Senegal Personality

[Paigelouisec]

Hi,

So on my quest to find the right bird species for me, I found that I had a few questions regarding Sennies.

What is their personality like? I have read that they go through a hormonal phase at 1-2 yrs (understandably this will not put me off the species) but I've also seen that they can have split personalities and become really aggressive? Some users likened them to Jekyll & Hyde! How true is this interpretation of the species generally?

Also, how affectionate are Sennies? I have found a wonderful breeder who hand rears Sennies around children, dogs and cats and plan to get my baby bird from them at the moment.

Any help would be great! Thanks!

(P.S. If a Sennie is as I have questioned above, is there a different species that is reasonably quiet and affectionate for a first time bird owner that would be more suitable?)

 

[MeganMango]

I think all the poi are pretty great from what Ive gathered here on the forum. I have a red belly, a cousin of the senegal, and I am absolutely crazy about him. As a first time bird he has been great. He hasnt gone through a hormonal stage yet as he is not even a year old, but all birds go through this. Mango has been easy to train, easy to feed, hes a decent size, and although he has a lot of attitude his bites arent as terrifying as that of a macaw or amazon IMO. I wouldnt say that Mango has mood swings, but he can get snotty. He is easy to read though, and when hes in a playful mood, he plays with his toys on his cage or his play gym. Hes a very active bird, he cuddles a little, but he plays a lot. I like that although he wants to be with us, he can also be independent. I think they are great for first-timers. Do lots of research and meet lots of birds before you make a final decision!

 

[Karigan]

Much of it comes down to just knowing your bird. My sennie Kito thinks the world is all about her, period. People come into the house to see her. I wake up just to give her attention. Even the cats exist to admire her.

It's when she's proven wrong that she gets grumpy. As long as the world revolves around her she is cool with everything, but if someone else gets more attention, if dinner isn't being made for HER, if a newspaper isn't inside HER cage, then she growls and grumbles. She will offer nips if she's annoyed enough, but I simply put her in her cage and ignore her. She cools off after a few minutes anyway, so why get nipped when I know what makes her tick?

Just knowing what sets off your bird is great because you can before hand offer suitable distraction, or just lock her away in her cage until the bout of jealousy is over.

Otherwise she's mischievous, playful and a love suck.

 

[Loyal]

My sennie Indy was adopted in July, and so far she's been okay. She has biten my husband once when he was taking her out of her cage but they are both weary of each other so I was sort of waiting for that to happen (he's only ever had large dogs and doesn't realize birds have personalitys and are intelligent). As for the split personality thing, Indy does not like certain foods in her dish, she will take the food in her mouth, climb out the cage to the highest point and threw the food down, grumble back to the food dish and repeat until all nasty things have been thrown out. She doesn't love to shower, but she's coming around to at least sitting in the shower without looking like I'm killing her. She is terrified of hands and will bite them, so we currently just have her stepping up on a perch and then she'll climb down to my hand or up to my shoulder. She's excellent on car rides and loves eatting dinner with us.

I love her. She can be mean when she doesn't get something she wants but she's adorable and a loved member of our clan. Sennies, from what I've heard can be a bit more work then other species like quakers, conures, lovebirds, ect, and if you're willing to put the time in, make a commitment that this bird will be your roomate, for the next 20 years, regardless of whether your work schedule changes, you have kids or lose your job, then you'll be fine.

 

[mtdoramike]

I would also like to add here that Sennie's aren't all that quiet either, at least mine isn't. Most days she could make a preacher cuss. She can be quite nippy when she wants to be and sweet as sugar when she wants. To give you an idea of what I mean:

Tiki my 2 year old Sennie will bite the living !@@#$%% out of me if I play with Mac or just walk by with Mac on my shoulder then put him down and walk over and pick Tiki up. Or if Tiki is on my wife's shoulder or hand and I walk by with Mac our Eclectus, Tiki will bite my wife and I don't mean those little piches, I mean a vicious blood letting bite.

Also, if you want her to do something she doesn't want to do like going to her cage, she will spin around underneath her rope perch as your putting her on the perch and bite the $#$%^&&* out of your hand before you even know what happened. I'm probably the one your referring to who calls them the Dr. Jekyll and Dr. Hyde of the parrot world.

