GoDiego

Diego's nose has been pushed right out of joint! He has always thought of himself as the only Spanish Amazon Parrot in the world (Shhh, I know this is not true, just don't tell him that!) he makes sure we all know this by repeating his favourite and only word Hola with a damn good Spanish accent for pretty much everything and anything. However today whilst we were both searching the web looking at other Amazon parrots, we stumbled upon a really beautiful little Amazon parrot. When we saw what it was called, Diego nearly choked on his peanut! The Amazon we stumbled on is called in Spanish an Amazona De La Española (Amazon of the Spanish) In English this Amazon is known as the Amazona Hispanolian. I'm loving the white part above their beak and around their eyes, I think they are real cuties. The only problem is they are on the vulnerable list in the wild and they are not common as a household parrot. Lets hope that they get some help to bring their numbers up! There is more information on this Amazon at http://www.avianweb.com/hispaniolanamazon.html Also here is the link to details of their decline in numbers http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/142690/0/full OK, I'm going now to comfort Diego. I don't know these Spanish are so sensitive!

I could have just reached into the screen, picked him up and hugged him when he was all asleep in that towel!

I don't know, but the thought of parting with this amount of money to have a bird shipped to you seems really risky. Personally I would want to go, check out where they came from, what their habitat is like, talk to the breeder face to face, then if happy hand over the money to be given the bird in return in my hands. Unless shipping in this case means something different and I've got it wrong? $12,000 does this make them the most expensive parrots on sale at the moment or are there others that top this?

Typical, I go downstairs with Diego today armed with my camera and guess what, he just sat there! LOL. Maybe he is not a morning bird and will enjoy a bit of exercise this afternoon. Today however, I am not sure if it's coincidence or not but he has not flown to the door once today. I will keep you all updated on how it's working out.

Here's a great video of an Orange Winged Amazon receiving care in the Parrot Zoo after being caught in a rope all night. It also shows the importance of making sure a parrots cage is super safe with any hanging items.

Thanks Jayd, I had read that hot peppers are OK for parrots as they do not have any saliva. I've always been worried about giving him one just in case this was not true and they are sensitive to the heat. If they are not, then that is great news as it means I have a hot pepper buddy in the house as everyone else explodes after a bit of seasoning of black peppercorns. LOL

He certainly does! And your other comment about being short winded, stumpy and bulky for their size is also spot on. They may not be the most graceful of flyers but he's still fab to watch. Interesting about flying from branch to branch, this may explain why after 4 longer spurts of flight he had, had enough. I will definitely do the flying down to me, I suppose this is just in case he did ever get out and he was in a tree or something to high for me to reach him? Or is it so that he does not sit all day on the highest bit of furniture blowing raspberry's at me knowing I can't get him. LOL.

Make sure you only reward him for chattering sounds, if they start getting louder don't reward him as it could trigger him to start screaming. I think what you are doing at the moment is great and don't forget that by sitting and talking to him, spending time with etc. will help you to gain confidence with him as well. Sometimes it's not just the parrot that needs to gain some trust but us also. When a mutual trust develops then I think things start changing with the interaction. When I first had Diego I was petrified of him biting me, I wiggle my finger at him and say scratch before giving him a scritch, but before if he used to turn his head towards my finger I would whip my hand back and get flustered. After a week of doing this he did not seem to want me to go near him, and only wanted attention from my husband who was much more relaxed with him. After I found out that he uses his beak as a hand and he was only checking my finger out and not wanting to chop it off, I relaxed completely with him. Now we are best buddies, although he still holds a candle for my husband. Although Diego is not a grey, (however, he's looking at a nice grey jumpsuit to wear so he fits into this part of the forum LOL) we have a friend that regularly visits and Diego fell in love with him at first sight. What took my husband and I to do took Paco minutes. Diego was like a baby with him and Paco spent more time with Diego that day then with us. Now whenever Paco comes around, my husband and I simply disappear into the background and are no longer important to Diego.

