Valentino: Lilac Crested Amazon

[shonie777]

I posted in the new member section a few days ago about my 18 year old newly adopted lilac crested amazon named Valentino that I got from Phoenix.

Like I stated in my first post there, he was extremely neglected and kept outside for 2 years without being let out of his cage and no interaction. They just fed him seeds a bit of fruit once in awhile and water.

They got him from a neighbor a few houses down from them and that previous owner had him for 16 years since he was a baby. They did not say how he was treated or taken care of with the original owner. I would have asked the original owner but she had moved away 2 years ago.

I had a hard time getting information from them because they were Hispanic and spoke very very little English. I know a little Spanish and had to use what little I knew to communicate with them. I even resorted to drawings to communicate with them.

Any way, I got him and brought him home with me. I have had him a little over a week now and Valentino is starting to really ease up a lot. He spends most of his time out of his cage now and is now inside my house. I have been feeding him primarily fruit, vegetables and pellets. I only give him seeds when I am working with him as a reward.

I was told here on the forum to take him to an avian vet to get checked out completely. I live in a very rural area of AZ and the closest avian vet is in Flagstaff which is a 2 1/2 hour drive away for me. I have made an appointment for Valentino to get seen next week. I know the sooner the better, but my current schedule both personal and professional will not let me have the time to get him to the vet.

Since being out of his cage, Valentino seems to really enjoy it a lot. I have him setup by the window facing east where he loves to look out and observe. He especially love watching the sun rise in the mornings.

I'm sure his wings a pretty weak and haven't gotten much exercise from being in his cage for 2 years. He is now starting to flap his wings and took his first flight (that I have seen) last night. Needless to say he didn't get too far and landed on the floor. After landing he looked around with a look on his face like, "did I just do that?". He walked back to his cage and climbed up to the top of it and flew once again about 5 minutes later lading in the same spot on the floor. He did this for a total of 5 times last night. After his last flight he climbed back to the top of his cage and stopped. I fed him a bit mango and praised him for his hard work and he loved it. About an hour later he went into his cage and went to sleep for the night.

I have noticed something kind of weird that he has done since I have first seen him and brought him home. He lowers himself down low and raises his wings just a tiny bit above his body and moves them up and down slowly. His wings are never extended out and are still folded. If anyone has an idea of what this may indicate please let me know. Is it a form of fear, defense, anger, physical issues??

He has yet to come to me and perch on my hand, arm or anywhere on me. He does come to me but refuses to step up. I have been working with him on this since I got him. I'm sure it will take time. Poor guy. I feel so sorry for him for what he has gone through.

Shonie

Here are a few pictures of Valentino.

[Pajarita]

Awwwww, beautiful bird! But, are you sure it's a male? Has anybody done a DNA on him? Because he looks like a she to me. Males usually have a thicker neck, a deeper chest and a squarer head but Valentino has a look of fragility about him... Of course, it doesn't really mean much because there are all different sizes and builds in parrots, same as there are in people but I am usually pretty good with zons genders.

What you describe is what I call their 'pretty please with sugar on top'. They lower their body with their chest almost touching the floor, they separate and curve their wings and flutter them while looking pitifully at you. Babies do it to get fed by the parents but adults do it when they want food, love, attention, etc.

[shonie777]

I do not know if Valentino is a male of a female. To me he /she looks male to me as well as my wife. But if he turns out to be a she I guess a name change will have to be done. Valentina? or just plain Val? LOL

You described exactly what he/she is doing and it works! All to well too. Makes me feel sad and sorry for Val. It breaks my heart and I tell Val "Aww poor baby, it's ok.. " followed by a snack most of the time. LOL

[KimberlyAnn]

Good for you for giving him a wonderful home! S/he won't be poor Val for long! With the love and care you are providing, Val will have a wonderful life from here on. Don't feel bad about the vet visit not being immediately in the next few days. It does not seem like there in an emergency right now so next week should be fine.

[Pajarita]

I do not know if Valentino is a male of a female. To me he /she looks male to me as well as my wife. But if he turns out to be a she I guess a name change will have to be done. Valentina? or just plain Val? LOL

You described exactly what he/she is doing and it works! All to well too. Makes me feel sad and sorry for Val. It breaks my heart and I tell Val "Aww poor baby, it's ok.. " followed by a snack most of the time. LOL

LOL - Yes, they know which buttons to push, the little devils! I know exactly why they do it and it still gets to me after all these years so don't feel bad about giving in, we all do.

He still looks like a she to me (I have 6 now but had 11 under my care so I've gotten a bit of experience) because, the older they get, the more pronounced the differences are and, at its age, he should be showing more bulk. I do recommend you do a DNA (it's quite inexpensive and easy to do with the online labs, you can ask the vet but they are usually much more expensive than the online labs) because hens require a bit more calcium than males during breeding season and it's always useful to know the gender in case of eggbinding or any other gender-related health problem.

As to the name change, if it's indeed required, I would go with Valentina because it's almost identical to the name it has been using and they not only do know their names, they know that this name identifies them (wild parrots name their babies in the nest -but, in captivity, we do it- and they use the same name the rest of their lives - just like people).