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| The Yellow Naped Amazon Parrot is
considered one of the ideal companion birds in the avian community.
They grow to approximately 14 inches, a moderate size for a parrot,
however their desire to climb means they require a large cage. The
minimum cage requirements for a Yellow Naped Amazon are 18” x 18” square
with a height of 24”, however bigger is better and the taller you can
make your Amazon’s cage, the better. If you’re unable to allow your Yellow Naped to roam the house several hours a day, a much larger cage is required. |
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Amazons like to climb and often hang out in the
treetops. A cage that provides them the ability to follow their natural
instincts is excellent.
Yellow Naped Amazons are exceptionally smart birds. They’re social,
entertaining, generally unafraid, and enjoy being around people. These
traits affect your cage location decision. Amazon’s want to be with their
families.
They think they’re part of the family, a little
human, and they expect to be included in daily life. Place their cage in
your family room or the room you and your family spend the most time in and
allow them to walk around freely, like any other family member, when you’re
home.
Other location considerations include keeping their cage free from drafts and
making sure they have access to natural light. Other cage considerations
include material, stainless steel is best though a steel cage coated in a
non-toxic paint is fine too just make sure the paint won’t flake or peel off.
Look for a cage door that opens down like a
drawbridge. Sideways opening doors are okay too, however never choose a
door that opens like a guillotine. Make sure your Yellow Naped Amazon’s
cage has wires that are close enough together that they cannot squeeze through
them and consider choosing a cage with casters so you can move it if you need
to.
One last, but very important, consideration. The cage must be easy to clean.
Yellow Naped Amazons, and most parrots, are messy eaters. You’ll need to
clean their food bowls regularly as well as their cage bottom.
If all you have to do is pull the bottom tray
out, clean it off, and put it back in then your bird is going to be much
healthier and happier. A wire grated bottom with a tray below it will
allow the food and waste fall through the grate onto the tray.
Sleep is also important to a Yellow Naped Amazon. When Yellow Naped’s are
young they need 11-12 hours of quality sleep. As your Yellow Naped
Amazon matures, they’ll need less and less sleep, however it will still need
about 10 hours a day.
If you start noticing your parrot is getting
cranky and nipping or screeching, try giving them a little bit more sleep.
It is important your bird’s environment can meet these needs. If you buy a
cage with castors, you can move them into a quieter place in your home when it
is time to sleep.
A healthy diet will make all the difference in your bird’s behavior and in their
lifespan. Your Yellow Naped needs a pellet based diet. They are eager
eaters and have a tendency to overeat. If you feed them a seed or nut
based diet, they’ll most certainly get fat. Additionally too many seeds
and nuts leads to liver and kidney disease.
A diet comprise of 65% pellets, 30% fresh fruits
and vegetables and 5% nuts and seeds is perfect. Take care to always wash
all fruits and veggies to remove pesticides and buy an organic pellet food if
you can. Offer a wide variety of fruits and veggies and never offer
avocados to your parrot – they’re toxic.
Your Yellow Naped Amazon loves to play! Give them lots and lots of toys
and they’ll give you lots and lots of love. Toys keep them occupied and
stimulated when you’re gone. It enables them to use their natural bird
instincts, like chewing and climbing – which they love to do. Toys also
help them learn about the world around them.
Offer a variety of toys and always make sure they’re durable and non-toxic.
Offer a variety of colors, textures, toys that make noise, toys that let them
climb, toys that they can chew on, puzzle toys are excellent for stimulation.
Your Yellow Naped also needs a variety of perch sizes to keep their feet healthy
and their nails trimmed.
The first key to a happy healthy Yellow Naped Amazon is to make sure their
environment is optimal. Proper food, sleep, cage environment, and of
course toys all go a long way toward a happy and healthy Yellow Naped Amazon.