But even with all this, she is still my favorite bird bar none and I love her to death.

Here is a link with Tiki being a bit rowdy, turn your speakers all the way up to get the fulll effects.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y_hzmA04Kc]This is an apartment bird??? - YouTube[/ame]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhoe_aEXOvk]Tiki having a fit - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Zellie]

I wouldn't say that my senegal is aggressive at all. She WILL nip hard if frightened or jealous, but once you know her triggers, they're pretty easily avoided. The rest of the time, she's a cuddle-love who's happiest sitting in my lap, having her head stroked.
I live in a small apartment, so thankfully my senegal's not that loud! She makes a bit of ruckus in the morning and evening, she'll whistle at me if she hears my voice in the apartment but I haven't said hello yet, but other than that, she doesn't make too much noise (provided she has enough toys in her cage to keep her busy). My neighbors have no complaints.
That being said, every bird is different. Get to know a sennie for yourself. That breeder sounds fantastic!

 

[MeganMango]

Mango never screams, he is actually disappointingly quiet. I imagine some people on here with screaming macaws or toos will want to strangle me, but I wanted some noise in my house, and other than talking and cooing, Mango is silent. He is not a senny, but in the family. He is also not aggressive unless you scare him, try to pet him while he is attacking something, or try to take something really yummy away from him. Again, I think its a matter of knowing the body language and being sensitive to their feelings. I think this is probably true for any bird though.

 

[Karigan]

Mine shrieks when we come and go, and until we got her some company she would call out every 30 seconds or so if no one was in the room with her. Not too loud, but immediate neighbours could get annoyed if the walls are too thin. Thankfully I have a house!

 

[JamesC]

I have had two sennies and the two of them could not have been any more different in personality. Both of them were rescues.

Kelly I only had for a couple of years before she passed on. She was a terrified wreck when she came to me. Any part of your body came within 5 feet and she would dive off her cage and try to hide somewhere. But she never ever bit anyone except for one time when I moved too fast and scared her when I had her in a vulnerable spot. It took a long time working with her but she eventually turned into a shoulder loving snuggle bird who would go to anyone. Even complete strangers she just encountered for the first time. Very very gentle bird. I still miss her.

Sidney on the other wing, is a bold, brash, sometimes exasperating, sometimes snuggleable, full speed ahead troublemaker. There are days when he is mostly gentle and loving and he wants to nibble and preen me. Some days, he just wants to run about the place finding something valuable (and sometimes dangerous) to chew on and destroy. My laptop cord being his latest fascination. Like others have said about their birds, he can be very jealous. If I handle my blue crowns before I go to him, I will get a painful bite. Not hard enough to injure, though. Sid lost at least one previous home because he bonded to one person and all others in the household were attacked if they came near. He will also bite when he knows I want to put him back in his cage. His warning is to rapidly pull back then lunge forward to smack my hand with his beak over and over. If I insist, I will get a painful bite. For such a small bird he certainly is the biggest personality and handful I've ever had. Would not trade him for anything even when I'm exclaiming "Sidney NOoo!" over his latest round of destruction.

For a single person with no other birds, I think a Sennie is great but don't expect him/her to accept guests easily. Maybe not a good family bird unless you really work to socialize the bird with everyone. Jealousy seems to be a species trait that can be redirected towards you so keep that in mind. When out of the cage, if you have one like Sidney, constant supervision is an absolute must. Neither Kelly or Sidney were very noisy. Sid is about half the noise as what mtdoramike's video shows above but that is not to say that they won't let out an ear piercing screech once in a while if they feel the desire to. When they are in a loving mood it is hard to beat them but expect a swing at any random time.

So like any bird, they have a vast range of personalities that they can have. I think they are great birds to keep as pets but they are a notch or two up on the difficulty scale compared to some others. My blue crowns in comparisons are much easier to live with. But Sid will always be Sid and I love that #*$& brat!

 

[mtdoramike]

I have had two sennies and the two of them could not have been any more different in personality. Both of them were rescues.

