Senegal or Tag?

[NiR]

I am looking for a friendly smart bird who is trainable and cuddly. Also less agressive. There are pros and cons of both bird that I like dislike. Senegal I like because they are smart, cuddly, trainable but dislike because I heard they are very agressive as they grow up and tends to bite more then other birds. The tag I like because they are super smart and also trainable and is best talker( although talking isn't as important for me) but I don't like that they can be phobic and paranoid, feather pluckers and are not cuddly. Not being cuddly ( as in not being able to lay him on his back and pet him like I could do with senegal most likely) is the biggest negative.

So which bird is better for me? I would appreciate personal experiences from people of these pets and would be interested to know if the pros and cons are exaggerated. Also how your experiences with these pets are.

 

[MacawGuy]

Any birds and be a Plucker. Not just greys. U need to spend time with both birds then go from there

 

[NiR]

Any birds and be a Plucker. Not just greys. U need to spend time with both birds then go from there

Thats like saying any bird can talk, so why not get a bird with 1% chance to talk? Senegals have a far lower chance to pluck feathers. No one said he isnt capable of plucking feathers.

what you mean spending time>? There is nothing i can learn from going to a breeder and seeing babies. Baby birds shows a bad picture of how it really is. Eventhough i went to tons already.

 

[Spiritbird]

I have a Timmie but not a sennie. Of course I would go with a TAG. She has been such a sweet bird and easily tained. I made a mistake of whistling while she was young so she loves to whistle more that talk. She does talk though. If you look in the thread about or videos you will see many of Rosie. The only negative is that she is cage possive which most likely came from me putting my hands in the cage when she was insdie. I read members threads here that Sennies are loud.

 

[Mare Miller]

Why do senegals have a far lower chance of plucking?

 

[MacawGuy]

u shouldn't pick out a bird because it has a lower % of plucking. u should pick a bird out that u like more. not because u think it may not pluck. that's like saying if any of your bird that u get if it plucks ur going to get rid of it. u need to go handle both types of birds n see which one u would like to put in ur family.

 

[paulhanlon]

I have never heard such a thing a Senegal has less chance of plucking than a grey I'd love to know what websites and books you have being reading from any bird can be a Plucker if you don't want a bird that plucks there's 2 things you need to do make sure the bird is always healthy and spend loads of time with the bird as plucking normally happens when the bird is sick and also when it is board due to lack of toys and human interaction if you keep the bird healthy and very active the chances of your fid plucking is very slim

 

[NiR]

u shouldn't pick out a bird because it has a lower % of plucking. u should pick a bird out that u like more. not because u think it may not pluck. that's like saying if any of your bird that u get if it plucks ur going to get rid of it. u need to go handle both types of birds n see which one u would like to put in ur family.

I would never get rid of a bird because he plucks. I am not heartless.. But those are issues that i want to have a chance of minimizing. Just like why i wouldnt want a snake in the house cause i feel that they are dangerous (might not be but thats how i feel). So The only thing i hear about from people like yourself is that the biggest problems with greys are them being phobic and plucking feathers. and biggest problems i hear from senegal owners is that they are aggressive. This is info i acquired from owners and reading tons of articles. I have handle both birds as babies. Since thats all i can do. I been to tons of breeders and both birds are sweet as can be in the pet shop. I preferred the senegals more since the ones the breeders had were able to be flipped and they laid on my hand while i tickled it. But again this is a bad picture of how they are when they grow up. So i wanted to know from peoples experience how they are even if you do train them well and reinforce their positive behaviors.

i honestly like both of them but they each have their problems more then the other. It all depends on the individual but i want to lower the chances. Same reason why families want to live in neighborhoods that has low crime rates. Doesnt mean they cant die from a gun shot. It just means they are trying to lower their chances.

after i pick the breed, i will then let the bird choose me.

 

[paulhanlon]

u shouldn't pick out a bird because it has a lower % of plucking. u should pick a bird out that u like more. not because u think it may not pluck. that's like saying if any of your bird that u get if it plucks ur going to get rid of it. u need to go handle both types of birds n see which one u would like to put in ur family.

