HELP!! Red Lored Amazon

[LoveMyConlan]

So a friend of mine who runs a rat rescue, and she does own a few birds of her own, was asked from an acquaintance to take a Red Lored Amazon, Happy. He told her of she didn't take her, he was releasing her or giving her to so random joe-shmo on the street. She didn't want the bird, and knowing I had a few Conures, called me about it. Apparently he's had her for YEARS and lost interest a while ago. He began ignoring her and now, Happy, is most certainly not happy.

I agreed to take her on to try to rehab her and either adopt her out through a well respected agency near me, I'll keep her as a foster till she gets a home, or keep her if we bond.

This guy said she was coming with her cage, her toys, a stand, and food..... He showed up at my friends with NO food, NO stand, NO TOYS AT ALL, her and her cage REEK of cigarette smoke, and a small cage that is falling apart.

Poor Happy is 19 going on 20 years old, tiny for her species and a bit tattered. He handled her a bit and she was fine but he warned she bites others. He's all she's ever known. And then he just left. Walked away and didn't look back.

I pick her up Saturday evening. Apparently she's super inquisitive and chatty, and will eat anything they've given her. We thought we were getting a bird who just needed since attention. We got a poor soul who needs some major TLC. Her cage will hold her for now and once she gets used to me she'll get an upgrade. I already got her a few toys

I've never handled an Amazon before and I'm not quite sure how to proceed with getting her back on track. It's going to be a long and slow process but I'm determined to make her Happy again

Any advice??

**Below is Happy. My friend sent me the photos. She had an unused toy she bought for her ACG that she gave Happy since she had NONE**

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Poor Happy! You did the right thing in taking her in! God bless you!

I am not familiar with Red Lordes..My BF is almost 30,had her from 16 weeks old..Amazons are wonderful creatures.. Give him/her as much attention as you can..maybe try a mist bath after a few weeks?

How is her/his appetite? Try different foods..veggies and fruits.

A good friend of mine lost his Red Lorde after 32 yrs around New Years..maybe he'd be interested in adopting Happy



Jim

 

[Peppo]

Thank you for helping her!! She looks so sweet although her feathers look a little dull, maybe a vet visit just in case. With my Paco, lots of love, attention,toys and good food won his heart and I swear when he looks at me he is still saying thank you... I love Amazons and they know how to return love trifold when you've earned it. I think "Happy" wil reemerge now that she has a good home. Just be patient and gentle and earn her trust. Keep talking to her and including her in everyday conversations and activities as she tolerates it. Toss in a few pine nuts and she'll come around. Take it day by day and I bet it will happen. Good luck and have fun with her, she a little sweetie!

 

[Kyoto]

Best of luck to happy and you. You are wonderful people. Bless you.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Oh look at her!! THANK YOU for taking Happy in. She deserves every bit of happiness and love in the world.

IMO she is in GREAT hands with you.

Take it one day at a time. Amazons are awesome, no doubt about it, and they show you via body language what mood they're in.

 

[Flboy]

Another angel just earned her wings!

 

[SailBoat]

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Amazons!

Please take the time to read the first thread in this Forum - Titled: Amazon Body Language. It will get you quickly up to speed. Begin applying what you learn from the thread and watch Happy open-up. Amazons are known as the 'What you see is what you get parrots.' Which means they rarely hide their feelings. By reading their body language (Learning Amazon) you will quickly come to understand what your Amazon is conveying to you.

There is no reason to give-up on an Amazon. They are the 'come back kids' of the parrot world. Love, Understanding, Time and Learning Amazon (Body Language) will resolve nearly all interaction problems.

Take the time to read through the Amazon Forum. NOTE: Move to the side of Happy's cage and read it aloud. Amazons as do most parrots love to be read too.

IMO, never spray water directly at a new parrot. Spray above and allow the water droplets to fall natural from above. If Happy loves to bowl bath consider a glass or like heavy pie plate, fill with warm water (never hot) and watch the fun. FYI, my DYH Amazon loves cold water. NOTE: It is very possible that Happy rarely got the chance to bowl bath, so as noted above let Happy have the Time to learn or re-learn that joy.

Enjoy, Amazons Have More Fun!

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

OOOHHH!!! If I lived closer I would sure be in line to take her! Red Lored's are so pretty! And my girl Zilla an Orange Wing is proof that Zons are the come back kids! We've been through a lot, but she is the best thing that has happened to me in years! She's the sweetest little parrot (don't tell her I said she is little) and she thanks me every day for taking the time and patients to help her when she needed it most.

