Wanting to adopt an Orange Winged Amazon

[Gman]

Hello, for anyone who missed my intro, I'm Galen! Ive been wanting a bird for about as long as i can remember, and ive found one thats in need of a loving home where someone will work with him and give him lots of attention. I want to be that person. His name is Cissy (short for Cisco i believe) and he is an Orange winged amazon in his mid to late twenties. I have yet to meet him, which i should be doing Tuesday. When i spoke to the man on the phone, he described him as "timid". I was told that his mother had owned him, who recently passed away, and at one point had over 40 birds. My thinking is that he was never properly socialized, because his mother just didnt have adequate time to spend with so many birds. I asked about his temperament when you tried to interact with him. He told me that if you would reach your hand in towards him, he would not bite or make defensive noises, just back away. Knowing that he's at least not mean, im hoping that with alot of work, he can eventually be made more sociable and friendly. Ive only seen one picture that was pretty fuzzy, but he appears to be healthy and beautiful! The man said he would sell him for 400 dollars with a medium sized cage included, which i think seems pretty fair. The gentleman seemed like he cared very well for the birds his mother had left, and was very insistent that he went to a good home.

So...that being said, id like to know what some peoples experiences are with socializing older birds? I understand that its not an overnight process by any means, but i am willing to devote the time, and i believe that it can be done with enough love towards him! I am also interested in hearing some tips about acclimating him to his new home, should i buy him. Ive heard that a move can be very stressful for a bird. Probably even more so if he had been in the same place for 20+ years and the last thing i would want to do is anything that will be detrimental to his well-being. The drive from his location to mine is less than an hour, so i don't think it should be too bad. Im sure ill have TONS more questions that need answering if/when i bring him home, but thankfully i do have a friend that has had a green amazon his whole life and should be able to help me out alot. But theres no such thing as too much information, so ill be very excited to hear what you all have to say about it! Thanks to everyone who read the book i just typed out lol, and ill be very interested to hear all your expertise! Here is the picture i received of Cissy

Also, in the interest of putting a beautiful bird in a good home, i believe he still has a scarlet macaw that needs a good home. I would gladly provide the location of his add if anyone may be interested!

 

[riddick07]

I would get the bird vetted before taking him home! If she had so many birds you don't know what might have been dragged through. I would get the dimensions of the cage since medium can mean different things to different people. Also, asking what he has been feed and such. Looks like he is perching on a dowel perch and those bars don't look like they are from a great cage (hard to tell though with the pic and it could be a carrier though why take a pic there I'm not sure...) which isn't great for birds so ask a lot of questions.

Amazons can be nippy but really funny! I think training and persistence will win out in the end. If he is just shy then take your time and don't rush it when trying to get him to talk to you and hang out. He could be a lot of work before he is really handleable and wanting to hang out with you or he might never be if he hasn't been socialized in his whole life. Or he might decide you are his person and be your best friend. If you go and meet him before saying a definite yes you will know better about how you feel about him. If you don't mind a potential bite here or there (and it WILL hurt)and everything checks out then I say go for it. Amazons wouldn't be my choice as a starter bird but if you do the research and put in the time then I think you can make it work. Also patience will be a must!

 

[riddick07]

If you aren't far from NJ then there is a parrot rescue called A Helping Wing that has a beautiful hilarious double yellow headed amazon. He is nippy though and you'd have to convince the rescue owner you have what it takes! They also have quite a few other adoptable birds that are awesome. Though if we move soon my mothers probably going to sneak that amazon out while the rescue owner isn't looking...

 

[Gman]

I believe he said the cage was about 4x4x3.. Do you think i need something bigger? I really plan on letting him out as much as possible, when/if he is comfortable enough to do so. And i see what your saying about the perch. I've read that its important for them to have a thick branch for a primary perch, and also some others of assorted sizes so that they can move their feet around in different positions..right? he told me that he feeds him pellets primarily, and also gives him a mixture of pellets, eggs, and assorted fruits every morning. Apparently grapes are his favorite from what im told haha. Good point about the vet visit, i didnt think to even ask, though he did say that he had assorted paperwork for Cissy. Hopefully that will include proof of a recent vet visit. I believe he said that it was a long time ago that she had so many birds, and that in the last fifteen years or so she had narrowed it down to significantly less. Nonetheless, you are right. As i said before, my primary concern would be making sure he's taken care of, and i don't take the responsibility lightly. I do understand how much care these creatures require. I dont think there are any avian veterinarians anywhere near my location unfortunately, so a visit before purchasing may not be feasible. I may have to go by his overall appearance of health and get him to the vet as soon as i can. Just out of curiosity, why are amazons not a good choice for a first time owner? Do they just require more attention than other species? haha and im no stranger to bites..when i first met my friend a few years ago who has a green amazon ( thats what he told me he was, but that may be the incorrect species) of course the first thing i asked was " can i stick my hand in the cage?!" haha he just chuckled and said be my guest...well long story short, he took a nice chunk out of my finger..and the worst part was the bird genuinely seemed to enjoy it! He just laughed and sung, and to this day often screams "OW STOP!" when i walk into the room : P That birds a character, ill tell ya

 

[MikeyTN]

Here's some avian vets located in PA. Find one that's closest to you! I got this info off a website wingsatplay.

