New owner of an amazon who needs badly trained (long post)

[Sashagirl]

Also mold is extremely bad for our birds.
peanuts are known to contain aspergillious(sp)a mold and usually not fed to our birds some will argue otherwise.It is better to use other nuts sparingly.
Amazons are prone to obesity.

here is a list

Winged Wisdom Pet Bird Magazine - Hazards and Care of Your Bird

Marcia

[darkserenity]

I just took this video... When I sing to him (don't be traumatized by my voice) he always does this thing where he struts back and forth on his perch, eyes pointed, tail feathers spread, weaving his head.
YouTube - Me Singing to Amazon
I always thought this is the signs of aggression, but I get the impression he likes the singing, because he also gets more talkative as he does this. Afterwards, he's always more aggressive.
Thoughts?

[Sashagirl]

If you ask me Baby is enjoying what he hears.Trust me if Baby was aggressive you would get more of a reaction.RJ my 8 year old BFA was very aggressive towards me the first 6+ months he was here and he spent most of his time attacking me and it was no picnic.

Marcia

[darkserenity]

Is the reason he acts more aggressive afterwards perhaps because he gets excited by the singing?

[huntress]

Just keep doing your research and you will do just fine. If he was not drinking enough water you would notice right away. He drinks when he feels its safe to put his head down (when no ones around). Its a fear issue. Keep his dish clean and filled to the top so he doesnt have to have his eyes covered to get a drink. Get him some new wood and shreddable toys and just lay them next to his cage for a week or so until he ignores them then put them in but Hang them against the sides (outside first - then inside) - just one or two at first,until he gets used to them and stay away from the crazy bright colors at first. One of my Grey rescues was afraid of toys and new perches like crazy. Stick with natural color things if possible. Offer him all kinds of healthy foods and introduce pellets but dont fret if he doesnt try them for awhile. Two or three showers a week and maybe a little aloe juice spritzer in between will help get rid of the smoke on his feathers(which is toxic to him,BTW). Amazons dont have a preen gland so the feathers wash out a little easier. He is stimulated by your singing and likes it. It may seem he is aggressive but at least he is active. He doesnt look overweight and if he was plucking it would be obvious by now with all he has been through. I suggest to keep his perch and cage in the places you said and dont move them. What he needs right now is peace and stability and entertainment. You can change his perch out for a playgym eventually which you can buy or build yourself (lots of good ideas on here). He needs time and patients. he may not be able to be handled for even a few years with all the distrust he has earned the right to harbor, poor guy.
Learn all you can about Blue Front Amazons, where they are from, what they eat in the wild, how they nest and breed. All these things will help you understand his/her moods. Get it DNA tested if not done already to find out if its male or female so you can understand its hormonal behaviors at certain times of the year (when to let him have his space). When he molts, so you will know when to expect more feathers on the floor,lol!~
Give him love and patients and dont "expect" anything in return. He will come around to trust you eventually if you let him do it in "HIS" own time.
I just got my first baby Blue Front (4 weeks old) but Im no stranger to rescues. I have a 40 year old Macaw that was not handled in over ten years and a grey that is and prolly always will be evil evil,lol. But he has a woman now and is still cared for ,spoiled, and loved. Plus others I have rehomed~ keep us posted~~~~~><>

[darkserenity]

Another thing I forgot to mention is that Baby is non-aggressive enough that I can hand-feed him. I don't mean he'll eat out of my hand, I mean I can hand him food with my fingers. I have to watch out for if he's aggressive, though, or he'll try to lure me in close enough, act like he'll take the food, and try to lunge in to bite. :)

[DeguMom]

Thank you so much for rescuing this guy, and trying so hard to give him such a good life. After so many miserable years, Baby really, really needs you and deserves your care. Thank you!

I also am owned by a beautiful rescued Blue Fronted who came to me on an all seed diet. This is a great article to help you switch over to a good pelleted diet:

Winged Wisdom Pet Bird Magazine - Switching Your Bird to Pellets - Pet Birds

My BFA had never had veggies or anything good either, but is learning how to enjoy them. The first food she tried was spaghetti, then after that carrots and sweet potatoes. You could try baking a sweet potato and give it a good sprinkling of cinnamon - he might like it! Or pasta. You might also try a bird bread recipe. It's a favorite here, and you can sneak all kinds of veggies into it that they wouldn't eat otherwise. Just a few ideas!

Also, if he seems to beg, and is interested in what's on your plate, it's ok to give him a taste. A little junk food every once in a while never killed anyone, and it can go a long way to earn his love and trust. 'Zons think with their stomachs. LOL :)

You sound very patient and ready to give Baby the space he needs. That's the best way to earn his trust.

It was cute watching his videos - he definitely loves your singing! But it looks like it does stimulate him. Amazons tend to get wound up very easily, so when he's stimulating like that it is usually best to give them plenty of space. When they calm back down you can get closer again.

I hope your vet visit goes well. It might be a good idea to have his wings clipped, just until he settles in - that can save you some attacks, if he tends to come flying at your face. Those are hard because they break our trust, and then we get scared and hesitant around them. And he who hesitates with 'zons gets bitten.

Thank you for rescuing this little guy. When I read stories like his it just makes me cry. These animals are so amazing, they deserve so much better!

[DeguMom]

PS - I forgot to add about his fear of toys! The same thing happened with our rescued BFA. She had never had a toy in her life. It's fairly normal (even for birds with no "issues") for them to be afraid of big toys - especially so for our guys who are being rehabilitated.

One thing that has helped us has been introducing her to smaller toys. The size made for cockatiels, or "small to medium birds". These small toys are less intimidating to her, and she does great with them. Now that she's getting braver with toys, we can even get her some of the big ones and she does ok.

We've also given her some chew toys that are made for rodents. They're nice and small, and made to be devoured. They don't intimidate her at all, and make nice foot toys for her. She actually has a couple now that she isn't chewing on, but is just carrying them around.

You may have already tried that, but just in case I wanted to mention it. Leaving them outside the cage, but close, is a good idea that someone else mentioned. We've done this too, and it really makes a big difference.

I hope you can help him get adjusted to some toys and some love. You can imagine what a huge change this is for him! It's a good change, but such a huge one it will take him some time to adjust.

[darkserenity]

Unfortunately, while Baby's vet visit itself went well, the results were not too good.
First of all, he is underweight. 424/500 of the grams he should weigh. Second of all, from how his beak look and a few other things (including some things behind his tongue not being there as much as hey should) say he has a vitamin A deficiency, or possible liver disease, but the deficiency is more likely, she said.
His poop analysis showed a low amount of good bacteria, so he doesn't digest as well as he should, and needs to be fed Activia yogurt for the next couple of weeks and then the poop will be analyzed again,
And then the saddest part. At some point he was malnourished and burned up some of his muscles on his chest, and he has a thinner keel than he should. So we need to try and build up the muscles still there.

Sad, huh?

[jylu97]

Is Baby's mucous in her mouth slimely? Have you noticed white patches in her mouth? These are just other signs of Vitamin A deficiency. Bless you for making Baby's life better. These birds live a long time and deserve a happy caring home.

Liz