Zilla loves to have warm water misted into the air above her so it "rains" down on her and we can easily go through 3 full spray bottles before she is done! No bowl bathing for her, it's the misting or the shower with me. She also loves when I share some food off my plate, so I make sure meal times I have at least 1 thing she can have and I let her watch me take it off my plate and put it on hers. Her favorite treats are Pecans & those long skinny dried red peppers. She loves when I play music & attempt to sing to her, and when I sit and read out loud near her.

Zilla just LOVES attention from me and will do almost anything to get it, so if Happy has been basically ignored for awhile I bet she will open up quickly if you just read & sing to her, share a bite or two of parrot safe food with her off your plate, talk to her whenever you walk by her cage.

 

[LoveMyConlan]

Thank you everyone! I have to admit I'm a bit nervous. All I've heard about Amazons from some people I've talked to outside this site, is that they are aggressive and mean. I've heard horror stories about the damage they do to people and other pets. Knowing she's already in 'anger' mode is going to have me needing just as much time to get to know her as she is with me. It's odd that I can face a horse and a macaw with no issue but this one has me baffled :/

I pick her up today and I'll be stopping by the bird groomer to get her wings trimmed until I can trust her to leave then grow out. The last thing I need is her diving at me.

I feel so bad for her and her situation. I don't know how people can do that. I have a Conure who bites any time I try to get near, he's a jerk, but he's MINE. This is his home and will always remain that way. He's MY jerk

I will most definitely read the Body Language post and read through the form more. And I LOVE to read so I'll be more than happy to read to her

Thank you all again! I can't wait to start this journey with her!

 

[Birdman666]

It just so happens that I've had a red lored rehab bird for 15+ years now. She was the first rehab bird that I kept... because by the time we finished, we were so bonded that I couldn't bare to part with her.

Red Loreds tend to be on the shy side. Which means that IF they are biters, it's because they are FEAR biters... So keep that in mind.

Secondly, it sounds like this bird was cage bound/cage territorial, which isn't biting so much as it is just not getting out and getting her needs met...

Bathing and good food goes a long way with making them feel good again.

Sit down, talk with the bird, see how she reacts to you. Pay attention to her. See if she will come to you...

AMAZONS BOUNCE BACK! THEY REALLY, REALLY DO!!!

THAT BIRD DESPERATELY NEEDS A BATH!!! DESPERATELY!!! Good old fashioned soaking... followed by a low setting blowdry. Feather condition is TERRIBLE, yet she hasn't plucked. Which shows you just how hardy she is...

Sally came to me in much the same condition, hadn't been bathed in TWO YEARS... when I got her. She was SOOOOO happy to get a bath. Stuck her head under the water, closed her eyes and just cooed!

 

[Flboy]

For a bath, feed and grain stores carry huge SS dog dishes, good prices! To save your cage, don't have her bath in it.
FYI, I can do road trips if she needs a new home!

 

[KBEquine]

I had heard the same things about amazons that you had. When my husband decided on a parrot, one of his 3 species-of-choice was amazon. I was leery but willing to go along. As he went to visit a fairly aggressive but chatty DYH male, the person's YN hen sat on my shoulder (and in fact was one of the few amazons who had 'shoulder privileges' with me), preened my hair & made me re-think. While we ultimately did not get the DYH, we have a YCA, had a Pan Amazon & last summer a BF Amazon came to us very much like Happy came to you - Sam, the BF, drank beer, ate whatever the human ate [which was primarily junk food], lived in smoke, had started to get less good attention, was isolated & threatened by the new girl friend's predator-dogs.

I was basically the random person on the street.

Sam is wild-caught, so came into the country 1992 or earlier. He lived with 2 different people for 20 years. I was looking for a java tree perch on craigslist & found FREE FREE parrot FREE FREE instead. Long story short, I was afraid for where else he would go, so took him in.

So suggestions:

1. Where in Pennsylvania do you live? I may be able to find a local amazon-person, if you want one who can look at Happy & make suggestions [if you are anywhere I travel for work, I'll be happy to do that for you, if you like].

2. Take Happy to the vet for a new-bird check. I brought in a little Pionus who was malnourished from her prior diet. That weakened her and she had a long-term infection with a white blood cell count so high, anyone with knowledge of normal levels said, "Wow!" She was plucked, a little bald eagle. After treatment, she regrew her feathers and is now healthy and happy. BUT you couldn't tell she was sick by looking at her. It took a vet visit and bloodwork. We were just luck it wasn't contageous.

