Amazon Parrot Care and Feeding

The classic mistake is an all-seed diet built on sunflower and peanuts. Amazons selectively pick the fattiest seeds from a bowl, which is high in fat and short on vitamin A and calcium, and over a long life it drives obesity, fatty liver and hardened arteries. A pellet-based diet with vitamin-A-rich vegetables fixes this. The second mistake is feeding from a heaped bowl: an Amazon will graze and gorge, so offer a measured amount through a foraging feeder and make the bird work for it.

Amazons need a large, sturdy cage with room to climb, stretch and flap, plus several hours out of the cage each day. They are strong chewers, so provide destructible foraging toys and untreated timber, and rotate them to prevent boredom. Give quiet, dark sleep each night. Because Amazons gain weight easily, build in daily exercise and climbing rather than letting the bird sit and graze.

Amazons are confident and can be pushy, especially as they mature and hormones rise, when some become territorial or nippy. Learn to read their body language, such as flared tail and pinning eyes, and handle them calmly and consistently with clear boundaries. Reward independent play, keep training positive, and give plenty of interaction; a well-socialised Amazon is outgoing and affectionate.