Do Amazons get along with smaller birds?

[SunConureBaba]

Amazons are getting rehomed quite frequently in my area.
I wonder if it is a risky idea to get one. I like Amazons but I don't want my sun conure end up getting killed / with a broken leg for messing with an Amazon.

Looking for some advice.

I read from the internet that:

Pros -
Amazons do not require as much as attention from their owner as compared to a grey / sun conure.

The yellow-naped amazon looks like a bigger and sturdy version of a sun conure, and green is my fav color.

They have great talking and singing abilities, similar to a grey.

Amazons are not as dusty as greys.



Cons -
Amazons can bite viciously during breeding season.

 

[ravvlet]

Yellow napes are HUGE. Sammy is 570 grams. I think they’re the second or third largest Amazon; the Southern Mealy being the largest because it tops out at a hefty 680g. She bites HARD too; I have a scar on my thumb from petting her when she decided abruptly I/the situation wasn’t safe or was too stimulating. At roughly four times the size of a conure I’d be worried about her snapping or having the same sudden drive to bite as she does sometimes with us humans - a sun conure can’t take a bite like we can.

When we adopted Sammy our vet STRONGLY cautioned us about taking care with our current Orange Wing (a much smaller species whose average weight is about 430g). The truth is you can never predict how birds will react to each other as they are all individuals so it’s best to plan for the worst case scenario, and with an Amazon there are *two* worst cases in my opinion.

The first “worst case” is of course that they hate your current bird. This means they can’t be in the same room (they’ll both scream, and while the sun will likely out shout the Amazon, the amazons voice is going to carry like no one’s business, I can hear ours down the street). On top of the racket they’ll create, there is a real chance of serious, perhaps even grevious injury. Amazons can be very defensive of their space and their people - Yellow Napes defend their nest during mating season vigorously in the wild, and this instinct easily extends to their cage in captivity.

The second worst case is that they bond to each other, and you have a brand new Amazon who may attack you on sight for trying to interact with your conure. There’s several versions of that story already here in the Amazon sub forum.

As far as neediness goes, I’d disagree with you there also. While Kirby is more patient, Sammy will yell and scream and carry on if she’s left alone for too long but can hear us in the house. They may not desire as much direct handling but they absolutely want your presence and attention!

Now, all that scary stuff being said - I have housed a cockatiel and an orange wing in the same room, and they got along well. I think you should however be prepared and accept that that may not be the case; then if everything works out it will be a pleasant surprise. Also, perhaps consider one of the smaller subspecies of amazons rather than one of the hot three; I know a lot of people here happily and successfully keep YNA/BFA/DYHA in mixed species flocks with varying levels of success, but I think (correct me if I’m wrong!) most folk keep them separately from their smaller birds, with separate out of cage time.

It’s a lot to consider! Also of note is that with a rehome with likely questionable vet history you will also need to have space to quarantine your new bird until you can be certain of their health status.

 

[JimsBrother]

It will depend somewhat on what the new bird is used to. If he came from an environment where there was other birds he might be fine, and maybe even bond with the existing bird. Amy my Amazon has lived with other birds all his life, and his current room mate is a Cockatiel that he absolutely loves. In fact I have to be careful to stay away from him when I'm playing with the little guy, as he gets very protective of his little brother.

 

[SailBoat]

I have always appreciated individuals with opinions regarding Amazons providing warnings regarding their nature as they so commonly scare people away from Amazons. I view that as a 'Good Thing' as it keeps the unaware from getting an Amazon!
Amazons can be demanding and require that the Human pay close attention.

The reality is that Amazons have the largest family of species of any other Parrot family and combined that with the vast variation in personalities, there will be an Amazon that will be a perfect fit. The difficulty is finding that fit! Allow the Amazon to choose you goes a very long way toward finding a good fit as Parrots in general are much better at choosing than Humans are as with Humans it is all about their wants and emotions. With Parrots it is all about whether there is a fit, a bond that they feel.

Excellent advise provided above and well worth considering.

Those who are owned by an Amazon or are consider it should take the time to read the two large Threads at the Top of the Amazon Forum. They expect you to know their Body Language and respect what they are telling you with their Body Language!

If you are lucky enough to be selected by one of the Big Hot Three, (BFA, YNA or DYHA) Amazons you must understand that they can be heavily effected by Hormonal Season and when their Body Language Alarms they are being effected, you must provide distance.

Other Parrots; I have found Amazons in close interaction with a very wide selection of species and over all size. As stated, it is clearly a personal thing and there is no way to guess what the interplay will be!!

Take the time to read the two high-lighted Threads at the top of the Amazon Forum, they provided excellent insight in Living and Loving Amazons!!

Remember, Amazons are a joy and they really enjoy messing with their Humans!!

 

[Keatz]

Hi,

I'm not sure about smaller parrots, but my Amazon doesn't get along with my eclectus. They dive bomb each other. For that reason, they are only allowed out in the same room as each other under supervision.
I do find that my Amazon is more emotionally independent than the eclectus, who wants attention all the time; whereas, the Amazon, while enjoying time with me and cuddles, seems quite content to spend time alone.
It is true that they bite hard. Mine bites just when he's playing sometimes and doesn't realise how hard it is. My eclectus, on the other hand, has never bitten, but if you're used to birds, I don't think it's a problem. It doesn't bother me when he bites me, but when he is in a bitey mood, there are ways of dealing with it, like distracting him with a favourite toy.
The only other thing I'd suggest is worth considering is that, as I've discovered, when you have two parrots, you spend twice the amount of time taking care of them.
As Lady Bracknell might quip in an alternate universe, to have one parrot is unfortunate, but to have two parrots is carelessness.

