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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly about Amazons

Mealyamazon1

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My luckyboylove ate apple..banana. lettuce.egg..cook meat..noddle.but only little bit..don't feed tooomuch ..other why bird can not do number two. . .
 

expressmailtome

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They are found in Panama and several South American countries.

Matt
 

roxynoodle

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I have questiofor u...u caught your amazon I

Pete is a Yellow Crowned Amazon. They are native to Central and S. America as Matt said. Until 1992 it was legal to import parrots into the US. Local people would capture wild parrots and then sell them for importation to the US and other countries. It is still legal in some countries to do. Pete was imported in 1983.

I have no idea where he was captured or even his actual age. If he was a baby then he is or will soon be 31 years old. He could be 50 for all I know :)

Often the birds who were caught in the wild and then imported never became tame or imprinted on people. Pete is a surprisingly sweet boy, but in general if you are looking for a tame, pet bird, the wild caught ones usually aren't that way.
 

petiteoiseau

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If he is a sweet boy then he was taken from the nest. It's the ones that were caught as adults or juveniles that never become quite bonded to humans.
 

Sharpie

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Late to the party, but I want to play. :)

The good: Great appetites and sturdy birds. Jasper is sturdy physically, in that he's tended to be healthy despite the care most of them get and he got too, and also emotionally. He's been able to rebound and move forward and do well, again, despite the care he has received from humans. Maybe it's that he'd just too stubborn to give up, but Jasper in particular and 'zons in general seem to do better in captivity and uneducated homes than many of the more sensitive species. He is very cuddly and entertaining (on his terms) and LOVES an audience. Playing fangirl or boy to his antics is a 100% guaranteed way to win him over to liking you. He's a huge ham, so dancing, singing, talking, and anything else silly is a hit with him. He is not a one-person bird, though he would tend to be if I didn't work to maintain a family flock idea instead of a pair-bond.

The bad: He is a little loud, volume-wise (as in, the neighbors can hear him, but not exactly what he's saying), but it's usually confined to a time or two per day. He also needs a large cage, lots of large and sometimes expensive toys and entertainment items, and a good diet. Not that this is any different from other parrots, but it is a tough thing for new parronts to really grasp.

The ugly: he can and will bite. Hard. There will be blood. Now, as others have mentioned, it isn't out of the blue, and Jasper is very polite and always gives warnings in plenty of time for the human to put him down, walk away, or withdraw their squishy body parts. Ruffled feathers, eye pinning, wing and tail flares, etc. He'll even go so far as to push your hand away with his beak or just grab your fingers firmly for a second while glaring at you, warning you that if you persist, there will be consequences. This is a trained behavior though, and during hormone times, he's a little quicker to get to blood. Given how predictable the circumstances he'll bite in are (hormonal, invading his cage, strangers, doing something he doesn't like such as a nail trim, or you're not paying attention to him and yet are foolish enough to still be in range) if someone gets bit by Jasper, it is entirely their own fault.
 

Sassy12

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Well, me to with my Yellow Shouldered Amazon name Sassy, because she absolutely throws a fit, when a stranger approaches he cage. She has to have whatever I eat. She is worse than our dog at begging. She is a bit nosey and if she sees the refridge open, she starts begging immediately.

She is playful and gentle with me, but she has her moments too. She refused to come out of her cage at 11:30 pm. There was a tornado warning for our county. She bit me pretty hard and I had to get her out anyhow. She came out, but not really wanting too. This is where they have a mind of there own.

So the good is amazons are usually loyal and playful.

The bad is forcing them to do something they do not want to do.

