GoDiego

This is one of my favourite videos on Youtube. Not only is it beautiful to watch these 2 Amazons in free flight but also to hear how they use their contact calls with the owner.

After Hurricane Katrina hit Southern Louisiana, Molly a grey speckled pony was abandoned by her owners and spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued. She was sent to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled and whilst there was attacked by a pit bull terrier and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected and her vet went to LSU for help. The LSU was overwhelmed and this pony was a welfare case so her outlook was not good. Until a Surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly who was impressed by Molly's serious survival ethic. Molly would be care when she laid down making sure she did so on different sides to she did not get sores, She constantly shifted her weight and did not overload her good leg. Not only was she a smart poney but she was very gentle when people handled her even with her painful injuries. Rustin Moore agreed to a truely amazing procedure to remove her leg below the knee and for a prosthetic limb to be attached. “This was the right horse and the right owner,” Moore insists. Molly happened to be a one-in-a-million patient. She’s tough as nails, but sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain. She made it obvious she understood (that) she was in trouble. The other important factor, according to Moore, is having a truly committed and compliant owner who is dedicated to providing the daily care required over the lifetime of the horse. Molly’s story turns into a parable for life in post-Katrina Louisiana. The little pony gained weight, her mane felt a comb. A human pros thesis designer built her a leg. The prosthetic has given Molly a whole new life, Allison Barca DVM, Molly’s regular vet, reports. And she asks for it! She will put her little limb out, and come to you and let you know that she wants you to put it on. Sometimes she wants you to take it off too.” And sometimes, Molly gets away from Barca. “It can be pretty bad when you can’t catch a three-legged horse,” she laughs. Most important of all, Molly has a job now. Kay, the rescue farm owner, started taking Molly to shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers. Anywhere she thought that people needed hope. Wherever Molly went, she showed people her pluck. She inspired people. And she had a good time doing it. “It’s obvious to me that Molly had a bigger role to play in life”, Moore said, “She survived the hurricane, she survived a horrible injury, and now she is giving hope to others.” “She’s not back to normal,” Barca concluded, “but she’s going to be better. To me, she could be a symbol for New Orleans itself.” This is Molly’s most recent prosthesis. The bottom photo shows the ground surface that she stands on, which has a smiley face embossed in it. Wherever Molly goes, she leaves a smiley hoof print behind! Here is the link to the Molly foundation: http://www.mollythepony.com/Home_Page.html Also here is another link on how prosthetics have helped other animals including an Eagle with a prosthetic beak! http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/2010/02/animal-prosthetics-surviving-on-human-ingenuity-and-compassion/

When looking on the internet I stumbled on this cute Amazon who's name in Spanish is Amazona De La Española (Amazon of the Spanish) In English this Amazon is known as the Amazona Hispanolian. After finding out about the Hispaniolan Amazon here is some information on this species. Hispaniolan Parrot (Amazona Ventralis)or also known as the San Domingo Distribution / Range These Amazons can be found in the Dominican republic and Haiti as well as a few offshore islands including Hispaniola and Gonave island. They have also been introduced to Puerto Rico, St Croix and St Thomas in the Virgin Islands. They are found in a variety of wooded habitats which range from arid lowland palm-savannah to pine or even to more humid montane evergreen forests up to 1,500 metres above sea level. These Amazons often forage and steal from cultivated banana plantations and maize fields. Over the recent years their population is decreasing in the wild. This is due to habitat clearance for agriculture and charcoal production, poaching for food, trapping for the illegal pet trate and shooting as a crop pest. Unfortunately nest poaching is fairly common for this Amazon where in some cases entire trees are cut down to obtain the nestlings for trade. Natural Habitat and Breeding They live in pairs and small flocks and will nest in tree cavities and sometimes dead tree stumps and rock crevices. Their breeding season is known to be between february to May but may extend further into the year. Their clutches range from 2 to 4 eggs maximum, these eggs hatch in around 30 days and the chicks normally fledge at 10-12 weeks of age. Hispaniolan pairs normally re-use the same nest year after year, many poachers remove the newborns and destroy these nests which afterwards stops the pair reproducing again. This species of Amazon are not easy to breed in captivity and when attempted, it is best that the breeding pairs are isolated from other birds, although hearing other Amazons in near by aviaries have been proven to stimulate breeding. These parrots are not hardy and cannot survive if released in the wild. With these 2 factors the lack of breeding successes is another reason for the declining population. Description As with most Amazons this species has a mainly green plumage and has some feathers edged with dark blue which gives a slightly scaled appearance. They have a white forehead and white surrounding the eyes. They tend to have blue patches on their cheeks and crown with a little red under the chin and in the tail. They have a maroon belly-patch and their primary flight feathers and wing-coverts are blue and the tail has a slight yellowish colouration at the tips. They measure around 11 inches long and an average adult weight is 250g, they may be one of the smaller Amazon parrots but they pocess a heavy and powerful beak. They are a cautious Amazon and noisy they like to spend most of their days eating and resting in trees. When in flight they have a very heavy wing beat and are slow. By: Caroline For more information visit: http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=1662&m=0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispaniolan_Amazon http://www.avianweb.com/hispaniolanamazon.html http://www.parrots.org/index.php/encyclopedia/profile/hispaniolan_amazon/

