Hello all-- I've just joined as I'm looking for a place to learn how to be a perfect servant to a rescued Lilac Crown Amazon. :-) I'm sure you all can help me with that!!!

Here is what we know about him: I'm told he is 54 years old and was wild caught in.... San Diego?? (The wilds of San Diego?? LOL) He was a dearly beloved companion for most of his life to a lady who passed of cancer. He was then passed thru several homes and ended up in a very dismal situation... he's spent the last few years locked in a back bedroom in a cage with, and I kid you not, exactly five things: three perches, a food bowl and a water bowl. Not one toy. Not one thing to take the boredom away from those 4 grey walls he was staring at... not even a window to look out, as the one window had mini blinds over it. And there was no cleaning being done.

Ok, now the good news is, I run a rescue and we were luckily called in to pull some of the other animals there. So this boy came home with me too, and all I can say is, WOW... he's only been here since Sunday, and already, he has accepted new perches, toys, a huge assortment of veggies and fruits, and he is even coming out of his cage!!! I kept telling myself to go slow but he is EAGER for new things... he investigates everything!! As we speak, he is sitting here with me and preening my hair. I am astounded that he is coming around so quickly...

Now please, shower me with advice. One thing I'm wondering about (and I don't know if this is one of those hot topics) is trimming his wings. Right now, he flies very little-- and since he hadn't been out of that cage in years, I figure he deserves to fly his wings off!!!-- but he did follow me thru the house the other day when I walked out of the room... which amazed me, that he would do that. I have dogs, and in my mind, I'd rather him be able to stay above them than land on the floor. (No point asking for an accident, right?) On the other hand, I sure don't want him making a break for the door one day.

Should he go in for any vet work at this point? I do have an exotic vet. I'm wondering, if he really is 54, if we should do some blood work? Is it worth the stress to him? He probably needs a beak and nail trim anyway...

This has gotten long so let me stop now, and thank you all for bearing with me! I look forward to learning more...

:-) Lori

Firs, Lori...Thank you so much for taking this guy in. We just love people like you.
Did you see the thread welcoming you to P.C.?

Since he has been through so much, I'm not sure a trip to the Vet would be good for him at this point. Does he look and akt healthy to you? You might be able to get a Vet Tech to come to you. 54! Wow! That is getting to the top of the age range for an Amazon.
If he has the right perches and pumice, lava blocks, the beak should take care of itself. As far as the wing clip...lots of opinions on that here.

I am no expert - however that will be covered by others who are.

I would like to say thank you for taking in this lovely bird. It sounds like he likes you already.

Regarding the clipping. Yes you are right - it always a hot topic. However we have handled this one pretty well on this board. You will get advice from both camps. You could peak at Heather's thread about her Grey, Harrison - as she was thinking of clipping her recently as she was going thru a hard time.1) Your thoughts about a flighted bird and biting & 2) Update on Harrison

I have Budgies. My first Budgie came from a shelter & had been caged for a long time. He wasn't clipped. I let him out & he could only fly a little. It took about 4 months for him to gain the strength to fly really well. For a bigger bird - that perhaps isn't as deft as a Budgie - they probably take longer & may never fly really well in a house.

When I bird sat a Grey - she was just getting used to our home & us when she went home again. However she did start flying around & it was either to follow us - to go see the Budgies - or to just have fun. Her owner said she didn't fly much. She flew here probably because the room I had her in was our biggest.

Regarding your dogs - we have many members with dogs & cats. I had a cat - Laker was only out when I was supervising 100% so it wasn't easy & he was fascinated with the cat. I'd say off hand that either they learn the bird is off limits [risky] or you keep them separate. You could have out times when the dogs are banned from the area the bird is in - to be outside or in a family room.

You might want to look into a hanging perches so he can go to them for fun & protection. Many of our member have bought or made them.

I look forward to hearing more - lots of photos are appreciated!

Hi Lori!

Welcome to PC! You will love it here, everybody is very helpful. And any help I could give you with regards to your new amazon, just let me know.

I do agree with Susan on not taking a trip to the vet just yet. I would take him eventually for piece of mind but he sounds like he's in great shape. 54! And it's wonderful how is taken to you so quickly. He sounds like a real sweetheart.

As far as his wings. Maybe you could just feel it out for a bit. I don't clip mine but he's basically trained to stay where I put him. If he really wants to go somewhere, he'll go, but for the most part he stays put. I would be torn with this one since you do have dogs though. Just do what you feel is best for the safety of your birdie.

What's his name?

Hi Lori! Good for you and Thanks for taking that sweet little soul in. He already sounds grateful to be with a loving person. At 54 and wild caught, they have a different resistance level than captive bred birds and are very hearty. He could and most likely will still live on for a long time! Its almost like an immune system booster to be fed from a mother after hatching.

