My husband and I got our yellow naped amazon at the age of 4 weeks with the reassurance from our breeder that he was only a phone call away. Surprise surprise when we called after 3 days of hand feeding going not so well we scheduled a time for him to come over ( he only live about 10 minutes away) and show us what we were doing wrong, he never showed and 5 weeks later still have never heard a word from him. Anyhow after visits to local pet stores, our avian vet and a million internet sites we got things going in the right directions. Our biggest downfall is we dont know the basic time frames for certain major events like when can we give him a shower, hes loves to chew (not hard, atleast not yet) on anything that gets in front of him (clothes, fingers, hes not picky) what is the best way to deter him? We tried distracting him but he seems to be a bit determined. He is a little over nine weeks and lately shakes his head during formula feedings like were giving him poison, and today we decided to put him on a t stand not high off of a surface in case of a fall and than out of nowhere he flew at us on the couch, yikes, i thought flight came much later. So did he really hate being on a t stand and had no choice but to leap off or is this around the time for fledging? Now im researching wing clipping and the internet has so many differing opinions that im freaking out about. Our house has 11 sliding glass doors not to mention windows, I cant possibly keep drapes closed on all of them and I dont want him to fly into one of them. Anyhow finally my main question would be is there any site out there that might give me a timeline for these little guys. I know all of them progress at different times but a rough estimate would be ever so nice. I feel like a fool for not knowing such basic things but I really thought our breeder would be able to answer the easier ones for us, wish I would have known what to ask before we left with our little man. Thanks for any help.

First of all, welcome to PC!

I have some questions for you...

At what temperature are you feeding him?
Are you offering him regular food and water, such as a pellet mix, fresh fruits and veggies.
How many cc's are you feeding him and how many times a day?

Is there a certified avian vet in your area? They would be able to consult with you and answer all of your questions.

First of all, welcome to PC.

Secondly: Regarding information you read all over the internert : Disregard all of it and only take our advice here.

IMO & IME ... Your Amazon wants/is about to wean, so give the formula that he will take and don't worry too much about forcing any more than that. Do provide many healthy food choices in easy reaching distance (bottom of cage in a shallow heavy bowl) and fresh water.... I would NOT clip if he was my bird but I would keep him in a small room where he cannot get up speed while learning to fly. No speed = less chance of injury (almost no chance) if he flys into something (do close blinds and verticals etc. when he is loose). Line perimeter of room with rolled up towels etc. to cushion falls/crashes. Let him learn how to fly. He will go thru a flighty stage (less interested at that time in you or even food). Try not to chase him around with a net and don't wear gloves. Remember, this is just a stage and he will pass through it. It is VERY IMPORTANT to let baby birds fledge and learn how to use those wings. Amazons by nature are perch potatoes and I strongly believe that you will only encourage that propensity should you clip his wings -- your bird will never be as healthy unless he is allowed to be fully flighted. Amazons tend to eat a lot as adults and not move much -- especially those who were clipped when babies. So I just cannot emphasize enough the importance of allowing your baby to keep his wings.

My hunch is that your baby flew to you because he wanted to be with you. This is a very young bird and he may be feeling insecure when away from you. Plus, it sounds like he is in that flighty stage that all babies go through and he is wanting to use those wings. Please don't be discouraged by his "flightiness" as I guarantee you it is just a stage. Most of it will pass in a few weeks approx..... If you want to keep him on a stand, you should be very close and nearby through these early weeks of life. Praise him when he stays on the perch and talk encouragingly to him. You may even wish to give him a small treat as a reward for good behavior.

Now is a good time to start working with your bird to understand what acceptable beak pressure to use with you. You can gently play with him and when he bites too hard, tell him "no bite" in a firm voice and look him directly in the eye. A few times of this and he will pick up from the tone of your voice that he has done something wrong.

That's about it for now. Best of luck & be patient with your lil guy. Again I plead with you (do not clip) but instead take/make all the safety precautions necessary to keep him safe....

