Greater Jardine

[Feloric]

Hi I'm new to the forums. Im currently looking for a breeder that breeds Greater Jardines. I've had 2 birds in my lifetime, both cockatiels, though my last one died a few days ago likely of a respiratory infection. It came about so suddenly there was not anything I could do. I was about to take it to a vet when it suddenly died in my hands. I've done some research into Poicephalus parrots and I'm stuck between Meyers and the Greater Jardine. My girlfriend has a senegal that I take care of on occasion but it is a little to hyperactive for my lifestyle, so I was thinking of something a bit more laid back like the myers and greater Jardines. I love the way her senegal is cuddly and plays, it's just a bit too active and mischievous for me. But for the life of me I cannot find breeders for the Greater Jardines. Meyers are easy to find its just the Jardines I'm having trouble finding. Do any of you know of any breeders that breed greater Jardines and might have some available soon?
Also if you have any information about other species I might be interested in, or additional information about either of these two, feel free to let me know. Thanks

[Lovebird Lady]

I would suggest you look into Brown Headed parrots, which belong to the same family as Meyers and Jardines (Poicephalus). Although they are not known to be the prettiest of the Poicephalus (emerald greed bodies and brown/grey head), and are not as good talkers as the Jardines, they more than make up for it in personality and behaviours, especially if you get one as a baby. They are reported to be the most even-tempered of all the Poicephalus, are very playful, and make excellent pets for first time parrot owners.

[cml]

Hi I'm new to the forums. Im currently looking for a breeder that breeds Greater Jardines. I've had 2 birds in my lifetime, both cockatiels, though my last one died a few days ago likely of a respiratory infection. It came about so suddenly there was not anything I could do. I was about to take it to a vet when it suddenly died in my hands. I've done some research into Poicephalus parrots and I'm stuck between Meyers and the Greater Jardine. My girlfriend has a senegal that I take care of on occasion but it is a little to hyperactive for my lifestyle, so I was thinking of something a bit more laid back like the myers and greater Jardines. I love the way her senegal is cuddly and plays, it's just a bit too active and mischievous for me. But for the life of me I cannot find breeders for the Greater Jardines. Meyers are easy to find its just the Jardines I'm having trouble finding. Do any of you know of any breeders that breed greater Jardines and might have some available soon?
Also if you have any information about other species I might be interested in, or additional information about either of these two, feel free to let me know. Thanks

I dont know if you have looked into Pionus, they are a species that are known for their calm and laid back nature. Dont overlook them because most people have poi's, pionuses are great birds, often described as the ultimate pet parrot. There are a few different species, with the white headed pionus and the bronze winged pionus being smaller in size than the blueheaded. WHP and BWP are just a little bigger than a senegal, albeit quite a few grams heavier, around 230g.

[Andromeda]

I would suggest you look into Brown Headed parrots, which belong to the same family as Meyers and Jardines (Poicephalus). Although they are not known to be the prettiest of the Poicephalus (emerald greed bodies and brown/grey head), and are not as good talkers as the Jardines, they more than make up for it in personality and behaviours, especially if you get one as a baby.

As the owner of a brown-headed parrot I have to say that neither pictures nor the name of the species does the bird justice. Yes, they are less colorful than the other Pois but they are extremely beautiful.

When I first saw a picture of Jimmy on Petfinder I thought he painfully cute but plain. When I saw him in person I realized he was not plain at all. My husband had the same reaction to seeing his picture vs. seeing him in person.

Their heads are more of a silver-brown or olive-brown color than plain brown, and they have super shiny feathers covering their ears. The feathers under their tail are neon green and almost iridescent. Their eyes are beautiful and remind me of mercury. Once I even had a vet remark on how beautiful his eyes are.

This is a picture of Jimmy; again, it doesn't do him justice but you can see his shiny ear feathers.



Also, Jimmy is a great talker. I haven't heard a Jardines so I can't say how he compares but I can say that he knows lots of words and phrases, uses them contextually, and speaks very clearly. Even visitors can understand what he's saying because he enunciates very well.

