Hey there!

[Terry57]

Beautiful bird and thanks for helping.

She looks like a hybrid.
a YouTuber

has a hybrid named Leo that looks just like your bird.

I wish she had said what kind of hybrid he is, he does look like Babe!
Great find, Wes!

 

[kme3388]

Hi there, and welcome! I wanted to ask some questions about Babes feather destrctive behavior to see if we can help. Have you observed her tearing out a feather, or over preening (preening for hours)? Also do you give Babe baths, and how often? Do you ever take her outside to get some sun (not suggesting taking a fully flighted parrot outside that isn't trained or anything as that wouldn't end well), but in a carrier? Does Babe get 10-12 hours of uninterrupted sleep?

Again welcome to you, and Babe. I hope things can get turned around in a better direction for you.

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

Hey! Thank you ^^ I LOVE that drawing of Charlie

You're very welcome! And Thank you!

 

[BirdyBee]

Welcome to the forums! Thank you for caring about this birdie and for trying to improve her care, we will be here with you every step of the journey.

Even if you can just get her to eat a healthier seed mix, that'll already be a lot better. You can make one that contain a variety of healthy nuts and seeds, maybe even some grains. That is a good start. Seeds like safflower are good, millet, oat groats, etc can be used in a seed mix. Although millet may be too small for an amazon. Sunflower is healthy but not as the main diet. I feed my birds sunflower, but some people prefer to use them as treats, and that's okay.

 

[texsize]

All three of my Amazons like millet.
My yellow nape eats it least frequently, the Green cheek Amazons like it much more.
I only give it to them maybe twice a week and only a 2” sect at a time.

 

[SailBoat]

I have along ago stopped use any term like Expert when it comes to loving and living with Amazons as they are always teaching new things!

As an Amazon Snob:
"The main features of this family (Red-Lored) are in place: The corn /dark Bill. The Dark Nails. The Red Crown and yellow at the cheek. What does not fit is the additional Red and Yellow of the neck nor its overall light green of the chest. In a Judged Event, this Amazon would not be Judged as a Red-Lored nominate and but would be Judged as a Red-Lored variate.

 

[Flboy]

Welcome to you!

 

[texsize]

I have along ago stopped use any term like Expert when it comes to loving and living with Amazons as they are always teaching new things!

As an Amazon Snob:
"The main features of this family (Red-Lored) are in place: The corn /dark Bill. The Dark Nails. The Red Crown and yellow at the cheek. What does not fit is the additional Red and Yellow of the neck nor its overall light green of the chest. In a Judged Event, this Amazon would not be Judged as a Red-Lored nominate and but would be Judged as a Red-Lored variate.

I don’t need to judge such a beautiful bird, just admire it.

but I know what you mean.
I consider my Red lored to have been the pretest of my Amazons.

 

[Farnoosh]

So, I'm Arthur, I'm 17 and I'm new to the forum!
I must say I come from a family that sees birds as ornaments, we had budgies when I was little and I fell in love with birds since.

A few years back we were given a red-lored amazon and she's been living as a seed junkie in a small cage, I've always felt bad about her since she hasn't been out of there since I can remember so the past few months I've been building trust with her and last week she let me take her out of the cage (she's even afraid of perches because my grandmother used to poke her with a stick as a way to get back at her for biting).

I decided to name her Babe and I've made it my mission that this bird lives a better life, out of the cage. She's very attached to my grandfather which I think is ironic since he's the first one to treat the bird as a toy and refuses to feed her anything else than sunflower seeds. So you can only imagine how anxious and aggressive the poor thing is, I'm planning on taking her with me when I move out since I feel like she's only going to pluck her feathers further in here but I'm not sure if it'll take a toll on her and I came here to ask for advice, thank you so much for reading if you made it this far.

