Help with Terrified Baby Amazon

[Indominus]

Hello all, this is my first post here. Joined seeking help, hoping to get some suggestions at least.

Just rescued / purchased a 5-6 month old yellow crowned Amazon. She was at a pet shop, being marked down routinely as they were trying to get rid of her due to her behavior. I had been in the market for a parrot, didn’t plan on an Amazon at the moment; but she needed help. So here we are.

She is terrified, and I mean terrified of humans. Will not allow anyone near her, and starts making a crying / honking sound almost soon as you try along with heavy breathing and falling on her back sometimes. Does not lunge out or try to bite people, just more so attempts to flee in panic. I have not messed with her at all yet, as I wanted to gather some advice on how to beat approach this.

The owner at the store told me nothing traumatic happened during weaning (she was hand raised), but she weaned too fast and lost a couple of her nails while in the nest. Hard to say what has gone on really in here short life.. but she was being kept in a very tiny cage in a loud, high traffic shop. On top of that her feathers are all ratty and she is overall looking very stressed. All this and only 5-6 months old.

1. What should and shouldn’t I do with her right now to get her feeling safe / secure and not stressed?

2. And is the damage done to her already from being traumatized at a young age going to impact her in some ways permanently? (Possible outcomes I need to expect and be prepared for)

3. Should I go for the biggest cage I can accommodate or would a smaller cage make her feel less terrified since she’s use to not having any space?

4. Where should I start with helping her get over her terror when it comes to humans without knowing what causeit?

My apologies for the long post, I wanted to make sure all the information and her full background was provided to anyone reading.

Any help is definitely appreciated! I know this will be a difficult baby to help, and potentially take a long time. Just want to make sure I’m not doing anything to make it worse without knowing it.

 

[wrench13]

Welcome and be welcomed.

THere's a lot to unpack here.

1. ALWAYS remember parrots are all about trust. Any action must be measured by the yardstick "Will this build trust or will it break trust". Especially with this frightened baby.
Give her time to acclimate to the new surroundings. If a new cage is being contemplated, I'd get that now, rather that re-stress her again later. And yes get the biggest one you can afford, bigger is better when it comes to cages.

2. Sure does seem like this baby was force weaned, horrible practice. Get some baby bird formula (carefully read the instructions), an old teaspoon and bend the sides up to make a high sided shovel shape, and offer some to her. Even adult birds enjoy an occasional formula meal. If she readily takes it, keep offering it, every feeding time, until she refuses it. THats the right way - to let the parrot tell you when she is ready to eat solid foods. Keep offering solids (veggies, small amount of fruit, and tiny amount of seed - look up chop for recipies).

4. Amazons are very resilient parrots. Taking time to let her come out of her shell at her pace, and not your expectations pace is important. Could take weeks. A good way to get her used to you is to get a chair and sit as close as she will let you If she gets upset, move the chair back until she calms down. Now, read in a soft voice to her aloud. Doesn't matter what. The next day move the chair a little closer, and continue until she allows you to be right next to the cage and you can start offering her treats thru the bars.

5. Reading materials: GO to our Amazon subforum, and read the AMazon Body Language thread and the I Love AMazons thread. Read them several times so the information sinks in. THis makes excellent reading material for step 4 above.

THere is more, so much more, to be learned about keeping amazons, I haven't time to write it all down, but the reading material above is GOLD !

 

[texsize]

Hello all, this is my first post here. Joined seeking help, hoping to get some suggestions at least.

Just rescued / purchased a 5-6 month old yellow crowned Amazon. She was at a pet shop, being marked down routinely as they were trying to get rid of her due to her behavior. I had been in the market for a parrot, didn’t plan on an Amazon at the moment; but she needed help. So here we are.

She is terrified, and I mean terrified of humans. Will not allow anyone near her, and starts making a crying / honking sound almost soon as you try along with heavy breathing and falling on her back sometimes. Does not lunge out or try to bite people, just more so attempts to flee in panic. I have not messed with her at all yet, as I wanted to gather some advice on how to beat approach this.

The owner at the store told me nothing traumatic happened during weaning (she was hand raised), but she weaned too fast and lost a couple of her nails while in the nest. Hard to say what has gone on really in here short life.. but she was being kept in a very tiny cage in a loud, high traffic shop. On top of that her feathers are all ratty and she is overall looking very stressed. All this and only 5-6 months old.

