How to Breed Red Lorey Amazon Parrots

Set up a large cage or aviary for breeding. Most breeders recommend suspended flight aviaries 6 to 12 feet long, 3 to 4 feet wide and 3 feet high for Amazons. Suspended aviaries have numerous benefits. Amazon parrots of all species feel more comfortable the higher they are from the ground. Suspended aviaries also allow the breeder to clean, feed and water the breeding pair without entering the aviary. (Amazons are known to become aggressive during breeding season.)

If you live in a climate similar to that of the red-lored Amazon's natural habitat and want to set up your breeding aviary outdoors, see that the roof is at least half or fully covered. Cover the exterior of the aviary with a layer of 7 mm square wire to keep mice, snakes and other pests out.

Add plenty of perches and toys in different materials to the aviary to encourage exercise and prevent boredom.

Attach the nest box to the outside of the aviary or cage. This will enable you to check for eggs without entering the aviary. Most cages have a separate door that opens for attaching a nest box, but if you're using a custom-built aviary with wire walls, cut a hole in the wall so the red-lored Amazons can reach the nest box. The nest box should be wooden, 2 to 3 feet tall, 12 to 14 inches wide and long and should have an entry hole 4 to 5 inches in diameter. The top of the nest box should open for when you need to remove the eggs.

Line the nest box with several inches of aspen wood shavings. Do not use pine, cedar or redwood shavings, which give off toxic aromas.

Purchase a pair of red-lored Amazon parrots. Confirm that the birds are young, healthy and unrelated, as inbreeding leads to chicks with genetic problems. Also make sure you purchase a male and a female; the only way to determine the sex of an Amazon is through DNA testing. If the birds have been DNA tested for their sex, the breeder will have their certificates. Red-lored Amazons reach sexual maturity between three and five years of age, so make sure the birds are at least three years old.

Keep the male and female in separate, but adjacent, cages to allow them to become used to each other. When they're no longer exhibiting any signs of aggression, introduce them to the breeding aviary or cage at the same time.

Feed your red-lored Amazons a nutritious diet based on grains, vegetables and sprouted seeds. Grains should include red wheat, brown rice, lentils, and several types of beans and peas, which you should boil for 30 minutes and allow to cool before feeding. Fresh fruits and vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, corn on the cob, cucumbers, green beans, peas, kale and similar leafy greens; also feed apples, grapes, melons, oranges, and papaya. Add root vegetables such as beet root, carrots, sweet potatoes and yams to their diet to protect against vitamin A deficiency. They can be capped and boiled and fed after they cool.

Provide your red-lored Amazons with fresh water at all times and change the water at least once a day. Amazon parrots often won't drink if the water is dirty. You can also put a shallow dish of water on the bottom of the cage should they want to bathe.

Check on the nest regularly. The female will lay from two to eight eggs. Most breeders remove the eggs to incubate them. Or you can remove the chicks for hand-rearing once they hatch. Parrot chicks must be hand-reared if you intend to sell them as pets, as hand-rearing ensures that they are tame and friendly towards people.