Hi! As you recall I am usually out beating the bushes for amazon foster homes. Today I am taking a different approach and am looking for amazon adoptive homes. Many of the amazons that come into Mickaboo are surrendered for aggression. But equally as many come in as mellow older companion birds whose owners have passed away or had life changes. We have a fairly large number of amazons now that have been in foster homes for a long time and have demonstrated how well they can fit into a family's routine. Now these birds really need to find their own families so that we can free up space in the foster homes for the next wave of surrendered amazons. Mickaboo is very careful in the placement of amazons because they can be feisty and fiery. I do recommend that any potential adopter have medium to large bird experience because prior hands-on training and reading body language is how you can best manage their behavior. The birds I will list below can do very well in a family setting or with a single individual. I will make comments about certain birds and if you are interested please go to the website to read more about them. ANDY Andy, a Blue Front Amazon in his 20's, is one of my foster birds and is an absolute charmer. He was surrendered with a long term, very painful and untreated eye condition which resulted in the removal of his right eye by a Mickaboo vet. He whistles, chatters, sings, barks, and more. He loves company, especially men. He steps up with some beaking on my hand since his depth perception has been affected. Andy has no fear of the cats and dog that wander around. He has not interacted with any of the other large birds around him but vocalizes and shows his excitement when he seems them. He gives kisses, loves spray baths, and would stay here forever if there weren't so many other permanent residents. He would do well in a home with another large chatty bird. BAILEY Bailey, another Blue Front Amazon in his 20's, is an entertaining bird, who currently lives in a foster home with other large birds, dogs and people. He is selectively affectionate. He allows his foster mom to shake his foot and kiss it but will step up and allow skritches from the teenage daughter. He chose to be a one person bird with his former owners as well. I think he could do very well in a home with a single individual. He could also be successful in a larger family as long as the adults did not allow him to become bonded and possessive with just one person. I do not think he should be in a home with young children. His problems with biting and screaming have declined dramatically. BENTLEY Bentley, another Blue Front Amazon of indeterminate age, was a brief guest in my home before he moved to his current foster home. We had been told he was aggressive and terrifying. Absolutely untrue!!!! This is a wonderful affectionate bird. He adores his foster dad and when dad isn't around loves the one he's with, his mom. Bentley has made great progress in his foster home and now willingly steps up onto his mom's hand. He sings, laughs, mutters, loves head skitches and baths and is another bird that will never be considered boring. I recommend an adult only home for Bentley. He likes having other birds around too. He is a joy!!! (You can read about Bentley at http://bentleysjournal.blogspot.com) BUDDY Little Buds, a tiny White Front Amazon in her 20's, is another of my foster birds. She is definitely a female as evidenced by some egg laying in her previous home. This is a dear little bird, who loves to climb into the hood of a sweatshirt (worn backward of course) and hang out. After months of doing nothing during the day, she has finally begun to destroy her toys. She is a good eater and races from one dish to the next in the morning to see if anything new or special is there. Buddy loves affection and bathing. She is so much smaller than the rest of my flock that she has to stay alone or with me. I don't think she would be safe in the "general population" at my house but would do very well in a home with a couple birds her size. You can read about her health problems on the website. Truthfully, in the many months she has lived with me there have only been a couple of days where she needed a breathing treatment. Since the vet said she should not live in a stressful environment, I believe she belongs in a home with no young children, loud music, wild parties, etc. CLEO Cleo, a 25 year old female Yellow Nape, is very well socialized and loves attention. Before Mickaboo she lived in an adult only home with another bird but may have been exposed to grandchildren from time to time. She seems to enjoy her adult only foster home but would probably prefer to have more attention than she currently receives while in quarantine. Cleo has a sweet personality and seems to enjoy starring in her own show in which she crows like a rooster, meows, sings in an operatically trained voice, and chatters off and on showing off her vocabulary. She seems comfortable around other birds. She is a happy independent little spirit. An adult only home or family with older children might be a good fit for this pretty girl. COOKIE Cookie, a 42 year old wild caught Blue Front Amazon, is another of my foster birds. Cookie initially came to me in 2005 following the death of his long time human companion. She had received him when he was 10 years old and they lived together for almost 30 years. He was the center of his human's world and she was of his. He did not live in a cage and was allowed total freedom. I felt sorry for this quiet grief striken old bird and adopted him. After a quarantine