Contemplating a companion

[Chris_1]

Hi all. This is my first post on this forum.

I had a budgie for almost 7 years before an acute illness took him back in June. Overcoming the mourning process, I have found a longing for another companion. My interest turns to an Ekkie or a Pionus. My background is that I work full-time, but have 5-10 minute travel to check in. Apartment living, but more than happy to spend weekends doing things outside with them. Knowledgeable about diets, exercise, and medical care.

The real questions I had were this: I do some woodworking on my patio. Woodworking produces sawdust. Fine sawdust being bad for respiratory systems, I wanted to hear opinions on this. If I were to clean outside, try to minimize any dust tracking when returning inside, and keep the apartment well-cleaned and air purified…. Would the concern be negligible?

I may be overthinking this, but I do love birds of all kinds and miss being able to divert my attention onto a bird-child. I consider everything before making decisions, especially when it comes to avian welfare.

I really appreciate your time in reading and helping a brother out, and happy to help identify or clarify anything you might have.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I'm sorry you lost your budgie. I feel your pain. Getting another bird is a great idea now that you feel ready for it. Apartment living, however, with a parrot is often problematic. Parrots can be noisy to some degree.

There are quite a few Eclectus people on these forums and they can advise you well.

Everything I've heard about a Pionus, though I've never had one or even met one, is good news for apartment dwellers! They are reputed to be relatively quiet, very nice birds. The only problem is finding one as few people breed them at least not here in the US and they seldom show up at rescues. You may have to travel quite a distance to acquire one. Good luck!

 

[Chris_1]

I'm sorry you lost your budgie. I feel your pain. Getting another bird is a great idea now that you feel ready for it. Apartment living, however, with a parrot is often problematic. Parrots can be noisy to some degree.

There are quite a few Eclectus people on these forums and they can advise you well.

Everything I've heard about a Pionus, though I've never had one or even met one, is good news for apartment dwellers! They are reputed to be relatively quiet, very nice birds. The only problem is finding one as few people breed them at least not here in the US and they seldom show up at rescues. You may have to travel quite a distance to acquire one. Good luck!

Thank you Donna. I’m aware of apartment-dwelling restrictions, both community guidelines and general spacing. As for vocalizations, I’m sure would depend on the personalities, and I plan to take a lot of time after receiving them in acclimating and training to be well-behaved. I know how crucial it is in the first few months of having a bird child, lol.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

As I told someone else wanting to get a "super quiet" Amazon for their dorm room, when you aren't home they may call out to their missing flock (you) and may be nice and quiet when you're home. One of those cameras with sound that you Bluetooth into your phone would reveal it! I hope you find a nice quiet-ish parrot companion!

 

[Jcas]

I’m sorry for the loss of your budgie; they really do brighten up our lives. As far as your concerns over the sawdust, if you take the precautions mentioned I don’t think it would be a problem at all for your new bird. Best of luck in finding a new feathered companion!

 

[Chris_1]

I’m sorry for the loss of your budgie; they really do brighten up our lives. As far as your concerns over the sawdust, if you take the precautions mentioned I don’t think it would be a problem at all for your new bird. Best of luck in finding a new feathered companion!

Thank you for the affirmation Jcas. Sometimes explaining the situation and current mindset may neglect thinking of the possibilities of other circumstances. I guess that was what I am curious about from replies to this.

 

[kme3388]

4 months ago my husband refinished our wood flooring. There was dust everywhere. I put all of my parrots upstairs in rooms with closed doors. I had 2 air purifiers going, and I closed the vents that push out air in both rooms. I didn’t have an issue at all. For the saw dust portion of this.

I do have a male Ekkie. Males and females can be quite different. When they hit puberty & become hormonal they can become rather challenging parrots. If this is the parrot you are leaning towards research Ekkie hormones. It will of course vary upon the parrot themselves too.

 

[Chris_1]

4 months ago my husband refinished our wood flooring. There was dust everywhere. I put all of my parrots upstairs in rooms with closed doors. I had 2 air purifiers going, and I closed the vents that push out air in both rooms. I didn’t have an issue at all. For the saw dust portion of this.

I do have a male Ekkie. Males and females can be quite different. When they hit puberty & become hormonal they can become rather challenging parrots. If this is the parrot you are leaning towards research Ekkie hormones. It will of course vary upon the parrot themselves too.

Thank you. That sawdust potential problem was mostly on my mind with this thread. I wasn’t doing woodworking when I had my budgie but I was very cautious about the air for him even then. Regarding puberty, I can definitely see that being a potential hurdle. I would definitely take some advice for curbing aggressive or territorial behaviors. A diet formulated to reduce hormones and contact behavior seems to be the common resolution, but I’m sure there are other things to consider.

I once was about to be invested in an ekkie, but I was held back because of an ultimatum from my partner at the time. We definitely connected on the few visits that I handled him. I have never yet handled a Pionus, but they are mostly independent and sometimes cuddly. Will probably see about going to a breeder or reputable aviary to handle one soon.

If anyone knows or has a Pionus, I would love to hear the experiences, good or bad.