My husband surprised my by buying me an amazon parrot. Does anyone know how to care for it - please include, food, cleaning, likes, and dislikes and toys. How to teach it to talk. When should you allow it out of the cage etc.
My goodness - your husband has given you a lot of responsibility there!! I have 2 african greys and an orange-winged amazon.
First off you need to get your hands on and read as much about that bird as you possibly can. Do you know what type of amazon it is? How old is it? Is it hand reared?
Caring for a parrot like that is akin to caring for a 3 year old child (although the poo doesn't smell as bad..lol).
First off - Cage: Some people say that it has to be a specific size and if it is too big it will stress the bird - this is wrong. You cannot have a cage that is too big, only too small. If the bird is spending more than 8 hours a day in a cage it needs to be as big as you can have it and full of toys, which are rotated and changed weekly. It is the position of the cage that may stress it out. Ideally it will have one side with a view of a window (but out of the way of any drafts) and at least 2 sides with little going on (i.e. up against a wall). This is so the bird has something to watch during the day and yet can switch off and feel secure. The cage should allow as much natural light in as possible (you can buy U.V lamps if this is not possible).
You should really have the bird in a place where the family spends most of its time - they are social creatures and need to feel part of the flock. The kitchen is not a good place to have the bird though as many things can be poisonous to them, such as buring teflon (from pots and pans).
I clean my parrots depending on need. In the summer this is daily as the fruit makes a smell. Use simple warm water and washing up liquid. If you get any stubborn poop stains then you can buy a product called "poop off" its brilliant.
Bathing - My African Greys HATE being sprayed and will bathe in their water bowl as and when they feel they need it (meaning I have togive them clean water up to 10 times a day if the sun is shining). My amazon LOVES being sprayed - she opens her wings and turns round for us. She even lovs going in the shower. It depends on the individual bird.
Ok - Food: Never, ever feed the bird avocadoo, mushrooms or chocolate!! There is a long list of things they should avoid but these three are the main no nos. It's a good idea to get the bird a good pellet-based food, such as harrisons, to make sure that he/she is getting all the nutrients it needs. Then add lots of fruit, veggies and pulses to make feeding time more exciting. I use my birds' favourite foods (monkey nuts) as special training treats. If they are out and I want to put them back in the cage I use these and they work 100% of the time.
My birds are situated in our lounge/diner and we always give thema bit of what we are eating (chicken, veg, salad etc) so they feel as though they are part of the flock. They will always want what you have.
Talking - Not all parrots will learn to talk. My african greys are excellent talkers and are constantly picking up words and songs. My amazon has never muttered a word but, we have gotten to know her sqwarks and chirps and we know how she is feeling by those. You just need to spend time talking to the bird. Tell them what food you are giving them and sing your bird a song. My female grey loves songs, but will only pick it up if we put her name in the song.
Toys - the type of toys it likes again depends on the birds. One of my birds adores bells, one loves rope toys and my amazon just couldn't care less for anything. She'd rather run around on our floor and have a cuddle. best thing to do is try a few types of toy and see what the bird likes. Remember - you don't have to buy expensive toys. We make toys out of toilet rolls, margerine tubs, and plastic milk tops. Penuts in an old oxo box keeps them going for about an hour. You can also buy flavoured wood blocks for rodents - these are brilliant for the birds to chew and destroy.
We like to let our parrots out whenever we are home and settled. We let them all out together and they climb all over each others cages. We have a stand that they can fly too, but they are not too keen on it.
We have two dogs and a cat and they are allowed in the room with the parrots under very STRICT supervision (mainly for the dogs and cats' safety).
Phew - I hope that helps a bit - if you have any more questions gimme an email.
First off you need to get your hands on and read as much about that bird as you possibly can. Do you know what type of amazon it is? How old is it? Is it hand reared?
Caring for a parrot like that is akin to caring for a 3 year old child (although the poo doesn't smell as bad..lol).
First off - Cage: Some people say that it has to be a specific size and if it is too big it will stress the bird - this is wrong. You cannot have a cage that is too big, only too small. If the bird is spending more than 8 hours a day in a cage it needs to be as big as you can have it and full of toys, which are rotated and changed weekly. It is the position of the cage that may stress it out. Ideally it will have one side with a view of a window (but out of the way of any drafts) and at least 2 sides with little going on (i.e. up against a wall). This is so the bird has something to watch during the day and yet can switch off and feel secure. The cage should allow as much natural light in as possible (you can buy U.V lamps if this is not possible).