Kelly I only had for a couple of years before she passed on. She was a terrified wreck when she came to me. Any part of your body came within 5 feet and she would dive off her cage and try to hide somewhere. But she never ever bit anyone except for one time when I moved too fast and scared her when I had her in a vulnerable spot. It took a long time working with her but she eventually turned into a shoulder loving snuggle bird who would go to anyone. Even complete strangers she just encountered for the first time. Very very gentle bird. I still miss her.

Sidney on the other wing, is a bold, brash, sometimes exasperating, sometimes snuggleable, full speed ahead troublemaker. There are days when he is mostly gentle and loving and he wants to nibble and preen me. Some days, he just wants to run about the place finding something valuable (and sometimes dangerous) to chew on and destroy. My laptop cord being his latest fascination. Like others have said about their birds, he can be very jealous. If I handle my blue crowns before I go to him, I will get a painful bite. Not hard enough to injure, though. Sid lost at least one previous home because he bonded to one person and all others in the household were attacked if they came near. He will also bite when he knows I want to put him back in his cage. His warning is to rapidly pull back then lunge forward to smack my hand with his beak over and over. If I insist, I will get a painful bite. For such a small bird he certainly is the biggest personality and handful I've ever had. Would not trade him for anything even when I'm exclaiming "Sidney NOoo!" over his latest round of destruction.

For a single person with no other birds, I think a Sennie is great but don't expect him/her to accept guests easily. Maybe not a good family bird unless you really work to socialize the bird with everyone. Jealousy seems to be a species trait that can be redirected towards you so keep that in mind. When out of the cage, if you have one like Sidney, constant supervision is an absolute must. Neither Kelly or Sidney were very noisy. Sid is about half the noise as what mtdoramike's video shows above but that is not to say that they won't let out an ear piercing screech once in a while if they feel the desire to. When they are in a loving mood it is hard to beat them but expect a swing at any random time.

So like any bird, they have a vast range of personalities that they can have. I think they are great birds to keep as pets but they are a notch or two up on the difficulty scale compared to some others. My blue crowns in comparisons are much easier to live with. But Sid will always be Sid and I love that #*$& brat!

I agree, these little bundles of TNT will steal your heart in a minute

 

[aliray]

I have an african redbellied female who is about 10 mo old. I have a feeling that they are a little easier than the sennie and less noisy. She does more whisteling and clicking type sounds. the only times I have heard her make an alarm type call was when my quaker tried to grab her tailfeathers or her toes

 

[Mayden]

Senegals are fantastic. I've had mine for 2 years in May.

HOWEVER; had I know just how much of a pain in the butt he was going to be, I honestly probably wouldn't have gotten him. No matter how much research you do into getting a breed, it really all does come down to the individual bird.

This is him in feb, his eyes arn't yellowed yet, not quite a year old. Cuddled and sweet, but growly because the camera is there. This is him being an absolute angel.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVfJP6L5y90&feature=g-upl]Merlin growling at the camera! - YouTube[/ame]

More angelic and cuteness... but if you see his eyes, he's not a year old yet.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pgrg9PLN3c&feature=g-upl]Merlin chilling out with Mummy - YouTube[/ame]

You can not let your guard down with senegals, you have to be so firm with them in their youth before hormones hit... and even then, you're in for a royally difficult time.

Merlin is still a sweet cuddlebug when he wants to be, more so with my other half, but he still is an amazing bird. But he also screams louder, bites harder and pushes the boundaries further.

He is my sweet little baby, but you need to be thick skinned and a tough person to deal with them. I am neither, but my other half is. If it wasn't for him I know I would struggle keeping Merlin just because some days I cannot handle him.

I love him dearly, but the one thing I would change about him if I could... the ear piercing scream he does when someone leaves/he doesn't get his way. People are mistaken if they think they are quiet, my rescued ducorps was miles quieter... and he was by no means quiet!

They are huge birds in a short stubby body.

 

[mtdoramike]

Senegals are fantastic. I've had mine for 2 years in May.

HOWEVER; had I know just how much of a pain in the butt he was going to be, I honestly probably wouldn't have gotten him. No matter how much research you do into getting a breed, it really all does come down to the individual bird.

