Hi all. Bird newbie here looking forward to a Senegal.

[BlackoutCat]

Hi I'm a young woman looking to break into the bird keeping world. It's been six years since I first met and fell in love with the Senegal species however I have not been finacially stable enough to consider bringing one into my home. Now with a steady income and a bird friendly home I'm getting myself ready to be a bird parent. Hoping that connecting here with other bird lovers will help me make the best choices for me and future birdie! Currently I'm talking to a local breeder about purcasing one of her chicks and am on the hunt for a large cage (more on cage hunting below). Long term I'd love to have an African Grey or a large Cockatoo (perhaps sulfer crested) but I'm definitely going to build up my experience bird keeping first.

Biggest frustration right now is living in a metropolis area that is surrounded by rural cities. In other words I'm very limited to where I can find bird supplies, especially cages! I'm looking at cages suitable for a Senegal that are more spacious than the minimum requirement and are a few feet off the floor. Preferably I'd like something on casters so I can move it, locking casters would be perfect! Locally I'm only finding larger size cages with 1" bar spacing and it's frustrating because I'd love for my new family member to have room to move about but not get it's head stuck in unsafe bar spacing. I might even go custom if I can find a Canadian manufacturer that is reasonable to purchase from.

In any case here's to hoping I can have a good relationship with fellow bird keepers here!

Slight oops I may have gone to a local pet store today to ask what cages they can order in (all small ones for the record) and saw a Meyer's parrot... and I may have thought he was adorable and wanted to bring him home right then and there. I didn't but ooooo he was sooo personable and beautiful!

[Wolf]

Welcome to the forum.
I am surprised to hear you say how limited you are on bird supplies as you live in a metropolis surrounded by rural cities, I live in a rural area surrounded by rural towns surrounded by more rural towns with no city closer than 4 hours away. Even being closer to a city of any size would be an improvement as far as bird supplies go, but then again there is the internet which puts supplies as close as my computer. I guess it all depends on how one chooses to look at it.

[liz]

I order my bird supplies on line. Drs Foster and Smith have good quality and good prices. Amazon is also good.

I also find my birds on line through craigslist or http://www.rescueme.org. I prefer to rescue a bird in need. I don't do pet shops or breeders.

As of last night I am up to 13 cockatiels. All but the first 3 were found online.

[Pajarita]

Welcome to the forum! Senegals are wonderful birds, beautiful, smart, great size, etc but they are not the easiest because they don't take it kindly to people not doing what they need or want (there are other species that are more accommodating and forgiving of mistakes) so it's not the species I would recommend for a newbie, especially if they work full time (they are hormonal little things) because they bite - HARD! But I guess you already know this... As to buying from a breeder, well, I think that given the large amount of homeless birds there are out there, for a bird lover, adopting is the only way to go but, leaving aside the overpopulation issue and the been part of the problem or part of the solution, for a newbie, it's always easier to deal with an adult than with a baby (a baby been an unknown both in temperament and health while an adult from a rescue is already vetted and a 'what you see is what you get' in terms of temperament). But, if you have your heart set on a baby, please do not buy from a petstore, they usually buy from bird mills and is akin to buying a puppymill dog (NOT a good idea!).

[BlackoutCat]

Thanks for the tips guys. The metropolis I live in is pretty strict shopping based so far, the population only recently exploded (I believe second fastest growing city in all of Canada) so there's a huge swath of various markets that are unclaimed. I should also note that I work from home so I have more than 4 hours daily to spend with my animals and I'm prepared to be very patient with training. I've been researching everything I possibly can on Senegals to be as prepared as possible, however nothing beats first hand experience. That said if you honestly think a Senegal isn't the best choice I'm all for suggestions! I dislike budgies, cockatiels, and lovebirds though, they're just not birds for me. I had a lovebird as a family pet when I was a child but I don't count that as "bird keeping experience" especially considering my mother got rid of him after he nipped me (didn't even draw blood).