[Lovebird Lady]

I would suggest you look into Brown Headed parrots, which belong to the same family as Meyers and Jardines (Poicephalus). Although they are not known to be the prettiest of the Poicephalus (emerald greed bodies and brown/grey head), and are not as good talkers as the Jardines, they more than make up for it in personality and behaviours, especially if you get one as a baby.

As the owner of a brown-headed parrot I have to say that neither pictures nor the name of the species does the bird justice. Yes, they are less colorful than the other Pois but they are extremely beautiful.

When I first saw a picture of Jimmy on Petfinder I thought he painfully cute but plain. When I saw him in person I realized he was not plain at all. My husband had the same reaction to seeing his picture vs. seeing him in person.

Their heads are more of a silver-brown or olive-brown color than plain brown, and they have super shiny feathers covering their ears. The feathers under their tail are neon green and almost iridescent. Their eyes are beautiful and remind me of mercury. Once I even had a vet remark on how beautiful his eyes are.

This is a picture of Jimmy; again, it doesn't do him justice but you can see his shiny ear feathers.



Also, Jimmy is a great talker. I haven't heard a Jardines so I can't say how he compares but I can say that he knows lots of words and phrases, uses them contextually, and speaks very clearly. Even visitors can understand what he's saying because he enunciates very well.

Andromeda, Jimmy is BEAUTIFUL!!! I find that you are right about the B.H.'s eyes - they are angelic-looking compared to that of other Pois. Is Jimmy DNA's male?
We are waiting for our local breeder to have Brown Head babies from her breeding couple and would like to adopt a male, but I keep hearing that the females are cuddlier and more affectionate.
Males are known to be better talkers in most species, but I wouldn't want to miss out on the cuddle factor with a male. How old was Jimmy when you got him from Petfinder? Did you get him from a parrot rescue?
Also what cage brand would you recommend for quality? We are wanting to get a Playtop cage but are undecided on the brand, and from what we are reading, they all seem to have no guaruntees.

[Andromeda]

Andromeda, Jimmy is BEAUTIFUL!!! I find that you are right about the B.H.'s eyes - they are angelic-looking compared to that of other Pois. Is Jimmy DNA's male?
We are waiting for our local breeder to have Brown Head babies from her breeding couple and would like to adopt a male, but I keep hearing that the females are cuddlier and more affectionate.
Males are known to be better talkers in most species, but I wouldn't want to miss out on the cuddle factor with a male. How old was Jimmy when you got him from Petfinder? Did you get him from a parrot rescue?
Also what cage brand would you recommend for quality? We are wanting to get a Playtop cage but are undecided on the brand, and from what we are reading, they all seem to have no guaruntees.

Thanks Lovebird Lady. I think he's beautiful, too; he's at his best when he's under the full-spectrum light or in the sunlight because his feathers really shine! I admire him every single day.

Here he is in all his shiny and neon green glory:



Yes, Jimmy is DNA male. He's an amazing talker. I had never seen a brown head before I met him and I didn't expect him to talk so I was pleasantly surprised when he started talking. I also thought he would never be able to say his name since the sound of the letter "j" is fairly complicated but the very first thing he said was, "Jimmy!"

His speech is very clear, too. He's no African grey but he enunciates very well. Even visitors can understand what he's saying (not so much the case with my green-cheek).

Yes, Jimmy was a rescue. We're not sure how old he is but the rescue organization guessed that he was around 1 when they rescued him and he was there for about 6 months before I saw him on Petfinder so you could say this is his 3rd home.

He is not cuddly but I think that has nothing to do with his gender and everything to do with his life experiences. He was sick when we adopted him so we had to take him to the vet and it took 15+ visits and 2 different vets before they were able to diagnose and treat his problem. By that point he had been poked, prodded, sedated, blood drawn, etc. and the treatment for his illness involved (among other things) nare flushes which look horribly uncomfortable and unpleasant.

The good news is he is a healthy bird now but the downside is that as a result of so much vet handling he developed a fear of hands. I am working with him right now to try to address that issue by using clicker training. It will take time but it's correctable and I am patient. He doesn't want to be handled but he'll take a treat from your fingers and he begs for head scratches from my husband. He gives little kisses the whole time my husband pets him, it's adorable.

