Zeus ?

[Wolf]

Here is the new thread where we can talk about this, Mecnun.

I am so sorry that you were taken advantage of by the person who sold you your Senegal Parrot, I know that here in the States there are options to deal with this type of thing, but I don't know where you live or what the laws there are. That being said let's stop and look at this, sometimes things such as this can work to your benefit anyway. Since this is your first parrot allow me to talk a little about this particular parrot species.
Much of this would also apply to any species of parrot as well, just so that you know. Parrots have a long lifetime and the Senegal is no exception to this as we just had a lady talking to us about her Senegal who is 37 years old, so you still have plenty of time to have a wonderful relationship with yours. Parrots are born not knowing anything at all, by this I mean that they must learn everything from their parents including how to eat and drink, very similar to a human infant in this aspect. This causes them to have a very strong bond with their parents or in the case of a captive bred parrot to the person who ends up with it when it is weaned. This is the bond that the majority of people are looking for when they get a parrot, but most of them don't realize that this bond is temporary and when the parrot goes through puberty that everything changes including the parrots personality and they will often rebond to a totally different person. With the Senegal Parrot this occurs somewhere between the age of2 to 5 years old as a general rule, although it can occur a little bit earlier. After this puberty has passed the parrot that you see is the same for the rest of his life as far as his personality goes. Since your Senegal is an adult, you will not have to go through this with him and this may actually be a blessing in disguise for you as it is a difficult time at best and would be even more so for you since this is your first parrot.
Personally, I would keep this bird and take him to an avian vet if there is one in your area, just to make sure that he is healthy and never deal with this person again as they cannot be trusted. That is not your fault nor is it this birds fault and he deserves to have a good loving home and I really think that with a little knowledge and patience that you could provide this and have a very wonderful experience with a very special type of companion.
First of all you must decide what you are going to do, are you going to keep him and make a go of it or not? If you keep him I would get him checked by a vet and start changing him over to a good healthy diet and start the process of taming and bonding with him. Everyone here, myself included, will try to answer all of your questions about him and help you in any way that we are able to.

[Mecnun]

Hi , first thank you for help and interest. Im from Turkey . Turkey have really bad parrot markets . Sellers do not give value the parrots.

He told me this parrot 7-8 month old and i believe him after i learned the truth. İ feel really bad because I always want a baby parrot . I wanted gow with me . Wolf say ‘’ 7 – 8 years old ‘’ and I am in shock .

what can i do ? I could not decide . Should I continue to feed Zeus ?

if 7-8 years old truth , maybe Zeus never love me . I’m afraid . To day i will call the seller . gonna ask true age of the Zeus . But I dont trust him .

[Mecnun]

and im sorry about my bad english . sometimes i use translate . sometimes use simple english .

Thank you for your understanding.

[Pajarita]

I must be missing something here because I searched the posts and saw two pictures of a Senegal but neither showed the front of the bird so I don't know where the gender determination came from or the age, for that matter. It's impossible to tell parrots age from visual clues. Some species change certain features (plumage, color eyes, etc) as they achieve physical maturity but after they are adults, they all look the same whether they are 4 or 20 years old (well, with the exception of birds that continue changing the plumage as they get older, like a yellow nape which yellow markings on the nape would become bigger as they get older but then, there are the ones that are born with a large yellow spot to begin with so, unless you've had the bird from a baby, you would not know whether the spot is large because the bird is old or because it grew). The only thing we have to go by is the condition of their toes, feet and legs skin but they only show a marked difference once they are old (I am talking, say over 40 years old in an amazon which is expected to live around 60 years) and even that depends on the care and diet they received. There are also medical clues (arthritis, cataracts, etc) but, again, it's extremely ballpark and not accurate at all.

I am saying this because although it is true that this bird could be 7 years old, it could also be 7 months and had had a real bad diet and care, for all we know.

[Wolf]

I am not saying that he is 7 or 8 years old, I am saying that I believe that 7 or 8 years old is probably closer to the true age of this parrot, because he is definitely not 7 or 8 months old. Their eyes change color from brown to a golden yellow color when they reach puberty and that happens at about 2 years old but sometimes as late as 5 years old. This means that he is an adult parrot and not a juvenile one. There is a possibility that the seller does not know the true age of this bird, because most of the Senegal Parrots sold in turkey are wild caught birds. If they survive the process until they are sold and receive a clean bill of health from an avian vet they are usually stronger birds than if they were bred and raised in captivity. The people who sell them do not feed them a good diet and it is required that the buyer of these birds change their diet to one that is much healthier for them.
I understand that you wanted a younger bird that would grow and reach adulthood with you because you have been told that this is when they bond to you and while this is true it is only partially true. Parrots, including the Senegal Parrot, bond first when they are babies to the person who feeds and takes care of them, but this bond is the same as from a baby to the parent. Once they reach puberty there is a period during which they un bond with their parent and choose a mate and this is the bond that can last a lifetime and is the bond that you actually want from your bird. Since this bird is already an adult you would not have to go through this stage and when he bonds to you it will be a lasting bond and this is the bond that you are really looking for from your bird. His present age will not stop him from bonding with you and developing into love.
I also have a Senegal Parrot who came to me as an adult from a bad home and she is now bonded to me and loves me with her whole heart. As long as he is healthy, there is nothing wrong with this parrot and after you tame him and earn his trust he will bond with you and as long as you treat him well this will turn to love in time and you will not have to wait for him to grow up for this to occur.
I would keep him and tame him and let him bond with you and learn all about these wonderful birds with him and then later on after you have learned about them and how to take care of them properly if you want to gat a juvenile bird then you will know enough that the seller will not be able to trick you with an older bird. But this is what I would do, you are the only one in the position to decide what is right for you. Just take the time to think about it before you decide. Regardless of what you choose to do, we will be here and happy to answer your questions to the best of our ability.

[Mecnun]

thank you pajarita , wolf . your informations really important for me . thanks for everything.

I want to spend some time with Zeus, then I'll decide.

[Mecnun]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152517054844512&set=vb.600859511&type=2&theater

Zeus . first day video .

[Mecnun]

what do you think about this video ?

zeus , wild or pet ?

[Pajarita]

Ahhh, yes, the eye color change. The thing with this is that there are all different kinds of information on it and I really do not know which one is accurate. I have read that:
- adult sennies can have yellow, orange or brown eyes
- birds that are exposed to natural sunlight change eye color faster
- it changes when they achieve sexual maturity (1.5 to 2 years of age)
- it changes with the juvenile molt (6 to 8 months)
- birds bred in captivity already have yellow eyes when they leave the nest

[Pajarita]

I don't think anybody can tell from a video, my dear. And I've gotten hand-fed birds that hated people so you can't go by their behavior.

What I do see is a VERY very distressed and almost desperate bird in a terribly small cage (I would not put a tiny finch in there - I have a couple of cages like that one but I use them for transport, only), with bad perches, no toys, no wood to chew, no fresh fruit, no leafy green, nothing to make him happy so it's no surprise he's so upset and keeps on looking for a way to get out. He doesn't even have a spot where he can feel secure (like an upper corner with a material draped over it so he feels protected from predators).

Parrots need huge cages with lots of things to entertain them and a good diet (a diet of only seeds will kill him, eventually).