Help with Terrified Baby Amazon

[texsize]

I may have missed it but not much has been said about feather looks.

young birds are hard on feathers, especially the tai.
Not unusual for young birds to have an unkempt appearance.
with first molt things will improve.
texsize

 

[Indominus]

I may have missed it but not much has been said about feather looks.

young birds are hard on feathers, especially the tai.
Not unusual for young birds to have an unkempt appearance.
with first molt things will improve.
texsize

Her feathers are a bit rough, I think it's partly due to all the stressful encounters at the pet store. Anytime someone wanted to see her they'd have to try and catch her, and she got "loose" from them 3 times while I was there, and was hopping about on the floor trying to escape and getting caught on the shelves. Was not something I want to ever see again.

I did pick up a powdered feather restoration supplement, however I won't be able to get her to really take it till I can convert her to a chop diet. In the process of trying, but so far she's sticking to her pellets 110%... keeps looking at me like the chop diet is poop lol.

 

[Emeral]

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?

Your bird is a beautiful, normal baby who had been in an upnormally negative situation. Hence self defense mechanism, resulting in perception to some people as a speechless bird. But WOW, her recent photos are excellent evidence, that fear is a thing in the past. Right now, her eyes shines. I can see that she is relax and is beaming with happiness. She has so much to look forward to too.........
.....Like step up on a stick, before she is OK with step up on your hands.
.....Learning poop command, other simple commands or new tricks.
......Walk by a park or go sight seeing in a coffee shop in that new carrier will all be good new bonding experiences too.

The earlier advice about, "will this build trust or will it break trust" is very true In your case, I fear that unnecessary vet visit and terrifying equipments (may be similar to what the store had used.) Catching her with hands etc. Could bring back fear and negative memory such as the one that got her nails. Taking her to these strangers, handling her against her will, can set back all your progress for months to come. Not after who knows.... what traumatized her. I would not want her to wonder if she can trust you. Right now, you are all that she has.

 

[Emeral]

There are always contradicting solutions, as each case is in a different situation, different timing, different illness, different remedies, different everything.

For example, big cage is fine for tamed birds, they will come out when called. But not good with untamed birds, since they get caged bound easily. (Bird's mind may be saying, "big cage has every comfort, why risk going out?") So it's best to start the untamed in smaller cage with favorite toys, which later get moved outside the cage, to encourage the bird to come out to play with her favorites.

Contradicting solutions here is whether a vet visit, is one of the following.......
1) an immediate necessity, or
2) an unnecessary, or
3) Unnecessary with potentially harm.

Taking a closer look at each option.....

1) is it an immediate necessity?

It is true that birds hide their illness to predators but there are things that is easily detectable to us human. I mean, if she play less, eat less, poops changed, maybe it is an immediate necessity to call a vet. But in her case, she plays more and even start to speak. (Let us not forget that she just got out from a store's vet and other scary events.) In fact, if her nose swell, nose and eye discharge, less playful, less eating etc. should accompany it. But I can't see any thing wrong in the photo. She looks fine to me. Nope, no medical emergency I can think of from seeing this photo.

2) is it an unnecessary visit?

Speaking from my experience, my Emerald get stressed when she had to see a vet. The strangers, strange procedures and weird equipment on top of an unfamiliar place. ( She remember people and equipment from her previous encounter as well.) Coming home, she was shaken, refusing the person (my spouse) who walk her in to see the vet. This surprise me
For 3 long months, she was speechless, did not answer when called as usual, and always flew away to keep a safe distance from my spouse. (Before the vet, they were besties, always talking, shoulder riding, preening hair, performing tricks. Eventhough, all the vet did was just some tests. Ouchhhh....) Speaking from a bird's mind, "hey that is scaryyy, hands off, don't hurt me!"

After lots of trial and errors, my best ever avian vet, is a conservative one. He would advise against any treatment, test, or invasive procedures which is unnecessary. He also advise close observation and gave us his private number. To find an ideal vet in your area, you might have to see a vet many times or see many different vets through years. But that is worth the wait. Since it is a matter of life and death in some emergency case. An emergency that requires handling her against her will emergency. (Or sometimes, under anesthetics.)

But all in good times, hope this will come after she is already perching on your shoulder, preening you.

I am weary of vets that suggest invasive treatments especially when they do not have time to explain a lot. Or stores that suggest wing clipping just because everyone does it.

3) Unnecessary with potentially more harm than good?

