Amazon Diet Questions

[Amanda_Bennett]

I am trying to find a list of safe/not safe foods for my OWA, does anyone know where to find a reliable one?

I have found a couple online but they conflict each other! 1 says asparagus is safe and 1 says it isn't. 1 says chicken is good another says it isn't, etc...

Please be patient with me as I am a very new OWA Mommy. I've only had Zilla since last Wed. and didn't even have time to research. I found out I was getting her only about 3 hours before she arrived. Her owners gave her to someone who only had her about 10 days before calling me to ask if I wanted her. She was too much work for him, he thought she would just sit in her cage and eat seeds. He was giving her parakeet seed, gravel, peanuts and dried peppers, and food off his plate.

She's had a pretty crazy life from what I can gather. Her original owners said she was a male 6 year old peach wing cockatoo!!! She is approx. 25 to 30 according to the vet and a female Orange Wing Amazon. How they got that one confused I'll never know...LOL

Her cage is super small and pretty rusty, so I already ordered a new nice large cage.

I took her for a well bird check Thurs. morning and she is healthy as far as the vet could tell. She is sneezing a bit but nothing comes out, her eyes are clear and bright, her cere is clean with no discharge, no wheezing, she does nap a bit off and on during the day but only for a few minutes here and there. She isn't very active, doesn't play with her toys much, but I hear that's a common Amazon trait.

She is already training me, like she gets breakfast BEFORE I get coffee in the mornings! Dinner should only take me 30 seconds to fix because she is hungry NOW not 20 minutes from now...LOL Even though she always has seed and pellets in her bowl.

I've had parakeets, cockatiels and an african grey, but it's been 20 years since them. I've never researched Amazons since I always thought if I got another bird it would be another grey or a cockatoo.

I'm already in love with her and wouldn't trade her for the whole world, but I also know I need help being the best mommy I can be.

 

[weco]

Hi Amanda, I just posted an answer to a similar question as yours, so if you don't mind, check out http://www.parrotforums.com/conures/48384-hydrangea-toxic-around.html

As you do more of your own research, you will find other conflicting information & data posted around the net & even published in books and some erroneous data that's been around for some years.....it's just not financially prudent for the author(s) and/or publishers to correct the erroneous information/data, so you have to research back to where the particular information originated.....it can get to be a pain in the ___ , but because of the $$$ potential almost anyone who has built a website/page or written a blog has tried to make their project the best/most informative, without doing the amount of research necessary to reach that plateau.....

The good thing is that while your specific question may not find the specific answer you're looking for, there are a lot of 'zon owners around here, so you'll at least get hands-on information & experience from our other resident 'zon owners, of which I am not...sorry.....

 

[Allee]

I've had parakeets, cockatiels and an african grey, but it's been 20 years since them. I've never researched Amazons since I always thought if I got another bird it would be another grey or a cockatoo.

I'm already in love with her and wouldn't trade her for the whole world, but I also know I need help being the best mommy I can be.

I think you will be a wonderful mommy. You can't ask too many questions. All of us had a first bird and most of us have lots of patience. As weco said, there is an ocean of information and it keeps growing and changing, to make matters more confusing, a lot of the information is conflicting. You'll get comfortable, a lot of what you learned when you had other birds will come back to you.

I had to laugh with you, when I read that you thought you'd have another grey or a cockatoo. I thought I'd have a macaw or an amazon. Sometimes things turn our just the way they should. And who knows what the future holds?

We have a big group of amazons and I'm sure their humans can answer your specific questions. While you are waiting, here's a link to our sub-forum, if you haven't browsed through it already. It has a safe and toxic food list.

Parrot Food, Recipes and Diet - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

 

[ImmunoGoblin]

I have always heard that in general, if you'd give it to a toddler, it's ok to give to an Amazon, with the exception of avocado. This also implies that you'd avoid fried foods, chocolate, junk food, etc.

My two zons eat a base of Zupreem pellets, Nutriberries, dried bulk mixes of fruit, etc from the bird store, very sparing amount of seeds and nuts, and a big bowl of cut-up whatever organic fruit and vegetables we have on hand every day. Sometimes we thread big chunks on to a skewer and make them a "kebob" - it gives them something to play with and a new way to investigate the food.

They key words are "not too much seed and nuts," "lots of fresh," and "variety." Our Zons are especially fond of grape tomatoes, red/green/yellow/orange peppers, heads of romaine lettuce (mostly just to shred and destroy, not so much for nutrition), the stalks of broccoli (again mostly to destroy), peaches, plums, grapes, steamed broccoli, and one ADORES little bites of eggs, cottage cheese, and yogurt.

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

Thank you Weco & Allee. Everyone here seems nice and helpful. I'm glad no one is bashing me for taking on a bird I don't know much about.

I guess as you say things work out the way they do for a reason! She needed me and now I know how much I needed her. Funny how I thought I was content just visiting the Bird Hut a couple times a month, but never taking a bird home. It seemed like everytime I thought my savings account was almost enough to finally get serious about choosing a bird something would happen and I would have to start all over again.

Then I reached my 40's and thought maybe I should adopt an older bird, knowing how long they live. I have been checking with the rescue groups and waiting for the right bird to need me.

I'm so glad my phone rang last week and I didn't even hesitate before the "YES" popped out of my mouth! I ran to get my living room rearranged to fit the cage, ran to the grocery store to get a few fresh things I know most all birds can have, so I wouldn't have to leave her the first day.

I think we're off to a good start so far...