Edit: sorry for the messed-up writing, sleep deprivation will do things to u

hello and welcome to the forum!
You sound like a really kind and responsible person. What you have described about your parrot makes me sad – but, knowing that you are here looking for advice makes me happy that this poor bird has you.
Yes it's obvious why your parrot likes your grandfather if he is the one who gives this highly addictive food (sunflower seeds). And it is so sad to read that she is afraid of perches for that reason : (
it's no surprise with everything you say here why this parrot would pluck. The cage, diet, the treatment, etc.
this forum is filled with many amazing people who have a lot of knowledge about parrots so I know that you will find the answers to everything you are looking for. I am looking forward to hearing more about what steps you are going to take to make this beautiful bird's life better.

 

[Farnoosh]

By the way! Do you have any tips on helping the feather plucking? I've read about toys but she's still afraid of everything it's not food, she's only showed interest in a black ball of yarn, I hope someday I can see her destroy stuff and screech more u.u

reasons for feather plucking is complicated. But from what you are saying, a bigger cage, filled with lots of toys that are fun that she likes, and avoiding stressors: things that are making her stressed. Hormones are huge – and the diet plays an important factor here. You must make sure she gets well fed with nutritious food, but if she is only used to eating seeds, transitioning to a diet with more vegetables and healthier food is going to be quite challenging so you must be patient but not give up. There is tons of information on the Internet about this and there are some pretty good Facebook groups that are dedicated only to nutrition for parrots. Variety is key. Vitamin deficiencies can be also precursors to feather plucking. These birds are highly emotionally intelligent. If something is triggering her and causing her emotional stress, then she could also be feather plucking for that reason. But it sounds like in your case it is a combination of things. They also don't like loud stressful noisy places, so it is important to judge where to place the cage. She has to be comfortable in her cage meaning it has to be the right size. Sleep is also important – consistency is key. They like to go to bed at the same time, wake up at the same time, they need structure when it comes to food and sleep. They also need exercise so things to get them active and also more importantly, activate their minds because they are as we know, super smart. I hope this helps!

 

[cloudyhelium]

Hi there, and welcome! I wanted to ask some questions about Babes feather destrctive behavior to see if we can help. Have you observed her tearing out a feather, or over preening (preening for hours)? Also do you give Babe baths, and how often? Do you ever take her outside to get some sun (not suggesting taking a fully flighted parrot outside that isn't trained or anything as that wouldn't end well), but in a carrier? Does Babe get 10-12 hours of uninterrupted sleep?

Again welcome to you, and Babe. I hope things can get turned around in a better direction for you.

Before I got her out of her usual cage and every time I'd look at her she'd be preening, she rarely got direct sunlight, which means she hasn't had a bath either. I made a post yesterday I think about this, I'm trying to introduce her to baths with a spray bottle, I think we're getting there!

She's spent a few days being out of the cage full time and I made a little "enclosure" where she can retrieve too, eat, and sleep and she's been sleeping well too. I have taken her out a few times and she's done great I think. She started to destroy some makeshift wooden toys I've made for her which gives me an awful lot of hope ^^

*little edit I forgot to mention, sadly, her wings are clipped :\

 

[cloudyhelium]

hello and welcome to the forum!
You sound like a really kind and responsible person. What you have described about your parrot makes me sad – but, knowing that you are here looking for advice makes me happy that this poor bird has you.
Yes it's obvious why your parrot likes your grandfather if he is the one who gives this highly addictive food (sunflower seeds). And it is so sad to read that she is afraid of perches for that reason : (
it's no surprise with everything you say here why this parrot would pluck. The cage, diet, the treatment, etc.
this forum is filled with many amazing people who have a lot of knowledge about parrots so I know that you will find the answers to everything you are looking for. I am looking forward to hearing more about what steps you are going to take to make this beautiful bird's life better.