The ugly is not in the Amazon family. They are very loyal to there owners. :lol:
 

Sassy12

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Yes, the Yellow Shouldered Amazon is protected from poachers. They are on cites under appendix ll . That means they are going extinct in the wild and or vonerable to be extinct. There was only 999 to 10,000 Yellow Shouldered Amazons left in the wild in 1999, so the government of Venezuala and governments of the world stopped poachers from capturing them. I got my Yellow Shouldered Amazon from a lady whom protected birds from neglect or abuse from abuse. Sassy my Yellow Shouldered Amazon was hand fed as a baby by this lady and sold to me. The Yellow Shouldered Amazons are readily sold if raised in captivity, but there are laws against selling if not raised in captivity. Most Amazons parrots are one or two generations from the wild.
 

keikoasmom

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I am enjoying the posts, and learning, too.
Keikoa will be 15 in May, and our first Amazon. I wish I had posted here before she was
injured/sick, because everything I do, every thought, is tinged with worry for her.
But not to hijack, Keikoa is a BFA and we got her because my friend's BF is so hilarious and his
feathers and coloration had us enthralled.
I agree with Melissa, a healthy Amazon's feathers nearly glow, they are iridescent in the right light,
and amazing in their beauty!
Keikoa was from a FL breeder, and our bird lady taught us much about her and them (Zons) and I learned
a lot online. Keikoa has a funny personality, and more times than I can count (daily?) she answers what we say appropriately.
She has sounds or words for a positive, negative, greeting, and so on. She likes to do tricks and whistle and sing,
and used to play a lot with toys and especially make boxes into homes!
Our Little Bird (LCA) and Friday (YNA) were rescues, and we think that Little Bird was wild caught. He doesn't like to be held,
and is totally fearful of tow hands coming at him. But he is funny, although shyer than Keik, and has learned every word, nuance
and sound that Keikoa knows.We estimate Little Bird to be 20+.
Friday was given to our bird lady by a family that had her since her babydom, apx 26 years at the time. She is about 32 now.
She had been fed a mostly seed diet, and in a cage (although large) all the time. She has freedom now, and sings lustily, whilstles
and makes some sounds (meow!, tck-tck ) and talks a lot. She has a bad bite. She has nailed me twice, and I think I must
remind her of someone bad in her past, but she is a great vocalist, although not as intelligent as Keikoa. I don't know
if that is her genes, arrested development, or what.

The bad: biting if the bird hasn't been socialized, and our Amazons seem to pick favorites and non-favs from the family and friends, and we have to watch them all, even Keikoa, around most people other than hubby and myself.
Loud? Not compared to the cockatoos and the macaw! Birds will be birds, and people need to realize that all parrots are wild creatures.
Our job is to try to replace the rainforest and the flock. Parrots need at least 2-4 hours a day of companionship.
Messy? Not if they were in the rainforest, where the leaves and wood and the bits of food and seeds they drop
help the rainforest. But in a people house.....the mess is amazing! Your job, if you choose to take it, is to keep it to
a minimum?
Bad?
The people who think there are bad attributes to Amazons should probably not have pets.
Sorry, I meant to be funny, but it sounds rude. Don't mean that at all.
I sometimes think cats and dogs are easier, but not always!
 

Sassy12

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Ya, about birds caught in the wild. Sassy is on the list of parrots that can't be caught in the wild. There was between only 999 to 10,000 left in the wild in the year 2000. Most parrots can't be caught wild today. Sassy was raised in the USA, hand fed. The Yellow Shouldered Amazon comes from Venezuala. Still on Cites Appendix ll...under Endangered Species.Venezualans caught a lot as pets, because of their charming personality. They are known to be nosey. Meaning my parrot knows when I go to the kitchen that I might bring back a snack and she will beg before I sit down.
 

glxpassat

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The Good: The sweetest, lovable, and affectionate little boy (To me!)

The Bad: Everyone hates him; including my boyfriend, because he is extremely aggressive! If I am holding him and someone else walks by, he will end up nailing me... HARD! If you don't watch yourself, he will chew you up!

Also, he can be sooooo loud! Usually when he is throwing a temper tantrum. If I leave the room, he gets really loud and obnoxious! He is a 'mammas boy' =-)

But I love this boy sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much! He is my ding-a-ling!
 

