Senegal owners?

[craftEcowgirl]

I am looking to add a Senegal to our family. And would love to chat with senegal owners. I love hearing about experiences with them etc. Favorite toys, supplies?

 

[thekarens]

There's a FB group called Senegal parrot pets and another one called I heart poicephalus.

I have two. They are great little birds.

 

[MikeyTN]

You can gather more information on here through all different folks with Senegal to learn about then just a individual or two. Your quite welcome to post here and ask. But if you make friends off here and decides to share, that's up to you but please don't publicly ask for it in the forum. Cause this is a place to learn about parrots, not for facebook, social network, or e-mail buddies when no one knows you from atom. So take a minute and tell everyone about yourself in New members welcome!

 

[JamesC]

I have one and he is a cross between a snuggle bird, an independent not wanting much to do with you bird and a psychopath bird. Case in point for "psychopath bird", mine had snagged a spoon off me from a cup of yogurt I was eating. I wanted to get it from him to put in the washer. My mistake because I did not read the danger signs. That spoon was HIS! I now have 3 deep puncture wounds on the index finger of my left hand and I had to pry him off because he would not let go and kept chomping down harder. But he also has his very quiet, loving moments where he just loves snuggling up to my hand and getting scratched and he brings out his catalog of beeps, clicks, whistles and various other noises and just chatters away.

I forgive mine for his eccentricities because he is a rescue bird. I don't know too much about his history but he had lost a couple of homes before I adopted him. I think he spent a lot of time alone and bored in his first home. Just sat outside on a porch all day long until brought in at night. Not sure what happened at the second because he was only there a couple of months. Generally he is a good and fun bird though. Just have to keep an eye on him at all times and make sure to read his body language.

Individual birds vary but they can have strong personalities. As has been said before in other posts, big parrot attitude in a small parrot body. If you get one, try to keep him/her socialized with everyone in the household.

You could also look at Myers Parrots. Closely related, similar size and not as colorful but beautiful in their own way. I do not have any real experience with them but I've read on here that they can be more even tempered than Senegals.

 

[RavensGryf]

Hi welcome. I don't have a Senegal, but I have the closely related and just as feisty Red Bellied parrot, and Mike's post about the "psychopath bird" reminded me of when Robin was younger! He's really mellowed out a lot in hormones since he's 20 now, but when he was younger there were times I would seriously think he was of the devil!

So, since Senegals have similar traits, maybe consider an older guy? Of course I think you'd like one at any age as I think the positives far outweigh the negatives of these species (Poicephalus parrots). They're really my favorite group of birds.

 

[mtdoramike]

Senegal parrots are great pets, but I don't think for the beginner unless hand raised and even then questionable. I love mine and if you want a BIG parrot in a smaller package, then Senegal's are for you. BUT, they can be a bit moody at times and have the ability to be sweet as sugar one minute and want to bite your hand off the next but this can depend on the individual bird and circumstance. They are also touted to be a quiet bird, but don't bet on this, because mine can be quite noisy when she wants. They are also quite possessive of their things and towards other birds, but not so much with people.

 

[craftEcowgirl]

I plan on getting one that is weaned and been handfed.

 

[RavensGryf]

Senegal parrots are great pets, but I don't think for the beginner unless hand raised and even then questionable. I love mine and if you want a BIG parrot in a smaller package, then Senegal's are for you. BUT, they can be a bit moody at times and have the ability to be sweet as sugar one minute and want to bite your hand off the next but this can depend on the individual bird and circumstance. They are also touted to be a quiet bird, but don't bet on this, because mine can be quite noisy when she wants. They are also quite possessive of their things and towards other birds, but not so much with people.

I don't agree . Actually wait... I agree with some parts! About the moodiness and biting, they do bite EXTREMELY hard for their size (big beaks) with the tenacious "kill" attitude, sort of like you hear about Caiques?
I also agree how they usually don't like other birds. They are in families pairs in the wild, so NOT hugely gregarious flock birds.

BUT, the part I DON'T agree with is that they aren't good birds for beginners. They are way more easy going in attitude about life, meaning if you don't have time right this minute, they generally aren't going to persist and scream relentlessly for attention, and plucking is rare in Poi's. MUCH LESS LIKELY to develop these problems than a similar sized conure. Not saying anything bad using conures as an example, but conures are way more "big bird" in the way they will demand what they want and persist more than the smaller Poi's generally speaking.
Again, the softer voice is a plus. Even if they do their loudest piercing whistle, there is still not quite the power in the voice like in most other parrot species.

Then again, I think ANY "parrot" species is going to be a bit challenging for a beginner in some way or another, more than a budgie.

 

[thekarens]

I'd have to agree with Julie on this one. I find them pretty easy going when I don't have as much one on one time for them.
I don't believe in "beginner birds." Get the bird you want from the start as long as you've done your research and visited as many as you can.

 

[parrotlover1176]

I am most closely bonded with my sennie. I cannot imagine my life without her. She is cuddly, playful, and jealous! She is certainly a one person bird and aggressively jealous of all other pets. When my dog was alive she would go after my 40 pound dog any chance she got.

But, she adores me and I adore her. I can do just about anything to her. She likes to cuddle but can also play independently. She is VERY active and really uses every single toy I give her. She especially loves a bucket or basket of foot toys to pull out and play with. She loves those plastic cat balls and will lay on her back playing with them. She is an excellent eater and loves taking baths.

 

[craftEcowgirl]

I am most closely bonded with my sennie. I cannot imagine my life without her. She is cuddly, playful, and jealous! She is certainly a one person bird and aggressively jealous of all other pets. When my dog was alive she would go after my 40 pound dog any chance she got.

But, she adores me and I adore her. I can do just about anything to her. She likes to cuddle but can also play independently. She is VERY active and really uses every single toy I give her. She especially loves a bucket or basket of foot toys to pull out and play with. She loves those plastic cat balls and will lay on her back playing with them. She is an excellent eater and loves taking baths.

Sounds like such a great sennie! Can you share what you did with her at the beginning? Interactions? Any tips for someone starting out with a weaned sennie?

 

[craftEcowgirl]

Also interested in Meyers too

 

[parrotlover1176]

I just had patience with her. She was very shy and scared at first but I let her come out on her own and she would step up on a perch to go back in her cage. She was very food motivated so I would eat something while she was out and she came to me as she couldn't resist!

Other than that I just spend time with her. Unfortunately she didn't get a lot of interaction with other than me so she isn't very sociable with others.

The main thing is I just took things at her pace and our relationship just naturally evolved.