Amazon Parrots as Pets

The Amazon parrots are one of the most beautiful parrots in the world. Their inhabitant areas range from South America to Mexico and the Caribbean, where they feed mostly on fruits and nuts.

There is a large number of species of Amazon parrots. Double yellow headed amazons, blue fronted amazons, green cheeked amazons, lilac crowned amazons, yellow fronted amazons, orange winged amazons, and yellow naped amazons are some of the most common species that are seen in the pet trade.

The length of Amazon parrots can range anywhere from 10 to 20 inches, whereas the life expectancy of a healthy Amazon parrot is around 50 years or more with good diet and care.

When it comes to the temperament of Amazon parrots, they are very intelligent and playful birds, and love to be the center of attention. They are also curious athletic, and enjoy entertaining their owners with clownish antics. Therefore, their owners need to give them lots of affection and time on daily basis. This is important because these magnificent birds are also considered a bit temperamental and can become quite hostile if not trained and handled properly from a younger age.

Generally, many Amazon parrots have speech ability and are good talkers; however a few species, including blue fronted, yellow napped, double yellow headed and other parrots are more likely to talk than others. Remember that there may be individual differences, even among species known for speech. Therefore never buy an Amazon parrot or any other parrot with the expectation that it would talk. However, as far as other vocalizations are concerned, these parrots can be quite noisy. They are also good screamers, but not as loud as cockatoos or macaws.

If you want to buy an Amazon parrot as your pet, then you will need to have the minimum cage size of 24”x 36”x 48” with bar spacing of ¾ to 1 inch. However, larger is always better.

The diet of Amazon parrots should be 25 to 50 percent pellet based, with the combination of a variety of healthy fresh foods. Since seeds can make these parrots fat, therefore they can be fed as treats. However, ensure that seeds do not make over 10 percent of the whole diet. You can also give nuts to them as a treat, however in moderation.

Since Amazon parrots are very playful, they need lots of sturdy toys. They really enjoy having toys that they can easily manipulate with their feet. You need to select appropriate and safe toys for your Amazons.