Animal Stories - People Talking About Parrot Species



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Latest Animal Stories on Parrot Species (216)

Sharon frankovich - 2011-06-28
I bought an Electus. She's about 3 to 4 yrs old. She will not let me handle her. She flops all over her cage if I try to get her to step up and come out. I talk to her before I try. She says step up.lol. She eats good and seems happy. I don't know what to do Please help Tks

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Charlie Roche - 2011-06-28
A female Eclectus can be very agressive and is known to fight another female Eclectus - even unto the death for her nest. You have a female and she has her nest (which is her cage). In the wild a female Eclectus will perch in her nest up to 11 months out of the year being fed by several males. She will only select one to mate with. So your female Eclectus by nature is attached to that cage. You need to get her out of her cage. It is best with an Eclectus to have a perch on top of her cage so she can go in and out as she pleases. Put toys and food on the play top perch. Given it was another bird, I would tell you to place her food outside the cage so she is forced to come out and you can try that first. Put treats, food etc outside her cage on the play top and hopefully she will come out on her own. Then you can try feeding her with your hand (but only outside the cage) something like a peanut first and then go smaller like a hulled sunflower seed. Initially you can just put the peanut down on the perch so she knows what it is. You need to go very slowly with this creature. So just open the door to her cage and see if she will come out on her own to the play top perch and then gradually give her treats.
She is frightened and you are too so just go slow. The female Eclectus by nature is agressive. It is not considered by most to be a cuddly bird. It is a beautiful bird and will interact with you but it is not a bird for cuddling. Let me know how you are doing and if she comes out of her cage to the perch. We can take it from there.

juanita - 2011-05-28
I was given a senegal parott. He is 49 yrs. old, and i just love him but he tries his hardest to really hurt me. He has a huge table top cage. I let him out every day, take care of him, but he likes males. He allows me to pet him every once and a while. He screams at me, tries to attack me,growls at me. I just laugh at him and keep talking to him. I do not know if he is just to old to train. He talks but I can't understand most of what he says. He is really a mean little boy. Any one know any thing about what to do? thanks.

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Charlie Roche - 2011-05-28
WOW you got courage there. OK. A Senegal parrot life span in the wild is around 30 years old and in captivity they say about 50. Your fella could go another 15 years so let's not worry about that. How sure are you that he is 49? Birds go through phases - just like humans. They are cuddly babies. There really is the terrible twos and puberty. Then finally there is adulthood and some order and consistency. Can they continue to learn? Sure just like humans. However, your little fella is quite mature and just like us humans when we get mature, his back might hurt or maybe he has a little arthritis or maybe just cranky. He is older and with that comes ailments that you just can't do anything about. Rather than you trying to train him - why don't you let him train you? Some folks would get really ticked and say a person always has to be in control. You can be in control but just listen and watch and do what your little guy tells you to do and enjoy him. 49 years old - this was probably a wild caught a long time back - probably not hand fed and probably in many different homes. He allows you to pet him - how can you tell when he is in the mood? How do you know he will allow this and when? Just pet him when he is in a responsive mood. Hand feed him something like cracked sunflower seeds or little pieces of chicken. Figure out something he dearly loves to eat and eat with him every day. He will start to learn that your company means something good -- all the time. He screams at you? Try and figure out why. Is he cranky or frightened. Are you too close to what he believes is his territory? He screams. Again, try and figure out why. You keep doing what you said and talk to him, laugh, hand feed him, pet him when he is responsive. Listen and watch him. Watch his body movements. He has a table top cage? Kitchen? Can you eat dinner with him? If possible, you should try and remove him from his cage (area) and place him on a neutral perch - not in his terriotory so you can work with him a little on "UP" "TREAT" "PET" etc. The first step, I believe, is knowing and understanding where he is at. Chronlogically he might be 49 but cognitive is about 3 years old. So he is 3 years old in an old persons body that probably aches a little at times. Go slow, try and make friends like you are doing and the more he enjoys being around you, the more he will want to be around you. So try the treats, eat dinner with him, always pet him when he is repsonsive, set up a neutral territory, ignore poor behavior and go from there. Just enjoy him on the days you can and laugh and talk to him on the days he is a pistol. Lots of luck - truly.

vicky - 2011-05-08
I recently purchased a baby senegal and it is gorgeous. He has one permanently splayed leg but has adapted rather well to this. My query is that he has made a low gurgling/wheezing sound on several separate occasions, but each time was on my knee and half asleep. Is this anything to worry about?