I would never get rid of a bird because he plucks. I am not heartless.. But those are issues that i want to have a chance of minimizing. Just like why i wouldnt want a snake in the house cause i feel that they are dangerous (might not be but thats how i feel). So The only thing i hear about from people like yourself is that the biggest problems with greys are them being phobic and plucking feathers. and biggest problems i hear from senegal owners is that they are aggressive. This is info i acquired from owners and reading tons of articles. I have handle both birds as babies. Since thats all i can do. I been to tons of breeders and both birds are sweet as can be in the pet shop. I preferred the senegals more since the ones the breeders had were able to be flipped and they laid on my hand while i tickled it. But again this is a bad picture of how they are when they grow up. So i wanted to know from peoples experience how they are even if you do train them well and reinforce their positive behaviors.

i honestly like both of them but they each have their problems more then the other. It all depends on the individual but i want to lower the chances. Same reason why families want to live in neighborhoods that has low crime rates. Doesnt mean they cant die from a gun shot. It just means they are trying to lower their chances.

after i pick the breed, i will then let the bird choose me.

Senegal's aggressive? We own a Senegal and she's far from aggressive she loves her head scratches she's good with all children and our five dogs and as for what you have heard about the greys being phobic and so on yes its true if you don't expose them to new people and objects when they are young they become phobic that's why its best to introduce them to new objects and people everyday to prevent them from becoming phobic

 

[friedsoup]

Paul hit it right on the head it really depends on how you socialize your bird, I remember a time not too long ago when the only way you knew someone had a bird was if you went to their home and it was a big shock; bird ownership was treated like the idiot child in the basement. Now with Harnesses and other tools you can take your bird with you and they are growing in popularity as information is coming out. We nor our bird have to be hidden in the closet any more. As to a why Grey's tend to be more inclined to be pluckers has been attributed to inbreading and just all around lazy breeding practices (ever notice that dog and cat breeders "the good ones" breed the animals with the best qualities not so with most bird breeders. Got a bird who can't be handled make it a breeder, one that screams all day set it up as a breeder, healthy bird that plucks and is aggressive and again make it a breeder.) and we wonder why certain birds out there that start out sweet and become holy trerrors ? It's not that we failed as parronts (ok maybe we did by not checking out our breeder) but we now have these forums and you-tube where we can ask questions and pose solutions, due to our trial and errors. The best advice any of us on here can give you is pick the bird that picks you if you just have to have a baby then put your hand in there and see who comes to you and tries to cuddle your hand, not who will let you pick him up, and if you can bring yourself to try and help a bird who needs extra love use the same attitude see the bird who follows you from one side of his cage to the other as you look at the other birds the one who makes eye contact with you, even if they tell you "watch out" if that bird is picking you he most likely will be able to be rehablitated and who knows you might be the person on here who finds and answer to someones elses questions. Good Luck! I'll put the soap box back where I found it.

 

[NiR]

I have never heard such a thing a Senegal has less chance of plucking than a grey I'd love to know what websites and books you have being reading from any bird can be a Plucker if you don't want a bird that plucks there's 2 things you need to do make sure the bird is always healthy and spend loads of time with the bird as plucking normally happens when the bird is sick and also when it is board due to lack of toys and human interaction if you keep the bird healthy and very active the chances of your fid plucking is very slim

Yes it is general knowledge that senegals doesn't pluck much ( u ever seen a Senegal that plucks?). And also general knowledge that congos are known pluckers ( but it doesn't happen as long as you raise it right). I assume you are going to disagree that timnehs pluck much less then congos and that there aren't much differences between congos and timnehs besides size and looks.

 

[paulhanlon]

I have never heard such a thing a Senegal has less chance of plucking than a grey I'd love to know what websites and books you have being reading from any bird can be a Plucker if you don't want a bird that plucks there's 2 things you need to do make sure the bird is always healthy and spend loads of time with the bird as plucking normally happens when the bird is sick and also when it is board due to lack of toys and human interaction if you keep the bird healthy and very active the chances of your fid plucking is very slim

Yes it is general knowledge that senegals doesn't pluck much ( u ever seen a Senegal that plucks?). And also general knowledge that congos are known pluckers ( but it doesn't happen as long as you raise it right). I assume you are going to disagree that timnehs pluck much less then congos and that there aren't much differences between congos and timnehs besides size and looks.

I'm going to disagree full stop because it is not general knowledge that senegal's don't pluck I would love to know who has told you this or where you have read it from and yes I have seen senegal's that pluck if you looked at the right websites you would find pictures and videos of not just senegal's that are plucking but also the African grey, macaws, amazons etc. There is no percentage to how extreme a bird can pluck itself really it is down to the owner to make sure that the bird doesn't start plucking by keeping it healthy and active and if you want to disagree with me go right ahead but everything I have said there are cold hard facts.

