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Question: Amazon not taking care of his feathers?

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Answer #1:

I am not a vet but I do raise out of several pair of Amazons. In general when a bird starts to neglect it's grooming there is an underlying cause. Have you ever given him a open pan or bowl of water to play in? He would probably like it more than the misting. I have 28 Amazon parrots and every one of them hate me misting them. Give him a bowl of water. I use the 8" pottery dog bowl. It is heavy enough that they can't turn them over. You can only leave it in there for about two hours for most birds. I run tap water trough a Pure filter system. We have top five quality water in the city that I live in. You should use some kind of filter. Give them the fresh fruits every day. I cook different types of beans and as other ingredients that my birds love. It can be made in a big pot and frozen. I don't know if you would want to go to that much trouble for one bird? I had a Double Yellow Head parrot one time that would climb around so much that his tail feathers were always shabby looking his flight feathers would also get ratty from all of the posing and throwing his wings open to try to intimidate us. They never got dirty because of daily baths. It was a mess but he really liked his bath time. As long as his food intake doesn't diminish don't worry. If he goes off his food for more than two or three days get him to a vet and describe what has been going on. I wish you good luck with your BF. I have a very beautiful pair of Chaco BF's.

Answer #2:

He could be getting ready to molt, my blue front gets kind of ratty looking around molting time.

About his diet, switch him to pellets. About 80% pellets and 20% seeds daily and peanuts just as a treat a couple times a week. Seeds and peanuts are very fattening and destroy a birds liver with tumors after a while because of the fat in them. Keep up with the veggies though. Harrison's is a good pellet brand and so is Zupreem but not the dyed pellets. Sprinkle oyster shells over his food too, the calcium in them are good for his feathers, skin, and follicles.

There is this spray called Avi-X soother that supposed to be really good, you could try that.

Answer #3:

First, DUMP the peanuts! Peanuts, even roasted carry a bacteria that is harmful to birds, stick to tree nuts as a treat for your bird.

Next is diet, You defiantly have room for improvement. Parrots can not subsist on a seed diet, there is not enough vitamins in them, birds need fresh fruit and veggies every day along with grains, pellet, beans, and pasta (a favorite) to live a healthy life, from the diet you described, he may be suffering from a vitamin A deficiency.
Try switching from the bird fruit kibble to Roudybush Natural or Harrisons. Both contains no food coloring, brands such as Kaytee have food coloring and a delicious smell added. The long term affects of food coloring has on birds is still unknown, and since birds do not have a developed sense of smell, the pleasant oder of the kibble is entirely for your satisfaction. As tasty as apples are to us and birds, they are lacking in vitamins. Try offering cantaloupe, papaya, kiwi, oranges, mango, and assorted berries along with his meals. There are great cook and serve mixes available, such as Pretty Bird Cook-n-Serve, Beak Appetit, and bean mixes. Most birds that are seed-aholics are stubborn about changing their diet. Seed should consist of no more than 10% of his diet, altering his eating habits will take months, start off with a 73/30 mix, with 70% being his regular food and the other 30% being a cooked diet. Mix it up in the same dish so that to get to his seeds he will have to touch the new food. He will discover the cooked food tastes good, slowly over a period of time alter the mix so it becomes heavier in the new diet and less seed.

Log onto: Click Here
Here you will find a variety of the cook-n-serve foods I described.

Misting him is good, I've never met an Amazon who didn't like to take a bath, but his skin may be itchy and dry, perhaps you should add a humidifier to his living space, this will help to make him more comfortable. As far as the water is concerned, I don't know what the long term affects of high Iron content could cause. I suggest buying bottled water for him, or adding a filter to your faucet. Brita is top of the line, relatively inexpensive and widely available.

Parrots will hide illness, usually until it is to late, this is a survival instinct. If he hasn't been preening himself, he most likely doesn't feel well. I strongly advise you have him evaluated by a Board Certified Avian Specialist. The vet will be in a much better position to determine why he is ignoring his feathers.

Best of Luck!

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Disclaimer: ParrotRecipes.com does not guarantee or endorse any recipe or product listed on this site. If you have questions or concerns about the recipes, ingredients, or nutritional requirements of a pet, contact a licensed avian veterinarian. Please understand that you are solely responsible for the use of any information given on this site and use of any information will be at your own risk. Remember - parrots need a variety of foods and have specific vitamin and mineral requirements which need to be met. It is important to give them a well-rounded diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, seed, and pellets. Treats should be just that: treats.

Here is a list of some non-bird-safe items to AVOID:

teflon/non-stick cookware
lead (in cages or toys)
brass (in cages or toys)
mite protectors
sand perches
grit/gravel
tobacco
and food items: canned veggies, non-organic fruits & veggies, avocados, eggplant, rhubarb, potato leaves, tomato leaves, bean plant leaves, apple seeds, alcohol, coffee, tea, chocolate, apricot seeds, cherrie seeds, peach seeds, pear seeds, plum seeds, avocado pits, peanuts

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Question: Amazon not taking care of his feathers?

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