You should really have the bird in a place where the family spends most of its time - they are social creatures and need to feel part of the flock. The kitchen is not a good place to have the bird though as many things can be poisonous to them, such as buring teflon (from pots and pans).
I clean my parrots depending on need. In the summer this is daily as the fruit makes a smell. Use simple warm water and washing up liquid. If you get any stubborn poop stains then you can buy a product called "poop off" its brilliant.
Bathing - My African Greys HATE being sprayed and will bathe in their water bowl as and when they feel they need it (meaning I have togive them clean water up to 10 times a day if the sun is shining). My amazon LOVES being sprayed - she opens her wings and turns round for us. She even lovs going in the shower. It depends on the individual bird.
Ok - Food: Never, ever feed the bird avocadoo, mushrooms or chocolate!! There is a long list of things they should avoid but these three are the main no nos. It's a good idea to get the bird a good pellet-based food, such as harrisons, to make sure that he/she is getting all the nutrients it needs. Then add lots of fruit, veggies and pulses to make feeding time more exciting. I use my birds' favourite foods (monkey nuts) as special training treats. If they are out and I want to put them back in the cage I use these and they work 100% of the time.
My birds are situated in our lounge/diner and we always give thema bit of what we are eating (chicken, veg, salad etc) so they feel as though they are part of the flock. They will always want what you have.
Talking - Not all parrots will learn to talk. My african greys are excellent talkers and are constantly picking up words and songs. My amazon has never muttered a word but, we have gotten to know her sqwarks and chirps and we know how she is feeling by those. You just need to spend time talking to the bird. Tell them what food you are giving them and sing your bird a song. My female grey loves songs, but will only pick it up if we put her name in the song.
Toys - the type of toys it likes again depends on the birds. One of my birds adores bells, one loves rope toys and my amazon just couldn't care less for anything. She'd rather run around on our floor and have a cuddle. best thing to do is try a few types of toy and see what the bird likes. Remember - you don't have to buy expensive toys. We make toys out of toilet rolls, margerine tubs, and plastic milk tops. Penuts in an old oxo box keeps them going for about an hour. You can also buy flavoured wood blocks for rodents - these are brilliant for the birds to chew and destroy.
We like to let our parrots out whenever we are home and settled. We let them all out together and they climb all over each others cages. We have a stand that they can fly too, but they are not too keen on it.
We have two dogs and a cat and they are allowed in the room with the parrots under very STRICT supervision (mainly for the dogs and cats' safety).
Phew - I hope that helps a bit - if you have any more questions gimme an email.
Parrot owner for 10 years.
Is the parrot hand-reared and tame?
For feeding you need a complete parrot mix - Sunflower, safflower, hemp seed, peanuts, etc. You must also feed it fruit daily, such as orange, apple, carrot, celery.... it may not like some of the fruit but will soon find out.
Cleaning is up to you, if you leave the cage to get too dirty then you risk health issues to you and your family, but most of all the room will smell. Just put new paper in the bottom of the cage with a thin coating of sand on top, or even just sand on its own.
Only allow the bird out of the cage if you are sure it is tame. Also, if the bird is quite flighty the you should have the flight feathers in the wings clipped by somebody that is experienced as if done wrongly can draw blood. Without this not only do you risk dameage to ornaments, etc. but also harm to the bird from flying in to windows.
Amazons love hanging toys in the cage and also like being around people as they are quite sociable birds, but be warned, depending on the type of amazon, they can be quite noisy, especially the likes of Mealy Amazons, Blue Fronts, Orange Winged.
Hope this helps
For feeding you need a complete parrot mix - Sunflower, safflower, hemp seed, peanuts, etc. You must also feed it fruit daily, such as orange, apple, carrot, celery.... it may not like some of the fruit but will soon find out.
Cleaning is up to you, if you leave the cage to get too dirty then you risk health issues to you and your family, but most of all the room will smell. Just put new paper in the bottom of the cage with a thin coating of sand on top, or even just sand on its own.
