Hello, new to birds, but not new with animals

[Alexx]

Worked in a refuge for wildlife in Quebec, Canada. I dealt with wolf, black bear, mountain lion, elk and deer, but nothing as scary as great horned owls. I never bonded with birds cause i saw them as loaded guns till a couple months back when i met my new best bud at my new workplace, an amazon.

 

[ravvlet]

Welcome! How cool! I like that bird analogy, haha. My novice opinion is that bird body language is just so different from mammalian body language that at first they can seem difficult to read!

Amazons tend to be very heart-on-their-sleeve though, which is nice!

 

[wrench13]

Hey Alex! So you will have lots of questions on how to everything, when you got Rio home. Is you have not already , read WITH COMPREHENSION, as the author says, the stickie at the top of the Amazon sub-forum. It contains so much great info on the care of Amazons. Feeding, raising, interacting with, and much much more. Start now, and when you get Rio home, read it again, out loud to him (Amazons love being read to).

Particular attention is how to make your home parrot safe. somethings you took for granted will need to be changed, like never using any teflon or other non-stick cookware, any kitchen appliance that has a heatng element in it like toasters, crockpots, waffle irons, regular irons, hair dryers, and so on. No scented candles, perfume, or other scented stuff - also no nos.

Parrots are pretty hardy, but anything that can affect their lungs of air sacks needs to go. A big thing to keep in your mind = parrots are prey animals, a lot of their make up is because of that. IN example, they hide any illness as long as possible, because the sick ones get eaten. So by the time your parrot starts to show signs like lethargy, sneezing, drooping wings, etc etc, he is already very sick, and vet care needs to be immediate. SO you want to keep track of Rio's outward appearance and his weight, which is areally good indicator of health. A cheap kitchen scale + perch to weigh every day is an excellent tool to do this. Keep a journal of his weight. Weigh him in the morning, after he has taken his first major poop, and before you feed him breakfast, this way you'll be able to see any weight loss. there is so much more to learn and understand with parrots.

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Welcome! Glad to see you aboard! What’s your Amazon’s name?

 

[Flboy]

Welcome to you!

 

[Cottonoid]

Welcome! I volunteered many years ago at a raptor center and some of the birds were more intimidating to me than the big cats I'd worked with!

I'm looking forward to your Amazon coming home with you soon