Amazons have this thing about their feet and tongues. I know when Sidney is not hormonal (Nape) I actually stroke his tongue which he sticks out for me to touch. This behavior is another one of those that I am writing about in my book. I call it tonguing. These behaviors have sexual overtones and can overly excite a male Amazon.

Joanie Doss / The Amazing Amazons

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Some Amazons make a wheezing or rasping sound when they are sexual.   Does he open his mouth when he does this? Does he move his tongue?   Feel the cage bars and his favorite toys. Do they have a slime over  them that dries hard and dry? Do his vet checks come back with no  significant findings? If you can answer yes to these, it is a good   chance he is one of the Amazons...usually Napes....that does this   wheezing or rasping sound when they are sexual. This is another   behavior that I am covering in my book.

Joanie Doss / The Amazing Amazons

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The sound of those wheels sets off lots of Amazons as does lawn mowers, vacuums, etc. With Napes, Blue Fronts, and Double Yellow males, they are also prone to bite when they get excited from these noises. Mealies, Lilac Crowns, and Mexican Redheads are less likely to bite when excited. They generally don't get quite as excited over things the way the "hot three" do.

Joanie Doss / The Amazing Amazons

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These guys can become dangerously obese very quickly so you have to keep tabs on them. Several years ago I took TJ in for his regular well-bird check. He had gotten so fat that they could not find his jugular vein!!!! Those feathers can cover a lot of fat. Wouldn't it be nice if humans could have feathers to cover fat!

Joanie Doss / The Amazing Amazons

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You do not want to call the bird by his name when you do this if you plan on doing more training. I use my bird's name to get their attention and not as a command. Otherwise whenever you say their name you may end up with the bird coming to you.

I use their name before a command so they know that I want them to listen to what I am going to say. If I already have their attention I don't need to use their name before the command. When they are hormonal and have a hard time paying attention, I may have to say their name twice to get them to listen to me.

Joanie Doss / The Amazing Amazons

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My TJ did a sort of rasping sound. He started when he was about two. I was very worried and had tons of x-rays done and went to several vets. No one knew why or the cause of his rasping. When he became about 6-7, I figured it out. It is a form of regurgitation. Now when he rasps he brings up a transparent type of mixture that he deposits on everything. All that money spent on a healthy bird!

Joanie Doss / The Amazing Amazons

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