New Amazon

[riddick07]

Jalapeño, the small Amazon we have been fostering for awhile, is going for a trial run with his adopters for the weekend! We don't expect there to be an issue and most likely he will be adopted at the end of the trial period

Sooooo that meant an empty cage right....

Meet Paco, a blue fronted Amazon! He has been at the shelter for a little while out in the rescue instead of in the house. He really doesn't like Jeanne so there was no one to work with him on a regular basis. But we were doing pictures for Christmas with adoptable birds. Paco was dragged out kicking and screaming literally. But when he was brought in he responded to me right away. Stepping up and letting me touch his beak so we decide to take him home as a foster. He was always on the list just not one of the first ones we were thinking of but figured while he was out and I had an empty carrier with me why not!




And Bree better be adopted soon or I might not let him leave.... Who knew I would actually like an African grey!

 

[thekarens]

Pffft! Greys rock!

Paco is really pretty!

 

[Kiwibird]

Good for Jalapeño! He was such a pretty boy, I'm so glad he found a good home!

Paco is a beautiful blue front... Don't you see in that first pic, he's trying to impress you with his stunning neck plumage? "Can I stay here forever? Pleeeeeeease?!"

 

[riddick07]

Jalapeños adopter is a young boy and he responded better to him than he did us though he liked us quite a lot! So we definitely think it's a match as long as he builds up some confidence and doesn't let jalapeño get away with being a brat. I will let everyone know the decision when the trial period is over

Paco was actually the Amazon I thought about when mother was considering Rosey. But I never took him out to meet him just talked to him through the cage. I didn't really want an Amazon back then...if I had only known about my monster Amazon planning away in quarantine about how to get me to take him home He is a pretty boy...I think Kelly might kill me if I kept another male Amazon:11:

 

[Kiwibird]

Poor little guy That means he's been at the shelter for some time now if they hadn't even gotten Kelley out of quarantine yet and he was already there. I wonder why he's spent so long looking for a new home? He is a very pretty zon and looks healthy. I hope someone considers him soon!

I also hope it all works out for Jalapeño. Heck, I might have been tempted to adopt him if I lived closer. He was a really beautiful amazon and just had the look of a sweetheart!

 

[riddick07]

Paco has been there about 3 years now. He is healthy but he's supposed to be a jerk. Adopters seem to get put off when they get bit or have to struggle a little with them about stepping up. Which is why I love jalapeños adopter he is only 11 but is putting more effort into a bratty bird than I see from a lot of the adults. He sits there and talks to him and though he is naturally nervous about being bit he still persits when jalapeño is being growly and acting like he is going to bite. Jalapeño did bite the kid once (not hard enough to draw blood) but he came right on back and didn't make a sound. We didn't know he had gotten bit until we noticed the mark he didn't say anything about it and didn't act differently around jalapeño.

From what I have seen from Paco so far is that he is a little growly and grumbles when he doesn't want to step up. So far just telling him to shut it and step up works. We will see when he settles in but so far he really doesn't seem bad. I guess people are just intimidated by an Amazon growling at them...they do sound like a mad dog sometimes

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

From what I have seen from Paco so far is that he is a little growly and grumbles when he doesn't want to step up. So far just telling him to shut it and step up works. We will see when he settles in but so far he really doesn't seem bad. I guess people are just intimidated by an Amazon growling at them...they do sound like a mad dog sometimes

Ive had Zilla for just over a month now and she still makes a growling noise whenever she steps up, even when she is the one standing there with her foot up wanting me to pick her up. I've just decided it's part of her step up routine since it doesn't matter if she wants to or not she still growls at me.

 

[Kiwibird]

Now my heart is really breaking for poor Paco:17:. That must be awful for a bird to know he's unwanted (and I'm sure he can tell the difference between a home with a family and a shelter). He looks kind of sad in his eyes and like he's showing off for you, probably in hopes he'll be welcomed into your "flock" "I'm a pretty boy and look at how good I am".... I can't help but think that would be Kiwi right now had we not come across him. He wasn't very adoptable by comparison to other birds who are just forcing themselves upon you seeking love, but like any social creature he still wanted a home and a family to love him. Even if Paco comes across as "difficult" I bet if someone gave him the chance, he would be a wonderful little bird!

 

[riddick07]

Well so far he is only being nice to me. I'm getting the impression he is going to be a very long term foster or might just end up with him. Apparently, he viciously goes after Jeanne...aerial attacks and all. He bites, curls into it and will not let go. I'm hoping he is nice to adopters but he is giving the same warnings he gives Jeanne before he attacks to my mother and my stepfather. Paco always seemed interested in me at the shelter so I am hoping it is not another of those instant one person connections that means pretty much only me will ever be able to work with the bird easily.

If it is I'm going to have to rethink my room design to keep either Kellys old big cage or my old double stacker in my room.

The funny thing is though both Jeanne and my mother were like sometimes we hate you because of the vicious attack birds just stepping up for me The medium birds seem to like me a lot weirdly

 

[riddick07]

Well it seems I spoke too soon! Paco did insanely well today He stepped up in the cage for me. When my uncle arrived he stepped up for my uncle from my hand. And then I finally convinced him to step up for my mother from my hand when she got home. He also spent a good half hour sitting on the couch with me even relaxing after he realized that he wasn't going to die. So a very good day for Paco

 

[henpecked]

How does Kelly like you paying attention to a new bird? That's my biggest challenge, jealous birds.

 

[Kiwibird]

Sounds like Paco will be on his best behavior so long as you don't send him back to the shelter lol. He's probably so very happy to be in a real home. I know the shelters do great things for birds and helping rehome them, but 3 years is just an insanely long time for a bird to be there.

 

[riddick07]

How does Kelly like you paying attention to a new bird? That's my biggest challenge, jealous birds.

