This is the baby's first time to sit on the T-stand! The perch is a little big for them, because I bought this T-stand for Angel, who is an Umbrella Cockatoo. But the babies seemed to like it and it is such a good place for them to sit and really be able to watch and listen to their speech lesson.

This is a video clip showing the babies beginning to pick up and play with objects. They have actually been interested in them for awhile now. The clip is mostly of #1 but #3 is right beside him and #2 is back in the corner just watching. They love to pick up objects and are much like a baby in wanting to put everything in their mouths. The like to taste everything!

Handling Baby Amazon Parrots

Pretty Babies

I kind of fell down on my resolve to take pictures every day! Oh, now I wish I had because the babies just keep getting cuter every day! They have so much personality and just soak up all the attention that I give them. They all love neck scratches and push each other aside to make sure they get their turn! #3 ended up with as much red as #2!! Aren't they just gorgeous!

Family Portraits

Trying to get a good picture of these babies is worse than trying to photograph children! They are constantly moving and my camera speed is too slow to catch the best shots! So I was happy to get this one with them all looking at me and no one moving to make the picture blurry! I included the second picture so you can tell which is which. I know it now, but from my other experiences where I thought so easy to tell I have learned that memory often fails me! Look at the size of #3's feet compared to his brother who is a week older! Their feet seem to grow the fastest of anything!

The responsibilities of caring for a parrot

I am so happy with this batch of babies! They have been so healthy from the start and have just thrived! I remember when Java and Kiwi hatched, I was a nervous wreck. I had raised so many baby cockatiels I cannot even count them, but never had I hand fed a baby parrot. And to make it even more complicated, I was taking these on from the day of hatching! I worried so that I would do something wrong. I remember dreaming one of the first nights that one of them was sick, and I was carrying the newborn baby parrot around, and he was the size of a chimpanzee in my arms! It does not take a psychologist to see that the weight and enormity of the responsibility was getting to me! But with each batch that I have raised, I have learned so much and with each batch gained confidence so that I can enjoy them more!

What always weighs on my heart though, is the responsibility that bringing these birds into the world places on me to find them good homes. My son, Ryan, raised hamsters for a time when he was in 4-H. We carefully selected our breeding pairs using offspring of a many year breeding plan my brother had started. We put weeks into handling them, making sure they were tame and well socialized so they could become good pets. When it was time to find them homes, I agonized over each and every one of them. But there is no comparison in my mind between the responsibility of owning a hamster vs the responsibility of owning a parrot.

Parrots are one of the most intelligent animals on the planet. That alone makes having one in your home a real responsibility to make sure that their minds are engaged and that they are well adjusted. Combine that with the fact that parrots are challenging pets, and definitely not a pet for just anyone, then add the fact that they can live for 65-80 years, or longer. You want them to have a life where they are loved and appreciated for the long haul! One batch a year is enough for me! I have been relieved that with this number we can give each of these babies the start in life that will help to ensure they make excellent pets and live happily ever after!

#3 has his 3 week old birthday!

Even though he is a week younger than the other two, this little guy holds his own with them very well. I wonder if he will be more precocious for having to follow the footsteps of a baby so much older than himself. He definitely watches and attempts to copy what he sees his older siblings doing!