Thinking about getting a Senegal parrot

[costello22]

Hi:

I've never owned a parrot but always thought I might like to. I stopped in at the local humane society on Saturday, and they happened to have a Senegal parrot. (http://www.petharbor.com/pet.asp?uaid=LAWR.A021470) He's a ten year old male.

I stopped to talk to him for a while and was really taken by him. He's a charming little bird, and we whistled and clicked at each other for about 15 minutes. I did some research, and it looks like it might be a good breed for me.

Anyway I'm leaning toward getting this bird. One thing I noticed while I was talking to this bird was that his pupil kept dilating and contracting rapidly. I learned about eye pinning by googling this morning. It said it could be a sign of interest, attention, or aggression. I'm going to go in and interact with him a bit more this morning, including opening the cage and handling him some if possible - which I didn't do the first time.

Any suggestions on things to look for to determine if he does or doesn't like me and any other signs that he may have behavior problems.

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

Oh, and my current bird experience is limited to chickens which I've had for three years (Including three bantam roosters that live in the house and go outside on nice days) and doves which I've owned for one year.

[Pajarita]

Unfortunately, because of the situation he is in (lost his human and his home), his behavior now is not an indication of how he will behave later in your home. There is something we call 'the honeymoon period' when they are at their best behavior and this is the place where he is now. Parrots are prey animals that depend on their flock and flight to escape danger as well as their knowledge of their territory but a lone bird in a cage, in a strange place, without a human he can rely on has nothing to make him feel safe so, smart cookies that they are, they do not call attention to themselves or create any situation where they might end up hurt -thus: the honeymoon period.

Now, this does not mean that you should not adopt him! Senegals tend to be one person birds all the way and can be quite aggressive with strangers but they are also very smart and affectionate so even the 'mean' ones calm down after a while if you play your cards right and have patience. I am afraid that your experience with doves and chickens is not going to be very useful with a parrot but we all had to learn when we first started because parrots are really very different than any other species we might keep as a companion so we all went through the learning process. What you need to ask yourself is whether you can make a 30 year commitment and are willing and able to change your lifestyle so as to accommodate his needs because although keeping parrots can be extremely rewarding, it's also no picnic.

[costello22]

Thanks, Pajarita.

I visited Kiwi today and spent about an hour and a half with him. The shelter knows very little about him. Apparently he was originally purchased from a local pet shop, but the latest owner only had him for a year. I don't know if he's been bounced from home to home, or if he was with one family for nine years and the second one for one.

He arrived at the shelter in his cage, and they have not been able to get him to come out. He doesn't know to step up onto a hand. He bit me when I tried to get him to. Eventually he allowed me to stroke his beak for a while without trying to bite.

You can get him to step from one swing to another, but when I held an orange highlighter in the cage to see if I could get him to step onto something I was holding, he immediately fled to the back of the cage and hid.

I plan on going back this evening after work to see him again.

[Wolf]

Well, to begin with I would like to encourage you to continue to visit Kiwi and get to know him better.

I really can't say any better than you what his past was like, his refusal to come out of his cage may be an indication that he has been left in his cage for so long that he is somewhat cage bound or it could simply be that he is unfamiliar with the new environment and is simply afraid to come out for now. Likewise with the not stepping up could indicate several things beginning with that he has forgotten how to step up, being cage bound, being afraid of the place he is in, being afraid of you or just that he does not trust you just yet. Based on what you have said thus far I am leaning towards that he just doesn't trust you enough just yet.

It is pretty much a normal behavior for them to be afraid of strange new items that they are unfamiliar with although when it comes to living beings they tend to be pretty much fearless.

They are very fascinating creatures and not only are they self aware and intelligent, they are all very much individual with their very own personalities unlike that of any other parrot. If you want to be his friend then talk to him in a sort of coaxing type of voice and give him lots of good bird type of praise using his name often as his name is very important to him just like your name is to you. Bring him a treat such as a little bit of sprig type millet and offer him a bite or two while talking to him. If he does not take any of it then be sure to leave a couple of small pieces of it in his cage for him. It is important to never offer him something without leaving it for them.

[costello22]

Thanks, Wolf.

I made a second visit after work - unfortunately very short due to the fact they were closing. I can't tell if he remembered me or not. I'm sure a lot of people are visiting him - if not potential adopters, at least the staff and volunteers are surely interested.

Things went better the second visit (not that the first was bad), probably because I'm learning how to approach him. When I put my hand up to him, he gave me his beak to stroke. Mostly we just whistled and clicked at each other.

I had thought about bringing him some kind of treat. I'll ask the folks at the shelter if it's ok.

My plan is to visit twice a day for the rest of the week.

[costello22]

I just talked to a friend who raises exotic birds. She says the parrot can't be around chickens. Their dander could harm his respiratory system. If that's so, I can't get the parrot.

[Wolf]

If you were talking about getting a macaw, I would probably agree with this assessment even though I have never heard about this involving chickens and parrots. I would love to see the documentation that provides this information. There is documentation that shows that macaws suffer respiratory distress when exposed to the dander from dust birds such as cockatiels and other members of the cockatoo family or to that of an African Grey parrot. This does not preclude a person from having both a macaw and one of these dust birds, but it does mean that they should be kept in separate rooms along with an air purifier.

I have several types of parrots in the same room and I do use an air purifier as my Grey does produce a lot of dust and using the purifier makes house cleaning especially dusting easier. One of the parrot species kept in the same room as my Grey is a Senegal and after three years of her living with my Grey I have not noticed any type of respiratory distress.

In Africa where both the Senegal parrot and the Grey parrot originate from their natural territories are adjacent to each other and very often overlap.

I hope that this helps you and I am looking forward to the documentation from your friend.

[costello22]

Thanks, Wolf. I googled the question and came to the same conclusion. I'll ask my friend if she has any documentation about it.

[costello22]

Kiwi did the cutest thing during my visit this evening. He stood on his perch with his back toward the front of the cage, took a wide stance, lowered his body, and rocked back and forth rapidly. It was really adorable, and it looked like excitement or playfulness to me, but I don't know parrot body language.

I wish I'd had my camera with me. It was so cute.

[Wolf]

I would have to conclude based on your description that Kiwi is hormonal and that he was masturbating. This is a behavior that is completely normal and one in which I neither encourage nor discourage. If you decide to get him you will need to place him on a solar light schedule as well as to consider his diet and be prepared to modify it so as to probably reduce the level of protein in it.