GoDiego

Awww, Judygram there is nothing quite like a nice cuppa mid morning when the kids are both at school and the house is quiet! However, to be able to survive and be human until this point I do need my several cups of strong coffee in the morning. I may now be thought of as Spanish by living here for so long, but there is still some Brit in me and I still need my tea, baked beans, Branston Pickle and Chedder Cheese! LOL Lex - It is a myth that tea contains less caffeineg then coffee, as it's the caffeine that is toxic to parrots tea is also a no no.

I have also read this book and it gives you a great insight into an Amazons behaviour and the species. Like Jayd, some of it I also did not really agree with but the majority was definitely worth reading.

This has really made me smile, I can just imagine them waiting for you to leave and then when the coast is clear "Operation Breakout" is put into action! LOL. Maybe you could setup a camera to spy on them so you can see how they are doing it?

Loved the video! Ana Grey made me laugh the way she was trying to take the lime light but Louie looks like he takes her in his stride.

I had a real issue with giving Diego chicken because of the whole cannibal thing. However, after looking into it, it would only be thought of as cannibalism if they were eating the meat of the same species i.e. other Parrots. Us humans eat the meat from cows, pigs, sheep etc. which are all mammals the same as us. With a parrot eating chicken this is the same concept as a chicken is not of the same species only of the same genre so it only makes chicken eating parrots carnivores. My mum however does not get this and was mortified when I gave Diego some of our Sunday Roast chicken. LOL

From this I'm thinking you will have it out of it's cage whilst in the classroom. If this is the case then another thing to consider is that Amazon's are extremely inquisitive parrots and from my experience with Diego very rarely want to stay still for long. Diego is constantly making beelines to things he should not be touching, flying to my husbands desk and trying to steal his pens etc. It may be worth considering how this may disrupt a class if you are trying to teach them as you would need to keep stopping to deal with your feathered student. I'm also going to now comment as a parent of young children. I would be worried if their teachers had a large parrot free in the classroom as I'm aware of how parrots can behave. Parrots are not domesticated like a cat or dog and their wild side can often show. Children can only act as children do, and my concern would be how a child would react if a large parrot flew to their desk or even onto their body. Can you trust the children in your class to stay calm as any quick sudden movements could be deemed as threatening behaviour to a parrot. How would you feel if one of the children got bitten from something like this? Also how would the parents react? I think it's great that you are really involving your class into this project, rather than dismissing their thoughts. However, I'm thinking maybe a smaller bird like a parakeet or Love Bird may be more suited? Or to do what Jayd said and that is to only take the bird into school a couple of days but have it in a cage.

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. I'm so sorry for your loss....

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm so proud of my Senor Diego and how far he has come since first getting him, I just had to show him off to everyone. He is such a joy to have in the family, it's funny really as it feels like he has always been here! You probably noticed I had to cut and edit the video as the original was much much longer as it took him a while to say his few words with the camera rolling

I'm so sorry to hear about your father, I'm glad that you have been able to draw some strength from Sully and the love he has given you to ease your pain. It's best I leave your questions to be answered by others but just wanted to say that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers!

As Jayd has said Amazons are great parrots that adjust well to lots of activity and noise without getting upset, in fact they are more likely to try and join in. They love the hustle and bustle of a busy environment and enjoy showing off to new people. Like Dan has written Amazons can be quite noisy and tend to compete with noise levels. Diego my Amazon is very laid back and quite if the mood in the house is tranquil, heat up the atmosphere a bit with lots of talking, my children running around and being excited etc. Diego gets loud to match. Apart from that they are beautiful birds, with heaps of character, and I mean heaps! If you decided to get an Amazon you will be adding another child into your classroom LOL. Although they are great fun, they do need a lot of attention and training but in some respects that is the same with all parrots. Another thing I would bare in mind about having a parrot in a classroom area is, how are you going to control where the parrot goes? I am sure in a classroom with many children, doors and windows get opened? I am constantly monitoring my 2 boys with the windows and doors and this is a job with just 2 of them, not sure how easy it would be with a whole classroom? Even if you were considering clipping your birds wings, they can still head out of an open window if spooked, as clipping wings is not a guarantee that they won't fly. Or will it be in a cage during the day?