Haha Diego is probably sending you a huge thumbs up with the Spinach, this is the only thing he is really not keen on, but mummy keeps bringing him! I will start giving him a little fish as well as we eat lots of that in our household. Unfortunatly Mung beans and also sugar peas have not yet been accepted into the world of Spanish cuisine and so non of the shops stock them. I love sugar peas and get my parents to bring some over from the UK when they visit, but I'm sorry I might give him 1 but otherwise they are all mine! LOL. I do give him every now and again some wheat bread as this is what we eat as well, so when I make a sandwich I sometimes give him a little so he feels like he's having some lunch with me (not the sandwich contents just the bread). Oh and I forgot to say that I do include pasta into the Evening mash mix as well. No need to apologise for jumping in so quick Jayd, you have been my mentor on this and was looking forward to hearing your feedback

OK today was the first day of trying my theories, however I've not yet moved the cage and perch as I have to get a cable tidy first as I will need to move the sofa a bit and it will show some hidden wires. He did however, go downstairs for a play in the basement. I popped Diego onto the kids easel on one end of the room and called for him to come, at first he looked at me as if to say "you gotta be joking, I'm not flying all that way!" After a while he came round to the idea and took off, overshot me and kept going to the other end. He made me laugh as the look on his face was WOW, I've just flown all that way! I treated him then went to the other end again and this time, he was much keener to come. He flew backwards and forwards about 4 times, after this he just sat there puffed up his feathers and started preening. No amount of calling was changing his mind so I called it a day, I think that because this is the most he has ever been able to fly he got tired. He made me laugh so hard though, every time he flies to me he overshoots and keeps going. Just as he is zipping past my head all you can hear is HOLA! It's almost like he's saying "Sorry can't stop!" He still needs lots of practice as he does find distances difficult to judge and his landings are not the most elegant, but when he's flying past me he looks sooooo beautiful! I don't know if my plans will work, but we both really enjoyed our playtime today. My husband mentioned about clipping afterwards and said that maybe this would be safer for Diego, however after seeing how he was today I just don't think I could do that to him! I will keep you all updated on our progress and also try and get a video of Diego saying his passing Hola! LOL, it's amazing the things you can learn from the most unexpected places! LOL

Jayd here on the forum said that most parrots will bond with 2 people with a ratio of 40/60. If he bonds more with one person, it does not mean that they are going to be the only one that can handle them and get attention from them. In the evenings it's probably worth sharing the attention giving. By him not being able to come out and join you, he may see this as a negative thing and wonder why he cannot join in. Just make sure you give him the same amount or even a bit more attention then Cormac does. Diego is very fickle about who he loves from one day to the next. One day, he's a mummy's boy and grumpy with my husband, the next day vice versa! I'm just getting used to the days he's off with me but dotes on my husband, I used to get quite jealous. LOL He's so lucky to have been found and given a new loving home

Unfortunately you cannot change who he bonds with the most, this is something that they decide for themselves. You can however work with him to trust and interact with you more, this takes time with any new parrot but if you are patient and consistent with him, it will change. Also parrots are very susceptible in picking up peoples vibes, maybe your new family member has not taken to Cormac because he prefers him, but maybe Cormac is just more comfortable in handling him. If you are more hesitant with him or nervous around him, then he will pick this up and not understand why you are acting like this. Normally when someone is comfortable with a parrot they tend to relax and be more comfortable with that person. Have any searches been made for his original owners? Also has he been checked by an Avian vet for a microchip?

I've also seen these videos before, and they give you a great insight into their body language.

