Please Help

[timored]

I bought a pair of Amazon parrots who are a pair. I have had them for a year. The previous owner had a lot of different kind of birds and he was moving out of state so he was selling out his birds. I decided to buy this pair and see if they will breed as the owner said they are proven breeders. The owner said the birds are about 15 and 20 years old. Can you please help me by answering the following questions.

1. When is the breeding season?
2. Is it bad that I have the nest box out the entire year.
3. Is it normal that I can not get close to the birds as the male will ferociously attack me and he starts biting at the female to get her to move and stay away from me.
4. If they wont breed and continue being so fierce, I was thinking that maybe I can separate them and see if I can train each one individually. Will that work?

Please help me out if you can.

Thank you, TIM

 

[Pedro]

Tim given the age of the birds & them being a breeding pair you can do more harm than good by separating them. This pair should be in an aviary with the nest box all year. My Amazons have a nest box but haven't bred yet. I am of the opinion that if they breed well & good if not I don't really care. But i would never, never separate them. That is normal behavior of a breeding pair & they are best left alone.

I would suggest if you are wanting a companion parrot keep a look out for a bird that is in need of a new home. Or just wait for yours to breed.

I guess it depends where you live & what species, but normally they breed in the summer. In Australia our Zons breed around Christmas.

 

[mtdoramike]

This is soooo typical. People will buy breeder birds in hopes of making them hand tame, which is all but impossible to do, especially if they have already become bonded to their mate. I agree whole heartedly with the above post. If you want a pet, wait for them to have babies or buy a pet bird, preferrably from a breeder that has hand fed them.

If you leave them with the nest box all year, you won't have to worry when the breeding season begins, they will know.

 

[timored]

Thank you for the help so far. I am very glad to hear that the nest box can stand whole year long because someone told me that its not because the birds wont know when to lay eggs if its there the whole year. I guess we will just keep them together and not seperate them, because I think you guys are right. The birds will be heartbroken and I dont want to see that happen.
This leads me to the next question.

Do I need to do anything special in order for them to breed other then provide healthy food and fresh water daily? For the last couple of days Rosy (female bird) has been in and out of the nest box and I just want everything to go right

P.S. Last year she was practically leaving in the next box but nothing good ever came out of that and in fact she had a big round bald spot on her stomach where the feathers were supposed to be. Why is that?

Again. Thank you very much for all of your help!!!

 

[Conurekidd]

Amazons are some of harder species of parrot to breed. Essp after a change.
Give em time they'll breed. Just takes time. Also if your lookin for a hand tame bird do not keep one of your own bred ones. Amazons usually divorce there parent to look for a mate. Why so many zons are re homed due to the fact they hate there owners. Another reason why purchasing un weaned parrots is simply a bad idea
Also sometime clipping the males wings is nessary due to aggression the male picks up. Sometimes seriously injuring the female. Just givem time.

 

[henpecked]

I will try an answer all your questions but if i miss one please feel free to ask.They'll breed mostly in the spring or early summer(dry season in their native habitat ) If you want them to breed than stay away except for food and water,yes the male will attack you and the female if he can't get to you. (they're not pets)The best diet that you can afford(when breeding pellets are best)You can leave the nest box up all year if you wish( i take mine down for a month or two at a time or when i don't want them to breed)What to provide?Peace and quiet ,not seeing other birds,dogs, people etc. Oh and don't talk to them or look them in the eye (stare),Are you good at handfeeding?You better study up if you want your chicks to survive, Amazons really need a good owner to have good pet quality chicks,these are not easy birds to breed or socialize right, it takes alot of work and dedication to do right ,May i suggest voren.com
good luck
PS the bare spot on her belly is called a brood patch,it helps her warm up the eggs when she returns after being off them for a while,that and she'll line the nest with them ,some birds will use a brood patch and some won't,yes it's great when she starts going in the nest bow but you need to stimulate the male also, chewing up strips or blocks of soft woods will help him and putting a sacraficial wood border around the hole for him to chew(enlarge )will help get him in the mood, he should also start aloe feeding her to show he can feed her when she's brooding, a bump in fat ,protein and calcium in their diet will help (good breeder formula pellets) and some say cut back on fresh fruit/vegs. BUT you would have better luck starting all this in the early spring,including pulling the nest box and reintroducing it when they start acting lovie-dovie or early spring. serious check out voren.com

 

[Conurekidd]

Might I add if your gonna add supplemental vitamins make sure there in the food. Don't add any calcium or extra vitamin bars. Like henpecked said breeder pellets. It has everything the hen needs as well the babies to feed.
Just don't add any extra calcium. It could possibly make your hen egg bound.
Henpecked made great points. Everything he said I ditto