DYA Found us, what do we do now?

[starr511]

Hi everyone,
I have just read some of the questions & answers about amazons and now I am really scared.
Last October in WI, a DYA was using our neighborhood fruit trees as a home. The neighbor kids said they had seen it for about 3 months. My husband and I are in cat rescue/fostering so our first thougth when we saw him was, this parrot has to be caught! The weather was turning cold at night and we knew he probably wouldn't survive. Well, we know nothing about DYA. We called a local Humane society to see if anyone had reported a missing bird. No, but they would take it if we caught it. They suggested a net. That seemed imposible to me. So I found a wonderful bird rescue that was willing to help us catch him. The day they came, he was nowhere to be found. So I decided to try on my own. I went to a local pet store and bought some parrot food and peanuts. When he was in a low tree I went to him with my bag of peanuts. Now remember, I knew nothing about the bite of the amazon. I stood by the tree and made him come to me for the peanut. He came, took the peanut out of my hand and backed up a bit and ate it. I thought this was all it took and he would be following me to the house. NOT. hehehe One Friday afternoon the weather turned nasty. The sky was dark and it started raining freezing rain. There in our tree was this bird. Sitting so still with the rain dripping off his beak. I could see him shaking because of the cold. After pleading to him to come down to me, he flew off. I didn't see him the next day, but was determined that when I did I was going to catch him. That weekend he came back. Sat in a tree right outside a bedroom window. My chance! I got my bag of peanuts, heated up a leftover blueberry pancake, and set the stage. I opened the window, set a peanut on the windowsill and then put more on a scratching post in the middle of the room. Along with the good smelling pancake. :o) He took the bait and came into the room. My DH slowly and quietly went into the room and shut the window. We had him!!!!! Called the bird rescue and they came and got him. Got him medical attention for his black feet. So, now it is time for us to bring him home.
My question: How long should he be left in his cage before we start to try to get him to step up for us. He does it for the folks at the rescue, but sometimes needs to be forced. Is it true they hate red? The room we have ready for him is maroon/pink. Will that be ok? Oh boy. We need all the advise we can get. I'm just so afraid of him biting me.
Sorry for the long post.
I'm ready to learn alot.
Thanks
starr

[kensbuns]

Wow what a beauty. Amazons can be difficult. I have 2, 1 I can handle and 1 I cant. But Hook lets me scritch him between the cage bars. Patience is the key with these guys!! You will need to step up train him first. I would give him a few weeks to adjust to a cage and his surroundings. Watch for the pinning eyes and the fanning of the tail, usually a certainty that he/she is gonna bite or is excited. Be careful, we dont want any er visits for you. Color really doesnt matter. Feed him fresh instead of seed. Veges and fruit. Amazons are not picky eaters usually. I use frozen mixed Veges, add a bit of macaroni or brown rice. Greens are good to. Also broccli, cauliflower and carrots are a good choice as well. Boiled eggs with the shell on and my guys favorite Eggo waffels (strawberry).

[txbird]

What a lucky bird to find you! Thinking about a cold freezing rain soaked amazon water dripping from its beak how sad.. wonder where he/she came from... what the history is... but now on a new adventure with someone who really cares!

Congratulations!

I've never heard about the color red being a problem.

I've had my DYH since he was 5 weeks old, he's 21 years old now. He will sometimes get pretty feisty and aggressive with me, more so this time of the year, especially in the mornings, so I have to watch his body language. He may on a rare occasion in a jealous rage land a bite on a finger that will bleed. 99% of the time though he's a real sweetie that will lay on his back and relax in the palm of my hand just like he did when he was in pin feathers. He gets me seems like about once or twice a year! I know I usually set myself up for it because I wasn't paying close enough attention to the visual cues telling me what was about to happen if I didn't change course quickly. Good Luck!!

[wildirish]

Amazons can be tricky! If she/he is stepping for the people at the rescue, I would have them show you with her. Just take your time and go slow, amazons are well known for letting thier opinions be known!!! She may be nervous at first, but I would talk to her near her cage and let her decide to come to you, never liked the idea of forcing a bird when they are still getting used to a new place.

[Sashagirl]

That was such a nice story.Glad you finally rescued her/him.I am owned by 3
amazons 2 blue front and 1 yellow nape.Only one of them will let me handle them.The other two are very cautious and I'm kind of afraid of them as I own other birds a total of 17.I have 4 macaws and boy do they bite hard so I'm trying hard to not get bitten.Good luck with your new found friend.

[MaryG1959]

what a lucky bird! That is just awesome!

If you haven't already done so, I'd recommend a good "going over" by an avian veterinarian.

Who knows where this bird came from, just the fact that no one claimed him may speak volumes about his previous care----I'd give him lots of time. One of my birds responded by my sitting on the floor w/treats ---opening the cage and allowing him to "find me.".....

Good Luck and congratulations.

Mary

[tripper]

what great advice from all for starr11. wish I would known about this forum when I got my 2 Amazons 3 years ago. I smuthered them with time and affection. little did I know they needed their space. I do now but it was a tough journey

[mgood01]

What a great story. And what a lucky bird!!

Just curious: what part of the country are you in, and is the bird banded? I'm always curious about the backstory on some of these found birds. I've read of some wild birds getting caught in storms and ending up in the USA, but that's usually in the southwest.

[starr511]

We took Merlin to the vet yesterday and he checked out ok. We did all the blood work but won't have those results for a few days.

[txbird]

Originally Posted by starr511

... Is it true they hate red?

Until you asked this question I never heard of it before or noticed this with my DYH or eclectus. However with the Mealy amazon I adopted 4 months ago, YES definitely I can say in her case anyway she really gets excited and super aggressive if I have on a pair of maroon shorts! I Would have never thought the color would do that! But I have triple confirmed now she hates that color and just goes berserk! WoW!