Amazons?

[lzver]

My husband and I have been talking for several weeks and he's agreed to let me add one more bird to our flock. It won't be right away, but I'm going to start looking into getting an Amazon. I hope to have one by this time next year. I want to do as much research as possible to be as prepared as I can and there are a handful of breeders all within about an hour and a half that I'd like to visit and meet with over the summer and fall. After meeting them, then I'll narrow it down to 1 or 2 breeders.

For anyone that has an Amazon(s), what kind of insight can you provide? Male vs. female? I'm leaning towards a Yellow Naped or Double Yellow Headed, but really am open to any type of Amazon. We saw a White-Fronted Amazon on the weekend and she was beautiful and smaller than some of the other speicies of Amazon's.

As far as a cage goes, I'll be getting a good size cage for the house, but we have a trailer and the birds come there with us whenever we are there. What would be the smallest acceptable sized cage for an Amazon that would still be manageable for bringing in and out on a regular basis? Lucy and Jessie have smaller cages at the trailer, but they still have room for 2 - 3 toys and 3 - 4 perches. They don't seem to mind at all that they're in smaller cages.

Thanks.

[Michael]

May I ask why Amazon specifically and if you are dead set on Amazon or just looking for a larger parrot? What "features"/characteristics are you looking for in a new parrot? Since you have had Pois up to this point, I wonder if the noise situation is a factor or not?

As you know I got the Aluminum Cage for my upcoming Cape and provided my on-sight review. Since you're not getting a parrot for a while longer, stick around and I'll provide my review when I've had the bird a bit and see how it likes the cage.

[lzver]

Yeah, I'm pretty dead set on my next bird being an Amazon for numerous reasons.

1. All our birds are home alone during the day while we work and I want a bird that can is capable of being somewhat independent. I've also considered a TAG, but I believe AG's need more daily social interaction than I can provide (although I am sure people that work all day have AG's that are well adjusted and happy). I have spoken to several Amazon owners that say their birds tolerate being alone while they are at work as long as they have daily social interaction and time out of their cages when you are home.

2. I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say that their appearance is definitely part of the reason. I've been to several parrot conferences and parrot club meetings and I'm drawn to them. They are truly beautiful birds in my opinion. Their size is desirable as well. I don't want a bird that is any larger than an Amazon.

3. I am looking to get a bird that is more intellectual than my Red Belly and Senegal. I'm aware that having a more intellectual bird will present many more challenges than I have with my Red Belly and Senegal.

4. I'm looking for a loyal life long companion. On a personal note, my husband is older than me and we don't plan on having kids. My birds have become my children. I know Red Belly's and Senegal's can live for 20+ years, but I'm only in my 30's.

When we got Lucy and Jessie, noise definitely was a factor because we lived in a Condo. We now live in a house and noise isn't as much of a factor. I am aware that an Amazon will definitely be louder than Lucy and Jessie.

I'll keep my eye open for further reviews on the cage you bought for your Cape.

[Michael]

What about some of the smaller Macaws? Eclectus? Little Corella? Galah? Some of the larger "conures?"

I'm not knocking your choice of Amazon but just want to help make you aware of all options. Initially I was thinking of getting an African Grey and wasn't really considering the Cape option. But because the first breeder for African Grey fell through, I ended up doing some more research and deciding on a Cape Parrot instead. For my noise is a concern so it ruled out most of the parrots I mentioned above. But for you, if you're looking for a pretty bird and don't mind the noise, those are all worth considering as well. And by the way, if considering all the other options brings you back to Amazons, then you know damn certain that is the bird for you. That's what happened to me considering Cape. Every time I looked at other options, Cape seemed all the more right for me

What do you mean by a bird that is more intellectual btw? Are you certain you've challenged your birds enough and reached a point where they have reached their limit?

[miajag]

I don't own an Amazon and never have, but based on what I've seen at breeders/pet stores and people I know who own them, I like the smaller ones like the White-Fronted a lot. They are very inquisitive and playful, unlike the larger varieties like Blue-Fronted and DYH which seem to spend the vast majority of their time just sitting on their perch. I know not every large Amazon is like that, but that's just my personal experience.

[pchela]

I raised several Amazons and they are a lot of fun but extremely loud! If I were to get one I would pick the Blue Front Amazon as they are a bit smaller than the Yellow Nape or Double Yellow Head but are still in the top three talkers (of Amazons). They are a lot of bird so be prepared for that. Huge personalities. You should go to pet stores and try to meet some in person if you haven't already. There's really no way to describe an Amazon. Also, they have a very strong odor which some people love and some hate so be aware of that. (I like it personally) The best thing about Amazons is that they sing!

[lzver]

Michael, since this isn't something I'm rushing into, I'll take your advice and research some other spieces.

I know I have not reached the full potential with Lucy and Jessie since I only started training about a month ago. I'm continuing to work with them and I'm thrilled with the little bit of progress made to date.

Pchela, thanks for your feedback. I plan on attending several parrot conferences, I'm part of a Parrot Club where I live and I plan on visiting a few breeders before I make my final decision. I have already handled a few Amazon's and plan to expose myself to as many as possible before I make the final decision to buy one. I'm trying to collect as much info as I can.