period he moved into my bird room with 11 other large birds. He liked the flock company but did not like the competition and took it out on me. He has stepped up nicely for strangers but will not for me. He is unhappy in my home. Cookie does not speak but will whistle or squawk once in a while. I believe he would thrive in a home setting similar to what he had before - one loving stay-at-home mom, no kids or other animals, and his own little white plate at the dinner table. (We have the plate and it goes with him.) JACK Jack is yet another Blue Front Amazon in his late teens and is missing his right eye. The eye loss occurred many years ago due to an infection and he has adapted very nicely. Jack seems to prefer men although he will tolerate his foster mom. He loves to shower with his dad. He has some very endearing ways - says "thank you" when given a treat, returns to his cage on command, says a few other words, loves bells and doesn't seem to have many issues. He is an amazon, however, so anyone interested in this very beautiful bird needs to know amazon body language. Jack appears to have only lived with adults and I would recommend that for him. Any partially sighted prey animal will be more apt to strike out or be afraid of quick movement and high energy activities - so no little kids or fast moving cats or dogs. If anyone is interested in adopting this special needs bird, please also consider adopting Andy, who faces the same issues as Jack. I think they would do very well in the same home. MARLEY Marley is one of the smaller species of amazons called a Red Lored. Gender is unknown as is Marley's age. What we do know is that this bird is very happy in an active family. Currently living in a foster home with a number of adults and teenagers, Marley seems to thrive. Marley is mellow, enjoys listening and singing to music, sitting on his foster dad's shoulder, watching CSI with his foster grandma and being part of the family's activities. When Marley first moved into his current foster home there were several other birds and he seemed to enjoy being part of the flock even though he did not directly interact with them. I would suggest a family home with older children and other medium size birds where Marley gets a lot of attention. RICO Rico is an Orange Winged Amazon in his 30's, who is also a fine choice for a family with older children and other animals. Orange Wings are typically quiet and gentle. Rico's temperament is very sweet. He is initially shy of new toys, food, or changes. He steps up on a perch stick or hand and speaks with a very limited vocabulary. He is a good eater and enjoys having a bath. He seems right at home with others birds, dogs and cats and in his past actually had a bonded bird buddy. Anyone who might consider meeting Rico should also meet Stella ( the next story down.) I really want these two Orange Wing senior citizens to meet and be adopted together by an adult only family or one with older children willing to provide love and comfort to these older birds. STELLA Stella is an Orange Winged Amazon in her 50's, who is absolutely a feathered angel. She has lived a long life in varied circumstances, most of them not allowing her to blossom and thrive. Now she has found Mickaboo and the possibilities are endless. She has lived around other birds, spent some time many years ago in a childrens' zoo, and now is in a family foster home where she has adapted very well. Following her intake she was one of my "garage birds" - the amazon overflow space in my home. She, Bentley, and Marty came in on a cold night and settled into their clean cages. She was the first one to check the food dish. As with Rico above, this Orange Wing is quiet, stable and doesn't make a lot of demands - some good food, a few toys, a clean cage, warm water spritzes and lots of love. Given her age I recommend an adult only family or one with older children. Please consider Stella and maybe Rico too if you want to add gentle loveliness to your home. ZEBA Zeba is a Double Yellow Head Amazon male in his early teens. When he was surrendered we found that he had been on a diet of cookies and peanuts and was chased around the room with a broom. We were told he was definitely a "man eater" type amazon. He does seem to show a preference for women and has been known to chase his foster dad across the room. In most ways Zeba is a charmer with a very extensive vocabulary. Zeba has benefitted greatly from his foster home experience where there are no children but several other birds and two experienced foster parents. This is exactly the type of adoptive home I would recommend for him. Zeba is highly intelligent and excitable and loves to go on outings with his foster mom and dad - to watch the sunset, kids play in the park, etc. Double Yellow Heads are often a challenging bird in a home setting. I think Zeba will do well in an adult only home with lots of attention. See more at http://zebasjournal.blogspot.com. I have not listed every available amazon since some of them may not be suited for an active family or where the adults lack experience with amazons. You will note that in most cases I have not advised that any of these birds be in homes with young children. If, however, someone with young children is interested in any of these birds, I am happy to discuss how birds and children might live in harmony with a little prior planning. Thanks for reading this. I hope you will consider giving these intelligent, beautiful and entertaining birds a place in your family. Claudia Melteff Amazon/Macaw Adoption Coordinator Mickaboo (650) 583-1940