 

[NiR]

I have never heard such a thing a Senegal has less chance of plucking than a grey I'd love to know what websites and books you have being reading from any bird can be a Plucker if you don't want a bird that plucks there's 2 things you need to do make sure the bird is always healthy and spend loads of time with the bird as plucking normally happens when the bird is sick and also when it is board due to lack of toys and human interaction if you keep the bird healthy and very active the chances of your fid plucking is very slim

Yes it is general knowledge that senegals doesn't pluck much ( u ever seen a Senegal that plucks?). And also general knowledge that congos are known pluckers ( but it doesn't happen as long as you raise it right). I assume you are going to disagree that timnehs pluck much less then congos and that there aren't much differences between congos and timnehs besides size and looks.

I'm going to disagree full stop because it is not general knowledge that senegal's don't pluck I would love to know who has told you this or where you have read it from and yes I have seen senegal's that pluck if you looked at the right websites you would find pictures and videos of not just senegal's that are plucking but also the African grey, macaws, amazons etc. There is no percentage to how extreme a bird can pluck itself really it is down to the owner to make sure that the bird doesn't start plucking by keeping it healthy and active and if you want to disagree with me go right ahead but everything I have said there are cold hard facts.

I have met many many people (such as michael with his senegal kili) and they have all said that senegals arent known pluckers. Sure it can happen but the chances are low but what they do have is an agressive problem. for every 1 senegal you show me that plucks i can show you 10 cags that plucks. I am not saying its not possible, all i am saying is that the chances are much much lower with senegals to pluck as well as TAGS compared to cags.

 

[paulhanlon]

Yes it is general knowledge that senegals doesn't pluck much ( u ever seen a Senegal that plucks?). And also general knowledge that congos are known pluckers ( but it doesn't happen as long as you raise it right). I assume you are going to disagree that timnehs pluck much less then congos and that there aren't much differences between congos and timnehs besides size and looks.

I'm going to disagree full stop because it is not general knowledge that senegal's don't pluck I would love to know who has told you this or where you have read it from and yes I have seen senegal's that pluck if you looked at the right websites you would find pictures and videos of not just senegal's that are plucking but also the African grey, macaws, amazons etc. There is no percentage to how extreme a bird can pluck itself really it is down to the owner to make sure that the bird doesn't start plucking by keeping it healthy and active and if you want to disagree with me go right ahead but everything I have said there are cold hard facts.

I have met many many people (such as michael with his senegal kili) and they have all said that senegals arent known pluckers. Sure it can happen but the chances are low but what they do have is an agressive problem. for every 1 senegal you show me that plucks i can show you 10 cags that plucks. I am not saying its not possible, all i am saying is that the chances are much much lower with senegals to pluck as well as TAGS compared to cags.

For every Senegal I show you plucking you could show me 10 greys plucking OK I'll put it this way and I'm sure every person who owns a Senegal or a grey on this site will agree with me when i say senegal's are not aggressive if cared for in the right manner for example kept healthy kept active and well socalized and are handled often the same goes for any other species of parrot including the African greys if sick or board any bird will pluck not just the greys.

 

[mtdoramike]

The few Senegals that I have been around including mine have the Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde personality, sweet and cuddly one minute and nippy to the point of being bitey the next.

Example, my wife was sitting with Tiki our Senegal with Tiki on her shoulder. Tiki was enjoying a good head scratch and decided out of the blue to nip my wife's finger. She went to lift Tiki off of her shoulder and place her back on her playstand when Tiki bit down on her finger drawing blood. We are both retired and interact with our birds constantly because we have the time.

So, I beg to differ, no matter how much socialization a bird gets doesn't necessarily translate to whether or not they will be nippy. It depends on the birds personality. But I also believe it also depends on their species as well. Take Pit Bull dogs for instance, some say that they are real sweet hearts and as long as they are treated properly, they are fine until they rip your face off.

 

[sssaucey]

In general you do hear more about CAG's and cockatoo's being more prone to plucking, but I have seen two greenwing macaws that have plucked and snipped their feathers.