[Michael]

I don't mean to turn you away from Amazons by any means but I just want to make sure you consider all options and perhaps come across some that you have not even realized. As I said, when I was considering a Grey, I did not even realize Cape as option but now that I've decided I think it is better for me than a Grey. What I mean is, it wouldn't have hurt if someone steered me to consider Cape earlier on but I just did not realize it until the African Grey idea fell through. Not that I wouldn't have enjoyed a Grey, but I think Cape will be a better match from everything I've heard.

You did not mention talking as part of your criteria. While I do not think anyone should buy a parrot strictly for the purpose of talking, for some it's more desirable and not so much for others. Since you did not mention talking as an important criteria, those other parrots I mentioned could be good options for their playfulness. If talking were higher priority, then Amazon may be more desirable. But for some of those other criteria, the other species may be as good or better. Let's keep the discussion open just so can make sure you get the best parrot for you

[lzver]

I don't mean to turn you away from Amazons by any means but I just want to make sure you consider all options and perhaps come across some that you have not even realized.

You did not mention talking as part of your criteria. While I do not think anyone should buy a parrot strictly for the purpose of talking, for some it's more desirable and not so much for others.

I appreciate the open discussion, that's why I posted the thread.

I didn't mention talking as part of my critieria, but it would be nice. I don't think its a good sole reason for buying a parrot either. If the parrot I decide to get never speaks a word, I won't be disappointed. While Lucy and Jessie do speak, they have so many other ways of communicating with me, that I don't think it would make me feel any less about them.

[MandyG]

Amazons can be really great companions, but you do have to be aware of their problems as well. My experience is quite limited as I've only had one Amazon (Yellow Crowned) but I wouldn't trade him for anything!

A few points on Amazons:

- They can be very loud. I've never found the noise to be intolerable by any means but they're DEFINITELY not apartment birds. They just like to make noise when they're having a good time. Or in my bird's case he also likes to see if he can bark louder than the dogs

- They are quite independant. This is good and bad, depending on what type of pet you're looking for. They're not cuddly like most other birds, so if you're looking for a bird that will cuddle up with you and fall asleep with you get a cockatoo. Their independance can also be a very good thing. They're not devastatead if you leave them alone for a few days (with somebody checking on them of course) and you can have time away from your bird while they're out around the house playing. My Amazon likes to cuddle with me when I first get home (my husband and I both work full-time day jobs) because he's a little lonely but after he sits on the couch with me and gets his scratches he quickly has enough and flies to his perch. He will play for hours on his perch. They really do love to play and their noise will let you know how much they're enjoying themselves! They are definitely not a boring bird, I can watch Mojo play for hours.

- They can be excellent talkers. Yellow Crowns are not included in the 'Top 3' for talking but mine is a very good talker. Mojo loves to talk and once he gets a lot of practice he talks clearly. Keep in mind no bird is guaranteed to talk.

- They can be very aggressive. Especially the 'Hot Three' which are your blue fronts, yellow naped, and yellow headed amazons. I don't know about the smaller amazons but the yellow crowns, yellow headed, and yellow napes are known to be aggressive especially during breeding seasons. My Amazon hasn't hit sexual maturity yet and he can already be extremely aggressive when he chooses to be. One suggestion I have for anybody that gets a baby Amazon is to teach it to readily step up onto a stick and to step up onto thick leather gloves and to practise it regularily. You'll be thankful you did this whenever your parrot gets fired up. And they get fired up pretty easily Also you should practise handling its feet and lifting its wings while they're in their sweet baby stage.

- They get jealous. Be prepared for your amazon to hate either you or your husband. Whoever it chooses as its mate will be the favorite and everybody else will be seen as competition. Make sure that both of you take care of the bird regularily and both handle it regularily. If the bird will be yours you should be the one feeding and handling the bird about 60% of the time and your husband should take care of the other 40%. As you likely know most birds can easily become one-person birds so you should do what you can to prevent that from happening. My husband had very little to do with our Amazon because he was scared of birds, now we have a LOT of work to do to fix it. My husband is the enemy and I'm his prize that needs to be protected. They're definitely getting along much better lately, but he did have to have his wings clipped again because he would randomly fly to my husband and full out attack him without reason. Not all amazons will develop the same problems, some are known to get along with everybody in the family. Just something to be aware of and to try to prevent.

- They're amazing birds. Mojo is far from boring. He has so much personality and really is a sweetheart. Amazons are very expressive and you can easily tell how they're feeling. They're extremely intelligent and easily learn how to make you dance like a puppet. This does mean that you have to always be one step ahead of them because they can easily make themselves head of the household before you know it.

Overall they're really great. They have so much fire and spirit in them that they're just amazing, you just have to keep in mind that they can be reactive too. If an Amazon is what you decide on arm yourself with information. I really recommend looking up information regarding typical Amazon problems. If you're aware of the problems they typically have you can learn about preventing them. And keep in mind that just because they're on top of their cage in full Amazon display it really doesn't mean they're bad or mean, you just need to learn how to handle them when they're in that state of mind. Sometimes it's something as easy as target training them or asking them to do a favorite trick to make them snap out of it and calm down. You have to respect them and train them. They're not a little bird that will tolerate being picked up and told what to do, but you just have to make them think it was their idea in the first place . I truly believe once you have one you'll never go back. Problems and all they're a very rewarding parrot.