her. She said I'll go get some cookies and you can feed them to her, she is super friendly... WELL...

This bird wanted to go on her shoulder like her life depended on it. It was like they were best friends seeing each other for the first time in 20 years. She put her on a perch and started feeding her cookies and she said I'm gonna leave the room so you can interact with her. I went to give her a cookie and the funniest thing I have ever seen happened... She snatched that cookie right out of my fingers and threw it on the ground with the biggest attitude I have ever seen. So thinking maybe it was a fluke, I tried again with the same outcome and I said okay you don't like me I'll go get your friend back. She comes back in the room and that bird only wanted to be with her. It was the most adorable thing I have ever seen.

So without a doubt this Amazon only likes women, that is certain. Unfortunately that volunteer already has 2 Amazons at home and she said that she can't take her, so of course I had to say "well whats one more?" and she just laughed.


This experience gave me a greater appreciation for not only Amazons but companion birds in general. It's just so incredible that these birds no what they want and they know how to get it by any means necessary, in this case she wanted to be on this womans shoulder and nothing else.

Oh and also, as soon as she got on her shoulder she immediately started talking, her favorite thing to say was "Hello" non-stop and every time the woman laughed she would laugh.


Sorry for the long drawn out story but I just had to share.
 

Monica

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Sounds like a great experience!

Although I must say it's hard to say this bird prefers women when she has probably known this caretaker ever since coming into rescue and you are a stranger. She could very well indeed be more drawn to women, but that doesn't mean that she can't, or wont, warm up to a male person with time and training. :)
 

d_hoover18

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Sounds like a great experience!

Although I must say it's hard to say this bird prefers women when she has probably known this caretaker ever since coming into rescue and you are a stranger. She could very well indeed be more drawn to women, but that doesn't mean that she can't, or wont, warm up to a male person with time and training. :)
@Monica I was thinking the same thing that maybe she would eventually warm up to me but at the same time I know she has to be missing her parent and I was the furthest thing from her. She didn't seem at all interested in me, usually I would try to make friends with the birds I meet if they don't like me right off the bat, but there was something about her story and her reaction to me that I had to respectfully walk away.

Of course that's not to say I won't go visit her again :angelic:
 

Monica

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Charlie, my mitred conure, was supposedly a man's bird. In his foster home, he wanted *nothing* to do with me. After bringing him home, he's been pretty glued to me! ;)

Jayde, a red throated conure (RIP), definitely did have a preference for women, and not only that, but elderly women. The grandmotherly type. I'm not that old, so I didn't fit her preferred "type", but we still got along when we were at home. Seeing us at home, you'd never think she preferred anyone else above me.
 

Rain Bow

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My Zon was raised by my father & was his best friend for approx. 25 yrs from < yr baby on up. I thought once him & my husband got together he'd be gone from me being the newly "chosen" person. Buddy never has left me as the "chosen" one. What started as a love TO hate relationship between Buddy & hubby eventually grew to great love & trust. With proper conversation, training & patience builds respect & trust.

This next paragraph is purely my opinion, keep going back & you may see that bird change in a few visits. My guess is this lady may have been the food incentive & maybe even the only person this bird has chatted with. Parrots are known to grieve & go thru emotions like us. I think saying that there really is a human sex that a bird chooses, is just like a human's biological sex choice. If there was an abuser in that being's history then there may be a true preference to biological sex. They are also very resilient & know where there food comes from. ;)
 

Begone

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This bird wanted to go on her shoulder like her life depended on it.
That is a typical anguish behavior and probably because you where new to her. That has nothing to do with bond. She wanted that shoulder for protection.
and she said I'm gonna leave the room so you can interact with her.
That was so wrong of her. Imagine what this grieving parrot felt, that was abonded in a room with a total stranger that she didn't know. Be happy she didn't bite you.
So without a doubt this Amazon only likes women, that is certain.
No. I don't believe it exists parrot's that only like one gender.
Even if something bad happened in the past, time heal, and love always win.

But I don't think this was your parrot.
Just wanted to explain anyway.

If you find a Amazon you wants at a rescue, take it home, let it settle in with no demands, give it love, toys, a big cage and good and healthy food.