Your story Ray P proves that an aggressive Zon can change into a sweet loving bird. Unfortunately there are many people that automatically assume that all Zons turn aggressive in time and are not always a friendly parrot to have around. I personally believe that when an Amazon is aggressive, it's down to the owners and the conditions they live in and not just down to their make up. Great story about Criket, I would love to see some photos of him and I am sure I will be picking your brains when problems arise with Diego my Blue Fronted.

Have you tried adding any foraging toys in the cage? You can find lots of ideas on how to make inexpensive ones without buying any. Diego also hates his cage, but he does seem much calmer when he is focusing on getting some treats out of something. It's a great way of distracting them and keeping them occupied. Also put these foraging toys onto his play stand to encourage him to stay there. I personally don't think this will help but only make him more frustrated and restricted.

Let the fun times roll!! You will not have a dull moment with Louie around, they are real clowns and I am constantly laughing or smiling at Diego's antics. I love the name Louie! I think it's a really cute one after seeing the photos of him, suits him! I can't wait to hear more about him, I'm sure it will not be long before you are posting stories of what he is getting up to.

I agree with Jayd, I also think that Amazons need to feel included with their human flock members. Diego always makes sure that if something is going on in the house, that he is there giving his 2 cents worth! It really depends on what kind of relationship you want with your birds, I do think that if you have 2 Amazons together always kept outside then they will see you as an outsider and they will adopt a more wild behaviour. If you have 1 bird always kept outside they will feel like they are not part of the flock as they do like to always see what is going on. Diego hates it when we all sit outside without him, so he has to come along too. Just like when we are all in a different room of the house, Diego has to be there too so that he can see what is happening. If you want lots of interaction with an Amazon, I would steer clear of caging 2 of them together as this can make them push you out and only want interaction from each other. Also if they are never to go into the house, then an Aviary would be much better then in a cage as they are extremely active parrots who need plenty of exercise. Diego is normally out of his cage for most of the day and at the most is caged during the day for 1-2 hours. If for any reason he has had to stay there longer, he is a real live wire when he comes out and will not let us interact with him until he has released some of his energy.

Diego is a Blue Fronted, although he is affectionate he is definitely not a cuddly bird. He is very playful and prefers to be hanging upside down from our fingers, rolling on his back with a toy, getting into everything he should not and generally making sure that he has our attention in some way for most of the day. Although he is not a screamer, he is loud like with most Blue Fronted Amazons, there is always a Diego noise going on in the background but I personally enjoy this. Blue Amazons can be temperamental and Diego requires a lot of respect when he is having an off moment. Ignoring his off moments could result in a bite, although this has not happened as yet as we all know in my household to walk away and let him get on with it. If you are looking for a quieter, more placid Amazon I think the Red Lored and the Mealy are definitely ones to consider. However, even these can adopt behaviour problems if not handled correctly so is not a guarantee to a perfectly well behaved and cuddly parrot. I am in no way trying to put you off having a Blue Fronted as before Diego I had no experience what so ever with parrots and was warned that this type of Parrot was a bad choice for my first. I've found that Diego is a perfect companion for us and so far he has fitted into our family like he has always been there with no serious problems so far. However, he is hard work and is not a parrot that is one to sit in the background, so this is worth considering if thinking of this type of species.

Some photos and stories about her would be great to see I know this is a forum mainly for Greys but more Amazon posts would be fab!

Oooooooh how exciting!!!! Diego will have another Blue Fronted to hear about here on the forum! Can't wait to see some pictures of him and to be able to compare all their silly Blue Fronted antics they get up to!

This actually made me laugh out loud! Especially after your last thread about the woman who told you off, your definitely meeting some interesting people lately LOL.

