Hello :) when I'm older, moved out, and my current pets have all passed away it's my dream to get a bird. I was first interested in macaws but recently at the local pet store I've been spending time with an Amazon red head (I think that's the name?). I really like him. I realize bird personalities and comparability probably vary between the bird itself but having met one in person I like the size and looks of these. I've still got plenty of time to learn, but I figured I'd ask (1/2)
(1/2) do you have any good information on them? Like temperate, how social/friendly they are, anything special about them, so you think one will be good for a first-time-bird-owner? Provided I'll be well into my adult years- do you know how expensive a medium sized bird would cost yearly? Sorry if this is a lot of questions- the Internet itself isn't always too reliable. Feel free to not answer or anything too :> have a good day~
Red crowned Amazon- that's the name (3/3(?))
Other names: Red Crowned Amazon, Green-Cheeked Amazon, Mexican Red Headed Parrot
Realistically an Amazon is not the best choice when you’ve got little to no avian experience, if you were to volunteer at shelters and handle these birds then you’d be properly set up to care for them. Reading information online and in books can never replace actually working with these species, their behaviours and body language are very much harder to notice without experience and in a species like an amazon that will cost you some nasty bites. Amazons are one of those species which are notorious for having excitement flip to aggression, one moment they’ll happily play with you the next they’ve become overstimulated and will bite you seemingly out of nowhere. When you don’t understand avian body language this means you will be far more likely to get bitten, encourage aggression, and end up with some really bad behavioural problems which you may not have the skill-set to reverse. The other wonderful thing about amazons is that when they bite they bite and hold on, if you haven’t got the experience to understand how to react to and handle a bite your reaction will be to pull away which will either give you a far worse injury or cause the bird to use more pressure.
By the sounds of this the only amazon you’ve worked with is a baby in a pet store, babies in pet stores are nothing like adult birds. Babies will let you manipulate their bodies and overlook misinterpretations of body language and will commonly just gently gnaw on fingers, an adult bird will not be so lenient. Should you misread body language you will get bitten and it will hurt, they very much have the capacity to bite off a finger if they wanted too and need someone who can read their body language and understand how to respect them.
These birds are very jovial and mischievous, they are far more likely to develop behavioural problems and have very harsh hormonal seasons which, again, an inexperienced caretaker will not be equipped to deal with. They’re also fairly prone to feather destructive behaviours, allergies, as well as obesity and fatty liver disease making their dietary needs much less forgiving to mistakes.
Should you decide this bird is right for your lifestyle, funds, space, and skillset you need to get hands-on experience working with birds of all ages, it will be much easier on you in the long run and will help prevent the bird from getting off on a bad start. Adopting a bird is also usually a better option for first-time owners as a shelter will not send you home with a bird you can’t care for and the adult birds will already show their personality and be over the worst sector of bird puberty, shelters also work with birds to alleviate any behavioural problems they may have had.
more information on them:
http://www.beautyofbirds.com/redcrownedamazon.html
http://www.parrots.org/index.php/encyclopedia/profile/green_cheeked_amazon/
http://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/red-crowned-amazon-parrot.html
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/amazons/GreenCheekAmazon.php
