Is this a Yellow Naped Amazon, Yellow-crowned Amazon, or a Panama Amazon?

[MantisFTW]

DNA test kit? Woah, I didn't think sexing a parrot could be that technical.

Okay, I'll try the treat method. I just have to find out what kind of treats I should get him.

 

[MantisFTW]

Oh yeah, is it bad to change a parrots name, or will it just confuse him and should I just not do it?
The name the original owners gave him is Rio, but I'm kinda blah on the name. I'd like to change it, but it's not a big deal if it will just confuse him.

 

[Aquila]

I used Cheerios and Rice Crispies for my birds, something more "healthy" but still a treat. And I doubt the name change will confuse him, doesn't sound like they called him it very often anyways!

And yes, Birds "organs" are well hidden, so unless an egg pops out, it can be very hard to tell.

 

[wenz2712]

defo a YC

I have just had my YC DNA tested and it was a very simple procedure.

 

[LakeDesire]

Hello! Congrats on your new family member. I adopted my first amazon this past weekend... and they are amazing! (In fact, my new friend Henry is sitting on my shoulder right now as I type!) "Rio" is so lucky to have found you to adopt him... someone who is already invested in his well-being from day one!

I think renaming your bird would be fine. I have heard that people who rescue dogs will rename them because the dogs associate their old name with their crummy old owners. Maybe the same logic would work with a parrot? Regardless, parrots are smart and will learn a new name. On the other hand, I didn't rename Henry because she yells "hi Henry!" and I like the name.

I'd say sexing the bird doesn't matter too much. When I got my conure 16 years ago, I picked a gender neutral name with the intention of getting her sexed, but I never did (maybe because I was only 12!) and Jade has always been a "she."

Does "Rio" wander when you leave the cage door open? I've found that I don't need to lock Henry in yet. She prefers to be on top of her cage unless she goes in to eat, and since she doesn't try to fly down to the floor, I've just been letting her choose where she wants to be. Then again Henry is a Mexican red headed amazon, and they're known to be pretty docile compared to other amazons, so I don't know if a YC would be OK out unsupervised. Also depends on the individual too.

Did Rio's old owners ever handle him? He probably was handled by his breeders when he was a baby, which wasn't too long ago, so if he is scared of hands you can train him to trust you and your hands through positive reinforcement. There are great YouTube videos on training parrots through positive reinforcement, and I also have found Barbara Heidenreich's first DVD on parrot training basics very helpful.

The other thing I'd say to new parrot owners is that parrots are really part of the family. They really enjoy being a part of the activity and routine. They are like children who never grow up and leave home.

 

[MantisFTW]

I have a few names picked out now.
I may get him sexed later on. Genders matter to me, just because. I would feel really weird calling my bird a boy all this time, and then in the end finding how he was a girl, or vice versa. If I were him, I would feel... I don't know, insulted I guess.

I left the cage door open a couple times. He likes to wander all around his cage, and I got him to grab a treat from his outside perch which is next to the cage. I don't normally leave him unsupervised, but even if I did, I don't think he would leave his cage. I might have to try it one day.

Unfortunately, I don't know much about his past. His owners didn't tell me much and it was just a quick phone conversation, but I really wish I got to know more about how much they handled him and where he came from, etc. The good news is though, I made some progress with him the other night. He walked on my arm and took treats from me.

 

[henpecked]

I think it's OK if you want to change their name. Mine are what they are (I'm the worst at guessing zon gender), Jake is a YNA hen 42 yrs, Kong is a hen Pan 38yrs, Pedro is a hen DYH 30 yrs, they don't care .

 

[WharfRat]

Just thought I'd throw this in there.........our 2 Zon's are both YNA's from the same parents, just different clutches. Halo is just now getting the yellow on his nape, BUT, look at Shiloh in this pic in the foreground.

 

[henpecked]

Yeah Rat, i know what you mean. I wanted to post it could be a YNA. The beak, cere and feet just looked 100% nape. That is what separates YC from pans, that and size.( i do have a large male Pan who is healthy and 410 grams) But my vote was YC and wendy and i are sticking to it.Yes there's a lot of hybrids and it's best to make these calls with "bird in hand". I was waiting for someone to bring that up. Good point. Need to ask Mishka !!! PS remember the OP said the age was about 18 months.

 

[MantisFTW]

Hmm... about how long does it take for the yellow to appear on a birds neck? He seems to have a big enough yellow spot on his head to be a YC, like I see in YCA pictures... The pictures of YN I've seen don't really have a yellow spot that looks like that.

 

[henpecked]

My hen nape looks almost like a DYH. They yellow as they age. There's also maybe 5 different subspecies of YNA . Many don't yellow at all until mature(7-10 yrs). Here's a pic of a 40yr old parvipes nape. Notice she has a yellow collar around her neck. It's hard to gage zons by the amount of yellow, But they will yellow with age. That amount of yellow on the crown is not normal for a immature nape.IMO

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[Greenskeeper]

Sioux is a boy today, but if I have the same luck with him as I did my conure, she will lay!