Amazon Rescue - Questions

[alohashark]

A very nice lady and I have been talking about me possibly taking in a very nice double yellow headed Amazon parrot.

this is his picture.



The lady has had him for 7 years since he was a little domestically bred baby. No band, but she has the receipt from the Parrot store in the area and they know her because she has bought all sorts of parrot related stuff since she took her Amazon home from there. I will of course verify with the store and make sure the parrot is from there, and is not wild-caught, etc.

In any case, she thinks the Amazon is a boy, but he has never bitten or never displayed any of that springtime aggression that is supposedly so common in mature amazons during April through June, no biting episodes.

The lady said he does not bite (she taught him not to bite) and does not scream unless he is alerting that he would like to eat right now, he is very hungry or he wants some particular food item. Otherwise he talks and makes relatively quiet sounds. She moves him from room to room with the family as they change rooms, he has different stands for each room.

I am thinking maybe the parrot is an amazon girl? She has not had him DNA sexed and since she is moving I don't want her to go to extra expense.

Anyway - I do not have Amazon experience but do have some parrot experience. I did a lot of research and I am a little afraid of the famous springtime agression shown by some male Amazons, particularly those like the double yellow headed amazons. Also he will be moving from the only home he has ever known to mine, so I will be at a disadvantage with that also, trying to gain his trust and having to deal with that also.

So I think he is a girl but maybe the Amazon people could tell something by the photo. The lady seems very nice and the bird seems very well adjusted by her description and the photo. Also I will be meeting with her and the bird and the family this week and we will see if the bird likes me. He/She is hand tame, and the lady says he has different play stands and spends time out of his cage and does not wander around the house by himself, he enjoys playing with this toys and is a relatively mellow amazon.

Any thoughts? I would like some input and help from you guys since I don't have Amazon experience but I am a responsible pet person and I wanted to know if the description of the Amazon being trained not to bite is a realistic one - I have read a lot on the subject and it seems that most Amazons will bite, and that Male double yellow headed Amazons can get very hormonal in the Springtime (which thankfully is months and months away, on the upside) and go into biting mode at that time and have a sort of funky attitiude for a year or two. Am I being realistic or too overcautious? I thought to get some of the expert input on this board so I have all the information I need to think about BEFORE I take this beautiful bird home, since it would be best to minimize his transfer stress, best to have him go to his forever home from this very stable first home where he was taken care of and much loved.

[tvymola]

I don't have amazon experience, but I think meeting with the bird to see if you hit it off is the key to deciding. We will need to wait for the zon experts but that looks like a female to me. Very sweet looking bird. Good luck with your decision.

[alohashark]

Originally Posted by tvymola

I don't have amazon experience, but I think meeting with the bird to see if you hit it off is the key to deciding. We will need to wait for the zon experts but that looks like a female to me. Very sweet looking bird. Good luck with your decision.

Thank you, I definitely will meet with the bird before I make my decision and she if she likes me, I am thinking she might be a girl given the research I have done and this lady's description and no seasonal hormonal issues, she is so cute IMHO in the pictures. I will meet them later this week so I though to give a shout out to the experts to see what info I could get so I could make an informed, prepared decision in the best interests of the parrot.

[donnakris]

No Amazon experience, but she is certainly a beauty!!

[Tom Lawless]

If she seems to bond with you when you meet I would take her. I don't have a lot of Amazon experience but by all accounts they are great birds and if they bless you with their favor you have a friend for life. Of course if they don't...

Good luck. Keep us posted. She sure is beautiful.

[Addicted to Tequila]

Yep... make sure she likes you... otherwise you are in for a fight! LOL

[DeguMom]

The only way to tell if a Zon is a male or female is to have the DNA testing. The general rules of behavior are just that - general rules. Each Amazon has their own little quirks, and their own personality. Some Amazons never really show much agression, and some show a lot. Even if they get into their hormonal aggression, you can still manage them and give them a happy life and enjoy their company. For example, if he were to become unhandleable for a period of time, you can use a dowel to transport him from cage to play area. If he were to go for your hand, you can cut the top off of a 2 liter bottle and slide that onto the dowel to protect your hand. You can even adjust the amount of daylight he sees each day (as that is what triggers the hormonal changes) by using drapes on the windows. (Even females can show some hormonal behavior and aggression at times.) There are normally many different strategies to manage the various problems that can come up. You are smart to think it through first, but personally, I LOVE Amazons. I have a rescued Blue Fronted Amazon that is a female, and she has just made life so much better for our family.

Amazons do tend to be moody at times, they will go from kissing you to chomping you in no time flat. That just kind of comes with the territory. If you have an Amazon, you will get bitten eventually. But wounds heal, I know mine have. LOL They definitely have their own opinions on everything.

It sounds like this guy is pretty well adjusted (as long as the lady is telling you the truth, which often times people don't, because they just want you to take the bird.). I think meeting him (or her) in his own home is a great idea. You can get a feel for how he interacts with his family, and if he is drawn to you. Did the lady say why she's rehoming him?

The best thing is to meet him, meet the family, and try to get a feel for their flock dynamics. Amazons aren't for everyone, but they can be wonderfully amazing members of the family for the right family. If you don't feel afraid of the beak, won't get your feelings hurt when bitten, and are ok with the idea of having to handle him with kid gloves at some point, he will probably fit right in. And that's just a worst case scenario. He (or she) may be the perfect little bird, and may be a joy the moment you meet.

I hope this helps a little!

PS - He's gorgeous!

[alohashark]

Thanks everyone who responded so far - I am definitely all ears on this one!

I also think he/she is really gorgeous - I am looking forward to meeting him in his environment and trying to get a better sense of the situation from that.

I don't want to post any of the lady's confidential details about why she is rehoming him since I don't have her permission and all that, but in broad brush strokes she is moving and cannot take him with her.

[Lori~D]

Ditto Degumom! Great Advise- couldnt have said it better myself.

[angelicarboreals]

I was going to answer your questions once I saw your post, but as stated before, I think Degumom pretty much said it all. One thing I may add is that Amazons can get pretty loud at times, but you said that he is pretty quiet, so you might not have the problem of being partially deaf from owning two amazons like I am, lol.