Thank you so much! I feel like she's improved a lot this past week I'm introducing some new foods like peppers and sweet potatoes but her favorite one so far is corn! (She's only had it once but she accepted this one immediately)

 

[cloudyhelium]

reasons for feather plucking is complicated. But from what you are saying, a bigger cage, filled with lots of toys that are fun that she likes, and avoiding stressors: things that are making her stressed. Hormones are huge – and the diet plays an important factor here. You must make sure she gets well fed with nutritious food, but if she is only used to eating seeds, transitioning to a diet with more vegetables and healthier food is going to be quite challenging so you must be patient but not give up. There is tons of information on the Internet about this and there are some pretty good Facebook groups that are dedicated only to nutrition for parrots. Variety is key. Vitamin deficiencies can be also precursors to feather plucking. These birds are highly emotionally intelligent. If something is triggering her and causing her emotional stress, then she could also be feather plucking for that reason. But it sounds like in your case it is a combination of things. They also don't like loud stressful noisy places, so it is important to judge where to place the cage. She has to be comfortable in her cage meaning it has to be the right size. Sleep is also important – consistency is key. They like to go to bed at the same time, wake up at the same time, they need structure when it comes to food and sleep. They also need exercise so things to get them active and also, more importantly, activate their minds because they are as we know, super smart. I hope this helps!

Thank you so much! It is taking her some time to transition but I think patience is my strongest feature ^^

Her cage was hung, (so there wasn't a moment the cage wasn't moving) above the dogs (very loud dogs I might add). I think the "burd=ornament that tAlks" mentality shows a lot there... Plus my grandfather or as I call him now, her dealer, thinks she's a dog, what I mean by that is that he thinks that he can playfully spank her as you'd do to a big dog and believes that the birds sees him as the "alpha", (which... Is not exactly how birds work but oh well...).

 

[Dani08]

So, I'm Arthur, I'm 17 and I'm new to the forum!
I must say I come from a family that sees birds as ornaments, we had budgies when I was little and I fell in love with birds since.

A few years back we were given a red-lored amazon and she's been living as a seed junkie in a small cage, I've always felt bad about her since she hasn't been out of there since I can remember so the past few months I've been building trust with her and last week she let me take her out of the cage (she's even afraid of perches because my grandmother used to poke her with a stick as a way to get back at her for biting).

I decided to name her Babe and I've made it my mission that this bird lives a better life, out of the cage. She's very attached to my grandfather which I think is ironic since he's the first one to treat the bird as a toy and refuses to feed her anything else than sunflower seeds. So you can only imagine how anxious and aggressive the poor thing is, I'm planning on taking her with me when I move out since I feel like she's only going to pluck her feathers further in here but I'm not sure if it'll take a toll on her and I came here to ask for advice, thank you so much for reading if you made it this far.

Edit: sorry for the messed-up writing, sleep deprivation will do things to u

Bless your heart! You should do some reading up on a good diet for her and find yourself a proper avian vet where you're going. Plenty of love you already have, my friend!

 

[ravvlet]

Welcome to the forum!

I have a couple of older “rescue” amazons myself! I’m sorry if someone else already mentioned it, but if you plan on taking them with you when you move, an examination with a certified avian veterinarian would be a great way to rule out any potential health issues that might cause the stress of moving to be more dangerous than normal!

It’s ALSO very helpful in determining your parrot’s sex (this mostly matters in case of potential issues arising during hormone season from egg laying or aggressive behavior - when it comes to hormonal season, nobody does it like Amazons!), as parrots are not a sexually dimorphic species in behavior or physical traits (with some exceptions).

And finally - any time you change a parrot’s diet, please be careful! Abrupt diet changes are not safe, and can cause health issues and even death (not trying to scare you, it happened to me personally). It’s always important to slowly introduce new foods, and to weigh your feathered friend during the process so you can ensure that they aren’t abruptly losing weight. A kitchen gram scale and a simple wooden T-Perch is perfect for this! You may need to acclimate them first- our Yellow-Nape Amazon hated the scale and perch, and had to be bribed with treats.

Having a vet on hand for advice, tips, and to establish what your parrot’s body condition is like is so, so amazing!

Here is a compiled list of avian vet resources by country:

Avian Vet Resources

After a suggestion by a member, @Abu Colo, the Mod Team decided to create a list of veterinarians around the world who see birds. This was something we had discussed a few years ago, but the task seemed so large that we didn't get very far. However, the need is there and we decided that the time...

www.parrotforums.com

Don’t let that deter you from bringing them when you move, though. The Amazon in my profile pic has a boatload of health issues, and he handled coming home with me just fine. I really appreciate what you’re doing for Babe!