Wing clipping for my Emerald, to me fall in this category. After all, if cut too deep, she could be crippled. In young birds, it stop proper muscle development. It is sad that it is still a common practice.

On the other hand, I also read that birds fly into windows because they can not see that glass is there blocking their flight path. With glass, can't tells whether it is open or close. To prevent such accident, without wing clipping, our family help Emerald by telling her where the glass windows are. I put her on my left hand, and bring her face close to the glass while I tap on the surface with my right่hand. She remembered and never flew into a glass window, opened (by accident) or closed. We, only had to show her to each and every closed glass windows in the room, by tapping. We didn't put any color sticker. I was surprised she remembered so well. Emerald had never had her wing clipped, had never had any accident from flying. She is very confident with her acrobatic flights. Eg. Zig zag, infinitive 8, and straight hop from the ground up to my hand in straight line.

 

[Emeral]

This is our Emerald as a 1 year old baby. She was hand raised with care. I love her big happy eyes.

And your bird already has these big happy eyes. So Well done.........Very well done
Once again, bravo to your heroic rescue.......

 

[wrench13]

Emeral, while there is validity in the above, conventional wisdom is to get a base line medical history when the parrot is well and healthy. BUT much of what you said is true about unnecessarily stressing a previously highly stressed parrot. Indominus you will need to make the decision of when to have her gone over by a qualified Avian vet. In my case, Salty developed a respiratory infection very soon after I brought him home ( and that is pretty common, as I found out). So he went to our CAV almost immediately on coming home. Didn't seem to affect him as you stated above, and he went back again after 2 weeks to have his vitals taken, etc. Our CAV is a learned and gentle bird lover, and she calls Salty "Amazon Lite" because he is so much more relaxed than the hot 3 she deals with mostly.

Indominus at least start your search for a real Certified Avian Vet in your area, perhaps call them and introduce yourself and your parrot and let them know that you will soon be bringing her in for a wellness exam.

Have you settled on a name?? I dislike calling parrots "the bird" when discussing them. The quicker she knows her name the better!

 

[wrench13]

Oh yeah, I forgot - don't give up offering chop on a daily basis, one day she will try it and if she is any sort of Amazon, she will dig in like someone trying to win the Free Cadillac by eating a 60oz steak! At this point I would do the batch preparation method, and freezing small portions in small baggies, thawing just prior to serving.
It always helps parrots to try new foods if they see you eating it first. You can fake it of course, but make all sorts of yummy sounds and exclamations on how tasty it is. I'd suggest that you offer it the same time as your family is sitting down for a meal, parrots are group feeders mostly, and this will let her feel like your family is her 'flock'.

As far as a feather restoring over the counter type additive, I am very much hesitant. There is little to no regulation of over the counter stuff like this and who knows what is really in this material. I would bow to one of our much more experienced members, like Sailboats or LaMunuka, for advice on supplements. I know I would not add anything other than what my CAV advised ( and Saltys feathers were a real sight when he was a baby of 6 months ). As mentioned , young parrots are really hard on feathers, both from being active and clumsy.

 

[Indominus]

Your bird is a beautiful, normal baby who had been in an upnormally negative situation. Hence self defense mechanism, resulting in perception to some people as a speechless bird. But WOW, her recent photos are excellent evidence, that fear is a thing in the past. Right now, her eyes shines. I can see that she is relax and is beaming with happiness. She has so much to look forward to too.........
.....Like step up on a stick, before she is OK with step up on your hands.
.....Learning poop command, other simple commands or new tricks.
......Walk by a park or go sight seeing in a coffee shop in that new carrier will all be good new bonding experiences too.

The earlier advice about, "will this build trust or will it break trust" is very true In your case, I fear that unnecessary vet visit and terrifying equipments (may be similar to what the store had used.) Catching her with hands etc. Could bring back fear and negative memory such as the one that got her nails. Taking her to these strangers, handling her against her will, can set back all your progress for months to come. Not after who knows.... what traumatized her. I would not want her to wonder if she can trust you. Right now, you are all that she has.

Thank you for the reply! She did realize quickly she was in a good place, and is a blast to just sit and watch sometimes. She plays with all the toys in her cage, hangs upside down from one leg while saying "hello", quite the chatterbox when I'm either not at my desk (which is next to her cage) or to get my attention. I'm glad she settle in as quick as she did though.

Since I work from home, I am pretty much by her cage 10+ hours out of the day, so she gets to see me eat my meals and go about a usual work day. So that may have helped her get more comfortable with me quicker.