P.S.: The members on this site that are pro-clipping (for whatever reason) may try to convince you otherwise (which is their right of course) - I hope you choose to do what is PROVEN to be best for your Amaazon (health & happiness wise). His right to flight should not be left up to a matter of convienence for you or your family but you all should work together time and expense wise to safety proof your home or a room in your home or build him a safe flight area in same or outside attached to your home or a window/sliding glass door. JMO.

Joel makes a great point.

I have one flighted amazon that came from a large flight, he is in great shape and not overweight.

My other amazon Maya is flighted but never learned HOW to fly and is fat as can be. Like 150 grams overweight fat. I am trying to teach her how to fly at her age and it is not going well.

I'm so sorry that you've had such a rough time with this little one, apparently the breeder has no interest beyond collecting the money. By the way, there's no way you could have known all the questions to ask before you brought him home, and there's just so much information you can process in one lump anyway! You've done very well though, seeking out the help you need to raise him! ~J~ is a very experienced and dedicated breeder and bird owner, and his advice is sound. Your baby is fledging and weaning, and learning what it is to be a bird and a member of your flock. It is a challenging time for him, and also for you.

In regards to your question about him biting and chewing; let me say that it is really important for you down the road to teach him proper etiquette now, while he is young. Read and learn all you can about these wonderful birds. Do a search for Joanie Doss, and read everything by her that you can find on Amazon behavior, IMO she's the best. Having recently adopted a 20 year old male Zon with little or no training or handling, I know how important it is to raise them right. My Chico is beautiful, and a real sweetheart in his own way, but a real handful too.

As to whether you decide to let him have his wings or clip him, I'll just refer you to our rather lengthy thread on the subject here: To Clip or Not to Clip and ask you to get all the information you can, and follow your heart.

One note: Many folks (myself included) have observed that if you are careful during what ~J~ calls the "flighty stage" while he's learning how to fly, then once he has learned to maneuver and learned his home, the likelihood of a collision is really pretty slim. Not to say it can't happen, it can and it does, so take all the precautions you can. One option for your sliding glass doors and larger windows might be special decals that are made to be almost invisible to the human eye, but very obvious to a bird. You can read about them here: Window Alert Decals.

Again, I think you're doing great, and congratulations! By the way, what's his name? Would love to see some pics of him!

Welcome to Parrotchatter!

~J~ and Quito's Qage have given you great advice.

Should you decide to clip, please, please, please do not do it until after your baby has fully fledged. He needs plenty of time to build up his flight skills. He needs to learn how to land, fly up, fly down (a very difficult skill for them to learn), turn, etc. If after he's fledged you still feel that you can take away his wings after seeing the joy on his little face after he makes a trip across the room, then that is your decision.

Birds who have had time to build up their flight skills and know their environment will not randomly fly into solid objects. All 4 of my birds are fully flighted and the only one who has ever run into anything was clipped at 8.5 weeks of age- before she was able to fledge. Learning to fly takes time, such as a human child learning to walk. Now Ollie is 2, is excellent at flying, and we don't even have any close calls anymore.

Please do read the To Clip or Not to Clip thread that Nate (Quito's Qage) mentioned.

When Ollie was going through her beaking stage I always kept foot toys nearby. When she grabbed my finger I would just calmly remove it from her beak and replace it with a toy. This way she learned what was acceptable to chew on.

We would love to see pictures of your baby!

Hi bexjoe1, Welcome to ParrotChatter! You've gotten some great advice and everyone will be here to support you along the way. Looking forward to hearing more about your baby and seeing pictures.

Welcome to parrotchatter. I guess I am pro-clipping but as the others have said it is the most important thing you allow the baby to fledge completely before clipping.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to answer our questions. Without responding to all of you individually, I will just say that everything written was great help in easing our minds. Cha Cha is pigging out on fruits and veggies and so far has not had the fatty stuff. This morning he took only 15cc's down from 60cc. We'll keep offering him formula in the morning and before bed. We figured out how to put one pic of him on our signature but not sure how to add others (?). Loved all the advice and you all have such little beauties. Having our amazon has changed our lifestyle so much and we are loving every minute of it. Look forward to chatting with all of you in the future.