Blue Fronted Amazons

[FirstTimeBirdie]

Okay. I just made a visit to my local aviary store and to my surprise and delight, she had a male Ekkie there, which was my first face-to-face encounter with a male and it only made me all that more excited about my baby's homecoming.

That being said, she also had a blue fronted amazon there and I was completely intrigued by him. He was absolutely gorgeous. And quite the hardy bird at only 10 weeks old. I'm now thinking very seriously about adding this type of bird to my family.

Anyone have any advice either way? Pros and cons type thing, maybe.

[Alan]

i am of no help in the con area. I LOVE BFA's. I have a baby being handfed by a good friend of mine right now. They are beautiful and lovely birds. I had one prior but lost him due to liver disease. I wasn't told he had it before i rehomed him and didn't get him to the vet fast enuff. But now I have a baby coming home, don't know if male or female yet not even a month old. For a boy his name will be Tucker and a girl it will be Toccara.

[FirstTimeBirdie]

I love the name Tucker, that's a great name.

[Alan]

Yeah just gotta wait to see if we have a male or female.

[Emmilyy]

I don't have any experience with Ekkies, but i LOVE Blue Fronted Amazons. My Uncle has one and (once he's outside of his cage) he's a sweetheart! And realy pretty!..

The only con i can think about him is... he's cage agressive. but i don't know if thats a blue fronted amazon thing, or just his thing..

[expressmailtome]

BFAs are one of the "hot three" amazons. They are know to become much more aggressive during breeding season once sexually mature.

Matt

[Lori~D]

My BFA Is a Hoot but I will admit she is the biggest chatter box and that being said - the noiseiest in the house. All I can give for advise is to let yourself settle in to one large bird at a time. They are SO much responsibility (which Im sure you have) But since this Ekkie is your first large baby I would suggest melting into him for a while first.

[FirstTimeBirdie]

Oh yeah, I'm going to give myself a good six months. If for no other reason but to bond with Sebastian fully. I don't mind a lot of chatter, it's screaming that I would hate and really only if it was constant. I'm extremely tolerant of my pets, people not so much

[Tom Lawless]

I just saw the prettiest, sweetest BFA the other day. I think it is the first time I saw one 'in person'. I have heard of them being part of the Hot 3 but this girl, from what the store owner told me, is actually very nice (she is taking care of it for her son). I think I understand your plight because I would take that bird home in an instant if I could.

[DeguMom]

BFA's are indeed considered to be in the "hot 3" of Amazons. This means that there may be a number of years in which you will not be able to handle the bird, only being able to transfer them by a dowel. They are quite stubborn, quite opinionated and when they get mad watch out. A bite from a BFA hurts like heck.

Personally, I have a mature hen BFA who is a dream. But each bird is an individual, and they are well known for being aggressive, so I always make sure to paint that topic with a wide brush so anyone who is considering a BFA will be aware. If you are ok with a bird you may not be able to ever touch again once they hit sexual maturity, then you might do fine with a BFA.

I generally would recommend allowing each new addition to your flock to "settle in" for at least 1 full year before adding a new flock member. This allows time for a good quarantine period, a thorough vet check, and for you both to develop a bond. (Also gives you time to build your finances back up, so you'll be able to afford another cage, another thorough vet check, more toys, etc.) It's easy to get in over your head quickly by not following the 1 bird per year guideline.

Hope this helps some, just my 2 cents. :)