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Adding a Poi, questions

Macaws, Cockatoos, Greys, Poicephalus, Conures, Lovebirds, Parrotlets, Parakeets etc. Discuss topics related to specific species of parrots and their characteristics, mutations, pros, and cons.

Adding a Poi, questions

Postby Emmy414 » Fri May 05, 2017 8:40 am

I know every bird is an individual, but I'm trying to decide on a senegal or Meyers, would love a red bellied but can't seem to find anyone who breeds them. Wondering if male or female are less aggressive? Those of you that have them, what do you recommend? I have 4 African Greys so not new to parrots but never had a Poi. I've been doing alot of research on these birds, but reading more and more about screaming issues and aggression so a bit worried. Thanks in advance!
Emmy414
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 6
Number of Birds Owned: 17
Types of Birds Owned: 4 African Greys, linneolated parakeets, English Budgie's
Flight: Yes

Re: Adding a Poi, questions

Postby Pajarita » Fri May 05, 2017 10:44 am

Well, I don't know how you are going to manage a fifth bird if you already have four grays UNLESS the grays are bonded to each other which I have found it's a very difficult thing to achieve in handfed ones. As to pois, I don't have a Meyers but I have two senegals and two redbellies (male/female pairs) and I have found the males to be more aggressive than the females (the most aggressive bird I've ever had -by far!- is the male Senegal I now have -he is fine now but it took 3.5 years for him to stop attacking me and I ended up with scars all over my body from his bites -they are like little pitbulls, once they get hold of your flesh, they don't let go!). People say senegals are 'quiet' birds and they are but only when they are happy because I once got a female Senegal that was given up because her owner thought she was going to be evicted from her apartment as she screamed (loudly) all day long (she did not scream with me at all after a couple of weeks). The male redbelly (I got him recently, just a few months ago so I don't know if this will continue) does a loud PREEEEEE PREEEEEEE PREEEEEEE call that I never heard the female doing (it'll be three years in July that I got her). But I've only had the two redbellies and two birds are not really a whole lot of experience in a species so I don't know if my birds are typical or not...
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Adding a Poi, questions

Postby Emmy414 » Fri May 05, 2017 3:44 pm

Thank you for your input! I appreciate it, though I'm not sure why you aren't sure how I will manage with my 4 Greys? My Greys are 16, 18, 24, and 33 years old, very happy healthy, well adjusted birds that I have had since weaned, all but the 33 year old who i took in from a rescue at age 21. No pluckers, none interact with each other but like to see one another from a distance which is fine with my husband and I as we give them each one on one time when they aren't out on their individual play trees. I don't plan on the Senegal being near them either as he or she will be on his own tree as well in another room. We are long time parrot owners, and don't go into parrot ownership lightly without proper research and care, just doing research on the pois but leaning toward a sennie
Emmy414
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 6
Number of Birds Owned: 17
Types of Birds Owned: 4 African Greys, linneolated parakeets, English Budgie's
Flight: Yes

Re: Adding a Poi, questions

Postby stevesjk » Sat May 06, 2017 4:19 am

Dont you think he'll feel left out when he can hear the other birds?
stevesjk
Conure
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 220
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal parrot budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: Adding a Poi, questions

Postby Emmy414 » Sat May 06, 2017 6:41 am

Absolutely not. He wouldn't feel left out because I have play stands for our birds in each of our rooms. We have an open floor plan on our main level and the birds can be in what I would consider "other rooms" and not near each other but can still see one another. I meant none are "right on top of each other" but can still interact. I am not new to parrots and know very well that they need to be near their flock and would never isolate one by itself in another room. I have read that many Senegals became bird aggressive though but hope that won't be the case
Emmy414
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 6
Number of Birds Owned: 17
Types of Birds Owned: 4 African Greys, linneolated parakeets, English Budgie's
Flight: Yes

Re: Adding a Poi, questions

Postby Pajarita » Sat May 06, 2017 11:18 am

Neither the male Senegal nor either of the redbellies have shown any aggression toward any other bird but it took close monitoring for about 1.5 year with the female Senegal because she originally disliked the redbelly female and would go after her every now and then. She no longer does that and all four of them have made a 'loose' flock (they fly and perch together often but they also go their own ways).