 

[HeatherG]

Thank you, Clovis.

Sun conurebaba, since you’re very focused on your Sun, I would probably not get an Amazon. I think they like a lot of attention, focus, and being the ‘top bird’.

Enjoy your Sun conure (is my thought). You’ve missed your last little guy so much!

 

[SunConureBaba]

Thanks guys for the helpful replies!

I think I will pass for now and reconsider it in the future, and will read the sticky.

1. I was worrying about my red sun getting bored when I'm not home, so I had the idea of finding him a friend.

2. Now I have a new problem: I'm going to order 5lbs Harrison's pellets and 3lbs TOP's pellets since they are way cheaper than 1 lb bag size ($ / lb). This would take forever for my red sun to finish, and the pellets will likely go bad. I would need to increase my flock size to not waste food and money.

3. If I have 3 sun conures compared to 1, and all of them will be in their cages when I'm away. Will they be less bored if their cages are in the same room?

Maybe I will have to pay 1850 CAD to buy that red factor sun breeding pair from the same seller who sold me the red sun... That breeding pair definitely needs help, and I need their help to finish up the pellets. I have also seen an ad selling a breeding pair of Amazons for only 2000 CAD. They are not really tame though, I don't wanna ask for trouble.

I guess I will stick with sun conure(s). I mean, even sun conures can get hormonal and their bite is not a joke when they decided to hurt you.

I don't want my red sun to bond with a new bird and distance from me. More importantly, I don't want the new bird to hurt my sun. Even if I can understand an Amazon's body language, my red sun probably won't. Only 1 bird being out of cage at a time will ensure safety, however I doubt I have that much time to give attention to both birds separately.

 

[ravvlet]

As Lady Bracknell might quip in an alternate universe, to have one parrot is unfortunate, but to have two parrots is carelessness.

Ah, that’s an incredible quote that is very apt, as someone who was careless enough to go for a second amazon!


I think you’d have better luck with multiple sun conures as they’re the same size so the risk of fatal injury is lower, but when introducing an established pair you have to remember to be very careful as they may be quite defensive of their space… I’d imagine you’d still be spending a lot of extra time even if you get another bird of the same species.

 

[SailBoat]

Thanks guys for the helpful replies!

I think I will pass for now and reconsider it in the future, and will read the sticky.

1. I was worrying about my red sun getting bored when I'm not home, so I had the idea of finding him a friend.

2. Now I have a new problem: I'm going to order 5lbs Harrison's pellets and 3lbs TOP's pellets since they are way cheaper than 1 lb bag size ($ / lb). This would take forever for my red sun to finish, and the pellets will likely go bad. I would need to increase my flock size to not waste food and money.

3. If I have 3 sun conures compared to 1, and all of them will be in their cages when I'm away. Will they be less bored if their cages are in the same room?

Maybe I will have to pay 1850 CAD to buy that red factor sun breeding pair from the same seller who sold me the red sun... That breeding pair definitely needs help, and I need their help to finish up the pellets. I have also seen an ad selling a breeding pair of Amazons for only 2000 CAD. They are not really tame though, I don't wanna ask for trouble.

I guess I will stick with sun conure(s). I mean, even sun conures can get hormonal and their bite is not a joke when they decided to hurt you.

I don't want my red sun to bond with a new bird and distance from me. More importantly, I don't want the new bird to hurt my sun. Even if I can understand an Amazon's body language, my red sun probably won't. Only 1 bird being out of cage at a time will ensure safety, however I doubt I have that much time to give attention to both birds separately.

Place the Pellets in a sealed container that represents a weeks use and place 'them' in the Freezer!!

 

[SunConureBaba]

Place the Pellets in a sealed container that represents a weeks use and place 'them' in the Freezer!!

Freezer is gonna preserve them longer. But freezer also got a smell cuz other meat stuff is in it. Not sure if double sealed bag can prevent that.

When water freezes it expands. Since pellets contain a small amount of water, then the pellets would crack, no?

I put my pellets in the bottom drawer of my fridge, it's cool and dry.

 

[SunConureBaba]

Ah, that’s an incredible quote that is very apt, as someone who was careless enough to go for a second amazon!


I think you’d have better luck with multiple sun conures as they’re the same size so the risk of fatal injury is lower, but when introducing an established pair you have to remember to be very careful as they may be quite defensive of their space… I’d imagine you’d still be spending a lot of extra time even if you get another bird of the same species.

My red sun used to live with the other sun conure pair in separate cages. So I imagine the risk is low since they already knew each other. I will likely spend 2x more time, that's what I'm not sure about. I wanna rescue them first, however. I think the red sun pair in question is also eating the same thing as my red sun used to, cuz they come from the same place: green moldy sunflower seeds and peanuts.

 

[HeatherG]

I agree. Store unused pellets in the fridge or freezer to preserve the oils and vitamins.

 

[ravvlet]

I’ve never had pellets crumble in the freezer or the fridge, if it’s any consolation. There isn’t enough water in a pelleted food to cause issues in the freezer. I freeze bread and other baked goods too.