I grew up with a DYH Amazon named E.T. My dad named him after E.T. in the movie, of course. My parents got him from a breeder when I was only four years old. He was super sweet as a baby, as baby birds tend to be. He would preen our hair and cuddle, and was a joy to be around.
The Bad: As he got older, his hormones kicked in big time. He was super hormonal during puberty. After that, he would still get very moody around hormone times, and would try to bite anyone and everyone frequently during those peak times. He was not allowed on the floor at that point either, as toes became a fun new thing to bite...hard. During this time, he also decided my dad was to be his mate. My parents didn't know about the benefits of flighted birds at the time, so E.T. was not flighted. Even though he couldn't fly, whenever my dad and my mom were in the same room, he would make every attempt to climb over to bite her. He was fast and because of this, he was sometimes successful. His bites were the latch on as hard as possible and don't let go kind. When my dad was at work, or out of sight, my mom could handle him and even pet him. I was only bitten by E.T. twice, but I remember it well. It may not be a Cockatoo bite, but it's certainly a memorable experience. I was just a kid when I got bite #1. It hurt like crazy, but I was fine. My arm was badly bruised and indented, but it healed up, and there was no scarring or anything. This happened during hormone season.
When I was 10, my mother had to send him up to my aunt's house because my dad was too sick to be around the dander anymore (doctor's orders). E.T. never got over my mom dropping him off at my aunt's. He stayed furiously angry at her, and I think he still would be to this day. Even though she did visit him and bring him back home, I'm sure he felt abandoned, and I can't say that I blame him. Not to mention, my dad was his absolute favorite person in the whole world, and E.T. was only able to come back after my dad had passed away. I'm positive he associated my mom with my dad's absence and blamed her for that too. He probably thought she had caused his whole world to be taken away, and I don't say this lightly, but it was easy to see that he absolutely hated her for it.
He then became my sister's bird, as my mom could no longer handle or go anywhere near him without him trying to attack her. When my older sister went away to college, I became his caregiver. I was somewhat afraid of him though, but I tried to give him what he needed to the best of my ability. At one point, I was holding him and my mom came upstairs. The second he saw her, he bit me so hard. That bite, unlike bite #1, bled a lot. I didn't understand Parrot behavior at that point, like I do now, so I became more fearful of him after that.
The Good: Even though I was afraid of him, I really loved that bird. After all, I had grown up with him. There was a lot to love about E.T. He had a huge vocabulary, and spoke so clearly for a Zon. He was able to sound exactly like my mom, to the point where my uncle thought my mom was home one time while we were on vacation. My uncle was fixing the water heater, and he told us E.T. said, "(My dad's name), is at the garage." That was one of his favorite phrases to say when my dad was either at work or not there. He would look out the window waiting for my dad when he said it too. He would even sing songs, including the whole Lion King theme song. He also said things like, "E.T. phone home, want a cracker, my name and middle name together, my mom's name, my sister's name and middle name together, bird, wanna come out," and a whole lot of other words and phrases. My mom taught him to sing instead of screaming, so he never screamed. He was such a fun bird to have around. You could see when he was excited (eye pinning and head tilt), and knew interacting from a distance was best at those moments. I still appreciate how strong and clear Amazon body language can be. I avoided many potential bites because of this.
Next, it was my turn to leave home, and there was no way for me to take E.T. with me, plus he was still my sister's bird. So, my mom tried to keep him until my sister was finished with college, but she knew it wasn't working. E.T. was locked in his cage for almost a year, because she still couldn't handle him at all anymore. He wasn't happy, so she ended up deciding it would be best to rehome him to my cousin. Unfortunately, after having E.T. for several years, my cousin decided to rehome him again. I seriously to this day wish I could have taken E.T. when he was going to rehome him, but at the time, I knew I just didn't have the means to do so. I still think about him often and miss him so much. I really hope he went to his forever home where he will be showered with all the time, care, attention, and love that he deserves.
If you're considering getting an Amazon, I think they're some of the most wonderful birds you could share your home and your life with, as long as you're adequately prepared and able to deal with the not-so-enjoyable (and sometimes downright hard) aspects of being an Amazon owner. Sometimes life happens and a new home is best for them. I really do understand that, but if possible, I don't want to see these guys going through multiple homes like E.T. had to. That's why I tried to be as honest with you as possible about what an Amazon could be like. Going through multiple homes is really hard on them, so please do a lot of research before getting one. Since you're reading this thread, you're already off to a great start.
I remember we had to have our feet up on the furniture when this was taken, and I think my mom was wearing a pair of thick slippers so her feet would not get bitten, but this was our special boy. I only hope I did justice to how wonderful he was, despite all the hormonal issues that he couldn't help. He was worth it.
He does most of his screaming early morning & right before dusk. I'm sure our neighbors know he's here. He can be very destructive, pine wood work can be destroyed in just a few unsupervised minutes.
Flight attacks happen also, you really have to experience this to know where I'm coming from. He puts every gram of his weight into his attack & uses claws & beak. Although he's a smaller 'zon, he has alot of strength in that beak. He also has the intelligence to know just how to bite you for the maximum pain.