1. What should and shouldn’t I do with her right now to get her feeling safe / secure and not stressed?

2. And is the damage done to her already from being traumatized at a young age going to impact her in some ways permanently? (Possible outcomes I need to expect and be prepared for)

3. Should I go for the biggest cage I can accommodate or would a smaller cage make her feel less terrified since she’s use to not having any space?

4. Where should I start with helping her get over her terror when it comes to humans without knowing what causeit?

My apologies for the long post, I wanted to make sure all the information and her full background was provided to anyone reading.

Any help is definitely appreciated! I know this will be a difficult baby to help, and potentially take a long time. Just want to make sure I’m not doing anything to make it worse without knowing it.

I can’t answer all your questions but I can help some.

Amazons are the bounce back kings and generally recover from poor treatment/conditions.
that being said some birds are very hand phobic and never get over it. One of my Amazons (Luna) I have had almost 4 years and she won’t step up on my hand.

As far as cage is concerned with your bird being so young and scared placement is very important. You want to make sure 1 or even 2 sides of the cage are against walls. This will help your bird feel secure.

Go slowly and don’t try to push things to fast. Sit next to your bird and talk or even read a book out loud.

lots of good Amazon folk here to help you out.

thanks for taking in a parrot in need.

texsize

 

[Indominus]

Welcome and be welcomed.

THere's a lot to unpack here.

1. ALWAYS remember parrots are all about trust. Any action must be measured by the yardstick "Will this build trust or will it break trust". Especially with this frightened baby.
Give her time to acclimate to the new surroundings. If a new cage is being contemplated, I'd get that now, rather that re-stress her again later. And yes get the biggest one you can afford, bigger is better when it comes to cages.

2. Sure does seem like this baby was force weaned, horrible practice. Get some baby bird formula (carefully read the instructions), an old teaspoon and bend the sides up to make a high sided shovel shape, and offer some to her. Even adult birds enjoy an occasional formula meal. If she readily takes it, keep offering it, every feeding time, until she refuses it. THats the right way - to let the parrot tell you when she is ready to eat solid foods. Keep offering solids (veggies, small amount of fruit, and tiny amount of seed - look up chop for recipies).

4. Amazons are very resilient parrots. Taking time to let her come out of her shell at her pace, and not your expectations pace is important. Could take weeks. A good way to get her used to you is to get a chair and sit as close as she will let you If she gets upset, move the chair back until she calms down. Now, read in a soft voice to her aloud. Doesn't matter what. The next day move the chair a little closer, and continue until she allows you to be right next to the cage and you can start offering her treats thru the bars.

5. Reading materials: GO to our Amazon subforum, and read the AMazon Body Language thread and the I Love AMazons thread. Read them several times so the information sinks in. THis makes excellent reading material for step 4 above.

THere is more, so much more, to be learned about keeping amazons, I haven't time to write it all down, but the reading material above is GOLD !

Thank you for the reply!

I am definitely in no rush with her, she can take all the time she needs. I figured just getting her use to me being around is a step in the right direction.

Glad to hear they are somewhat resilient, hoping the care she has bene subject to won't leave any long term scarring. This pet store was definitely all about the money, they did not care who she went to which I found a bit appalling. They knew she had some issues going on, and were up front about it, but they did not once ask if or what my experience was with Amazons. They were only interested in taking me up to the register to pay.

I will give the formula a try if I can get her to take it from a spoon or something, depends if she will let me that close. Would it work putting it in a little dish for her? Or does it need to be directly fed?

 

[Indominus]

I can’t answer all your questions but I can help some.

Amazons are the bounce back kings and generally recover from poor treatment/conditions.
that being said some birds are very hand phobic and never get over it. One of my Amazons (Luna) I have had almost 4 years and she won’t step up on my hand.

As far as cage is concerned with your bird being so young and scared placement is very important. You want to make sure 1 or even 2 sides of the cage are against walls. This will help your bird feel secure.

Go slowly and don’t try to push things to fast. Sit next to your bird and talk or even read a book out loud.

lots of good Amazon folk here to help you out.

thanks for taking in a parrot in need.

texsize

I appreciate the reply. It is a little more comforting knowing Amazons tend to bounce back a bit better, gives me some more hope for her.

I work from home, so I plan on keeping her cage somewhat close to my desk so she's just use to seeing / hearing me throughout the day. And see how she does with that.

