by Pajarita » Wed Jun 26, 2019 7:36 am
Yes, the lack of flight for miles and miles in open sky is one of the saddest things about keeping parrots (or any other type of bird except for fowl or ground birds) in captivity. But I am sorry to say that free-flight is NOT a good option. I know that people say they are doing it with their bird and that it's fine but one reads about trained birds getting lost all the time - and I am not talking about naive owners, either, I am talking about professional trainers that use their birds for shows and train every single day! And them flying away is not the only danger, either. Free flying birds have been attacked by predators, other birds, crashed against cars, etc. A pet parrot is a bird that doesn't have a flock or survival skills, is not in its natural habitat and which is unmated (very important detail that any racing pigeon enthusiast would be more than willing to explain -they keep the mate of the bird they are flying to ensure the bird will do anything in its power to come back to it while an adult bird that has no mate would not only NOT have this desire but will also have the desire to go looking for a mate). The good thing about amazons is that they are the ultimate perch potatoes! It's not that they cannot or will not fly, it's that they are very happy simply perching for hours and hours and, if they happen to have a beloved companion, they seem to feel they have everything they will ever need.
I have two pairs of amazons, one is a male/female pair of a wild caught, older (36 or 37) female and a younger (unaged but I think he might be in his young teens) abused male (was very aggressive but he no longer is). The other pair are two old females which love one another as a pair (homosexual which is not uncommon in pet birds as there is no penetration in their sexual act). Mami Zon (calculated to be over 50) is an old wild-caught that had a bad life before but is now very happy, she sings all the time (loves all music but prefers tango and country music), talks and is the easiest and sweetest thing (never bites, is not overly destructive, has no issues with anybody, people, dogs, cats or birds! Naida is a bit younger (36) and, although she is not a big talker, she gets her point accross very well and is also sweet-tempered and easy-going (and the most lady-like bird I have, she steps up with the utmost gentleness, preens you very, very softly and even talks almost in a whisper with the sweetest voice). They are GREAT eaters and really no trouble at all!
The thing about male amazons (and all amazons, actually) is that they are VERY sensitive to the light schedule and diet and, as most people keep them at a human light schedule and feeds them too much protein, the poor birds end up overly hormonal which, in a male amazon, means aggression. These are large, strong, powerful birds and they know it so, when they are unhappy, the owners know it, too.