He doesn't seem to mind overly much. I guess he knows that they aren't going to stay. You can tell there is some jealously but he doesn't get aggressive. I've had the green cheeks fly over to him once and he didn't attack not that I want them interacting or anything. The only time he did a lunge at a bird it was when I was walking by Max but Max might have lunged at me first and he was just being protective/defensive. I'm not sure I could have found a better amazon than Kelly The only fault he has is being not so nice to people that are not me

Sounds like Paco will be on his best behavior so long as you don't send him back to the shelter lol. He's probably so very happy to be in a real home. I know the shelters do great things for birds and helping rehome them, but 3 years is just an insanely long time for a bird to be there.

There are a lot of birds at the shelter that have been there for awhile. And the amazon adoptions just don't seem to happen that often at AHW. I was the first amazon adoption in a long time.

The good news is that Jalapeño has been officially adopted Maybe it is a start to some amazon adoptions!

Paco has still been doing very well and I'm going to try and keep him here and just bring him over to the shelter on some of the adoption days. He had a shower with me yesterday and did pretty well with that too. I'm having mother go over the list for adopters on Saturday to see if there will be someone interested in an amazon. I might still just bring him anyway to see if he likes anyone. I know we have a lot of grey interest right now and I'm bringing Bree over to see if he does well with someone....Bree actually attacked my mother yesterday when she was putting food into the bowl while he was on the chair. I can do things near him but other people seem to get the aggression response. OH and Bree is stepping up from the chair now He is still grumpy about it but he will do it. Well for me he will do it. Bree is actually staying at the shelter starting on Tuesday because he is bonding too much with me... I would love to keep him but I think it would be better if he was the focus in a home especially since we do get so much interest in greys.

 

[Roanoke]

I know this thread is about Paco, but I just wanted to say that it's pretty awesome that a kid could be so brave with an Amazon. They're intimidating.

 

[riddick07]

I know this thread is about Paco, but I just wanted to say that it's pretty awesome that a kid could be so brave with an Amazon. They're intimidating.

No problem my threads tend to include more birds than the one I started it for originally

Christian, Jalapeños adopter, was very brave and willing to get bitten. Jalapeño has been very good since he got home and has not bitten any one. Has both the boy and his father apparently tending to his every need They already want to adopt another bird so I expect after the waiting period is over they will be back for another birdie. They are volunteering in the mean time and we figure a bird will win them over while they volunteer

 

[Kiwibird]

There are a lot of birds at the shelter that have been there for awhile. And the amazon adoptions just don't seem to happen that often at AHW. I was the first amazon adoption in a long time.

Interesting. The rescue we went through had no amazons for adoption when we were looking. Not sure if no one was giving them up or they got adopted out quick but we waited about 6 months. Kiwi never even made it down there, they just called us and just put us in contact with the lady wanting to get rid of him because they knew we were pretty settled on a zon and it avoided the whole multiple long drives and quarantine/vet visit there for him (since we had no birds and could quarantine and vet him and he'd go directly to his new home with minimal 'upset')

Perhaps you should run a "Take home something green besides a tree this holiday season" campaign to find some of the zons there homes for the holidays

 

[riddick07]

Interesting. The rescue we went through had no amazons for adoption when we were looking. Not sure if no one was giving them up or they got adopted out quick but we waited about 6 months. Kiwi never even made it down there, they just called us and just put us in contact with the lady wanting to get rid of him because they knew we were pretty settled on a zon and it avoided the whole multiple long drives and quarantine/vet visit there for him (since we had no birds and could quarantine and vet him and he'd go directly to his new home with minimal 'upset')

Perhaps you should run a "Take home something green besides a tree this holiday season" campaign to find some of the zons there homes for the holidays

We basically get everything when it comes to birds because of the rescues size and all the problem birds too. We have said if Jeanne takes in another problem bird we are going to strangle her and she has said herself she needs to stop taking them for awhile. They are just time consuming and hard to adopt out. We have 4 or 5 adoptable amazons right now and they are growly and don't tend to show interest in most people. Paco is probably the most adoptable at the moment besides Patti, another spectacled amazon, but we really don't get too many people willing to push through the growly amazon testing faze. Kelly was one of the growly ones too expect with Jeanne and me. He would ignore adopters and then growl when they tried to talk to him. Part of the reason I wasn't too worried about him taking to someone when I was trying to convince them to let me adopt him.

The shelter doesn't let birds go home in December because of the general upheaval in homes during the holidays. They do let people complete visits including the home visit but they wait till after the holidays to send birds home. I get the idea though


I was actually thinking of taking Paco over to the shelter this Saturday just to get some socialization in with the unsuspecting adopters even though none are interested in amazons:54: Paco still gives some real attitude to my mother...I think the amazons I've worked with so far give in to me because they know I'm just as stubborn as they are or maybe they have heard from Kelly I'll stuff them in hoodies if they do not listen

I'm really interested in how Bree, my foster grey, is going to do this Saturday meeting adopters considering the aggression he has shown with people that are not me. Luckily it is pretty obvious when he is going to launch at you. He looks like a big puff ball bull that is about to charge....then he just flings himself at you...one second he was there and the next he is attached to your arm or whatever was used to shield yourself in that split second:11: I think I have been working with him too much and other people too little but no one else seems willing to tell him to shut up and listen. Jeanne will get him to cooperate at the rescue... if not I'm stuffing him in my bag and taking him home with me and telling Jeanne that I have no idea what happened to him

Oh Brees new surprise phrase the other day was 'Is it good, Fatso?'....I've been wondering exactly what this old lady he lived with his whole life was really like:52: He also likes to say 'Oh come here' in a very exasperated tone of voice which he used when I was chasing Loki down last night for bed.