3. Learn how to feed an amazon. Their systems cannot tolerate too much fat, which happens when they have a lot of seeds in their diets. I lost our sweet Panama Amazon to an infection, but he was weak from heart problems. He was +/- 20 years old and ate a lot of seed - good quality seed, judging from what else his prior companions provided. But there is such a thing as too much seed for an amazon. Join the Feeding Feathers Facebook or Yahoo group, if you want to learn about feeding different types of parrots.

4. Happy will grieve the loss of what was probably her only friend for a while. I saw an older BF amazon in a feed store near here - she was fluffed, shaking [and sitting beside another BFA who clearly wasn't pleased to see her]. The store owner said the BF's owner had passed, the family didn't want him [so the feed store was selling him]. I wasn't sure that bird was going to survive long enough to BE sold. Fortunately, one of the deceased relatives learned what had happened to the parrot & came to take him back. Happy isn't going back - Give her time to mourn.

5. Be a presence to her, but a passive one - sit near her to read or watch TV or use the computer. Talk to her. Make comments. Listen to her chatter [I personally love amazon chatter]. Occasionally slip a treat to her & then immediately move out of her space to give her opportunity to get used to you.

6. Give her a large shallow dish of water. She may prefer a bath to a shower, but will probably not approach it immediately. I sometimes just put wet leaves in a dish. Some birds really like a 'leaf bath.' I also will spray a mist about 2 feet above the cage & let it fall like a soft rain. If she lifts her wings & dances, you've made her one happy bird. It took Sam a while to accept a shower [but he will take a water bowl bath when the mood strikes.]

7. Most amazons are pretty clear with their body language - unfortunately, she is meeting you at the beginning of the breeding season when she likely to be more opinionated than other times. I rarely clip wings, but Sam is clipped & will remain so for a while [and definitely through the breeding season]. He is a fly-to-attack guy who has learned to really enjoy the bite-the-man game. So we are more careful when 'zons are hormonal.

8. Happy may be hands-off with you always. Or in 1 month or 6, she may step to you or to a perch. Gilbert our CAG took 6 months to step up for me off of her cage. PaulE, YCA, has been here 5 years & I still step him up to perch to get him off his cage. Sam does not so much step up [he knows how, he chooses not to] as attack a ladder and allow himself to be carried into his cage trying his utmost to turn the ladder into splinters. The one time he lifted his foot to step up & [knowing the likely result but needing to let him step if he was sincere] I offered my wrist [which was black and blue for a couple weeks after that]. We're still working on 'the right way' to move Sam around

9. Enjoy her. If you find you need to place her, let me know if you would like help.

Kim

P.S. - When you take her to the vet, have her sexed if you care about what she is. Sam, who is all boy, came to us as "Samantha" & when I asked how her former companion "knew she was a girl" he said "because she acts like a girl." Likewise, Gilbert, my husband's CAG, is really a Girl-bird.

 

[kozykitty]

Glad to read this thread as I just took in a 30 year old BFA whose mom went to a nursing home. #5 on the list above is what I've done so far as we've only had her a week. She responds to us and she really likes getting fed from my plate. I just hand her pieces of food through the cage and she almost purrs like a cat! If she can't eat what I'm eating, I just put some fresh food that I know she likes on my plate so she thinks she's getting my meal. Thanks for the reminder that this will take time.

 

[Birdman666]

3. Learn how to feed an amazon. Their systems cannot tolerate too much fat, which happens when they have a lot of seeds in their diets. I lost our sweet Panama Amazon to an infection, but he was weak from heart problems. He was +/- 20 years old and ate a lot of seed - good quality seed, judging from what else his prior companions provided. But there is such a thing as too much seed for an amazon. Join the Feeding Feathers Facebook or Yahoo group, if you want to learn about feeding different types of parrots.

A LITTLE BIT OF SAFFLOWER SEED SPRINKLED OVER THE TOP. 50% PELLETS. A few nuts, a couple of nutriberries. The rest is fresh foods. A couple of grapes a day (3-4). Amazons have a problem with Vitamin A deficiencies which can lead to among other things serious breathing problems, so you need to make sure that the fresh foods you give this bird contain Vitamin A. If this bird will eat carrots and sweet potato, and most will at least eat the sweet potato, that is ideal.

4. Happy will grieve the loss of what was probably her only friend for a while. I saw an older BF amazon in a feed store near here - she was fluffed, shaking [and sitting beside another BFA who clearly wasn't pleased to see her]. The store owner said the BF's owner had passed, the family didn't want him [so the feed store was selling him]. I wasn't sure that bird was going to survive long enough to BE sold. Fortunately, one of the deceased relatives learned what had happened to the parrot & came to take him back. Happy isn't going back - Give her time to mourn.