Cpara

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Ok, I shared my limited experience as a Grey owner so I guess I will share my limited experience as an Amazon owner.

Pete came to live with me in November of 2011. He is a wild caught male Yellow Crown at least 30 years old. He lived in a tiny cage with no toys in his previous home and ate a poor diet and as a result has fatty liver disease.

He is still afraid to try some fresh foods that I would like him to such as some veggies. He did convert to pellets quite easily along with some other fresh foods. He will try others sometimes if I eat them in front of him and make a lot of yummy sounds and say things like, "ummm, this is soooo good!" Others I've gotten him to try by first rubbing them on my face like I was in love with them :) I've gotten him to accept some toys by rubbing them on my face, too.

He does now play with toys and chew wood, but he's still afraid of rope in any way, shape or form. He has gone from being a complete perch potato to swinging upside down from toy to toy like Tarzan. He's still less active though than any other bird I have or have had. Also he is afraid of the play gyms and believes the couch is a perfectly fine play gym for him.

Some days he is extremely cuddly and wants to spend a lot of time with me being petted and held. Other days he wants to run and climb all over the couch, wrestle with my hands and play fetch (he throws and I fetch :D ). He is the only bird I've had who wants to wrestle and learn tricks. For the most part I let him invent the tricks and then I just act pleased and praise him and give the tricks names. So I can say things like "Big wings!" and he will fully extend his wings. Or I can say, "Batman!" and he will hang upside down and flutter. He's also learned to hold a spoon, and to unroll some toilet paper and wipe his beak. He's definitely a ham.

He is luckily usually well behaved even when he's very excited or wound up. He has only bitten me hard once and it was my own fault for getting impatient with him for not wanting to take medication. And afterwards while I was in the bathroom washing off the blood and bandaging it, I heard a very sorry sounding, "I love you." I looked up and he was on the floor at the doorway of the bathroom apologizing to me for it :) So after 2 hours of refusing to come out of his cage, I believe he felt bad for biting me for trying to grab him out with a towel. He came out on his own and climbed down to find me.

When he is upset about something he's quite obvious as amazons tend to be. He shakes his head, flares his tail and angrily says, "What?! What?!" So I know just to let him be until he's in a better mood. Amazons definitely have moods that last longer than other species. My conure is also very moody but she changes moods in a few minutes. Pete's can go on for hours, and once he was mad at me for 3 days after a vet visit where we had to drive home in extreme winds. I'm pretty sure it was the wind that was upsetting him as he was ok at the vet's until it started howling between the buildings. Then driving home it sounded like a tornado going around my truck and we actually saw 2 trucks on the highway get blown over sideways. After that he threw pellets at me for 3 days and kept saying, "I good boy!" I believe he was telling me he didn't do anything to deserve that trip :)

He doesn't scream a lot, but he is definitely the loudest bird here when he does. Mostly it happens when I'm preparing dinner and he's excited about the food. He first screams and then begins barking like a dog. And now that we have a dog here, whenever she barks he barks back. And that makes the dog bark again and they keep going back and forth barking at each other and that can go on for half an hour or more :D But, mostly he talks, in a soft high pitched voice, or makes cute little cooing sounds and "Whoo!"s and some that sound like "A bah bah bah! A bear bear!" He does make some really cute, sweet little sounds for such a big bird.

He is the neatest bird I have in his cage. He also tries not to poop outside his cage, which is very nice but I do have to make sure I take him back every once in awhile so he can.

He is not territorial about his cage or things. He's also the friendliest to other birds and tries to woo every female bird he meets. None have been other amazons yet, but Pete isn't very picky :D He also likes to meet animals he's never seen before like sugar gliders or lizards or whatever shows up at the exotic vet's.

He has a very funny and strange sense of humor. He giggles and openly laughs in this maniacal, loony way and yells out, "I LOVE it!" He enjoys watching TV shows where people are being attacked by serial killers and movies like King Kong.