I don't know what your birds are used to but I had six grays at a time and none of them ever bonded to any other bird... not even a male and female brother and sister that had grown up and lived together all their lives. Personally, I try to give all my birds either mates or companions because keeping them as human pets exclusively shortchanges them terribly and takes up way too much of my time. I don't know your routine but having to spend two hours of one-on-one with each bird puts a toll on me... Thankfully, the last two birds that were 'alone', a female CAG and a male LS2 have now bonded to each other. This was a HUGE surprise to me because aside from the fact that they don't look similar to each other AT ALL, Sophie CAG had never shown any interest in any other bird in her entire life (she is 17) even though she lived with five other grays and one of them (a female TAG) for 11 or 12 years - and Linus Too had never lived with another bird in his 25 years of age.

You will have to be very careful because you won't be able to get the Senegal off your shoulder and I doubt your grays will take it kindly to not having any shoulder time at all...
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Adding a Poi, questions

Postby Emmy414 » Tue May 09, 2017 7:57 am

I have found a little female Meyers and a female senegal, what are your thoughts on trying to have them get along for companionship as well as to be bonded to us?
Emmy414
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 6
Number of Birds Owned: 17
Types of Birds Owned: 4 African Greys, linneolated parakeets, English Budgie's
Flight: Yes

Re: Adding a Poi, questions

Postby Emmy414 » Tue May 09, 2017 7:58 am

I forgot to add that they both will be weaned within a couple weeks of each other
Emmy414
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 6
Number of Birds Owned: 17
Types of Birds Owned: 4 African Greys, linneolated parakeets, English Budgie's
Flight: Yes

Re: Adding a Poi, questions

Postby Pajarita » Tue May 09, 2017 9:46 am

I really cannot answer your question with any degree of accuracy because I never buy babies, much less two of them to be raised together so I have no experience whatsoever on this (I am an animal rights activist and lover and only take in birds that are no longer wanted by their owners -and most of them with either behavioral or medical issues). I've also learned not to rely on other people's opinions on behavior because I have found that most of them are not reliable when it comes to observations, conclusions or even truthfulness. I draw information from my own personal experience (zero in this case) or nature but, as a Meyer's and a Senegal don't live together in the wild, I have nothing to base an opinion on.
I could speculate that if the birds are kept together from infancy (you don't say if they would both come from the same breeder or if they have been kept together until now), they would regard themselves as siblings first and later as flock mates but captivity distorts behaviors that are natural to wild birds so it would be mere speculation...

What I can tell you is that, given the right circumstances, even adult birds would end up if not bonding to each other, at least, accepting each other and even sharing their environment without a problem. At least, that has been my personal experience because I not only do not have any aggression issues, I also have some pretty cool flock dynamics going on with the pois. But it requires not only time and patience as well as the right handling of whatever incident will pop up (and there are always 'incidents' at the beginning and for a while before they 'settle down'), it also requires that the birds are kept the right husbandry because a hormonal bird will never react well to sharing anything with another one unless it's bonded to it. I have an arsenal of 'tools' that help my birds with this. From a strict solar schedule with full expore to dawn and dusk so as to keep their endocrine system working well and good quality full spectrum light (and this is not only to prevent sexual frustration but for ALL hormones, including the 'mood' ones: endorphins, dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin); a super strict daily routine (it decreases stress by giving them a sense of control over their lives) and, at least, six hours of out of cage time and flight (avoids accumulation of stress hormones in their bloodstream) and a fresh food diet which, again, helps not only to keep them healthy (a healthy bird already has 50% of the 'happiness' battle won) but also contributes to a good production AND reception of mood hormones (by the regular feeding of food items rich in tryptophan).
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Adding a Poi, questions

Postby Emmy414 » Tue May 09, 2017 10:06 am

Yes, i agree with you on all of the above, actually I pretty much knew that before i asked, I'm not going to go with 2, they were from different breeders and giving one the attention it deserves and needs will be enough. But thank you for all your knowledge
Emmy414
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 6
Number of Birds Owned: 17
Types of Birds Owned: 4 African Greys, linneolated parakeets, English Budgie's
Flight: Yes


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