Amazon parrots are wonderful to have around, funny, intelligent and great company! Don't just think about a Yellow Naped Amazon as there are so many other wonderful species of Amazons to choose from. The top 3 for talking are the Yellow Naped, Double Yellow Fronted and the Blue Fronted, although other species of Amazons are have also been known to talk but maybe not on the same level. All the different species have slightly different traits and some are thought to be more aggressive then others. I personally don't think this is true but it is down to the owners and how they train and handle them. Amazons can be very quick to change from a happy cuddly one to a moody, needs to be left alone one quite quickly but they are very good at telling you when they want attention and when they want to be alone. I love the Mealy Amazons which are slightly bigger then other Amazons but are thought to be the gentle giants of the Amazon world. Diego my Amazon is a Blue Fronted and I could not imagine life without him! He constantly makes me smile he is so full of character and is a real clown most of the time. Like with any parrot, if you give them the right training, plenty of your time, a very good diet (very important with an Amazon) and plenty of love then your sure to have a great companion and friend!

Diego loves Jayd's mash and has it every morning. Although I have substituted the sweet-potato with a small amount of oats and pellets soaked in hot water so they go mushy.

These are my feelings also

From what I can gather reading other threads on greys they are more prone to leading you down the garden path with bites then with Amazons. Amazons tend to act first and then think, where as greys seem to have a little more thought behind things. LOL

WOW, I cannot believe people would pay this amount just for a different coloured bird! Especially as this hybrid has not been around long enough to know the health and behaviour implications of cross breeding! I personally believe the traditional grey's are far prettier than the hybrid reds I think because they are not natural. Although I have to admit the blue Amazons are absolutely beautiful, maybe because they are a more natural cross over as they also appear in the wild.

Does Ollie explore your hands with his beak and mouth your fingers? When I first had Diego, I used to flinch and pull my hand back quickly every time Diego went near my hand or fingers with his beak, thinking he was going to bite me. I then found out that he uses his beak as a hand and was not going for my fingers to bite me but to check me out. After I allowed him to explore my hands with his beak, both Diego and I gained a lot more confidence with each other. Unfortunately I cannot tell you what to expect as I have not experienced a bite as yet. I have saved myself from some bites by reading his body language and backing off before he gets annoyed enough to chomp, however, I am sure I will get one sooner then later LOL. What I call mouthing bites or even playing bites, I would call more nibbles and have not hurt so far. When they get harder, I put him back on his playstand and walk away. Carolina

Pretty much all saddlery's for horses have it as it is normally used to cover padding on their legs when transferring them by box or if they are lame. Maybe have a look to see if there are any saddlery's in your area, I would be surprised if they did not stock it.

Hi Babysweet, I actually read your blog yesterday and was so happy to hear how well Jakob is doing! It was so lovely to hear that not just yourself but your husband also is already gaining the trust of him, sounds like your hubbies guitar playing is doing the trick! Keep up the fantastic work, Jakob is a very lucky boy finding you both!

LOL, I know how you are feeling! Diego hates his cage and hates going back in it, I also posted something similar here on the forum http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190562-Diego-and-my-battle-at-bedtime! However, things are improving! I noticed that there was a bit of a routine going on with Diego, for example he knew that when it got dark it was soon time to go back in the cage. It got to the point that when it got dark, Diego would have absolutely nothing to do with us as he thought that we would whip him back in the cage if he came and gave us some attention. After noticing our routine, I changed it. Now when I ask him to step up, I take him for little journeys around the house so each time he goes somewhere different, sometimes I also put him back in the cage but leave the door open so that he can come back out again. Also I now get Diego back into his cage before it gets dark, so that the darkness is not a cue for cage time. Now there is no routine to when he goes back in the cage and each time he is picked up something different happens so he never knows if he is going back in the cage or not. Oh and I also never try and put Diego in head first as he just clamps at the door with his beak and climbs back out again or flies off before we even get that close. I now walk past the cage as though I am showing him something else, then with his back to the cage back him in it. I know it's a bit sneaky of me, but it saves all the temper tantrums he normally gives. LOL Don't give up on this! The more he is out and the more variety he gets the happier he will be going back in the cage for a rest. If you stop letting him out, or restrict how much time he has out, it will make things much worse as he will not know when he is going to be able to get out again. Plus my personal opinion is that a bird that has plenty of time out of a cage is a happier, friendlier and healthier one.

I love abstract photography and this picture is fantastic!

This made me laugh, what other way should you be thinking? It's a shame that some people are so ignorant, to the care and time people devote to their feathered friends. Plus if she had any idea of how many not so many devoted people keep their parrots in a small cage with not interaction maybe she would be complementing you for getting Cocoa out and about in the fresh air, rather than giving her 2 cents worth! Ignore her, you are right she was a moron!

Silly man, imagine how many other customers who have read your forum posts he's lost because of £3.49! Why can't people see past the end of their nose?

I'll add some more info about this Amazon tomorrow

Streetwise, I know just where you are coming from. I have also recently had a bad experience with an online shop here in Spain, see my post http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190727-Not-happy-with-Java-Tree I feel really silly now for going ahead and ordering something so expensive without seeing it first. Oh well it has been an expensive lesson for me!