Would an Amazon be good for a family pet!?

[Degrees55basebal]

We(My father and I) are looking to add another bird to the flock and in saying this I thought about an amazon. Are they as loud as Macaws and require as much attention as cockatoos? I have two to four hours of a day that I can give attention but is that enough?

Thank you.

[birdlady49]

I've had whitefronts and Mexican redheads, though none were "pets." They are significantly quieter than macaws or cockatoos. That's about all I can tell you, other than I found them to be one-person birds.

[LyndaM]

They are great birds. I used to have a yellow nape, however, I would not feel comfortable having him around my 6-year old son. They tend to get seasonally hormonal which makes them well...crazy, bitey and extremely unpredictable. Mine loved me to pieces but I still have the scar where one spring he went nuts and chomped down on my hand. Maybe one of the calmer, sweeter species, like lilac, orange wing, red lored or white front would be a better choice for a family. The high strung ones though, (yellow nape, double yellow and blue front) make the best talkers and are more independent.

[Beaks]

You dont have the time required to keep a zon people friendly/fairly quiet long term.

Yes they can be as loud as a macaw or a too if they want to be and make great talkers but if you dont like to have chunks of meat removed from your body or deal with feeding calls, nesting calls and just hollering for the fun of it i would say get something else that requires less work.(people that own zons as pets for years are a special breed just like long term too or macaw owners)

I have 13 zons and they are great for me but most people would go totally nuts with just 1 and the bites are right up there with a too.

[Nurd_boy]

depends on the amazon...with well over, what? 27 species, each with its own (species)traits and indv. personality, and ranging in size from monsterous (mealy) to dainty (specticled) I would suggest research, reseach, research....


The Amazon Parrot Page

Amazon parrot - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Sparky1]

but she is a retired breeder and would not dream of stepping up on me. My sister and I are the only people she will allow in her cage without biting.
My Senegal on the other hand was handraised in my busy house and is friendly with everybody. She likes some people more then others but in general just likes attention. She helps me fix dogfood, eats off my plate, we empty and load the dishwasher etc., she is happy to live on my shoulder or swing on my braid. But when it is time to go back in the cage, she is just as happy to play with her toys. There is only one shrill call, and that is nothing compared to the shriecks I've heard from other birds. So, as far as handling etc. I would highly recommend a little Senegal. I wouldn't want to be without my little buddy - what she lacks in size, she makes up in personality!
Good Luck
Dee

[b234f]

I agree with most of what has been said here and I do not think, generally speaking, Amazons could be called "family pets" - at least not in the way I think of a family pet. My Yellow-Fronted Amazon is generally very sweet, but as others have said, he does get aggressive at times (like this morning...). During the spring I cannot handle him at all, and he will often lunge at the cage bars when I pass. The last couple of months he has been very, very sweet, but then this morning he nipped me a few times for reasons I could not identify.

[dani_L]

I have a three year old Orange Wing and she is just precious. she is a delightful, friendly, talkative girl. i know it varies from bird to bird, but in my experience with orange wings, they are slightly mellower amazons. My Evie doesn't readily allow just anyone to handle her, but likes to interact with people, and is extremely loving and gentle with her accustomed persons.