I have been seeing how she feels about learning to "step up" on a perch. She's not too sure about the idea yet, so I think it'll take some time. (She is a heavy bird so the perch not being quite as solid ground as her others, might make her think twice. I hold it as steady as I can, but it does have SOME movement when she first steps on.) I have gotten her to put a foot on the perch, once she stepped up onto it with both feet, but quickly moved to the side of the cage closest to her. I got plenty of time, so she can work at her own pace.

I have just been doing short few minute sessions of opening the cage door and interacting with her directly throughout the day. (She seems comfortable with me now, and seems fine with my hands being around) She tore apart one of her toys, so all the wicker balls that were attached are at the bottom of the cage; I'll usually hand those to her when the doors open and she will toss them around and end up dropping it again, but seems to just wait for me to pick it back up. Lol.

I can usually get her to climb to different perches in the cage if I offer a treat, so I figured that's at least something to start with.

Any other suggestions on small things to start teaching her that isn't a big leap to stepping up onto a perch yet? Stepping up might be easy for some birds, but I think that'll take more trust on her part since she was grabbed and forcefully removed from her cage at the pet store.

 

[Indominus]

View attachment 32197

This is our Emerald as a 1 year old baby. She was hand raised with care. I love her big happy eyes.

And your bird already has these big happy eyes. So Well done.........Very well done
Once again, bravo to your heroic rescue.......

Very cute!

 

[Indominus]

Emeral, while there is validity in the above, conventional wisdom is to get a base line medical history when the parrot is well and healthy. BUT much of what you said is true about unnecessarily stressing a previously highly stressed parrot. Indominus you will need to make the decision of when to have her gone over by a qualified Avian vet. In my case, Salty developed a respiratory infection very soon after I brought him home ( and that is pretty common, as I found out). So he went to our CAV almost immediately on coming home. Didn't seem to affect him as you stated above, and he went back again after 2 weeks to have his vitals taken, etc. Our CAV is a learned and gentle bird lover, and she calls Salty "Amazon Lite" because he is so much more relaxed than the hot 3 she deals with mostly.

Indominus at least start your search for a real Certified Avian Vet in your area, perhaps call them and introduce yourself and your parrot and let them know that you will soon be bringing her in for a wellness exam.

Have you settled on a name?? I dislike calling parrots "the bird" when discussing them. The quicker she knows her name the better!

I was able to find an avian doctor at my usual vet office, and they had an appointment as early as tomorrow.. but I don't think that's going to work. She really isn't ready to even step up for me, much less be put into a carrier again so soon.

So I think I will just do some research and see about finding an avian specific vet and keep trying to work with her on stepping up onto a perch right now. If I can get her on a perch, she can potentially move to the perch in the carrier, but I do not want to undo all the positive progress we've made.

Close to deciding on a name, just not quite there yet!

 

[texsize]

I have the same problem as you when using a perch as a way to move a bird.

My YNA has given me some of the worst bites frequently when putting him back in his cage.
I don’t take chances anymore.
If he looks like he wan a taste of me I use the perch.
I hold it as steady as I can but Bingo is a heavy bird and I have to keep my hand as far away from him as I can.

Luna will only step up on the edge of a tablet (iPad) but it works every time. She is terrified of hands.

 

[wrench13]

"but I do not want to undo all the positive progress we've made."

Yes, that's probably best. I haven't had to deal with a skittish new parrot in a long time; Salty was already very used to people from the shop I purchased him from and Max, my previous parrot chose me and couldn't wait to be handled and he loved everyone!

That step up is such an important trick, it has to become almost a reflex when asked for. You can never tell when you may need her to step up in an emergency situation - you don't want to be chasing her around in those. We just had a tornado alert a few days ago, and I had to get Salty into his Pak-O-Bird carrier to take him downstairs to our safe spot. Thank heavens the tornado never materialized, but I would hate to compound his apprehension by having to chase him around.

Some easy basic tricks are like spinning around in place, shaking hands, waving hello and variations on 'catch'. WHen doing any training for a given action, 3 important things to remember:

Be Consistent - Ask for the action the same way, every time and develop both verbal and hand signal for the action. It is confusing to the parrot is the request is different every time or family members don' use the same as others.

Be Immediate - Always have the treat or reward handy so you can provide it as soon as there is positive movement towards the desired end result. It helps the parrot to understand and make the connection between the request, the action and the reward.

