Amazon FAQs

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The following are a collection of Joanie Doss's replies to questions and posts about Amazon parrots. Joanie is widely known for her exceptional knowledge of Amazon parrots, she  is a writer and her articles can be found in many well-known bird publications.
Post
What she is doing now is when I have her on my hand, she will leap off and attack another bird who is on their own play gym or cage top. She seams to go after the South American birds. She will grab onto the other bird and not let go. Any suggestions to curb this behavior?
Reply
I would suggest that you not have Missy out when the other birds are out of their cages. This could develop into a very sad situation. Some birds just don't get along good enough with others to be left out together. Missy is obviously very fond of you and is trying to get the other birds out of her territory.

I have 5 male Amazons. Three can be out at the same time and two must be out one at a time. Yes, I wish I could let them all share time outs together but the risk of injury is too great. I take them out in shifts in the evening so they all get time out of the cages but not all at once.

You may be able to curb Missy's behavior by wing clipping and putting her up every time she comes off you. This will work but it is not 100% effective and you run the chance that she will be good for several months and then suddenly go back to her attack mode. The risk of an amputation, crippling or death run very high with Missy's behavior.

Joanie Doss / The Amazing Amazons

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Post
Are you saying never allow any Amazon on your shoulder, or just this particular one because he attempted to bite the face?
Reply
If DotCom is a male you could develop him into a dangerous bird when he gets to be about 8 years of age. Believe me.......even some of these very gentle wonderfully sweet guys seem to lose it for about a year or two somewhere between the ages of 5 and 10. The worse bites I have are from birds that never bit until that point in their lives. After they go through this one-to-two year period, they gradually return to their former selves again.

I do not like to see Amazons on the shoulders. You just don't know which ones are going to go through that horrible period and once they get used to being up on the shoulder it is a terrible battle to get them where they belong....on your arm near your wrist.

When a bird is held near the wrist you can read his body language and know when you have to put him on a T-stand or back to his cage. If he does bite, it is not going to be the face, ears or eyes. After Kodiak gnawed through my thumb a couple of years ago, I can only imagine what that would have done to my face. I already have two facial scars from Amazons.....Pepper. One bite went through my upper lip and the beak clanked against my teeth, and the other just missed my eye. When I say, be careful......believe me I know from experience how dangerous these guys can become. I love them dearly, but I also know what can happen.

Joanie Doss / The Amazing Amazons

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Post
As far as I can tell, clicker training is like regular good training, but an audible click is used by the trainer to mark the good thing that the bird just did, so the bird knows what the reward is for. Eventually the click becomes the reward, and you can progress on to more complex training. It works for other animals too.
Reply
Be warned..........the sound of the clicker can send some male Amazons into attack mode so quickly it will make your head spin! Be very careful using the clicker around adult male Amazons....especially when they are hormonal.

The bites resulting from the clicker are generally very vicious. They will bite almost to the bone and in Angela's case, even broke the finger!

Joanie Doss / The Amazing Amazons

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Post
Hi, all my pets, cats & birds are free fed and always have food available to them. Plus, I have never had a problem with overweight cats or birds. 
Reply

Many Amazons need to have restricted food time as they love to eat. I have seen Amazons double and even triple their desired weight. Some become so obese they can no longer keep their tummies off the perches and stand spread eagle on the perch! Obesity is a very serious problem with Amazons.

Joanie Doss / The Amazing Amazons

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Post
Do your Amazons love to bath?
Reply

My guys take their bath in our pool shower. I march them in one at a time and put them on a stand. I turn the shower as cold as it gets and let them soak and spread their wings. They get very excited when they hear the shower running. They also know they will be fed when they all have finished.

Joanie Doss / The Amazing Amazons

All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form or by any means, without permission from the author.

Post
Question is what is normally ok for the constancy of the matter that they regurgitate?
Reply

It depends on the individual bird and what he has been eating. My Nape TJ does a more watery thing but in small amounts at a time. He slimes his cage bars and toys with it. My other guys did a heavy thing.

Joanie Doss / The Amazing Amazons

All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form or by any means, without permission from the author.

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