OK, I have a plan! I have been racking my brains on what to do to curb his flying towards the door and then it hit me! (excuse the pun! LOL) Firstly I am going to move his cage and perch to be closer to the doors. This may sound crazy as there is less ground for him to cover before getting to them, however my way of thinking is, less ground less ability to pick up speed and therefore less of a whack when he hits them. Plus If he can see us better sitting outside, then he may not be so curious to what is going on. Second idea, I really, really do not want to clip Diego! After doing some research on Amazon's flying, they are completely different from that of a Grey. The main difference is they cannot turn in such short circles and tend to fly in straight lines. In this case the main straight line from his cage at the moment is the door. Every day he is showing me that he is enjoying more and more flying as his confidence is gaining with his wings. I am very fortunate in my house that I have an extremely large basement with very high ceilings. I have never thought about taking Diego to this area as it has been commandeered by the children as a huge playroom, however, it came to me that it is also a perfect area for Diego to spread his wings and really get some exercise. My way of thinking is, instead of curbing Diego's passion for flying i.e. by clipping, I should be embracing this and enhancing it. By enhancing and embracing it, maybe he will let off a lot of steam with the exercise, be more mentally stimulated and therefore happier to be on his perch or his areas. Not sure if it will work, but hey, it's not going to hurt. Hopefully I can get some photos of him flying in the basement for you all to see.

Thought I would update everyone on Diegos feeding habits now and get some feedback to see if he is receiving now a complete diet. Below is a weekly menu for Diego Monday - Morning (Porridge mash), Afternoon (Fresh steamed veggies), Evening (Evening veggie mash), Left all day for him to pick at (Pellets) Tuesday - Morning (Porridge mash), Afternoon (Fresh steamed veggies and raw spinach), Evening (Evening veggie mash), Left all day for him to pick at (Seed and nut mix) Wednesday - Morning (Porridge mash), Afternoon (Fresh steamed veggies with half shelled scrambled egg), Evening (Evening veggie mash), Left all day for him to pick at (Pellets) Thursday - Morning (Porridge mash), Afternoon (Fresh steamed veggies and raw spinach), Evening (Evening veggie mash), Left all day for him to pick at (Pellets) Friday - Morning (Porridge mash), Afternoon (Fresh steamed veggies), Evening (Evening veggie mash), Left all day for him to pick at (Seed and nut mix) Saturday - Morning (Porridge mash), Afternoon (Fresh steamed veggies), Evening (Evening veggie mash), left all day for him to pick at (Pellets) Sunday - Morning (Porridge mash), Afternoon (Fruit salad), Evening (Evening veggie mash), Left all day for him to pick at (Pellets) Porridge Mash Fresh apple sauce Small amounts of oats and wheat flakes (boiled in water until softened) Pellets (softened in hot water) Everything is then blended together and mixed with a small slice of banana Evening Veggie Mash 2 different veggies, which can be anything from - Butternut squash, Pumpkin, Zucchini, Peas, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Green Beans, Red or Green peppers, Carrots etc. 1 type of soaked and cooked well lentils or beans or brown rice - Garbanzos, Pinto beans, Kidney Beans, Green or red lentils etc. All blended together, with some parsley. I hope that I'm on the right track with with his feeding, I weigh him weekly and he is maintianing a steady 480 grams. I've also noticed that his feathers have changed in colour, before he was always very colourful, but now the colours almost jump out at you. They seem to be very 2 tone and the turquoise on him is so vibrant now. Instead of just being green, his main body feathers now have tones of yellow, turquoise and even orange jumping out at you. I know I am biased but he is "Un loro muy, muy guapo!!" (One very very handsome parrot!!). LOL

Glad to hear Onyx is letting you cuddle him. With regards to feeding him, I have absolutely no idea. However, your in great hands if Jayd is on this case!

Thanks Jayd, at the moment my patio doors are covered in clinks that the children have made. My patio door is a rainbow of colours with all the glass stickers they have made, plus there is also a curtain. However, this is my problem, he just does not care about them and still throws himself against the door. I'm finding out that Diego is very stubborn and when he get's something in his head, all rational thinking goes out of the window and he just goes for it. He's like a kamikaze parrot! Great idea about the shoe laces to get him used to harness straps, this is a much cheaper idea Loving the picture!