I love my Jimmy and every single say I am so thankful I saw him on Petfinder and was able to give him a home.

"Cuddliness" is probably just down to the individual bird's personality, and not all rescues have behavioral issues. My green-cheek is re-homed but he is very tame and is the cuddliest bird I have ever seen. He likes to cuddle my arm, hand, neck, and ear and I think he would spend 90% of his waking hours doing that if he could.

Here he is cuddling my ear and using it as a scratching post:



I'm not super familiar with all the different cage manufacturers but Jimmy has a Featherland cage and I've had it for 3 1/2 years now and don't have any complaints. His cage is 21” D x 30” W x 64" H (interior cage height 41”) with 5/8” inch bar spacing and 3mm wire. It has external feeders which is nice. It folds which comes in handy when you have to move it. I ponied up and bought the stainless steel instead of the powder-coated because it should last longer but there's nothing wrong with powder-coated. I think it had a 1 year warranty but I'm not completely sure.

Sometimes a playtop cage can encourage cage aggression. It may or may not be an issue with your bird. I'm not saying don't buy a playtop but just be aware. I ended up getting a dome top for Jimmy and I provide him with "play areas" in other rooms instead. He has a foraging tree in one room and a t-stand in another.

Other considerations are that dome tops are often larger on the inside so if your bird will be spending more time in its cage than out of it definitely opt for a larger cage.

Lastly, brown headed parrots are voracious chewers once they have reached sexual maturity. If you do get a brown head you'll want to provide lots of shreddable toys. I buy Jimmy wooden toys that are recommended for much larger birds (Amazons and African greys) and he quickly reduces them to toothpicks. I give him less expensive things to shred, too, such as paper towels, cardboard rolls, unsalted brown rice cakes, etc.

[Lovebird Lady]

OMG, your Green-Cheek is soooooooooooooo Adorable!!! And his coloring is gorgeous. You lucked out with two wonderful parrots that came from rescues. Poor Jimmy, with all his poking and prodding, but your committment to him will pay off, I am sure
I have never heard of the Featherland cages, but this may be because we live in Ontario, Canada, and the only cages available in stores are HQs, Avian Adventure, A&E and Kings. I prefer not to buy online as I prefer to see the product first.
Good luck with your continued socializing of Jimmy

[Andromeda]

OMG, your Green-Cheek is soooooooooooooo Adorable!!! And his coloring is gorgeous. You lucked out with two wonderful parrots that came from rescues. Poor Jimmy, with all his poking and prodding, but your committment to him will pay off, I am sure
I have never heard of the Featherland cages, but this may be because we live in Ontario, Canada, and the only cages available in stores are HQs, Avian Adventure, A&E and Kings. I prefer not to buy online as I prefer to see the product first.
Good luck with your continued socializing of Jimmy

Yeah, Bubba is pretty adorable when he's cuddling. I love all his colors; I think the only color he doesn't have is purple!

We do have two wonderful rescued/re-homed parrots and I feel so fortunate every day that they are part of my life!

Jimmy will definitely be more trusting over time. I'll work with him every day for as long as it takes.

I ordered my cage online because I read good things about that specific model from other Poi owners. I'm very happy with it but I can understand why you're prefer to see the product first. I have two large travel cages that are Avian Adventure. They are powder-coated and they are nice cages; I have no complaints about their quality.

Definitely let us know if you end up getting a brown head! They are wonderful birds.

[GlassOnion]

Wow- Your BH is stunning! I've been desperately eyeing a Cape for almost two years now, but recently I've been thinking that I might go with a BH when the time is right (head talking over heart).

[Lovebird Lady]

Wow- Your BH is stunning! I've been desperately eyeing a Cape for almost two years now, but recently I've been thinking that I might go with a BH when the time is right (head talking over heart).

Yes, I know what you mean GlassOnion. I've been watching Cape videos on YouTube, and they just seem a larger, cuddlier version of the Brown Head (More Parrot). But as you say, Head over Heart. I need to consider the lifespan of a Cape compared to a B.H. as the Cape may outlive me, as well as the Cape needing more mental stimulation than the Brown Head. The larger the parrot, the more intelligent.