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Charlie Roche - 2011-05-09
If the poop looks normal and there is no white droppings around the vent, sounds like he is OK. If his breathe smeels fine than sounds like he is good. The wheezing - is this only occuring when he is sleeping? Is he actually wheezing? They do sneeze but very infrequently and I honestly don't know if they sneeze or they hear us sneeze so they do cuz it is funny to them. If he is wheezing then I would be watching for a respiratory infection. Are his nostrils clear. Tell me more if you can but if he is actually wheezing quite a bit then I think you would need to take him to a vet. I have a bird that only has 1 wing. Doesn't bother him at all. They don't know it's not normal.

Karen - 2011-03-01
I just recently purchased my senegal. I didn't even know what kind of bird he was yesterday! Anyway, I decided to get a bird after years of not having any pets. I had one when I was a child, and the bird and I bonded so well. He was like my only little best friend! I missed that, so I decided to get a parrot again.
OH BOY, did I know what I was getting myself into??! The previous owner never told me about how noisy and loud he is! He never stops, and yells and yells! He has a very loud sound and I live in an apartment building. I am a student and it is very hard for me to concentrate sometimes because he just goes on and on and on!
I am considering giving him up, before I get a letter from my landlord with neighbor complaints! I don't know what to do to keep him quiet. My other bird was never this loud!
I am really, really torn on what I should do! I want to build a strong bond with him, he is a 1 1/2 years old, but I can't have him being this loud!
I take him out, put him on the floor so he can walk around, put him on my shoulder sometimes, but eventually he starts making noise again. Not only this, but every time I take him out, he pukes! Every time! Makes me not want to take him out sometimes, because I am afraid he is going to puke on anything he walks on!
Any suggestions?

Alice - 2011-02-19
I have a Senegal named Stripe that we've had for 5 years, since Stripe was 10 months old. Stripe was the only bird in the house for 4 years, has a great vocabulary, cognition, and wit. Last year we introduced two clown finches into the household - Click and Clack are in a separate cage, but Stripe seems interested in them and sits on their cage during his free range time watching their antics. Once we put the larger clown finch, Clack in the large cage with Stripe, and everything seems fine. Lately, Click and Clack have gotten quite plump and I think they may need to fly around in the larger cage. Should I try this?

Carol - 2010-12-07
I have a Senegal that I purchased as a weaned baby 28 years ago. I always referred to Piper as a he but she just started laying eggs! I found two in her cage about three days apart. She has always been very sweet with me but it took seventeen years for my husband to win her over. I worry about her laying eggs at such an old age, if anyone else has seen this before please let me know.

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chris - 2011-02-06
Me too. Same type of situation. I thought mine was a boy till she laid eggs. I believe she's about close to 19-20 yrs old. In fact this week there were 2 eggs. The last time it happened was about 3 yrs ago and now 2 this week.

I was told the first time not to "worry" as it meant her reproductive organs were still working. I do worry though. I'm still trying to figure out how to end the cycle. I'm afraid she might get egg bound. I hope we can find out more about this. Good luck.

chris - 2010-10-03
I have a 4 month old senegal who seems to sleep upside down in its cage. Is this normal? The cage is 20x24x36 with a play top area. The bird is tame bought from a breeder who I feel loves her birds and takes pride in her birds. I really like this bird and look forward to the future with this pet but was wondering if they sleep this way?