This is him in feb, his eyes arn't yellowed yet, not quite a year old. Cuddled and sweet, but growly because the camera is there. This is him being an absolute angel.
Merlin growling at the camera! - YouTube

More angelic and cuteness... but if you see his eyes, he's not a year old yet.
Merlin chilling out with Mummy - YouTube

You can not let your guard down with senegals, you have to be so firm with them in their youth before hormones hit... and even then, you're in for a royally difficult time.

Merlin is still a sweet cuddlebug when he wants to be, more so with my other half, but he still is an amazing bird. But he also screams louder, bites harder and pushes the boundaries further.

He is my sweet little baby, but you need to be thick skinned and a tough person to deal with them. I am neither, but my other half is. If it wasn't for him I know I would struggle keeping Merlin just because some days I cannot handle him.

I love him dearly, but the one thing I would change about him if I could... the ear piercing scream he does when someone leaves/he doesn't get his way. People are mistaken if they think they are quiet, my rescued ducorps was miles quieter... and he was by no means quiet!

They are huge birds in a short stubby body.

Very well stated and I couldn't agree more. The reason why I got Tiki my Sennie was from the4 research that I had done, they were touted to be so quiet that they were highly recommended for apartment dwellers. But believe me when I tell you, if I lived in an apartment with Tiki, I would have been kicked out on my ear a long time ago.

Now, if I were not home with her 24/7, I would probably think she was a fairly quiet bird. I have recorded her several times when we have had to leave the house for a few hours to see if she was being noisy. But once she realized we were gone, about 5 minutesor so after we left, she quieted down and not a peep out of her until we returned. I'm sure there are probably quiet Senegal parrots out there, but mine is not one of them.

 

[Loyal]

My sennie Indy can be quit loud and I am currently an apartment dweller. My new neighbors immediately realized I own a bird. I brought her out, introduced them and politely asked them to give me the opportunity to redirect her if she's too loud in the day time. Indy will flutter off her cage and walk clear across the apartment if she's calling for me while I'm in another room and don't answer her. It terrifies my dog. I can honestly say the more she gets comfortable with us, the more mischievous she gets.

 

[Mayden]

Senegals are fantastic. I've had mine for 2 years in May.

HOWEVER; had I know just how much of a pain in the butt he was going to be, I honestly probably wouldn't have gotten him. No matter how much research you do into getting a breed, it really all does come down to the individual bird.

This is him in feb, his eyes arn't yellowed yet, not quite a year old. Cuddled and sweet, but growly because the camera is there. This is him being an absolute angel.
Merlin growling at the camera! - YouTube

More angelic and cuteness... but if you see his eyes, he's not a year old yet.
Merlin chilling out with Mummy - YouTube

You can not let your guard down with senegals, you have to be so firm with them in their youth before hormones hit... and even then, you're in for a royally difficult time.

Merlin is still a sweet cuddlebug when he wants to be, more so with my other half, but he still is an amazing bird. But he also screams louder, bites harder and pushes the boundaries further.

He is my sweet little baby, but you need to be thick skinned and a tough person to deal with them. I am neither, but my other half is. If it wasn't for him I know I would struggle keeping Merlin just because some days I cannot handle him.

I love him dearly, but the one thing I would change about him if I could... the ear piercing scream he does when someone leaves/he doesn't get his way. People are mistaken if they think they are quiet, my rescued ducorps was miles quieter... and he was by no means quiet!

They are huge birds in a short stubby body.

Very well stated and I couldn't agree more. The reason why I got Tiki my Sennie was from the4 research that I had done, they were touted to be so quiet that they were highly recommended for apartment dwellers. But believe me when I tell you, if I lived in an apartment with Tiki, I would have been kicked out on my ear a long time ago.

Now, if I were not home with her 24/7, I would probably think she was a fairly quiet bird. I have recorded her several times when we have had to leave the house for a few hours to see if she was being noisy. But once she realized we were gone, about 5 minutesor so after we left, she quieted down and not a peep out of her until we returned. I'm sure there are probably quiet Senegal parrots out there, but mine is not one of them.

We can hear Merlin from down the street and thats when he's not even screaming. Like I mentioned before, my ducorps was quieter in the sense that he was less high pitched and so... less irritating when he did vocalise. Merlin also has fantastic 'spasms' when he flies around shrieking for absolutely no reason.