Be Patient - I think you already understand this one, but it bears writing it down. Parrots can sometimes be glacial in their acceptance and learning new things, especially when compared to our quick, agile monkey-brains. Learn to proceed at the birds rate of acceptance and not the rate of your expectations.

You are both doing so well, it's gratifying to read of the progress being made ! Working with parrots is often 1 step forward and 2 steps back sometimes.

 

[Emeral]

Thank you for the reply! She did realize quickly she was in a good place, and is a blast to just sit and watch sometimes. She plays with all the toys in her cage, hangs upside down from one leg while saying "hello", quite the chatterbox when I'm either not at my desk (which is next to her cage) or to get my attention. I'm glad she settle in as quick as she did though.

Since I work from home, I am pretty much by her cage 10+ hours out of the day, so she gets to see me eat my meals and go about a usual work day. So that may have helped her get more comfortable with me quicker.

I have been seeing how she feels about learning to "step up" on a perch. She's not too sure about the idea yet, so I think it'll take some time. (She is a heavy bird so the perch not being quite as solid ground as her others, might make her think twice. I hold it as steady as I can, but it does have SOME movement when she first steps on.) I have gotten her to put a foot on the perch, once she stepped up onto it with both feet, but quickly moved to the side of the cage closest to her. I got plenty of time, so she can work at her own pace.

I have just been doing short few minute sessions of opening the cage door and interacting with her directly throughout the day. (She seems comfortable with me now, and seems fine with my hands being around) She tore apart one of her toys, so all the wicker balls that were attached are at the bottom of the cage; I'll usually hand those to her when the doors open and she will toss them around and end up dropping it again, but seems to just wait for me to pick it back up. Lol.

I can usually get her to climb to different perches in the cage if I offer a treat, so I figured that's at least something to start with.

Any other suggestions on small things to start teaching her that isn't a big leap to stepping up onto a perch yet? Stepping up might be easy for some birds, but I think that'll take more trust on her part since she was grabbed and forcefully removed from her cage at the pet store.

I am very happy to hear this. She definitely loves being with you. Talking to you means she likes you very much. She is learning superfast, it is a steep learning curve for her too. I think she loves your attention.

.....Dropping things and watching your reaction. Waiting for you to pick it up? What a clever girl. Well, I wouldn't pick any of that up right away. In order to show no reaction. This way, 6 months from now, she will not be dropping things intentionally to call for attention.

.....since she fear hands, you have a good question on some easier training. This list start from the easiest ones at the beginning.
.....

Stick training
Positive reinforcement "good girl"
Potty training
Step up on a long perch
Step up on a medium length perch
Step up on a short perch
Step up on a hand
Walk from left hand to right hand
Excercises such as wing flapping
Come to you when call
Bite pressure training
Shoulder perching
Give a kiss

How to exercise your pet parrot | News & Events | Bucktons

How to exercise your pet parrot

www.bucktons.co.uk

Almost forgot, how about stair climbing as excercise?

Course 101:
Beginner level
for leg excercise
and body balance on 25°slopes

Course 102:
Advance level
Steep slope stair climbing
and wing flapping
to build muscles for indoor flights

Training is a form of communication with the bird, a mutual understanding, a shared moment. It's a fun journey to take together. And some says, the destination is not important, it's the journey that counts.

 

[Indominus]

I am very happy to hear this. She definitely loves being with you. Talking to you means she likes you very much. She is learning superfast, it is a steep learning curve for her too. I think she loves your attention.

.....Dropping things and watching your reaction. Waiting for you to pick it up? What a clever girl. Well, I wouldn't pick any of that up right away. In order to show no reaction. This way, 6 months from now, she will not be dropping things intentionally to call for attention.

.....since she fear hands, you have a good question on some easier training. This list start from the easiest ones at the beginning.
.....

Stick training
Positive reinforcement "good girl"
Potty training
Step up on a long perch
Step up on a medium length perch
Step up on a short perch
Step up on a hand
Walk from left hand to right hand
Excercises such as wing flapping
Come to you when call
Bite pressure training
Shoulder perching
Give a kiss

How to exercise your pet parrot | News & Events | Bucktons

How to exercise your pet parrot

www.bucktons.co.uk

Almost forgot, how about stair climbing as excercise?

Course 101:
Beginner level
for leg excercise
and body balance on 25°slopes

Course 102:
Advance level
Steep slope stair climbing
and wing flapping
to build muscles for indoor flights

Training is a form of communication with the bird, a mutual understanding, a shared moment. It's a fun journey to take together. And some says, the destination is not important, it's the journey that counts.