This made my day! Amazons have a bad reputation for being aggressive and the majority of websites giving information on these parrots all warn that Amazons can be biters. Diego my Amazon has also not bitten me as yet, and the majority of Amazon owners that have talked about their beautiful birds all say how sweet they are. Amazons are great birds for giving easy and understandable body language for when they are not in the mood, heed by these signs and bites are avoidable. Also with Amazons they have been deemed aggressive as many have been bitten whilst playing with them. These bites are not aggressive bites, just over excited not being able to control themselves ones. Again removing yourself from an over excited Amazon will also avoid you from getting bitten.

Here is a video of Diego practising talking and enjoying a good scratch in between. Sorry about me talking a lot but he only seems to talk when I talk higher than normal. He's probably telling me to shut up! LOL

I was going to say the same thing, when growing up I was surrounded by Geese and Peacocks. They are beautiful birds and the ones on my parents stables were very friendly. You have a beautiful flock.

Before getting Diego I was very nearly put off getting an Amazon due to what I have read about them. Now I cannot think of any other kind of Parrot I would like to be adopted by. I am besotted with Diego and he completes our flock! He is so un-complicated, what you see is what you get with him! He's rough and he's tough, but when he is loving and he makes those little loving cooing noises during a cuddle he melts my heart.

Jay is there a reason why you only give them the stem of the broccoli? I give Diego the stem and flower top is this OK?

You've got to try and catch this on video, this would make my day to see it!

I second that!! I had used a previous forum before but was made to feel very unwelcome. When I first joined this forum, you took me under your wing (excuse the pun) and gave me so much confidence with what I was doing with Diego. Whenever I post on this forum, I never worry that I may be told off or belittled and I know that I will receive great advice and help by yourself and the other great members here. Everyone made me feel really welcome including those in the Grey Room, so I also want to say Thank you! I love hearing about other peoples Amazons and it gives me a great amount of confidence to know that other Amazons are the same as Diego and not that he has any strange or obscure behaviour problems My only wish is that there was a few more Amazon members here, but that will come in time with the great information that is posted here as others will be wanting to also join in with our fun! Thanks everyone and an especially big THANK YOU to those wonderful cheeky Zon's we have all been adopted by. GRACIAS PARA TODO!!! Carolina y Diego x

ROFL, Hahahahahah!!!! Thanks for the laugh Dave!

Thanks Dave for your answer, it is wonderful how nature evolves to their surroundings. I've also not heard of parrots smelling other than Amazons which are renowned for their musty smell. Some people actually find it an offensive smell, however, I love the smell of Diego. His smell gets stronger if I have skipped his shower for a couple of days.

This sounds just like Diego. When Diego does manage to do a fairly elegant landing without overshooting, he almost looks shocked that he has done it. At the moment Diego has a zig zag flight path around the room - Cage to Table, Table to playgym, playgym to sofa and then he will follow the same path back again to his cage. We have very long curtains which cover most of one of the living room walls, Diego actually prefers to scale and climb on these to get across then to fly. This is so true, when I first had Diego I was so worried about forcing myself on him that it was actually me holding the bonding process back. It was actually me who needed to build the trust in him, rather than the other way around. Amazons are quite strong emotionally.

Bless him! He is a mellow guy, that poor furby would not know what had hit him if it was Diego. Sounds like he is slowly starting to find his feet in his new home, with time I am sure the trust will come. How is he going back into the cage? I've always wondered how people manage when the bird does not like to be handled too much?

Thanks Dave. Because Diego does not produce Dander, I have no idea what this is. Does it just look like dust and what produces it? Also wondering why parrots from the Amazonia do not have it?

I have found a great video which sums up the "Everyone Pay Attention to Me!!!" side of an Amazon parrot. This really made me giggle especially the end where it proves that it was all pre-meditated by the Zon just to get his own way! LOL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjcfcN5XD3c

I had to ignore Diego as he was a loose cannon! He just kept flying to me but when he landed on my arm kept prodding me and making small bites. Looking back I think he was trying to say to me, "Come on, lets get outta here!!" I don't think he was too scared though as he was playing with his toys, although I admit aggressively. Luckily we do not have many big storms here but the next time I think I will try him in the cage. His cage is near our sofa so he will still be near to us.

I have nothing to contribute to this thread but just wanted to say "Thanks for the laughs!!!" LOL Birdy Farts, Fantastic!!!