Collecting information on pionus menstrus + new question

[Wrong Bird Lady]

Hello everyone.

Well I'm really sorry if there is already a post like this but after going back 5pages and doing a search I am still left with questions

We want to get a blue headed pionus, I'm hoping in a matter of months after we have addressed the small issue of moving house

However I had never even heard of the bird until a week or so ago when it was suggested to me on another forum (as an alternative to a Galah which we have now decided against as we have very young children). No one there seems to be able to provide me with much more than scraps of information on them though as I don't think they keep them.

I have obviously googled a bit of information but it's be great if keepers here can give me a more concise run down on them. Things like; how easy they are to keep (compared to say our cockatiels), are they prone to being fussy, what's a good diet, is there any real difference between getting a male and female?, what do they like to play, can they learn to talk, in reality how quiet are they etc

Many thanks! We are looking to get a fully weaned baby but it will be imported (with living in UAE - no breeders) so we wont be able to hand choose.

[Shelby]

Cml has a bronze winged pionus and I know one of the other members has a blue headed pionus but I haven't seen her post in a while. Good luck on your search.

[cml]

Cml has a bronze winged pionus and I know one of the other members has a blue headed pionus but I haven't seen her post in a while. Good luck on your search.

Indeed I do!

Pionus parrots are in my experience, and from the people I have talked to who own them, a wonderful parrot. Personally though, I can only account for the bronze winged pionus. Also remember its down to the individual parrot as always.

They are affectionate, laid back and quiet. This is true, and not just something that is said about the species. I think they are probably the best parrot for families with children due to their laid back nature, they are sometimes refferred to as perch potatoes (even if Leroy likes to move around quite a bit) so if you are looking for an energetic parrot, they are probably not for you.

Leroy was quite easy to tame, but he was an aviary bird and parentfed, with a handfed chick it would have been a breeze. All breeders I have talked to with pionuses (and thats about 5-7 different ones) say they are easy to tame and become very affectionate. I can vouch for our guy being great, despite his bad luck, but thats a different story ^^.

To give you some short answers to your questions:

They are easy to care for, not harder than a cockatiel in my opinion (not having owned one)

Our guy is not fussy at all and likes to try different things

Pellets is a good staple diet. Also give veggies and fruit. Seeds for training.

Leroy likes to chew on stuff, he is an aviary bird and hasnt seen a foraging toy in his life. I am trying to introduce them to him though! This is going to be down to the individual bird, different birds like different toys.

Pionus are not known to be good talkers, but really, they are such wonderful birds I couldnt care less.

They are very quiet, in comparison to our little amason, which is a well behaved young little man, he doesnt even make a whisper of a sound. He only screams if frightened, otherwise he is always quiet.

Leroy has never bitten me or even showed a sign of agression, with the one exception when I had to stop a bleeding and had to hold his foot down in potato powder.

[Wrong Bird Lady]

Thank you so much for your answers.

Our children are 14months and 3.5years old...so young, demanding and energetic!
They both love animals and so we need something they can help us take care of that isn't likely to try and take their fingers off We decided against the Galah due to a) size and b) neediness. In the end we agreed it could only do as much damage as a dog or cat but it was the neediness really that was going to be the problem.

My hubby is setting up his own business and I am currently job hunting (after previously staying home with the kids) although not clear yet if I'll take full time or part time, so we need something that can amuse itself during the day time and come free roam once we are home.

The cockatiels currently have the cages open for most of the day, but obviously if we are out or asleep we shut them up because there is no one around to supervise them.

Our male cockatiel is definitely loud and energetic (approx 4months old!)...our suspected female a lot quieter and chilled out (approx 3months old). Both parent raised so we are working on the bonding but both are getting on ok in their own way.

Pionus were reccomended as a good choice to fit in with the family and we're in love with the blue heads I guess I don't mind too much if it's a bit lazy... I'd like it to interact with us a bit obviously but I'd rather not have some energizer bird that I have to spend hours a day when I get in trying to tire it out when I have everyone else to look after as well

[Wrong Bird Lady]

You can't get parrots from local breeders here, even the pet shops and bird markets import them.

That being said I do not see the point in going through the pet shop and paying them 3x the price (if not more in some cases!) for the bird when I can just import myself.

I have sourced two breeders but I'm unclear how to proceed from here as I have no way of checking their reputation. I am nervous about dealing business in areas of the world I know nothing about. Any advice and/or reviews on the breeders are welcome!

http://www.edificio-finituraaviary.com/
Fully weaned, comes in a 3ft long box with spare seed in case of delays shipping, all proper paperwork and DNA'd, no end date to the heath guarantee - if it dies and a post mortum shows it was sick at the time of sale they will replace it, also supplying a CD advising correct parrot care, claim all hand raised chicks (they are offering me the bird $15 cheaper although that isn't important)
My concern - they are in Cameroon Never dealt with this side of the world...

OR Athens Parrots Aviary (can't find web address but advertise online in classifieds)
also fully weaned, hand raised, DNA'd and health guarantee at time of shipping, socialised within a family environment, claim professional shipping etc
Location - Greece (I've already left my details with them as they were the first I found)

or is there maybe somewhere you guys can personally vouch for that does international shipping?

[Wrong Bird Lady]

Okay well now I'm confused!

I found someone advertising from USA who seems to have a legit shop as well so thought this could be the one! The real deal safe option... only the guy has said it will cost $3,000! including shipping

Now the other two places that I'm a little unsure about were asking just under $400 including shipping. There's a BIG difference!

Now I've checked some USA online classifieds to try and get an idea of the price in $ of these birds (since everyone wants paying in dollars anyway!) and I'm getting anything from $250 per bird to $600 per bird...which is making it even harder for me to work out a 'real' price

[cml]

Okay well now I'm confused!

I found someone advertising from USA who seems to have a legit shop as well so thought this could be the one! The real deal safe option... only the guy has said it will cost $3,000! including shipping

Now the other two places that I'm a little unsure about were asking just under $400 including shipping. There's a BIG difference!

Now I've checked some USA online classifieds to try and get an idea of the price in $ of these birds (since everyone wants paying in dollars anyway!) and I'm getting anything from $250 per bird to $600 per bird...which is making it even harder for me to work out a 'real' price

Sounds like a scam to me.

Other than that I have no advice at all about importing birds.

[Wrong Bird Lady]

which one though cml?

The ones asking $400 I was nervous about but then someone wanting $3,000!

The bird will be imprted whether I do it myself or whether I get a shop to do it on my behalf...you don't seem to get breeders here. Even my cockatiels are imported from holland and pakistan! However if I let the shop do it they charge me A LOT more. Put it this way, a galah at the bird market (poor condition and no paperwork) costs me 1,400 AED (local currency) but a pet shop that probably imports from the same place anyway charges 7,000 ! AED

I have never seen a pionus here so far either, it's all african greys, indian ring necks, cocaktiels and rozellas with the odd small parrot thrown in.

[cml]

which one though cml?

The ones asking $400 I was nervous about but then someone wanting $3,000!

3000$ seems ridicously overpriced, it certainly looks like a scam to me. On the other hand 400$ seems to be on the cheap side. I'd try to find a breeder which you can get credentials for, I realize its not easy though!

[marie83]

I think trying to be patient and spend time doing a hell of alot of research into the breeders/shops etc is the best idea. Are there any parrot forums that cover the areas you are thinking of buying from where you could ask for feedback from people that have bought from them? Also check out previous questions and responses. Just be wary that someone posting a reply may well be them or work for them. It's still difficult though and information is really hard to find. Having a nightmare trying to find a quaker breeder myself and I'm not trying to import!