Aston:
Dr. Gloria Goodman, VMD, Avian Certified - Avian and Exotic Animal Medical Center
3000 Concord Rd., Aston, PA 19104 - Tel. (610) 494-2811
Bethlehem:
Jeanette Rilling, VMD - Wright Veterinary Medical Center
3247 Wimmer Rd, Bethlehem, PA 18020 - Tel. (610) 865-2611
Erie:
Dr. Ramey
3024 West 12th St., Erie, PA 16505 - Tel. (814) 838-7387
Glenolden:
Jennifer F. Johnson, D.V.M. - Glenolden Animal Hospital
405 McDade Blvd, Glenolden, PA 19036 - Tel. (610) 237-6120
King of Prussia:
Geo G Jeitles & John R. Maxwell, D.V.M.s - King of Prussia Veterinary Hospital
560 West DeKalb Pike, King of Prussia, PA 19406 - Tel. (610) 265-4313
Kutztown:
Dr. Lee Simpson - Avian Certified & Dr. Bridget McMahon
7 S. Kemp Rd., Kutztown, PA 19530 - Tel. (610) 683-5353
Lancaster:
Dr. John Hall - Smoketown Veterinary Clinic
2497 Old Philadelphia Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601 - Tel. (717) 394-5542
Philadelphia:
Karen L. Rosenthal, D.V.M., MS, Diplomate ABVP-Avian Director, Special Species Medicine Clinical Studies - Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine Philadelphia, PA, 19104

Pittsburgh:
David P. Dorn - West Liberty Animal Hospital
3055 W. Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15216 - Tel. (412) 341-3383
Denise A. Pleban - Northview Animal Hospital
223 Siebert Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15237 - Tel. (412) 364-5353
Robert Wagner - Fox Chapel Animal Hospital
1152 Freeport Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15238 - Tel. (412) 781-6446
Quakertown:
Dr. Elizabeth R. Clark, VMD - Quakertown Veterinary Clinic, P.C.
2250 Old Bethlehem Pike, Quakertown, PA 18951 - Tel. (215) 536-6245
Smoketown:
Dr. John A. Hall - Vet / Owns parrots and softbills and has a lot of experience with birds in general
2497 Old Philadelphia Pike, Smoketown, Pa 17576 - Tel. (717) 394-5542
York:
Valerie A Miller, D.V.M.
1997 Industrial Highway, York, PA 17402 - Tel. (717) 840-1025

 

[RavensGryf]

Hi Galen, excellent advice for you already above, so instead of being redundant when I don't feel like typing a whole lot, I'll just say welcome instead!

Riddick07 gave a really good post above that covered a lot. oh, and Cissy is beautiful!

I'll just add... Vegetables are more nutrient packed than fruit (lots of sugars), but older birds who are not eating them already can prove very stubborn to convert. My birds LOVE raw yams. Even the super picky one. Some pellets are better than others. Depending on the brand, they could be either like health food or fruit loops!
Go buy some fun looking toys too... Amazons love to chew

 

[Kiwibird]

Hi. As others have said, I would definitely have him looked over by a vet so you know what (if any) kind of health issues he may have before bringing him home. As you probably know, every bird comes from a different situation and has a different personality. You may find this was a well cared for bird who adapts to his new family quickly and easily OR it could be a lot of hard work in store for you. You never really know until you have the bird home.

An honest account of my experience adopting an older zon (kiwi was 10 and had been through 2 homes)- He was not exactly what we expected when we decided to adopt a bird, but the hard work is SO worth it. I wouldn't trade our little guy for the world! It was a years-long process to build his trust and break him of bad habits. When we met Kiwi, he seemed "timid" and "shy" when we went to get him from the lady, but he turned out to be rather nasty, aggressive, refused to eat and screamed louder than any amazon I've ever heard when we got him home. He was suppose to be my bird, but he took very quickly to my husband instead. It took almost a year before he would step up to me without a glove. It took a couple years and a lot of "creativity" to get him into eating a proper diet, and at least 2 years to train the ear-splitting screams out of him with positive reinforcement techniques. It wasn't until last year (5 years in) he started really settling in and becoming comfortable with us. He still won't accept being petted, and likely never will, though he is begrudgingly towel trained and can be clipped and groomed at home. Again, I never thought it would be so much work, but looking at him now, he is not the same bird we brought home. He is so happy, healthy, plays with toys, eats fruits and veggies, is potty trained, makes nice noises and even sits on my leg sometimes to preen or nap (so cute). I think there was definitely a period in the beginning where we both didn't like each other very much (and I questioned why I decided to adopt him), but it's been the most rewarding experience of my life to work with him, and he is very much a member of the family now.

Wanted to add: Cissy looks like a real sweet bird. You can kind of see it in his eyes that he doesn't have that "devilish" look. He looks like sweetie, and at that age (20+ years) he's probably a lot more relaxed than a super hormonal teen bird.