Just hanging out with my bird :) Posted from an instagram story.

Gordy is a Double yellow headed amazon parrot, about 43 years old, originally from Mexico.

A little bit About Me and my bird:
I am the only one that can handle him and any interactions with me are on his terms. He bites! He doesn't hold back on that. Luckily I don't have any scars from him but I've definitely gotten some bad little bruises.

I've learned a lot from this bird, I've known him my whole life and he was around way before I was born which is weird to think of. He had some close encounters with death several times. He originally was brought over from Mexico with another parrot, similar to him, except with a red head. Apparently in their early years together they were left in a room with the air conditioner pointed towards them and both fell ill with pneumonia. Gordy survived but unfortunately the red head did not.

This is just one situation where he nearly died and I guess I'm just sharing stories because maybe it could save another parrot. Gordy also had half his beak bitten off by one of our dogs many years ago. That was very scary. I see lots of people who keep dogs and parrots and think their dogs are friends with their parrot (like it's the garden of Eden or something) and this may be true, since I thought the same...but anything can happen, and it did..nearly cost him his life. That was all our fault; big mistake. He was saved by a very skilled Veterinarian who happen to be the son of a Dentist. Together they molded a prosthetic beak in hopes that the beak would grow back, and thankfully it did.

Thoughts on wing clipping:
I've never clipped his wings. Personally I think it's cruel. I've also never cut the tail or ears off a dog or declawed a cat. I just don't believe in altering an animal for my benefit or amusement. I believe we are meant to bring joy to them and vice versa. Some people disagree and think I'm a bad owner for not clipping his wings. Recently I was at a pet shop and a playful macaw on a perch tried to step onto my shoulder and misjudged her step. She tried grabbing my shirt but her nails were filed down so short she couldn't hold on. She tried flapping her wings to break her fall but it was no use and fell five feet to the floor; hit her head, cracked her beak and was bleeding. I felt terrible and mad at the pet shop owners. All the birds' nails cut so short they can't even properly hold onto their perch without nearly falling and no wings to break their fall; pitiful.
I haven't taken Gordy there since then and I've learned to be aware and cautious of over trimming of the nails. One time I took him for a nail and beak buffing and he came home with nails so short he fell off his perch. Luckily he has wings to break his fall. I'm also questioning the beak and nail buffing procedure since Gordy tends to scream while they work on him and curls his feet. He dreads going. I have to grab him and put him in his carrier to go. I once felt that he was just being a typical parrot, making all sorts of noise, but now I feel that the process might be painful and not sure how I feel about it anymore.

Things I've learned about parrots:
They are highly intelligent and require a lot of care and attention. Their living spaces, food, daylight, fresh air, mental stimulation, social interaction; these are all extremely important to keeping them healthy. It kills me to see birds that have plucked themselves because they are depressed and driven mad by being kept indoors in a corner cage with no interaction. To me, this is cruel and is the equivalent of solitary confinement with no windows for a human being.

Anyways that is all for now! The reason I share my experiences is to help others learn from my mistakes and use whatever seems to be working to their advantage. I know these birds are fascinating. I'm still fascinated with them and I have one! It never gets old. I'm constantly learning and not nearly perfect myself. I also come to youtube sometimes to learn from other parrot people.

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