Do you have any suggestions on how to get her feathers health on the mend? Someone else had suggested a supplement to help strengthen the feathers. I'm assuming just being on a proper diet and not pet store crap feed will help. On top of being in a quiet less stressful environment.

 

[Hobs]

I’m new to parrots but I have been a professional horse trainer for over a decade. During this time I have mostly worked with sport horses but a have had a handful or two of the unfortunate ones who have been abused and are terrified of people.
I love @wrench13 ‘s line about building or breaking trust is your yardstick. There are a few things I have found that helped me in the beginnings when real active training isn’t an option yet. Eat a meal with them, take your food and go quietly eat it in their vicinity. You might start across the room at first and gradually move closer. As they get more used to me I sometimes read out loud or do some stretching. My goal is to basically ignore them and get them used to the idea that I’m going to generally be around doing all the weird things humans do but not add pressure to the situation.
My biggest advice is don’t be hard on yourself. You will mess up, and probably more than once, but it’s ok. One of my first rescue ponies I worked with was doing really well and I got too excited and moved to fast and we had a backslide. I was beating myself up about it to my farrier and she said something that put a different spin on it. “At least you are trying for her, she’s probably never had anyone do that for her before.”
this was longer than I planned on posting but oh well. Be quiet but present, take it half a step slower than you think you need to, and remember even if you have a setback you’re doing more good than anyone has tried to do before. You got this!

 

[wrench13]

No, the baby formula should be offered wither in a bent up spoon or a wide diameter hypodermic syringe ( careful with this one, unless you are familiar with feeding babies). Leaving it a bowl will only get all over her feathers and make a mess. THe 2 ways above are most like how momma birds offer food.

 

[Emeral]

Big hugs and warm welcome, very nice to have you two here. And I hope you are in with many questions.

Fear of human despite hand raised?
I suspect a wing clipping gone wrong, normally stores do it to all birds in routine.
If this is it, she will quickly come around.

You must have got many excellent answers already. But I am gonna go through your questions one by one. Just to show you my appreciation of your heroic rescue.

1. What should and shouldn’t I do with her right now to get her feeling safe / secure and not stressed?

Here's what I would do....
.....follow her pace, let her settle down
.....talk to her calmly
.....say routine short words repeatedly to get her to familiarize to you. And later, to understand you.
eg.
It's all right
Good morning
Good night
Yummy (as you take your meal)
(A breakthrough clue is if she start eating when she see you eat. You are a friend. And can proceed to simple commands like step up to a perch.)
....call her name often
....keep her in a small cage with at least one side to a wall or a corner where she feels safe but can observe you.
....eat where she can see you

This is for the beginning until she eat when you eat. Then move her cage to where you do your things, in the middle of the room, to be closer to you.

I keep 2 cages for my Emerald,
one small for sleeping
....placed in the most remote, quiet dark corner
....I call Good night, and she will fly to stand on top of this cage
and another one large cage for playing in .....placed in the most active area, where she can observe all activities closely.
......where she go back to when thirsty or hungry or taking a nap


As for hand feeding, this is very useful to build trust. But extra care is needed here.
Since she is terrified of hands and her airway is millimeter close to food track.
Its important to always feed sideways so food flow towards her cheek and not airway. (A bird can easily aspirate (inhale food) and develop pneumonia.)
I will post details in hand feeding later.


2. And is the damage done to her already from being traumatized at a young age going to impact her in some ways permanently? (Possible outcomes I need to expect and be prepared for)

I think in time, she will know what this whole new world is like. And then learn to trust and love you all the more.

3. Should I go for the biggest cage I can accommodate or would a smaller cage make her feel less terrified since she’s use to not having any space?

I would start with one that is a bit larger than the store with...
+ some ladder or rope to climb
(Want to encourage excercise and looking forward to see wings flapping to build muscles)
+ 2sets of food bowl and water bowl
+a bell and a rope preening toy
(Want to know what trigger curiosity? sound or ropes)

Your bird might fear everything new. So, to tell her that it is all safe. I strongly recommend, invite a friend's bird to jump around and play in this set up. Let your bird watch as a home advertisement. Or you can hold each new item slowly in your hand, saying that it is alright.

4. Where should I start with helping her get over her terror when it comes to humans without knowing what causeit?

I think you have already done that. She is out from hell, just doesn't know it yet.