That parrot will bond to you sooner or later. :) No parrot chose to live single if it has an option.
 

d_hoover18

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keep going back & you may see that bird change in a few visits.
I plan to go back as often as I can because I love seeing and interacting with all the birds. The problem is, the rescue is an hour away from me and of course its the closest one. So until I find one that I feel a connection with, it isn't exactly ideal to make multiple trips there. I follow their facebook page to keep up with the new and old residents of the rescue.

Of course my gf also says "we don't have room in the house for a bigger bird right now"...

To that I say "sure we do, we just have to get rid of the couch"
 

Rain Bow

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That is a typical anguish behavior and probably because you where new to her. That has nothing to do with bond. She wanted that shoulder for protection.

That was so wrong of her. Imagine what this grieving parrot felt, that was abonded in a room with a total stranger that she didn't know. Be happy she didn't bite you.

No. I don't believe it exists parrot's that only like one gender.
Even if something bad happened in the past, time heal, and love always win.

But I don't think this was your parrot.
Just wanted to explain anyway.

If you find a Amazon you wants at a rescue, take it home, let it settle in with no demands, give it love, toys, a big cage and good and healthy food.

That parrot will bond to you sooner or later. :) No parrot chose to live single if it has an option.
I agree w/ Eloy in that this may not be your forever friend. If you do find them tho, my advice is grab them up & take them home ASAP. Sometimes pet stores, & rescues promise the bird to more than one person. (There are a few disreputable ones out there) The 1st one to pay & run gets to keep the bird. Just be sure to quarantine this "imaginary" bird from your other fids so that your other birds are not @ risk.

Also, many that have volunteered have gone thru precautions so that they're clothing @ the rescue is far away from their fids. I believe it's in case of bird mites, but I'm sure other bad things can travel into your home & onto your fids also.

@rocky'smom
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melissasparrots

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Amazons are one of the species prone to preferring one sex over the other if given the chance However, that is not set in stone. If you are a single male and took the bird home, odds are high she would transfer her bond to you. However, if you have a wife or daughter, she might give you the cold shoulder and gravitate toward women.

Also, amazons tend to recognize people that know amazons. There is a lot of body language involved in understanding amazon behavior and I find myself interacting with mine differently than my other parrots. Hard to explain how specifically. Many amazons require some sweet talk and bribery before taking you into consideration as a possible friend. Sometimes an amazon will meet someone and love them immediately. More often, its a slow process and the bird has to think about it for a while. Possibly a few days. If its not instant love, then its important for the human not to be pushy with the bird. They need time to think things over.
 

Clueless

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, its a slow process and the bird has to think about it for a while. Possibly a few days. If its not instant love, then its important for the human not to be pushy with the bird. They need time to think things over.
And then I think of how many YEARS Secret has been with me.....
 

Rain Bow

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And then I think of how many YEARS Secret has been with me.....
Buddy detested me when my Dad was alive & he was young. Is now literally my little Buddy even tho initially he picked my Daughter. If she doesn't pay attention to his body language & pushes him to do something he says no to, bites to wound & draw blood if she continues to push...
 

Monica

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Thought you might enjoy this! The "LBS" (Local Bird Store) often boards birds as well as having some store birds and occasionally babies for sale. There's two amazons there that I enjoy interacting with. Jeter and [especially] Rosie. I haven't visited in a long while. Rosie was a baby that was sold in store, but ended up being returned before she had her adult feathers. She's a yellow nape and when I first met her, she didn't have any of her yellow nape. She's got some of it now. Jeter is a double yellow headed amazon. Jeter, I think, is a boarding bird that, for whatever reason, can't go home. Jeter's mom can't even handle him, either.

When I first met Jeter, he really didn't care for me, even threatened to bite me. Rosie on the other hand has always been more "hands on" and has allowed me to pet her through the cage bars. She very clearly chooses who she interacts with, although I don't know that she has a clear preference. Supposedly doesn't prefer one gender over another, but I know she wont have anything to do with my O.H. but then again, he's not a big bird person. Loves all animals and bugs, but he respects the beak! I have not handled either 'zons out of cage though. Today, when I visited, both were happy for some attention through the cage bars.



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I do this with the knowledge that I'll probably get bit, but so far, so good! I have already been "bitten" by macaws, but nothing major! (and, IMO, not a true bite, but one left my pinky hurting for 2 weeks straight, the other I still have a scar, several years later)
 
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