New to Parrots and now living with an Amazon

S

Sara.K

New member
Jul 21, 2013
34
0
Central Coast California
Hi everyone.
I joined to try and find information, assistance and advice. I am new to Parrots and long story short I have a rescued 22-23 year old Blue Fronted Amazon. I need some help. I just want my boy to be as healthy and happy as possible.
 
Hi and welcome,
Amazon's are so much fun yet they can be a bit of challenge. What kind of help do you need?
 
Welcome to the wonderful world of being owned by a zon!! :D lol

What kind of help do you need? Is he having behavioral issues? Are you trying to figure out what kind of diet he should be eating? How long have you had him? Has he had a trip to the avian vet for a full check up yet?

Btw- we'd love to see pictures of your new family member! :)
 
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I need all the help I can get! J
Behavioral problems are a yes. Diet is a Yes and I think I may have just (as in an hour ago) finally found a vet. I'm crossing my fingers; most of the vets around here are not avian vets. I was considering driving 3-4hrs just for a wellness checkup. So, vet visit will be lined up soon.

Diet needs help. He was on seed and seed only for at least two maybe three years. I have decided that I am going to attempt (he is stubborn) to switch him to pellets. I picked up a bag of Roudybush maintenance and Zupreen natural. I think I may mix the two and see which he prefers and go from there. Fresh foods are offered twice a day and thus far he is only munching on the sweet things; carrots, apples, corn, grapes, and the occasional sweet potatoe or yam. I have found him to be a HUGE junk food fan, I think his Original owner of 20 years didn’t do him any favors, maybe it was just easier to feed him what her kids were eating, idk.

And I've had him since October 11th. I know he has had a rough couple of years. His story is one of the all too common sad re homed way to many times ones... The kind where he ended up at a the local pet store and was sold twice… I’ve known him since sometime in 2011…

I don't know what I'm doing. I can admit that. But I am trying and all I want for is the happiest and healthiest Coco possible.

Thanks.
 
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The main thing when it comes to switching their food is persistence! Don't give in or it will not work. Keep a bowl of pellets there at all times, schedule yourself accordingly. The way I do it is I feed fresh food during the day and with the bowl of pellets all day long. Another bowl with fresh filtered water, and during evening time I feed just a table spoon full of seeds. Then next day I remove the seed bowl and start the process all over again. It will work but it just takes time, good luck!!!
 
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Thanks! I've done the whole rescue thing with other animals and switching foods etc. But I couldn't find measurements or recommendations for how much seed to keep available to him.

Thus far I've kept his drinking water, a pellet dish in the morning, seed had been made available around dinner and kept in there until bed time when it is removed. He also has his fresh foods which I've started floating for him in a casserole dish.

I had no idea that a Tablespoon was all that was needed. Thanks.
 
Your basically cutting down the amount your feeding to a minimum. BUT during the switching period, IF you see him eating pellets really good, don't feed any seeds that evening. Also don't give any nuts or seeds type of treats for awhile until he eats the pellets good. Usually a few weeks to a month worth of time. I usually wait a month before giving any treats.
 
Good luck in transitioning him!!!! Keep up updated if everything works out. It usually takes me less then a week to switch over, even the most stubborn bird....
 
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If it takes you a week, then I'll plan on 2-4 weeks and be proud of myself :)

I just found another thread about switching to pellets which I'm checking out now. You are VERY consistent with your advice, which I assume means it works. Thank you.
 
Your welcome! I've switched plenty of birds to know better, I've tried different methods but this method to me was the easiest!
 
've had Jackie for 4.5 months now, he's my first amazon and first "big" parrot... Like you, I didn't really know what I was doing lol and didn't know anything about parrots. It's been quite the journey and learning experience, but Jackie and I have come a long way. I'm still in the process of switching him to pellets and also a chop mix...I have yet to be successful in either, but that's due to my lack of persistence in that department. :/
Behavioral issues can also be a challenge, but it's taken a lot of patience, persistence, and time. Jackie still has some issues, but overall has done a 180* from when we first brought him home. I am by no means a pro, but can offer advice through my experiences with Jackie. What kind of things is your zon doing?
 
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Chop mix? Please continue...

Coco's original owners went on vacation, i don't know the specifics, but somewhere, somehow the outcome was that he was taught that stepping up was a negative thing. They actually trained him to a doweling and he shredded that thing. He hates it. Now it was persisted into biting in general when stepping up.

I am unsure what to do. He can be the sweetest guy and makes kissy noises at me and cuddles, but its the initial step up. He even has issues with it on his brand new play stand...

Idk.
 
I believe Chop mix as fruits and veggies mix, plus there's other mixes you can make along with it like pasta, rice, etc etc.....

Have you see the post about Clancy the Amazon being trained with a clicker? It was the newest post today so I'm using that as an example.
 
Yes, worry about the food part first, after that's done, treat training would come easy since he won't be on a seed diet that he used to get all the time. :)
 
Hey sara, welcome to the forum. i see mikey has taken you under his wing, can't go wrong there. Thank you for giving an older zon a new home, and joining the forum to learn how to keep him healthy and happy.As i'm sure your learning, tons of good info in the older threads ,specially in the amazon section. Hope to see you around the forum. BTW we love pic,vids and stories,so don't keep us waiting.
 
Here's my post about my first batch of chop mix:
http://www.parrotforums.com/showthread.php?t=32337

I watched clancy's video, and now I want to try clicker training too!

Jackie's deathly afraid of sticks so stick training him was out of the question, but we just recently accomplished stepping up. He would try to bite every time I offered my arm and asked him to step up. So, I wrapped my arm with an ace bandage, put a sweatshirt on and tried again.... I had my hand balled in a fist and bent downwards so he couldnt really see it and be tempted by open flesh (lol). I couldn't feel his bites and was no longer scared, it enabled me to stop jerking my arm back in fear, and once he figured out biting was no longer going to make my arm go away- he stepped up. It took a few days for him to get past biting first, then stepping up, but now that's all he wants to do!!! And he hates being without me lol. This method is most likely a bit unconventional, and may not work for any other bird, but it worked for Jackie..and it broke down a barrier that was between us.

Go slow though, but be persistent. It may take a while for progress to happen, but don't be discouraged.
 
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