As for her journey of recovery, I would keep her food the same as the stores for the sake of familiarity.

After she eats when she see you eating, chirp when you talk to her, then we can progress to food to build trust....which is more like experiments since it's about finding out her favorite fruits and veggies.

Hand Feeding, using syringe or spoon feedings to increase bonding, after she no longer fear you, will do wonders. Or redo her weaning, reintroduction of variety of solid food, meshed boiled pumpkin, banana, or ground up pellets mixed with fruit juice. Long road of recovery is ahead of her. Please keep us updated. We are glue to the screen with popcorn

 

[Indominus]

Big hugs and warm welcome, very nice to have you two here. And I hope you are in with many questions.

Fear of human despite hand raised?
I suspect a wing clipping gone wrong, normally stores do it to all birds in routine.
If this is it, she will quickly come around.

You must have got many excellent answers already. But I am gonna go through your questions one by one. Just to show you my appreciation of your heroic rescue.

1. What should and shouldn’t I do with her right now to get her feeling safe / secure and not stressed?

Here's what I would do....
.....follow her pace, let her settle down
.....talk to her calmly
.....say routine short words repeatedly to get her to familiarize to you. And later, to understand you.
eg.
It's all right
Good morning
Good night
Yummy (as you take your meal)
(A breakthrough clue is if she start eating when she see you eat. You are a friend. And can proceed to simple commands like step up to a perch.)
....call her name often
....keep her in a small cage with at least one side to a wall or a corner where she feels safe but can observe you.
....eat where she can see you

This is for the beginning until she eat when you eat. Then move her cage to where you do your things, in the middle of the room, to be closer to you.

I keep 2 cages for my Emerald,
one small for sleeping
....placed in the most remote, quiet dark corner
....I call Good night, and she will fly to stand on top of this cage
and another one large cage for playing in .....placed in the most active area, where she can observe all activities closely.
......where she go back to when thirsty or hungry or taking a nap


As for hand feeding, this is very useful to build trust. But extra care is needed here.
Since she is terrified of hands and her airway is millimeter close to food track.
Its important to always feed sideways so food flow towards her cheek and not airway. (A bird can easily aspirate (inhale food) and develop pneumonia.)
I will post details in hand feeding later.


2. And is the damage done to her already from being traumatized at a young age going to impact her in some ways permanently? (Possible outcomes I need to expect and be prepared for)

I think in time, she will know what this whole new world is like. And then learn to trust and love you all the more.

3. Should I go for the biggest cage I can accommodate or would a smaller cage make her feel less terrified since she’s use to not having any space?

I would start with one that is a bit larger than the store with...
+ some ladder or rope to climb
(Want to encourage excercise and looking forward to see wings flapping to build muscles)
+ 2sets of food bowl and water bowl
+a bell and a rope preening toy
(Want to know what trigger curiosity? sound or ropes)

Your bird might fear everything new. So, to tell her that it is all safe. I strongly recommend, invite a friend's bird to jump around and play in this set up. Let your bird watch as a home advertisement. Or you can hold each new item slowly in your hand, saying that it is alright.

4. Where should I start with helping her get over her terror when it comes to humans without knowing what causeit?

I think you have already done that. She is out from hell, just doesn't know it yet.

As for her journey of recovery, I would keep her food the same as the stores for the sake of familiarity.

After she eats when she see you eating, chirp when you talk to her, then we can progress to food to build trust....which is more like experiments since it's about finding out her favorite fruits and veggies.

Hand Feeding, using syringe or spoon feedings to increase bonding, after she no longer fear you, will do wonders. Or redo her weaning, reintroduction of variety of solid food, meshed boiled pumpkin, banana, or ground up pellets mixed with fruit juice. Long road of recovery is ahead of her. Please keep us updated. We are glue to the screen with popcorn

Thank you for the welcome and the long reply! Can definitely never have too much info when it comes to these amazing animals. There is always something to learn.
Everyone has been quite friendly and helpful so far, which I really appreciate.

It is possible it was from a bad wing clipping, they keep all the parrots at the shop clipped and encouraged me to bring her back in 10 weeks to have them re-clip them.. which I was not keen on. Makes me wonder if that's how she lost some of her claws on her toes as well, while they trimmed those. Time will tell. But she will certainly not be going back to that place at all.

As for the cage, I only had a smaller parrot cage on hand, so she will be in that for now. I have a much larger spacious one on order and probably 3 grocery bags full of toys and perches for the new cage.