As for the feathers - I am not an owner of a plucker myself, and it is fortunately very uncommon for Amazons. Have you seen him/her actively pulling out/barbering her feathers, or just preening? I am of course limited by what we can see in the photos, but I’ve seen patchier looking Amazons in similar circumstances where diet and bathing are concerned. Our YNA especially looked rather sad before she had her first bath with us! If it is plucking, seeing a vet would be instrumental in establishing what underlying issues, if any, could be causing plucking (ex; sometimes there’s bacteria on the skin at work, and sometimes it is psychological).

As for the clipped wings - it took our Orange Wing about 3 years to fully grow his flight feathers after a particularly barbaric clip! We think it was due in part to the fact that he was, like your bird, a seed junkie, and seriously lacking in the kind of nutritional fortitude needed to inspire feather growth. This past year he EXPLODED with feathers everywhere, in the most massive molt I’ve ever witnessed, and now has a full set of functional flight and tail feathers. It was wild for a couple months though!

 

[kme3388]

Before I got her out of her usual cage and every time I'd look at her she'd be preening, she rarely got direct sunlight, which means she hasn't had a bath either. I made a post yesterday I think about this, I'm trying to introduce her to baths with a spray bottle, I think we're getting there!

She's spent a few days being out of the cage full time and I made a little "enclosure" where she can retrieve too, eat, and sleep and she's been sleeping well too. I have taken her out a few times and she's done great I think. She started to destroy some makeshift wooden toys I've made for her which gives me an awful lot of hope ^^

*little edit I forgot to mention, sadly, her wings are clipped :\

I am sure once you get Babe going on some baths, and getting into a routine things will start looking up. It took me awhile to get my one parrot into bathing even if it was just a mist. He thought of it as a punishment, and I am thinking maybe someone in the past sprayed him for misbehaving. I adopted him so I don't have a clue about his past. He was attacking the spray bottle, and he ruined a few of them. He was very overly aggressive with spray bottles, and laundry baskets. So if you don't know a lot about Babe's past just be aware that some people do spray their parrots as a punishment.

 

[cloudyhelium]

I am sure once you get Babe going on some baths, and getting into a routine things will start looking up. It took me awhile to get my one parrot into bathing even if it was just a mist. He thought of it as a punishment, and I am thinking maybe someone in the past sprayed him for misbehaving. I adopted him so I don't have a clue about his past. He was attacking the spray bottle, and he ruined a few of them. He was very overly aggressive with spray bottles, and laundry baskets. So if you don't know a lot about Babe's past just be aware that some people do spray their parrots as a punishment.

I just... Don't get it, that's horrible. I'll never understand the people who think this way.

Not only getting a new animal but an exotic animal, without doing the smallest amount of research to know how they behave, I'll never get it... Thank you for sharing this is very handy for me ^^ Babe is a bit skittish with water but I imagine it's because her only exposure to water was being cold in the rain- so I tried warmish water and tried gently putting a towel over her, the she gets kisses and a treat, we're still working on it ^^

 

[Farnoosh]

Thank you so much! It is taking her some time to transition but I think patience is my strongest feature ^^

Her cage was hung, (so there wasn't a moment the cage wasn't moving) above the dogs (very loud dogs I might add). I think the "burd=ornament that tAlks" mentality shows a lot there... Plus my grandfather or as I call him now, her dealer, thinks she's a dog, what I mean by that is that he thinks that he can playfully spank her as you'd do to a big dog and believes that the birds sees him as the "alpha", (which... Is not exactly how birds work but oh well...).

Well I think patience is a great virtue. And I must say you are a very articulate and observant 17-year-old and that is so wonderful to see Hope to hear more about updates and how you go on with your bird adventures!

 

[Farnoosh]

Thank you so much! I feel like she's improved a lot this past week I'm introducing some new foods like peppers and sweet potatoes but her favorite one so far is corn! (She's only had it once but she accepted this one immediately)

YAY! It's going to be so rewarding once you start seeing your bird happier and happier