NOT NECESSARILY. IF SHE WASN'T HAPPY/WAS NEGLECTED IN HER PAST HOME, THEN SHE MAY BE HAPPY TO BE OUT OF THERE...

5. Be a presence to her, but a passive one - sit near her to read or watch TV or use the computer. Talk to her. Make comments. Listen to her chatter [I personally love amazon chatter]. Occasionally slip a treat to her & then immediately move out of her space to give her opportunity to get used to you.

AGAIN, DEPENDS ON THE BIRD. SEE HOW SHE REACTS TO YOU. IF SHE'S BEEN STARVED FOR ATTENTION, AND SUDDENLY GETS WHAT SHE IS STARVING FOR... YOU COULD FIND YOURSELF ON THE RECEIVING END OF THAT "INSTANT AMAZON CRUSH" THING... AND YOU'LL BE INSTANT FRIENDS FOR LIFE. RED LOREDS DO THAT....

6. Give her a large shallow dish of water. She may prefer a bath to a shower, but will probably not approach it immediately. I sometimes just put wet leaves in a dish. Some birds really like a 'leaf bath.' I also will spray a mist about 2 feet above the cage & let it fall like a soft rain. If she lifts her wings & dances, you've made her one happy bird. It took Sam a while to accept a shower [but he will take a water bowl bath when the mood strikes.]

I'D GIVE HER A SHOWER WHETHER SHE LIKES IT OR NOT. SHE NEEDS BATHING DESPERATELY!

7. Most amazons are pretty clear with their body language - unfortunately, she is meeting you at the beginning of the breeding season when she likely to be more opinionated than other times. I rarely clip wings, but Sam is clipped & will remain so for a while [and definitely through the breeding season]. He is a fly-to-attack guy who has learned to really enjoy the bite-the-man game. So we are more careful when 'zons are hormonal.

FEMALE RED LOREDS GET CLINGY/ATTENTION ORIENTED DURING BREEDING SEASON. THE TERRITORIAL BEHAVIORS ARE THE MALES. THE FEMALES WANT TO BE PAMPERED...

 

[RavensGryf]

Great advice here, I wish you and Happy all the best. She has potential to be a beautiful "Happy" bird. I LOVE the colors of a Red Lored .

 

[Birdman666]

Great advice here, I wish you and Happy all the best. She has potential to be a beautiful "Happy" bird. I LOVE the colors of a Red Lored .

Then this is for you...

 

[Anansi]

Poor Happy.

I think it's wonderful that you took her in. I hope it works out and that you bond with her enough to keep her. Please keep the updates coming!

 

[KBEquine]

With all due respect to Birdman, I I know a couple Red Lored hens who went to new homes who reacted exactly as I described. Whether it as fear biting or something else, at least one very GOOD Amazon companion now has a pierced eyelid.

So I hope you get the same experience as Birdman describes, but I know at least one RLA hen who mourns the loss of an asshole companion & one hen who unexpectedly bit a new companion's face.

Again, my best advice - go slow & enjoy the journey. I would love to have a RLA. Enjoy yours!

 

[LoveMyConlan]

She was on cheap seed food and is being picky right now. So I have Lafebers pellets and some Abba that she was given at my friends as I switch her over. I gave her a few carrots, Grapes, cantaloupe, and Pineapple chunks in a sperate bowl. I have her some toys and she's bailout happily munching. All together she seems to be handling this very well.

I believe she's blind, or at least mostly. When I offered her food she kept misjudging where it was. And she had these white did all over her eyes. Like someone splattered white paint on the lens. No discharge, no itching, breathing is good and not noisy, droppings are normal, she's drinking and talking to me, balance is great fit an old gal. On the way home I stopped and got her nails trimmed and she did great. She's terrified of towels though and my groomer gave me a sample bottle of AviCalm from AviTech to give to her for a few days.

But I'm going to switch her over to what mine get. For instance my Gcc gets 2 Nutriberry, 1.5 tablespoons of Lafebers pellets, and fresh fruit and veg daily. Plus her occasial treats through the day.

Now my other 2 Conures and Sun Conure, who are all picky eaters her half pellet, half Higgins Sunburst seed, and fresh fruit and veg daily.

And to make my heart break more, my friend found of this guy was being evicted and she was in the house for 2 days with no electronic or heat. It's been in the low 30's here

 

[KBEquine]

There is NO user manual for a parrot - I think you are doing great.

Just keep doing what your heart tells you to do.