The smaller cage is still much bigger than the small box she was in at the shop, but isn't the long term ideal size.
Should I just leave her in that till she relaxes some and gets settled? Vs moving her to another new cage in a couple weeks when the large one arrives. I don't want to put her through more stress right off the bat if she's in ANOTHER new cage so soon.
I can always use the smaller one as a secondary as you suggested for sleeping in later on.

As for items in the cage, is it recommended to provide Amazons with a hide-away type cuddle tent or anything to feel more secure in the cage? I've heard mixed opinions on it. Was debating if it would help her feel less afraid if she had a safe spot to retreat to in the cage.

I have not hand fed before, so it makes me a tad nervous, especially with her having some sort of bad experience at the shop.

 

[wrench13]

Hi again,

No huts ! If there is room, and you want to try it, get one of the sea grass matts and hang it vertically from the roof of the cage, like a curtain, and give her a perch behind it. Some Amazons take to new toys and additions to cages rather quickly, some take a few days and some act like they are Kryptonite. Mine takes 2-5 days for stuff in his cage, before he accepts it. On his play chain and area, its almost immediate. THe sea grass matts come about 8 inches square or larger.

No huts for 2 main reasons - if they are picked at and chewed, the fibers can impact in the parrots digestive system, and can cause problems and even death, and later on, having a hidey hole type space promotes mating behavior, and you will have enough issues with that, with out amping it up by providing a hidey hole.

Did you read the threads I suggested?? THose will provide you with a lot of answers to your questions. Don;t be the kind of member who keeps asking the same or similar questions over and over, until they get an answer they like.

 

[Indominus]

UPDATE: For anyone interested in an update. In the few days she's been here; she seems to "know" she is in good place. I was expecting her behavior to be a lot worse for a longer period of time upon her initial bringing home, and she may have her up's and downs yet. But she has surprised me to say the least!

Night and day difference between how she was acting / feeling while at the pet shop, vs being in the environment of my home for a few days. I have not pressured her at all, just merely been there near the cage going about my daily life and talking to her. My household is peaceful and I think that plays a big role.

They had specifically told me at the shop, that most of their parrots with talking abilities know several words by time they are weaned and go home, but that she was one of the few that did not. Aside from the terrified sounds she would make when approached there, they had not heard noises from her.
She however... has said "hello" and "hi" to me today, as well as "how are you". I feel like it's definitely her way of saying she is happier. I would not want to talk if I was feeling unsafe and afraid either in her situation. She has mumbled a bit when she really gets going on talking, as to what she was trying to mimic or say those few times, I'm not sure lol.

She definitely does not seem stressed in the cage now, and has finally started testing the toys in the cage. She was hanging upside down today and saying hello. Gotta say it was cute!

And perhaps the biggest thing.. I have gotten her to take treats from me. First day or two she would still get uneasy about approaching her. But after putting a piece of almond on the end of a small stick and offering it to her that way (Picked up a clicker as well); she took the leap of faith of grabbing the almond off the stick. Clicked the button so she'd associate with the action; only took once. Smart little cookie.. that really helped her mellow out some as well. She knows that I potentially have tasty goods on hand!

She went from point A to B in a matter of 24 hours with the stick and treat routine. For the heck of it, thought I would slowly try to offering a treat with my hand instead of the stick this time; (I slowly back away if I feel like she is feeling the least big threatened or insecure by my actions) and she picked up on that as quickly as the stick. Spread out some short sessions of offering treats from my hand today, and she is very on board with it now.

Amazed at how gentle she is taking the treats ( for now anyway ). I cut them into very tiny pieces so she is not consuming more amounts of nuts than she should be daily as treats. You can sometimes barely see the pieces between two fingers when trying to offer them, but she very carefully takes the treat each time. Even if it takes her 10 seconds to finally get ahold of the treat, she is not taking your finger off in the process.

All in all, she is progressing far better than I was preparing for right off the bat. A peaceful and loving environment seems to have gone a LONG way for her. I am looking forward to seeing her progress in the months to come, but this is a step in the right direction.

Any name suggestions?

 

[Zoruace]

Any name suggestions?

sunshine?

