Hi all! I am new and have a Pionus question.

[LadySiobhan]

First, I would like to say how much I have enjoyed reading the information in this forum!
I have recently acquired a Blue Headed Pionus who is quite vocal and is chattering away as I type. He was returned for being too noisy and the owner of the store has allowed to be have him for two weeks to decide if he will be okay with my family. I live on a bit of property so no neighbors to disturb, but I have 3 dogs and Senegal so I want to make sure that my new little guy is not going to be scared of my other pets. He is about 1 year old and I know that there is potential for a change in his behavior as he matures and experiences the onslaught of hormones. I am a High School teacher, so I see the effect of hormones on a daily basis. Haha!
My question is...has anyone noticed a correlation between the amount of natural vocalization in a parrot and their aggressive tendencies? As in this guy is a chatterbox, will he wind up being more aggressive as he gets older? He has not been aggressive at all so far, but I am curious about the potential for it later.

 

[EdwardH]

I'm not aware of any correlation between vocalisation and aggressiveness in any parrot. The blue headed pionus is noted for being gentle and unlikely to bite however they are very active birds so they need about 3 hours of "out of cage time" per day. Generally they bond with the owner though I'm not sure how they respond to other people in the family, I assume they are OK. Hope this helps.

 

[LadySiobhan]

Thank you for answering my question. I haven't heard of it either, but I thought so one might have. I am really hoping this guy likes it with us

 

[KBEquine]

I have never heard of a correlation between chattiness and aggression. The Blue heads seem more mellow than the White Caps & some of the others, in my experience. Mine is a hen. She wants to be near my other birds [my male amazons aren't as thrilled with her nearness as she is with theirs]. To the extent you can, make sure the entire family interacts with him so he focuses on everyone, not on a single person [you already know that, I'm sure]. And "read" your Sennie to see what he is thinking, too.

Good luck. Pionus have characters much larger than their bodies. They are one of my very favorite parrots.

 

[Allee]

Hello and welcome, glad you joined us! I've never noticed a correlation between vocalization and aggression in parrots. Please keep us updated and let us know if you decide to keep Indigo. We'd love to see photos of your birds.

 

[RavensGryf]

I'm not aware of any correlation between vocalisation and aggressiveness in any parrot. The blue headed pionus is noted for being gentle and unlikely to bite however they are very active birds so they need about 3 hours of "out of cage time" per day. Generally they bond with the owner though I'm not sure how they respond to other people in the family, I assume they are OK. Hope this helps.

You'll find that Pionus GREATLY vary in activity levels between individuals. They are generally speaking as a species not so super active that you'd make a point of noting it . In fact, Pionus are sometimes called "perch potatoes" since many are on the more sedate side. My BW Pionus Raven is one such example, although he has his active moments during play of course . Some days Raven can be out all day, usually though several hours, BUT many times he chooses to stay and play inside his cage despite the door being open. On rare days he hardly comes out at all if we're gone all day and really busy, but he's not spoiled so is very easy going about it. That's the great thing about them. If you don't make a point of raising this species to be spoiled, they won't be 'demanding' to have to be with you or on you for X amount of hours per day like the usual macaw or cockatoo. With the more independent parrot species, they will adjust to your schedule.

Pionus are said to be closely genetically related to the Amazons, and do share some characteristics. Raven is a male Pionus, and he is 16 months old. Although Pi's aren't sexually mature until about 3, hormonal behavior changes can happen at around 1 year. Raven is not necessarily more vocal now, just more crotchety and has more of a tendency to want to bite and be territorial. As with Amazons, male Pionus are typically more aggressive especially during hormonal times, and may not be as tolerant of handling as a female. They must be stick trained! They are a wonderful species to have.

 

[LadySiobhan]

I will work on stick training; he is very amenable to stepping up for everyone right now, so it would be a good time to train him to do this. Thanks, great advice. .
It sounds as though his previous owner may have spoiled him by letting him ride on his shoulder all day and then was disappointed when he was screaming when he wasn't allowed out. I am going to make it a point to not create a spoiled Pi!

 

[RavensGryf]

Yes lol, that's a spoiled Pi alright . Even some naturally independent species can be "trained" to be clingy. If you think about it, it's no different from consistently training them!