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John - 2010-10-21
Chris, I have a three year old Senegal who started sleeping upside down about 4 months ago. He is very happy and well adjusted. Should have named him "Batman". I think it's perfectly normal. I got my bird when he was two. Apparently he had little attention given to him and just sat around. It took about 6 months but he now is very active, loves toys, and is quite playful and affectionate. By the way, my cage is a similar size.
encee - 2010-10-30
I have a Senegal, too and she does this all the time. It is very normal for her!
In fact sometimes, to tell me she wants to go to sleep, she goes up to the top of her cage and holds on to it upside down. So I cover her and she's happy. I asked a bird store owner if this breed does this a lot and she said they did. Mine also likes to dangle upside down on one foot from a towel hanging in the bathroom. Real acrobat!!!
Andrea - 2011-01-17
I have an 8 year old senegal who sleeps upside down half of the week and on a perch the other. He seems to be fine and just loves to view the world upside down.
Jenni - 2011-01-30
Chris, I'm not sure if you are still looking for an answer to this, and hopefully everything is still okay with the bird. It is normal for birds to sleep in different positions. We are familiar with birds who perch on one leg or sleep against something, but there are many birds who like to sleep upside down or even on their backs! Just like people, every bird's sleep style is different. Make sure he is getting proper nutrition, play time, a good diet (NOT a seed-only diet), and good socialization with you and other members of the house.

elizabeth - 2011-01-14
I have a 9 month old male eclectus hand fed from a breeder. I work nights but most days of the week he spends at least 6 hours out on his tree stand with me close by. Just recently he has started pacing and looking like he wants to come onto my hand and be with me, and then once he is on me he bites. I have trained him to wave and say hello, shake 'hands', so he doesn't seem to be afraid of my hand, but he won't let me pet him. He doesn't seem content to just sit with me. He has many toys etc, but doesn't play with them a whole lot. He eats lots of fruits, veggies, and organic pellets. I am confused by the aggression of what is classically supposed to be an affectionate loving species. Please help!

Kimberly Ferrell - 2005-04-12
I have a Senegal parrot that I have had for almost two years. I actually found him in my garage!! I guess he flew away from his owner and decided to fly to my house. Anyway, after a while of putting up signs and asking people if they lost their bird, I decided to keep it as my own. At first I was a little afraid of him, but he was the one who assured me that I could trust him. He just climbed right on up to my shoulder.
All of this happened right after my good friend Tracy died. I was positive that the bird was Tracy reincarnated. They both have the same happy and energetic personality. (And they both can talk your ear off.) So, I decided to name him Tre Kong-- Tre after Tracy, and Kong because he climbed around his cage like he was King Kong. Two years later, Tre Kong is now one of my best friends. And I know that it was fate that he flew into my garage.

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kim - 2010-09-04
I'm happy to hear this cuz my baby buttercup (senegal - about 8 years old) flew away yesterday and I'm praying he comes to someone if not me, so he's not in the wild scared and defenseless. So sad:( you're awesome to take that birdie in...I hope mine has the same fate if he doesn't find me.
susan hale - 2010-09-21
Yes do you still have Tre Kong? I would love to make him part of my family ... call me please 937-456-6192.....or....937-533-8583.
Sinny - 2010-11-09
That's so sweet, it made me tear up.
I love Senegal parrots and I'm thinking when I move out I may invest in one myself. I love birds. I have three parrotlets and a cockatiel. I'm glad you two found each other. :)

Rex - 2010-10-03
Can anyone tell me how Senegals react with other birds? My wife gave me a Senegal and she is very gentle, but we have a Cockatiel and she's not happy about another bird in the house. She is very possessive about my wife. While the Senegal doesn't bite hard she does like to grab hold of me and sometimes nip when she's excited.

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encee - 2010-10-30
I would keep her away from other birds. I have a quaker whose beak was damaged by a little snap from a Senegal. It healed, but doesn't look too good.

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