 

[wrench13]

Well I was going to say that your yellow fronted Amazon appears to be a Panama Amazon but when I looked into the traits further, I got a surprise! Yellow Fronted Amazons are a taxonomic nightmare! Yellow nape and double yellow head Amazons appear to be sub species to the yellow fronted group, and there are many subspecies recognized within the clade(?) just considering the ones with similar head, shoulder, beak color and legs. The distinctions between all of these are way over my taxonomic head! The traits of both YN and DYH are well documented, along with the Blue Fronted Amazon, all 3 considered to be the 'hot' 3 (temperament wise); the yellow fronted, Panama and others are considered milder in demeanor, with the Panama being right up there as a very friendly, mostly non-aggressive Amazon. We have a few Panama owners on this board, and the swear by the species. Yellow fronts too are thought of as being milder, but no less smart, talkative and playful.

I am so glad she is settling in and starting to show her true nature! Great progress.
For names maybe one of these:
Amarilla
Zut
Gelb
Kítrinos
Melemele
Ki
Gialla
Žolta
Njano

All of which mean yellow in different languages, from Spanish, to Greek to Hawaiian to Swahili.

 

[Indominus]

Well I was going to say that your yellow fronted Amazon appears to be a Panama Amazon but when I looked into the traits further, I got a surprise! Yellow Fronted Amazons are a taxonomic nightmare! Yellow nape and double yellow head Amazons appear to be sub species to the yellow fronted group, and there are many subspecies recognized within the clade(?) just considering the ones with similar head, shoulder, beak color and legs. The distinctions between all of these are way over my taxonomic head! The traits of both YN and DYH are well documented, along with the Blue Fronted Amazon, all 3 considered to be the 'hot' 3 (temperament wise); the yellow fronted, Panama and others are considered milder in demeanor, with the Panama being right up there as a very friendly, mostly non-aggressive Amazon. We have a few Panama owners on this board, and the swear by the species. Yellow fronts too are thought of as being milder, but no less smart, talkative and playful.

I am so glad she is settling in and starting to show her true nature! Great progress.
For names maybe one of these:
Amarilla
Zut
Gelb
Kítrinos
Melemele
Ki
Gialla
Žolta
Njano

All of which mean yellow in different languages, from Spanish, to Greek to Hawaiian to Swahili.

Added a picture of her below, it's about as good of a pic as I can get right now without being able to get her out of her cage. Can swing the door open partway and she will sit on her one feeder bowl.

Unsure of her sub-species of Amazon, if there are multiple yellow crowned.

 

[Indominus]

Got her to step onto a perch I was holding out while I had her old small cage next to the larger one. She voluntarily hopped to the new cage door then. Transfer successful! Tons more space. She went right to the wicker ball toys filled with paper and has been having a blast since. Wondering if she's going to ever leave those toys lol. She's been chatting away and hanging from the wicker balls trying to destroy them. I'll take that as a good sign.

Was able to snap another close up of her for reference and to show her coloring a bit better. Is there an easy way to tell sub-species of the yellows apart?

 

[wrench13]

THe yellowish spot on her upper beak by the base is one identifier. Reading the Wiki page on them is confusing but it seems like your is likely a true yellow fronted: the Panama has a horn colored beak. Most likely an o. nattereri or o. ochrocephala

nominate group ("true" yellow-crowned amazon):

• Amazona o. ochrocephala: East-central and southeastern Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and the northern and eastern Amazon basin in Brazil.
• Amazona o. xantholaema: Marajó Island, in the Amazon River delta of northeastern Brazil.
• Amazona o. nattereri: Far southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, northern Bolivia and the southwestern Amazon basin of Brazil (east to around Mato Grosso); often included in A. o. ochrocephala.[6]

Read the Wiki page, and have your brain dribble out.

Here is a pic from there:

Seems like this is your girl, a ochrocephala

 

[Kentuckienne]

Wow, such improvement, the first post was heart breaking. I think when birds fall on their backs, it's an instinctive, last ditch effort to avoid being eaten by a predator...defending themselves with those little feet. She must have been so frightened, living at the store. Who knows what happened? But it seems like she can forget it. Great news.

Harrison's Bird Foods sells a dehydrated infant formula. I keep some in the freezer in case of an emergency. Sometimes a sick bird won't eat their regular food. Speaking of sick... you will want to find a Certified Avian Vet in your area, and get this little squeaker in for a checkup. There are some diseases that birds can pick up in the nest, some fatal, some treatable, but a good vet will be able to test and tell. You really want a certified avian vet: birds are able to conceal any illnesses until it is almost too late to treat them. Avian vets have special training to hopefully recognize any problems early enough to treat them. In the photo, it looks like one nostril is larger than the other and might have something in it ... is that the case? or are they both the same? an enlarged nostril can be a sign of infection.

