Large Parrot Questions

[L8deblu]

Hi everyone,

We currently have a blue crowned conure, Beaker that we adore, and in the future are considering expanding our FID family to include a larger parrot. This month we are boarding a blue fronted amazon for a friend which has been interesting for me because it's giving me some experience with a bird that is similar in size to a CAG which is what we are leaning towards. When we first brought the amazon home, I did a little research on his breed to learn about them but decided that one of the "hot 3" wasn't for me :-)

Anyway, there are 2 things that I have noticed since he's been with us for the last couple of days. He makes a far larger mess of his cage than our conure does - eating and of course shredding his toys and also, his cage seems to have more of a smell. We've cleaned the papers on the bottom out twice already in the week we have had him so I am wondering if the larger birds just have more of an odor, of if perhaps this is an amazon thing. And on the messy eating thing - again, is this more indicative of all of the larger birds or just maybe something that amazons do?

As I said, this is a great introduction for us into the world of larger parrots and we are enjoying having Bravo around. Unfortunately, he's unhandlable at this point - his owner said they haven't really spent much time with him in recent years and he's turned mean. But we talk to him a lot and he makes cute sounds back at us through his cage.

Thanks for your input. This board is always such a wealth of information.

[debbielabella]

not all parrots of the hot 3 are aggressive, just some. It's a shame that we stereotype like this but I'm guilty as well. It's too bad they stopped handling him over the years, it's easy to loose any birds tameness if you stop interacting with them. I've heard the hot 3 do OK as long as they are handled and trained consistently. Even Tiki who is a more laid back type, Panama amazon, requires a lot of attention, interaction, handling to remain a good pet. Even if I lapse for a morning he is off all day.

Yes, the bigger the bird, the bigger the mess.

[Scritch]

Ha well, bigger bird = bigger mess... with exceptions. But I do think the 'zons are a bit smellier than the average parrot. Of course, if you take a grey, say, they may not have that smell, but they have the dust and dander to make up for it. So choose your poison.

My macaw is a huge mess-maker... he shreds everything he can get his beak on, which ends up as little toothpicks and confetti spread in about an 8' radius around his playstand. He's a messy eater, too, and I'm often amazed at how far specks of oatmeal and other gooey foods can be flung from his beak, to land on the walls and become cement-like. My Amazons were always messy eaters, too (little piggies), more so than my greys, but just being a bigger bird is going to mean more fling distance.

So are Amazons messier than greys? Maybe, on average, slightly... but the difference is pretty marginal and individual.

Anyway, best of luck with Bravo while you've got him, he sounds like a neat guy even if he's not handleable. I agree the "hot 3" get a bad rep, mostly from living with people who don't know how to handle and communicate with them. I had a BFA I rescued from a terrible situation -- but he would not bite. He was shy and didn't like to be handled, but would step up for me before he would bite. He ended up bonding with my friend's conure, NOW he will bite to protect the conure, but he's still not what I would call a real aggressive bird.

[debbielabella]

Originally Posted by Scritch

But I do think the 'zons are a bit smellier than the average parrot..

I LOVE that zon smell! that's why I happened on Pi's because I can't handle more zon's but they have that same great smell!!

[LovelySydney]

I know what you mean about bigger bird, bigger mess. My painted conure isnt too big but a lot bigger compared to a parrotlet!! He makes a huge mess, throwing food and shredding - even his droppings are messy. Glad to hear your are getting your feet wet by boarding a big bird! I hope all goes well!

[becca623]

Amazons do have a certain smell to them. It seems people either love the smell (like I do) or hate it. I think they smell a little like a bouquet of flowers. Other people have said they smell like cat pee to them. lol Each person is different.
I agree that the hot 3 are given an unfairly bad rap. I've met people with yn, dyh, and bf zons who are 20 or 30 yrs old who love the birds and haven't had the temperament issues you read about so much. My vet has 4 yn who are all in their twenties or older. Two are bonded so I don't mess with them. The single male has never been aggressive to me and the single female is a lover. As soon as she sees me, she runs to the front of the cage to bow her head so I can give her scritches. She's a sweetheart. Whenever I'm there, I threaten to steal her. I think a lot of it has to do with how the bird is treated and respect. Amazons normally give a warning before they bite. My bfa is only 3 but I can tell when she's overly excited and more likely to lash out. If I get bitten by a zon, I only have myself to blame because I know the signs.
I apply that rule to all birds though. The only ones I'm not good at reading for some reason are macaws. Gabe will give me a good bite when I'm least expecting it.
Bigger birds are definitely messier. Although, I used to have lovebirds who made huge messes with their seed and shredded newspaper.
Livi is the only bird I've had who isn't messy. She is a senegal. She is such a little lady unless she's making a special sound of hers. I call it blowing raspberries. Everyone else calls it farting. She laughs after she makes the sound. It's cute because the family we adopted her from said they got her from a group of nuns and was she farting and laughing when they got her.

[debbielabella]

Originally Posted by becca623

Amazons do have a certain smell to them. It seems people either love the smell (like I do) or hate it. I think they smell a little like a bouquet of flowers. Other people have said they smell like cat pee to them. lol Each person is different.

smells like butter and honey on homemade bread to me.. yummy.

[/QUOTE]
She is a senegal. She is such a little lady unless she's making a special sound of hers. I call it blowing raspberries. Everyone else calls it farting. She laughs after she makes the sound. It's cute because the family we adopted her from said they got her from a group of nuns and was she farting and laughing when they got her.[/QUOTE]

bet the nuns taught her that!

[swanwillow]

Over the years, I've come to accept the smells my birds have. Ekkies for me smell the sweetest. Shoving my nose in Quana's feathers makes me feel good. She smells so... Idunno, different. Lacey (the U2) smells like ...well, warm dust

[kali]

My ekkie STINKS :)

But my sun conure was so sweet smelling :)

Squibly (gcc) doesn't even have a smell ???

And my cocky was the best, soooo dusty but i could bury my face in him all day...

[RockysMom]

I thought I was weird, because I love the smell of my Sun, now I know I'm not alone!!! It's the best after he has had a bath and dried off! As far as mess goes, Rocky is little, but he can make a huge mess! I am amazed at how far he can fling and throw things for his size, but I love him no matter what!!