Senegals are known for being phobic, the only way to reduce this is to try and introduce them to new things often and as soon as possible. Because of the weather Merlin hasn't been out recently and you can tell by his behaviour.

Jerkyll and Hyde is a good comparison as they really are quite two faced when it comes to their moods and preferences.

Merlin is big on biting because be has to use his beak to get around due to his bad leg; so if he needs to support himself, it usually turns into a bite just because he can.

Reading body language is so important, but that's not always a way to prevent bites with birds like senegals, or at least with mine and I'm sure mtdoramike and suebee could vouch for theirs being the same too!

 

[Karigan]

Mine is ten years old now and from what I'm reading I'd say age mellows them out a little.

 

[mtdoramike]

Mine is ten years old now and from what I'm reading I'd say age mellows them out a little.

I'm sure hoping that is true. At least it gives me something to hope for anyway

 

[Mayden]

Mine is ten years old now and from what I'm reading I'd say age mellows them out a little.

I look forward to it! xD

 

[FineFeatheredFriend]

My Sennie is super quite. Snoopy calls me if I am in the other room not by screaming. Snoopy says Snoopy or baby when I am in the other room. He vocalizes the most when he is in the car. He loves to go with me around town. The best way to describe a Sennie is that they are a mix between a cat and a jealous spouse. I mentioned cat because they are very slow thinking and slow moving. Jealous spouse because they can not stand to share you with another bird or human. They are very loyal. When they talk they have such a sweet innocent voice. In my opinion they are the best Poi to have. Peace to all.

 

[Zuzu]

I too have a sennie, my wife got him for me as an anniversary gift because when i lived in FL, and moved back home to NY, i left my other senegal (bailey) with my mom and younger brother. But now i have Zuzu and he def has 2 personalities, when we first got him he wanted nothing to do with me, just bonded with my wife, but now he sits with me every morn preening me or nibbling on cheek or earlobe, only dislikes me if i change clothes without him seeing, or if i wear a ballcap he'll hiss and growl and grumble. but otherwise he stays with me, only gets real nasty and nipping if the kids come around yelling n screaming and running by, or if they go to pet him he'll spin around and bite me, like giving me a warning "hey stop them or i'll do this to them". Which for their ages 4 and 9 i pretty much think he could break a digit on their hand lol. He gives a little nip always if u go to put him away in the cage, not a hurtful bite, but a hey i'm not done being held nibble. But i agree with everyone else if you spook them they/he can be vicious and give one hell of a bite, like if has eyes closed and his neck hunched into his shoulders and if u go to reach in and pet him he'll let you know doesn't wanna be disturbed.
He's not all that noisy even with all the research my wife did looking for my replacement bird, normally every morn we bring him down from our bedroom where he stays in his sleep/travel cage to the dining room(center of the house) to his 4 n 1/2 ft house cage, and we'll put him on top and he'll peep n cheep and talk, skirt dance while eating, does it every morn while facing the window, during the day he's quiet and only when its getting late to him 8-9pm he'll do the dog whistle sound like ppl do to call a dog, and that gets the dogs in the house running to the door to go outside, is meaning to him its time to go to bed.
As for being destructive, well ya he can be, he's already destroyed 2 of wooden perches inside his cage while being on them (don't know hows thats intelligent lol). We bought him a triangle rope perch, that too was in pieces 2 days later, he's ate all the wooden fruit block things on the chain. and most of all if he's on your shoulder at the kitchen table if there's a piece of paper/enevolpe/ newspaper whatever, to him it don't belong there n its gotta be shredded. sometimes while onto of his cage he's gotta go over and investage the window blinds, thankfully we catch him in time.
He can be socialable but if someone new comes in he'll do a loud smoke alarm reminder beep to let them know he's there or to let us know someone new is in the house. He'll scream and screech real loud if the kids start getting outta hand around his cage making too much noise. Sometimes he can be jealous, esp if he watches you maul a cat with loving he'll grumble and pace back and forth bobbing up n down then run over to the bars n bang on em with his beak. We don't have any other birds, i'd hate to see how he'd react to that.
So basically as you can see each sennie is different, it all depends on how raised and the environment their going to be living in.