I think she is learning to enjoy the company for sure. She will sometimes "squawk" when I am not in the room, but have never heard her do it when I am; or when I'm sitting at my desk next to her. Unsure if she's just trying to see if I'm in earshot or just being vocal.

She's eating and drinking sometimes when she sees me doing it, so I'm taking that as a good thing. Lol. Still will not go near the chop diet, but I will keep trying there.

Will do more perch work today and seeing about getting her to step up, but it will definitely take awhile. She either just chews / bites on the perch or doesn't trust stepping on it. Limited on what I can work on with her, learning wise; since I cannot get her on a perch or out of the cage yet. Figured I might skip the perch, and try to work towards maybe stepping up onto my arm or hand, if the perch is too much of a chewing distraction. She usually tries chewing on me as well, so it may not actually benefit anything lol.

Working on getting her use to my hand being either right next to her / by her, and touching her feet. Figure if I start there, she might come around to stepping up on me rather than a perch.

 

[Catlady53]

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.

Have you seen an avian vet yet? Are you sure you can trust that your little baby is not in need of care? My first stop would be to vet and if all checks out there, I would follow all the advice given here. Very important to make sure no real physical issues, I don’t like the panting and bad feather problem.

 

[ssteckov]

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 rescued an Amazon from similar circumstances, but mine was SO lonely, she kept coming to the front of her cage, but would go to the back if I approach.
Like you, I can't imagine what she'd been through, but was in a tiny cage also.
For the first 2 years, I gently showed her that I was friendly, and allowed her to come to her own terms, through consistent actions and her schedule.
After this task was accomplished, I felt so relieved! Both myself and the bird established a strong bond, and I really touched my heart to know that she finally felt safe, and loved, and had become the SWEETEST pet!

 

[MykaMom]

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.

You are doing everything right with your amazing Amazon! Myka, my 12 year old YNA, sends his greetings!

Now that she feels safe, she is going to blossom into an amazing companion. Check out Parrot Kindergarten, it's a GREAT way to learn together.

If you haven't yet offered her a shower, may I suggest playing with a spray bottle where you both get wet? Point it straight up into the air and let it mist back down. I'd think her curiosity and natural playfulness will spur her into investigating the moisture.

My boi prefers showers over baths no matter how many times I've tried to get him into a 'puddle'. Could be rain forest instinct, I don't know.

Just be sure your water is temperate and gentle: I reintroduced a terrified macaw to showers by this method and it worked very well.

She may prefer baths in the end: the point will be choice for her. Giving our fids choice is incredibly important for their mental health and your relationship.

Blessings; welcome to the craziness of Amazons!

And yes, I have cancer. Myka keeps me great company even though I'm not able to play like we did before. New normal will return. They KNOW when we're sick!

 

[parrottoys]

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?

I would not use a spoon for the formula but rather a small syringe. The formula gets cold right away in a spoon but not that quickly in a syringe. Let her see you put the syringe to your lips and make lots of mmmmm sounds. Then let her taste it by putting a drop on your finger and then offering it to her to taste. I would put a tad of baby food blueberry/banana or other fruit in with the formula to give it some yummy flavor.

Sit near her and read aloud. It's a great way to be near her and non threatening. Praise her constantly. They understand energy. And thank you a thousand times over for accepting this little one into your world and your heart. It will all be wonderful.

AND... report the pet store and tell them why.

 

[CreativewKids]

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?

Oh my goodness that is AMAZING!!!!!! She is SOOOOOOO lucky to have you are her replacement parrot friend!!!!! I have a green cheek which is probably a lot easier than an amazon but I also do not work from home. It sounds like you are on your way. I thought I might throw my 2 cents in as well.

I would strongly recommend finding a good exotics vet and take her for her initial visit. I am fortunate that I have a fantastic one which can make all the difference. They can also help with technical questions as well although the feathers I'm guessing will improve with both having her in a larger cage as well as better food for her.

And, while this forum will allow for more pet owners to respond etc, you might want to watch some of Marlene McCohen's videos. She has ones that are informative in different areas. She has larger birds and I believe all except for 1 and the 2 finches are all rescues.

But in the end, it's like a child. You do the research and then do what you believe is best for your bird because you know her the best.

Congratultions! I'm beyond impressed and am so happy for the 2 of you!>

 

[CreativewKids]

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?

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Oh my goodness is she beautifuL! And in that closeup you can see her smiling. She definitely knows she is in a good home.