As for rescues I would love to but I have two problems. One is that I want experience with a bird that has no vices I need to train out of it for my first bird. Two there are literally no bird rescues around here! There's an Animal Shelter but the place never gets birds except the ocassional dove or budgie neither of which I would like to have. Resellers on sites like Craigslist always want significant amounts of money back from their mistake purchase. In fact most I see are African Greys which I know I'm not prepared for and they all come from the two pet stores in the area. It's a pretty tight market here, even the one "bird specialty store" in the area carries small animal cages and toys to keep up business when things are quiet for bird owners. Closest Avian Vet is over 4 hours away (next province over), there's a closer vet that will take birds but refers out if the problem is beyond their expertise.

Also online ordering while convenient means shipping across borders and deal in with customs which I rather want to avoid.

My local area sucks.

[mikella]

Sent you a PM. I'm in the area, maybe I can help you with some stuff

[liz]

Sent you a PM. I'm in the area, maybe I can help you with some stuff

Doing good. These connections are very important. Connect the neighborhoods.

[Pajarita]

Have you considered any other species besides a Senegal? Species that are not as bitey? Have you considered travelling a bit to get a bird from a rescue? Have you looked for bird clubs or asked at the avian vet or a vet that treats exotics if they know of a rescue nearby? Most rescues don't really advertise due to the huge overpopulation problem (they are all at more than capacity in a matter of months after they open).

Because, getting a baby bird does not mean the bird will not end up with issues. It's God's truth that ALL the birds that end up in a rescue with behavioral issues got them after been acquired as a baby and raised by somebody who had the best of intentions but found out later that intentions were not enough. I am not trying to put you down, you might end up been the best owner EVER but, in lots of cases, behavioral issues are not even 100% the new owner's fault because breeders cause A LOT of these problems themselves and this is something nobody can really tell from a baby. And that's why a bird that has been evaluated, is grown (past puberty) and already knows the 'ropes' of captivity often is the best possible option for somebody who has no prior experience.

Think about it.

[Wolf]

Also consider that with a bird from a rescue the staff can tell you about any issues that the bird may have. Then there is the fact that a baby bird upon reaching puberty undergoes a change in personality and no matter how close you were that is subject to change as it prepares to choose its mate. With an older bird from the rescue you will know if the bird chooses you and it is not likely to change.
I am not going to say anything about your choice of birds but these points are worth considering. I have a Senegal and I will tell you that when she bites that she removes about a 1/4 inch hunk of flesh from me, and she loves me and thankfully doesn't bite me often any more. You should know about this as they tend to bite a bit more than some of the other species, such as the Meyers.

[mikella]

No, there really are zero rescues in any of the Maritime provinces - at least that I was able to find (that were still in existence/operating). I looked over the last two years. That said, I found my guy through the Eastern Canada Avian Association on Facebook. People post on there looking to rehome their birds - I probably see a couple per week on there (sometimes a few more, sometimes less). This is a good way to network and find a bird (and supplies). For a cage, keep checking kijiji. You can get some great cages on there for great prices if you keep your eye open. If you answer my PM, I can give you a little more info as to a store you may be able to get a cage from if you want to order a new one.

Please note though - I waited for two years, casually keeping my eye open for the right "fit" to adopt. And the little guy I adopted was not the little guy I THOUGHT I was adopting (I even met him) - feel free to check out my thread. So it's a good thing you are here to learn, if adoption is something you are actually interested in. It's doable, and you can find a great companion that needs a home - but you need to know some things first, unless you are willing to take one in that has behavioural problems (they obviously need homes too, and I wouldn't change what happened to me at this point, but I do wish I had have been prepared).

As far as type of bird goes - Honestly, budgies are PHENOMENAL little guys with massive personalities. Just had to throw that in there. People who haven't experienced them really have no idea! I have quite the soft spot for them.

Thought I'd add: If you're talking about PEI having an avian vet - there's not even one there anymore. Zero now apparently in any of the provinces. Sad thing.