Clipping is a personal thing. If you have people running in and out of your doors you may want to consider clipping. I myself would let him be for a while before I decided, but thats just me. My birds are clipped for what I feel is their own safety. We have lots of zon people here who can help you out so please keep asking questions!

How is his diet? We would love to see pics!!

Hi Sweetie! What a wonderful egg you are! That little guy must think he has died and gone to Heaven! I am thankful you have him! He must have quite a spirit to already be so trusting of you! I would think you already have most of the battle won! Yea!

HI and welcome! Lilacs are my FAVORITE amazon!!!! I love them to pieces. Very gentle natured. At his age, and if with his original owners he was kept well, then it would make sense to me that he is eager to get back to having toys and exploring. As he is not a baby who didn't learn how to explore or try new things from a lack of care. I would go at his pace. As for the vet, waiting should be fine. Clipping? I know it's personal, and I've aways kept birds flighted. If you would like to do the same I think that at his age it would be a definite plus in keeping him healthy as he gets older. And the older birds get the less they tend to fly anyway. So if your environment is good for it, I would say leave him as is. I know older amazons tend to have dry skin, nails and beaks. So adding extra oil in their diet is very helpful, preferably something like palm oil. But some olive oil on toast works well to, it just doesn't have the vitamin A that palm oil would. But it keeps their nails from splitting when trimming, keeps their beaks growing straight, and prevent delayed moults. All of which comes with an aging amazon. Also they tend to suffer from arthritis in their feet, so heated perches might be the way to go, or platform perches.

Thank you all SO much for your responses!! Ok... so I have a lot to think about and decide. I agree that I will wait a bit on a vet visit, as he is overall in fine feather (omg, are you all totally sick of that joke??!! Bear with me... I'm new... ). I'm actually surprised at how healthy he seems... emotionally, as well. I was concerned about an upper respitory issue from all the build up of filth and dust... did I mention that the bottom of his cage, which was just bare metal, had a FOOT of build up?? We had to powerwash the thing.

Oh, I gave him a "shower" with a spray bottle on Sunday as he was looking dull and dusty-- just approached really slow, to see what he would do-- and he flipped!!! He LOVED it!!! He actually went over to his water bowl and while I sprayed him from above, he got in his bowl and splish splashed like a wild man!!!!

His name is now Nigel. That was not his name... is it wrong of me to have changed it??? When we get in rescues, we always start them all over with a new name that has no negative connotations... a whole new beginning. Thoughts?

I read somewhere that the average lifespan for these birds is 50. Someone tell me that is not true. I suppose there's no way to age him? Check his teeth??

Ok, pics-- here he was after we first got him home- he spent the whole day just looking out that window, chattering quietly to himself. This was the cage he'd lived in for years, except I had already moved that back perch up to at least start him out with some depth in there.



Starting to venture out...




A bath!! A bath! I'm a wet bird!!!!



I will have to give serious thought to wing clipping. If he's never had it done... and I have no way of knowing... I'd hate to start at this age. He does have dry skin/feet, so will certainly look for some palm oil. His diet was a seed mix, and I'm not going to try and change to pellets at this point... however, I'm having a ball finding out what veggies and fruits he likes. So far he's refused very little... just thrilled to have some variety, I think!! He absolutely dessicated 1/2 an ear of fresh corn the first day, lol!!

I love the suggestion of hanging perches.. I think we'll have lots of fun designing stuff for him. Oh!! This morning, for the first time, he started shredding some newspaper that was on top of his cage. First thing I've seen him shred other than food.

Thank you so much!!!!!!!!

Awww, Nigel looks so happy! And you seem thrilled with him! This is so sweet. Thank God you took him in.

If I may make one suggestion, I think maybe you should get a grate for the bottom of the cage. If Nigel is anything like my amazon, he'll be covered in poop! Mine is always down there throwing toys around.

You are doing such a great job with him Lori! I'm really happy for you. Amazons are such characters and great little guys to have around.

Ohhhh you know, that was one thing I was wondering... he never goes down to the bottom. Think he will tho?? I have been tickled pink by how active he is with his little feets... :-) He loves to hold stuff and occasionally throw things... LOL!!! I do have one of those large cages that they sell in different models-- one is a cat condo, one is a ferret condo, and one is for birds--you know what I mean? But I didn't want to change his cage too fast. The cool thing about this one is, it slips right out the sliding glass doors so we can move him out on the deck when we're out there.

I bet this is another controversial subject, but.... shoulders. Nigel goes right to my shoulder--he will fly to my shoulder. I've read this is bad... dominance and what not... but so far, I still have my eyes, ears, nose and throat. lol He sits there so peacefully... any need to change this habit as long as he remains so?? I keep thinking that at his age, surely it's not the same as dealing with a 2 yr old... right?? Maybe??