I have read that Amazons can get overweight very easily and very quickly if not fed a good nutritious diet, and I can understand that. I was given a Blue-front around nine months ago that was owned by an elderly couple who had had it for over quite some time. It has been difficult to find out much information about this bird, as one of the couple is now in a care home and the other is not very coherent. From what we can gather, this bird had evidently been kept in a small cage all of its life and fed a poor diet. I had previously kept two parrots for many years, but sadly, lost them to old age, and it was only through a brief conversation with one of the carers that lead to us being asked to take this bird on.
I have read many articles and information about maintaining clean cages and how important it is to prevent infection and the spread of disease. What I find concerning is the way some cages are manufactured and how they include entrapment areas that can harbour debris and therefore possible disease.
I am sure I have read before in this magazine about the hazards of tape and string getting caught up with our birds. Unfortunately, I can speak from experience when my Goffins Cockatoo decided to have fun with discarded wrapping paper and decorative tape. This was some time after Christmas last year when I still had some ribbons laying around, so I wanted to warn other owners that they must be vigilant after unwrapping presents. It was quite frightening after what we thought was some fun for him to play with the ribbon and how quickly he got into trouble.