Amazon Parrots

The Amazon makes a great performing bird as they love to show off and enjoy excitement. They are easily motivated to perform and many thrive on being in front of an audience. They sometimes respond to excitement by becoming excessively excited themselves and hard to handle. Most Amazons are outgoing, confident birds.

Amazons are seldom stand-offish and become very involved with humans. They tend to become too attached to their owners and will guard them jealously. These are not birds for young children.

They require setting limits at a very early age.

Some types of Amazons have gruff, low voices, but many of these birds have very human-like voices. Double Yellows, Napes and Blue Fronts are known for their human sounding voices. They use inflection and seldom talk in a monotone. Some have the uncanny ability to use their language correctly without any formal speech training. Double Yellow Heads, Yellow Napes, and Blue Fronts are the three most popular speaking Amazons.

Most Amazons begin talking at an early age. Their greatest learning time is from three months to a little over two years.

The cage for an Amazon should be square or rectangular. An average size Amazon should have a minimum cage of 21"x 21"x27". Round cages can cause the bird to develop a nervous turning and twisting of the head. The bars should be thick enough that the parrot cannot bite through them. Also, these birds quickly learn how to open their cages so a good lock may be necessary. Always place the your birds cage and highest perch below eye level, because sexually mature male Amazons tend to be very aggressive during the breeding season. You will want to keep them from becoming dominant. Position plays a big part in domination. Be sure that your bird can extend his wings without touching the sides of his cage. By nature Amazons enjoy climbing more than flying. Amazons tend to become obese as they age. It is essential that they learn to eat healthy, low fat food early in life. Food is very important to an Amazon. Most Amazons switch to a healthy diet easily. When you are late with their food, some Amazons will charge and even bite you for not feeding them sooner. Their love of food makes a good reward in training. Amazons will do almost anything for treats. Many species of Amazons are from the rain forest and enjoy a shower or a good misting. They spread their wings and duck and bow to get the water all over their bodies.

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