It sure sounds like you two are off to a great start. Remember to read those links Wrench posted, and keep the stories and photos coming! We all loves us some good birdie baby pictures.

 

[Indominus]

Wow, such improvement, the first post was heart breaking. I think when birds fall on their backs, it's an instinctive, last ditch effort to avoid being eaten by a predator...defending themselves with those little feet. She must have been so frightened, living at the store. Who knows what happened? But it seems like she can forget it. Great news.

Harrison's Bird Foods sells a dehydrated infant formula. I keep some in the freezer in case of an emergency. Sometimes a sick bird won't eat their regular food. Speaking of sick... you will want to find a Certified Avian Vet in your area, and get this little squeaker in for a checkup. There are some diseases that birds can pick up in the nest, some fatal, some treatable, but a good vet will be able to test and tell. You really want a certified avian vet: birds are able to conceal any illnesses until it is almost too late to treat them. Avian vets have special training to hopefully recognize any problems early enough to treat them. In the photo, it looks like one nostril is larger than the other and might have something in it ... is that the case? or are they both the same? an enlarged nostril can be a sign of infection.

It sure sounds like you two are off to a great start. Remember to read those links Wrench posted, and keep the stories and photos coming! We all loves us some good birdie baby pictures.

Thank you for the suggestions!

She was completely defeated while living at the pet store, it was horrible to see for sure. I don't think she is use to having toys in the cage, she just had a perch and a couple bowls over there. She's been super happy with all her toys here! Very playful. Hopefully she has forgotten all about the pet store now.

Her nostrils do look the same size to me, might be hard to tell in the pics. But I am going to be making calls today to see where I can get her in for a checkup with an avian vet. Though most vets around here are scheduling weeks out, so it may be mid December before I can get her an appointment at a vet.

I bought a nice traveling carrier for her to take her home from the pet store in. But how should I go about getting her back in it for a vet visit when I do get an appointment set? I don't know that she will want to go in willingly, and I do not want to ever try and grab her to pick her up if she is not comfortable with it; after everything she went through at the pet store.

Any suggestions on what to do with that situation?

 

[wrench13]

Great idea to take her to an Certified Avian Vet (CAV). Have them do a full workup - physical, blood panel and poops, the whole works. THat way it serves as a base line should anything develop in the future. More $$ than just a check up, but worth every penny. I have it done to my Salty 1X a year as a present ( though he does not appreciate it, LOL).

If the appt is few weeks into the future so much the better, it gives you more time to train with her on stepping up. I'd leave the travel cage close by her starting today, and progressively closer and open, so she becomes desensitized to it. Desensitizing is essential to parrots and getting them to accept and not be afraid of new things. Some birds just shrug off new stuff and some can run all the way to the other side of the meter to the Holy Crap it's Kryptonite And Will Eat Me! Most are somewhere in the middle.

 

[SailBoat]

A great thanks to our fellow Amazon Lovers and Snobs for providing great information above!

Amazons (Amazona) are a distinct Species of Parrots in and of themselves. This huge family of Hood Billed Parrots are all related. Time, distances and environmental pressures has resulted in the vast variations one sees in the Genus today. The family at one time extended from the far Southern Ranges of South America up and across Central America, including the Caribbean Islands, into the Southern half of North America. A very long time ago when the land masses of this planet were one, Hood Bills like expanded across that single land mass and likely the foundation for the vast family of Hood Billed Parrots across the World.

That all said, the vastness of time has resulted in vast differences and as a result Cross Breeding is not recommended in the Avian Community.

Young Amazons are provided a specific species only when their Parents are known and documented. This as a result of several young Amazon share very common colorations and as a result Trained Parrot Judges will refuse to place a young Parrot with a specific Species for Judging until they are between three and five years of known age. Please obtain a Hatch Certificate from those you purchased the Parrot from to lock in its Parents Species and its hatch date. This information will help as your Parrot becomes older.

Please Read With Understanding, The Documents That My Good Friend and Fellow Amazon Lover Had Recommended!!

Welcome to this Wonderful World of Amazons!!
A Place In Which Amazons Rule!!

Cheers