I came into parrot-hood thinking I was an African Grey person, but discovered to my surprise that I am really an Amazon person. I say that so you know my bias - I love them all, but feel like I "get" the 'zons. So, from the perspective of a person with 2 'zons, a yellow crowned & a Pan:
1. 'Zons seem to adjust to new environments a bit better than some of the other species. Just my observation. The YC came into the house & all but said, "Where's the party?" could be picked off his cage [with a perch] from day #1, was immediately OK with being held [and now that he knows me better, loves being held], is rarely afraid of new toys although he does approach some cautiously, will go to strangers, does not try to climb to my shoulder, and eats his fruits & veggies with gusto, as well as some pellets & most nuts. The Pan is much more reserved, but stepped to hand from day #1, took months to allow head scritches, adores several kinds of pellets, most nuts and some fruits/veggies. He is afraid of some toys & rarely plays (but recently displayed a love of wicker baskets).
2. They are messy eaters. Then again, every bird in the house except the macaw are messy (and I don't know why the macaw is cleaner).
2. You will have to figure out your own treat. I find that my rehomed parrots do not eat the treats their prior owner tells me they love (maybe I don't cook the same!) but will come up with 'new favorite' treats. For example, my YC loves cashews & buttered whole grain bread. My Pan loves the mango/pineapple nutriberries & almonds-in-the-shell.
3. It seems to me that amazons are either perch potatoes or very active. But they do tend to weight, so hopefully the BFA is young enough to learn to play with toys. Our Pan doesn't play much, but he flies occasionally, which takes tremendous energy. The YC plays hard with his favorite toys & also flies occasionally [and goes on walkabouts, looking for treats, if I take his food away when he is on his playstand.]
4. Be careful how you change the name, if you must change it. I personally do not change an animal's name, if it comes with a name & responds to that name. But listen to the bird - it might tell you what it wants to be called. And of course, there are plenty of rescue birds who come with no history at all, including a name & they often adjust (and some of them will spontaneously TELL you their name, when they are comfortable enough to talk).
We had 1 bird who rejected his owner-provided name & renamed himself "Beaker" & another who recognizes his owner-provided name, but gave himself the nickname "Little" or "Little-little."
And listen to the bird to see if HE has renamed YOU. My cousin has a B&G macaw who calls her "sock" as in, "You're a good sock!" and our Grey says, "Christmas tree?" when he wants my attention. He accurately says the names of the dog, my sister-in-law, & several of the other birds. When I realized he had never said my name, even though I know he can make the right sounds, I asked him, "What's my name?" and he said: Christmas tree! [I asked several times over the course of a couple days - same result. Given the vast extent of his vocabulary, I think of all the things he COULD have called me & feel like I got off easy.]
Sorry. Got off topic!
Enjoy the new bf - may your 'zon make you an 'amazon person' too!