He loves to watch farm equipment and ATVs through the window. I think he would like a ride on an ATV and am going to ask one of the neighbors if I can borrow one for half an hour or so and take him :) He reminds me very much of a young human boy with the things he enjoys.
Pete sounds amazing for a wild caught amazon!
 

Maxsmom

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JosephNAsenath

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Good: I just got my Amazon (Carlos) today and his personality is really shining through, he is such a sweet bird. He is so so tame! He loves to be held and patted.

Bad: I don't know if I want to use the term "bad" but sometimes he does want to bite even though he really hasn't bit me yet, and he wants to be left alone at night which is cool with me.

Ugly: Nothing ugly about Carlos :p
 

Clueless

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Good: I just got my Amazon (Carlos) today and his personality is really shining through, he is such a sweet bird. He is so so tame! He loves to be held and patted.

Bad: I don't know if I want to use the term "bad" but sometimes he does want to bite even though he really hasn't bit me yet, and he wants to be left alone at night which is cool with me.

Ugly: Nothing ugly about Carlos :p
Welcome to the forums. As a bit of warning, there is something called a "honeymoon period" with birds. Are you experienced with amazons?
 

JosephNAsenath

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Welcome to the forums. As a bit of warning, there is something called a "honeymoon period" with birds. Are you experienced with amazons?
Thank you for the welcome. Yes I have heard of this phase. Am I experienced? I have not had one personally prior, but I have been around them. :)
 

Kiwibird08

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Good: Hearty birds physically and emotionally (even traumatized ones bounce back with the right person caring for them). Good size bird, big but not *too* big. Friendly, a bit goofy, loyal and playful when in a good environment. Ones who do talk generally have sizable vocabularies and it isn't uncommon to hear about zons who have a simple understanding of using words in-context. Rarely behavioral/habitual screamers. HUGE personalities and highly intelligent. Not *as* attention needy if they have a bird friend or have been taught to self-entertain. Pretty color plumage. Clear body language expressing their current emotions (especially when angry).

Bad: Some species have bad hormones, some individuals can be quite nasty during the breeding season even if otherwise a sweetheart. Can be lazy if not kept occupied and can be difficult to break a rescue zon of his/her perch potato habit. Can be picky eaters when it comes to healthy foods. Can be loud when they want. A tad obstinate (I personally like this characteristic). Many individuals are not super hands-on lap birds. Smart enough to cause trouble and manipulate, often to amuse themselves or get their way.

Ugly: Big enough beak they can take a solid chunk out (of your flesh, furniture, that thing you didn't want them to chew up ext...) if/when they want to. Amazon overload.
 

RomanK2

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Amazing rundown of all the traits, esp. the "clear body language..." Thanks! Mine bit but there was *always* a reason and we went years to years without a bite - just pay attention to the body language. The last nasty bite was a week ago and my fingers are still bandaged. The last bite attempt - period - was a half-hour before she died, at home with me on my bed. That was three days ago.

Maybe I'll post details later in an appropriate space - don't want to come in on a down note. Funny thing though, *after* the bird is gone I find really good articles on the WWW like this one in "Bird Talk" - short and to the point. Double Yellow-Headed Amazon Parrot Care

One last thing: I knew something had happened and there *was* a precursor this year but if you had told me a week ago that we only had a few days left together, I'd have said flat-out that you were nuts! So have a nice day because you can't tell what might be just around the corner.
 

Clueless

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RomanK2

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Thank you very much. These are my 1st messages here... for this one I made myself an avatar that's based on the one I use on another forum. I put in what I hope comes across as a funny line of text -- because it's true right?! -- but if folks think it's a bit much then I'll remove it.

Btw, earlier this year I was reading the local newspaper here in Toronto and bingo, there was a write-up about my bird!!! Talk about doing a triple take!!! Actually the item was about retired breeder Brian Eddy and the bird shown was probably one of April's cousins. Nice.

This parrot loves walnuts, game shows and blond women | Toronto Star
 
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