I wouldn't focus so much on the fact that one species of bird may pluck more than the other. I would say look at the two species you are interested in and try to find an individual bird that shows a liking to you from either species. After all I'm sure you plan on providing toys and interaction for your bird to avoid boredom haha

 

[NiR]

I'm going to disagree full stop because it is not general knowledge that senegal's don't pluck I would love to know who has told you this or where you have read it from and yes I have seen senegal's that pluck if you looked at the right websites you would find pictures and videos of not just senegal's that are plucking but also the African grey, macaws, amazons etc. There is no percentage to how extreme a bird can pluck itself really it is down to the owner to make sure that the bird doesn't start plucking by keeping it healthy and active and if you want to disagree with me go right ahead but everything I have said there are cold hard facts.

I have met many many people (such as michael with his senegal kili) and they have all said that senegals arent known pluckers. Sure it can happen but the chances are low but what they do have is an agressive problem. for every 1 senegal you show me that plucks i can show you 10 cags that plucks. I am not saying its not possible, all i am saying is that the chances are much much lower with senegals to pluck as well as TAGS compared to cags.

For every Senegal I show you plucking you could show me 10 greys plucking OK I'll put it this way and I'm sure every person who owns a Senegal or a grey on this site will agree with me when i say senegal's are not aggressive if cared for in the right manner for example kept healthy kept active and well socalized and are handled often the same goes for any other species of parrot including the African greys if sick or board any bird will pluck not just the greys.

Why not pick the species based on your liking first that will reduce the chances of them having something you don't like ( such as agressiveness, moody, feather plucking) and THEN let the bird choose you? On a previous post, I already stated that I was going to let the bird choose me.

If I didnt do that and let and species choose me then what if a cockatoo or another bird choose me that will be most likely loud and can't be suited for an apt? That's why I have to reduce the chances of things like that. Sure every bird within the species will have different personalities but even through training , socialization and positive reinforcement, there will be a limit of what you can achieve. So I feel it's better to reduce the chances into the species that might fit your liking and then let the bird choose you. You showing me a very quiet cockatoo will prove absolutely nothing.

Thinking like this is also why many birds ends up in animal shelters.

 

[NiR]

u shouldn't pick out a bird because it has a lower % of plucking. u should pick a bird out that u like more. not because u think it may not pluck. that's like saying if any of your bird that u get if it plucks ur going to get rid of it. u need to go handle both types of birds n see which one u would like to put in ur family.

I would never get rid of a bird because he plucks. I am not heartless.. But those are issues that i want to have a chance of minimizing. Just like why i wouldnt want a snake in the house cause i feel that they are dangerous (might not be but thats how i feel). So The only thing i hear about from people like yourself is that the biggest problems with greys are them being phobic and plucking feathers. and biggest problems i hear from senegal owners is that they are aggressive. This is info i acquired from owners and reading tons of articles. I have handle both birds as babies. Since thats all i can do. I been to tons of breeders and both birds are sweet as can be in the pet shop. I preferred the senegals more since the ones the breeders had were able to be flipped and they laid on my hand while i tickled it. But again this is a bad picture of how they are when they grow up. So i wanted to know from peoples experience how they are even if you do train them well and reinforce their positive behaviors.

i honestly like both of them but they each have their problems more then the other. It all depends on the individual but i want to lower the chances. Same reason why families want to live in neighborhoods that has low crime rates. Doesnt mean they cant die from a gun shot. It just means they are trying to lower their chances.

after i pick the breed, i will then let the bird choose me.

Senegal's aggressive? We own a Senegal and she's far from aggressive she loves her head scratches she's good with all children and our five dogs and as for what you have heard about the greys being phobic and so on yes its true if you don't expose them to new people and objects when they are young they become phobic that's why its best to introduce them to new objects and people everyday to prevent them from becoming phobic

How old is your Senegal.

 

[NiR]

Also guys try to stay within subject. If you have experience with both Senegal and tag then please choose which you would prefer for a long term companion and why.

 

[NiR]

In general you do hear more about CAG's and cockatoo's being more prone to plucking, but I have seen two greenwing macaws that have plucked and snipped their feathers.

I wouldn't focus so much on the fact that one species of bird may pluck more than the other. I would say look at the two species you are interested in and try to find an individual bird that shows a liking to you from either species. After all I'm sure you plan on providing toys and interaction for your bird to avoid boredom haha

But if you wanted a quiet bird then cockatoo should never be a bird you consider even if you know of 1 that's quiet. If you do then things can get complicated if yours is loud and you live in an apt full of angry neighbors.