Only allow the bird out of the cage if you are sure it is tame. Also, if the bird is quite flighty the you should have the flight feathers in the wings clipped by somebody that is experienced as if done wrongly can draw blood. Without this not only do you risk dameage to ornaments, etc. but also harm to the bird from flying in to windows.
Amazons love hanging toys in the cage and also like being around people as they are quite sociable birds, but be warned, depending on the type of amazon, they can be quite noisy, especially the likes of Mealy Amazons, Blue Fronts, Orange Winged.
Hope this helps
First off, your husband should have talked to you first about getting the parrot. They are a HUGE responsibility, can cost a lot of money and can live for a long time. Below is a website that will give you some information that you requested. Just yahoo "care for amazon parrot" if you want more information. Good luck.
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/am...
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/am...
4-yrs experience at local zoo with exotics
Unless you have previous experience with parrots, your husband probably made a mistake (above and beyond the surprise part). Amazons tend to be headstrong birds which are not for the beginner. The smaller amazons, such as the lilac-crowned or red-crowned, are generally easier to deal with than the larger ones, such as the yellow head/nape, though of course personalities vary.
http://www.parrotparrot.com/articles/ama... is a good overview, including diet. There's more detail on diet at http://www.quakerparrots.com/diet/food-n... . Our amazons get a mix of about 5 kinds of pellets plus about 15% seed, and vegetables and fruit daily (vegetables are mostly peas, carrots, corn, green beans, broccoli, and bean cuisine; fruit is mostly apple, blackberries, grapes, and banana. But each bird will have its own preferences).
Depending on the species, you'll want a cage at least 2'x3'x3'. It should be cleaned at least once a week - more often is better. You can just put newspaper on the bottom and change it, but you need to clean off any parts of the cage, toys, and perches that have been pooped on or have food stuck to them (parrots eat like human infants - lots of strewn food - and then they clean their beak on whatever is handy). A damp cloth is sufficient for most routine cleaning.
Toys - anything that comes apart or can be flung onto the floor. They go through a lot of toys, so it's much cheaper to make your own than to buy them. And you get to pick a lot of toys off the floor (again like human infants, they like the game of they drop it and you pick it up. They usually enjoy peek-a-boo. They may enjoy being tickled).
To see what you're getting into, view http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVBILtDrg... . It's very cute, but imagine listening to that for several hours each day (and you're supposed to listen. They want attention). You'll also notice that amazons tend to be emotional. Watch the eyes pin.
http://www.tgpa.com/Biting.html isn't a bad overview on behavior
The Companion Parrot Handbook by Sally Blanchard would be an excellent resource. Guide to A Well Behaved Parrot by Mattie Sue Athan is also pretty good, and cheaper.
http://www.parrotparrot.com/articles/ama... is a good overview, including diet. There's more detail on diet at http://www.quakerparrots.com/diet/food-n... . Our amazons get a mix of about 5 kinds of pellets plus about 15% seed, and vegetables and fruit daily (vegetables are mostly peas, carrots, corn, green beans, broccoli, and bean cuisine; fruit is mostly apple, blackberries, grapes, and banana. But each bird will have its own preferences).
Depending on the species, you'll want a cage at least 2'x3'x3'. It should be cleaned at least once a week - more often is better. You can just put newspaper on the bottom and change it, but you need to clean off any parts of the cage, toys, and perches that have been pooped on or have food stuck to them (parrots eat like human infants - lots of strewn food - and then they clean their beak on whatever is handy). A damp cloth is sufficient for most routine cleaning.
Toys - anything that comes apart or can be flung onto the floor. They go through a lot of toys, so it's much cheaper to make your own than to buy them. And you get to pick a lot of toys off the floor (again like human infants, they like the game of they drop it and you pick it up. They usually enjoy peek-a-boo. They may enjoy being tickled).
To see what you're getting into, view http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVBILtDrg... . It's very cute, but imagine listening to that for several hours each day (and you're supposed to listen. They want attention). You'll also notice that amazons tend to be emotional. Watch the eyes pin.
http://www.tgpa.com/Biting.html isn't a bad overview on behavior
The Companion Parrot Handbook by Sally Blanchard would be an excellent resource. Guide to A Well Behaved Parrot by Mattie Sue Athan is also pretty good, and cheaper.