The Yellow Naped Amazon, also known as the Golden Yellow Naped Amazon, is almost perfect. Found along the Pacific coast from Mexico to Costa Rica, including Guatemala and El Salvador, this bird is among the top three talkers.
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. Amazons like to climb and often hang out on 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. Amazons 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 to 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, it’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 its 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 lead to liver and kidney disease.
A diet consisting 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, and textures, toys that make noise, toys that let them climb, toys that they can chew on, and puzzle toys that 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 its 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.