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Question:

June 20, 2025

Yellow Naped Amazon spooked


Hello, I have a yellow naped amazon, around 20 years old. Now, my Dad bought him off a sketchy pet place that has since been moved. He was full grown, they didn’t know how old he was. The vet estimates he’s around 20. Now, I’ve had him since 2012. He bonded with me, completely rejecting my Dad. Now, recently he’s been totally flipping out- and not in the explosive way, like at the vaccum where he just tries to commit homicide, but he’s frozen in pure terror like he’s seeing demons. This behavior started around mother’s day. Now, he’s very triggered by the color pink and red, so we keep those colors away from him. He will totally wig out if he sees those colors. He had one freak out on mother’s day that I thought was because of the red and pink decorations, which I removed, and he was fine. No decor this time, he just, wigged out. Now, my mother was wearing red, it’s a company uniform, but she left and he was still freaking out.

I’ve been playing taylor swift on a loop for hours now because it’s the only thing that seems to calm down but he’s on high alert still. I tried to leave the room but then he screamed at me. So it’s me, taylor, and the bird chilling until he calms down. I’m a little worried since it’s unusual behavior for him. Usually when he’s scared he just yells and attacks the thing but this is him genuinely fearful.


Answer:

Hi,

In a situation like this, you should look into hiring an avian behaviorist. Obvious things to look for are something new that has been added, including a new pet. Something outside that could be spooking him. Maybe this is medical and not behavioral – what you describe can be a form of seizure. It’s not something that can be resolved in this type format. You need a consultant who can observe the environment – even remotely by webcam – and help to assess the situation. We work with some great behavior experts who present our webinars. We can recommend Lisa Bono or Pamela Clark – both are IAABC certified as CPBC and their information can be found online.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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