This is so true, if we all wait for somebody else to start first a change will never be made. If everyone is concious about reducing their carbon footprint, a huge difference can be made.

I've been doing lots of training with Diego at the moment so that hopefully I can get a harness on him. At the moment, he hates his wings being lifted which I think may be a problem when trying to get a harness on him. Eventually this is my plan to have Diego with us outside but harnessed so that he is not in the cage. Most of the day he is out and about in the house but it's nice for us to have our windows and doors open for a couple of hours, plus a bit of natural light is good for him.

Hi, does the screaming happen at certain times of the day? It may be worth making a mental note of what time the screaming is worst and almost beating her to it by giving them a distraction before this time and before the screaming gets intense. Also when she is screaming, how do both yourself and wife react? Are you shouting back to her or even telling her to be quiet? If you are getting stressed with the noise and responding to it, all she sees is your heart rate going up, maybe your face getting flushed and hearing noises from yourself, then in her eyes you are joining in with the fun. A parrot likes to compete in screaming, so any shouting or responses from you will be greeted with more screaming. Although Diego does not scream very much, when he does get over excited, I walk away from him then go into another room where I knock on the door gently. When I do this, he forgets about screaming and becomes more interested in who may be coming to visit. You do need to stop giving her the seeds as this will only make her quiet whilst she is eating. Also this will look to her like you are rewarding her for the screaming.

Diego also goes outside everyday for a couple of hours in his cage as this is where we mainly sit, I was wondering if this was the reason for him flying to the door as he knows what's out there?

This morning has been eventful, first we saw a big plume of black smoke in the distance which was followed a short time after with helicopters dropping water from the sky. A bush fire had broken out a couple of miles away from our house. We live in an urbanisation surrounded by rural grounds, which during the summer months here in Spain is very dry. From our roof terrace we could see the fire spreading and there was nothing we could do but hope and pray that the fire services could put out the fire. Thankfully after an hour they had controlled the fire and we now have electricity back and everything seems to be OK. I have never thought about evacuating a house before, as hurricanes and earthquakes do not happen here. However today, has made me realise that this was just ignorance which could have cost the lives of my pets. From today onwards, I will be putting together an evacuation box which can be got at quickly if needed, containing food and any other things my pets will need. I have also put my pet carriers in a more accessible part of the house to be reached quickly if required. During the fire my husband and I worked out a plan of action of getting our pets and children out of the house safely by designating animals and a child to each person. I've never been in a situation like that before and it really spooked me. maybe everyone should think about a plan of action if ever there was an emergency situation, if they have not already done so.

He's a very handsome young man. Love the last photo of him! Can't wait to hear more about him

Over the last few weeks, Diego's confidence with flying has doubled and so has his speed and ability to land. Although he does still overshoot most of the time his landing pad. I love the fact that he is able to come and join us when he wants some company, or able to take himself back to his perch when he has had enough fuss. However, I am starting to worry about his safety. We have 2 very big patio doors which are covered in window clinks and netted curtains. But Diego is obsessed with these doors, I think because outside of the doors is an outdoor living area, which my family use all the time. Because Diego was only just getting to grips with flying when we first got him, if he flew to the door he would not hit it very hard and most of the time crash land before even getting close to them. Now he is flying straight for the door and yesterday hit it with some force! I think now that he is getting stronger with flying so are his knocks. He's also watching constantly for anyone going near to the door, as soon as somebody goes to open the door he just comes out of nowhere darting straight for them. I am so worried that one day, one of my boys will not be able to close the door in time before he gets there and we have already had a near miss where Diego nearly flew out. I have no idea what to do, and the only thing that keeps coming in my head is getting his wings clipped. Although If I got his wings clipped I would be worried that because he knows how to fly, after they are clipped he trys and just falls and hurts himself. I think this could really knock his confidence and pride. What else can I do? Is there some kind of training I could do? Or is it best for Diego's safety in these circumstances to have his wings clipped?