The intent of this paper is to provide a broad overview of the sources of breeding stock, captive management, breeding and feeding of the psittacine genus Amazona. Sources of Breeding Stock Choosing birds that will become the best breeders continues to be a challenging task. In the long term, captive-bred birds that are later pair bonded will be the main source of breeding stock and hopefully the most efficient breeders. If babies are to be used for future breeding minimize human contact during hand-rearing, other than that required for care, and have several conspecifics in the same container. Captive raised birds acclimatize much easier and sooner to new flight cages.
Pairs are more likely to be compatible if they grow up together.
Captive bred birds are usually not sub-clinical carriers of pathogenic organisms especially Pacheco's disease which is a major problem with imported birds. An obvious disadvantage of obtaining young birds is that the purchaser will have to wait three to five years for the birds to become sexually mature and old enough to breed. Young birds are also a better value because it can seldom be certain that adult birds have not been sold because they failed to pair up and breed or are very old. Unsatisfactory breeding in amazons may be corrected with by re-pairing or changing the environmental conditions. Whereas a cockatoo that has killed its' mate or destroys eggs is a more difficult and potentially permanent problem.