Thanks for responding and reading through all of that! i really appreciate it. You brought up a lot of good points and a lot of great questions that are quite helpful.

>Okay I both own amazons (double yellow head, orange wing, red-lored, blue fronted and yellow naped) and I also work with them through the rescue so I can definitely give an opinion

>I think if it is possible it would be good to speak with your neighbors before purchasing one. If you are on speaking terms and talk to each of them individually then it should give you a good idea of what they will or won't tolerate and how apt they are to complain about noise levels. If you are not on speaking terms with them or if you don't get along with neighbors they are much more apt to call the police or complain. Okay that being said it depends on the individual bird. Two of my blue fronts talk in normal level voices and do not scream at all. My DYH loves to shriek "Fire, Fire" at the top of his lungs and can be heard quite well outside and some distance away. My orange wing will scream first thing in the morning and right before bed. Two of these were "Quiet" in their old homes (the noisy ones now LOL!) and the other two were said to be quite noisy although I don't agree. Some birds will be on best behavior for attention, and once they settle in will start the morning and night loud greetings. Others are quieter and do not scream as loudly. The screams may just combine in with the other actual sounds or the other sounds may set off more bouts of screaming if the bird is not used to those specific sounds.

-haha that 'fire fire" thing must be a laugh for your neighbors. I was wondering that as well...he could just be quiet there trying to be a 'charmer' like the regurg/fluffing thing and then all the sudden start the shrieking later. Would that be less amplified from the third floor due to lack of echo (where I live)?what kind fo neighborhood do you live in (suburbs)? I live in an inner city area next to a highway where everyone yard touches basically and we are surrounded by busy streets and cars. I am on a dead end.
I am on good terms with all the neighbors on my street so I can ask them and they are very tolerant of noise. Most of them are loud themselves. The only guy that has ever complained (in the house across the street I am usnure abut) was a new guy who complained after a rock band was practicing in their mom's apartment next door and it was from 5 pm-9pm every night. But..that's extreme noise...more so than any bird screeching or constant dog barking, so i will still ask him. He only complained once and I guess he is my only worry besides the fact I live on a dead end street and wonder if I have to worry about the people that live on the street that is perpendicular to mine. I cannot talk to the people on that street that meets up with my dead end due to the fact they do not speak any english , especially the houses directly behind mine. They never complain though...about anything..especialy since they blast their music on weekends and party until 10 pm.

> We do lights out at 9:00 at night and lights on at 8:00 in the morning so they have 11 hours of night time. The best amount of time for "night" is between 10 and 14 hours.
- Ok that's do-able. Not that much different really.

> I somewhat answered this above. The sounds might blend in or might be set off because of the other noises. An amazon scream can be as loud as a macaw but they are in a different tone or sound range which I consider to not be quite as ear shattering (and yes I have a B&G macaw so I know how their screams are as well!)
-lol yes you did pretty much answer it above. thanks for the info on the macaw scream comparison. That neighbor on the other street (the one where all the non-english speaking people are now) had a blue and green macaw and not once did I hear it unless it was outside. Also too...you brought up the city sounds might make the screaming worse...and I also thought of that lol I suppose I'll not know unless he was in my house.

>It sounds like he has already went through several changes so he "may" just take them in stride and be content to settle in to a new home. Ask the pet store owner how his/her behavior was when he first arrived, how long it took for him to settle in and how his behavior is to most of the public, more than likely they will try to tell you the "good" about him but should at least tell you some of the actual facts as well
-Those are great questions to ask the pet store owner. I didn't even think of that (duh right?). I can ask them. They aren't too bad with wanting to just sell their animals so I'm sure they'd be honest, but I will use my discretion with what they say. The owner told me parrots can be one person birds and to be aware of that, so I think she'd be pretty honest if I asked or at least mostly lol Of course he could act completly different here anyway due to new things and noises.

>If you keep working with him it should be a good sign. Many birds do go through a honeymoon period where they are well behaved and then go through a testing stage where they see what they can get by with but if you are patient and consistent with training you should get through it with a happy and well behaved buddy.
-The honeymoon period is a good piece of info to know. I'm so glad i asked this question here since this is the type of stuff I wanted to know. Thanks. I can do consistency and patience

> Actually during breeding season many will regurgitate for any potential mate so this one may be a charmer but yes it can be common.
-haha good to know. I suspected he might just be a little romeo, but i wasn't sure since I've only dealt with parakeets.

>>Oh one more thing on good behavior in the pet store. When the amazon sat on your shoulder and was well behaved did he step up directly to you from the cage or perch or did the pet store owner/employee get him to step up for you? One reason why I ask is because we have had several owner surrendered birds that when their owner told them to step up to any of us they went calmly and was very well behaved but as soon as we got them home or to the rescue they immediately turned into little trolls, LOL! We have been able to work with them all and get them back tame but they wanted to test us for the first week or so (some even longer) because they were fearful of their changes and new surroundings. This was not the birds fault or even our fault just the fact they were not accustomed to the new circumstance and we had to be patient with them during that time.

-ahhh good point...the owner took him out for me and then I put my hand out to him (once he was on her hand) and he then sidled up my arm to my shoulder and fluffed up. That's a great point and I am glad you added that! Maybe it was the equivalnet of the owner just putting him on a perch (which happened to be me instead of the top of his cage)? I can go back to the store and ask him to do it by myself to see.

I wish there was a way to show you a picture of my street so you could see what I was talking about with relation to noise/dead end thing....although it sounds as if it's up to the individual bird and to how it reacts to everything. i can onyl get an idea of how it would react. The only thing I can control is asking my neighbors.

Thank you SO much again for your answers. I have found them extremly helpful. If you think of anything else I should ask/do or consider, please let me know. I will not just be going out to buy this bird and i think, after what you have said, that the best thing to do would be to keep visiting the pet store...even if it's everyday....to get to know this bird a little bit more and to see if that species (or this individual) really is for me (armed with the great opinions you gave me). Does that sound like a good approach? Should I even bother (would I do right by this bird or is it better off at the store where it is already all settled in)? I know you can only possibly give your opnion and not answer it for me...but i am actually considering it now (just this indiviudal not the species) with regards to a pet bird.

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