Animal Stories - People Talking About Pionus Parrots



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Latest Animal Stories on Pionus Parrots (28)

DD Manfredi - 2004-06-13
I have a one year old White Crowned/Capped Parrot that was given to me by a friend in Honduras who farms and found the little guy after a dead tree had been cut down. Ricky (the parrot) lives with me at my retirement home in Siguatepeque Honduras and I successfully hand-raised him from what I figure was an age of 2 weeks. I fed him a mixture of water and corn flour, mixed to a thin paste and drawn up into a amall hypodermic (without needle of course). I would place the syringe totally inside the mouth and he would then take it garther in hinself and I would press the mix directly down the throat, he thrived and has always been very healthy. When grown these birds LOVE corn, fresh corn on the cob, just pull the shuck leaves back and use them to tie the piece to the cage (or perch). Fresh corn on the cob is considered to be essential at least once a week for an adult bird by the locals.

This is a favorite parrot of local Hondurans and they have taught me a couple of things about them and their ability to speak, that I do not find elsewhere. They say to NEVER feed them anything with salt on it, OR the bird will never speak! Also at 8 months they begin to feed the bird a drop or two of liquor on a piece of tortilla daily, or provide a small cup of fruit wine twice a week. This bird in the wild starts consuming naturally fermented fruit at this age and does so periodically throughout its lifetime. Without this addition to their diet they will never speak well. My little guy is already doing various whistles, calling 3 people in the family by name and is becoming more talkative daily. He started talking one month after I started giving him fruit wine. The wine I am using is a pineapple and mango based wine, but I would think that nay tropical fruit based wine would do.

I love my little friend and am glad to share this information on increasing their talkativeness. Remember that these people have been raising and loving these birds for hundreds of years and I trust what they know and have shared with me. They recommend to never cage this particular type parrot, or if necessary a large cage where they can have lots of activity.

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Lucy - 2010-06-10
That is really interesting! Can I give the fruit wine to my bird now that she is almost three years old? Or will it not work? Thank you.
Tricia - 2010-10-07
Hi I am so interested where I can get this wine for my little one she is only four months old and I want the best for her....... thks
Anita - 2011-06-20
Thanks for sharing. We have a 9-year-old that we got at 8 months. While the bird may be "trainable" my husband is not and I have never been able to get him not to do things like feed the bird roasted, salted nuts! We love our little guy and he has been 100% healthy for 9 years eating first pellets that he later rejected, then seed, nuts, vegetables and fruits. Loves soy beans, corn and carrots. Is picky about fruits - eats apples, throws out pears! He talks, but only in a whisper, and only to me when the house is quiet and he has put himself to bed on his "sleeping perch". He has a large preview pet aviary which has carefully-placed perches, toys, and food as well as a play top. He puts himself to bed (climbs back into the cage) at dusk. In the morning, before getting out of the cage or eating anything, he demands that his head be scratched.

Pete Greyghost - 2010-11-15
You have not met Capri, my recently acquired bird. He does not know the meaning of quiet, maybe because he seems to be very intelligent. He likes to make and use tools to scratch himself, he talks incessantly in a low voice. You can tell that he is saying something, but it is too low to make out and he seems to have an extensive vocabulary!
He was about 15 years old when his previous owner died and her daughter gave Capri to me.
I very seldom wear a hat, but due to cold weather, I walked into the room with my cowboy hat on. Capri tilted his head side to side to get a good look and very plainly said, "What?" He did repeat it and would not leave me alone until I let him touch it.
He loves music and will sing along with it.
A very interesting bird and is totally full of surprises. He is forever coming up with new phrases or expressions.

Luvshaq - 2006-07-21
I have a white-crowned pionus named Ted. He is 5 years old. Up until 1 week ago he was perfectly healthy (or appeared so). However he now has a virus (respiratory) and has become very ill (almost died). I have always had a problem with his diet being inadequate because he won't eat or try anything but seeds. He is under a vet's care and I am feeding him hand rearing formula but I am looking for tips and recipes to make his diet more varied and to get his weight back up to normal. I love my guy and when he is well he is a delight.

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Steph - 2010-09-21
Hey Luvshaq,
I know a trick that works well with parakeets. They are more social so if you place the food you are trying to introduce to them on a mirror they are more likely to at least investigate it. It is like they are seeing their reflection as another bird!
Hope this helps you!

Chris Watkins - 2009-08-19
I have a funny story. I bought what I thought was a Max. Pionus from a Pet store the pet store even thought it was a Max. read all articles on this site and come to find out it was a White Cap Pionus instead. His name is Maxx. He kills me with his " Whatch Doing " and " I'm a good boy " statements, they always make me laugh. He is a lil nippy, but just enough to let me know he is there. He doesn't break skin anymore. All in all I am so Happy I bought him. I would do it all over again.

Chris Watkins
Freehold NJ

makinsey - 2009-01-10
I got my blue headed pionus about 2 years ago. He means the world to me and he is very quiet and very sweet. I got him because I rememberd the info I got off this wed site. So thank you Dr. Jungle, and I hope every one loves there pionus as much as I love mine.

Barb - 2008-01-14
I have a White Capped Pionus whose name is Abigail Anne. She is 14 years old and I have had her since she was 5 weeks old. She is very sweet to me although she is not real thrilled about other people. We have been through much together. She went through a period of snapping her feathers and the vet put her on an anti-anxiety med which helped. I think she liked the sound also. She likes to snap the threads on my t shirts when she is on me, so I now give her my old white socks (I weave them into the bars of her cage next to a perch) she enjoys shredding them.
She also enjoys eating a variety of foods, I give her mixed veggies and fruit every day. She also LOVES pasta and looks like she has a growth on her beak when she is digging into a dish of her favorite - spaghetti! She is a joy to have although she does "call" for me if I leave the room she is in.
Parrots are a lot of work, but if you have the time to invest, they are a real joy.

Ivette - 2007-09-15
I have a white cap pionus named Snow. Snow is 11 months now and is the best thing. Snow already says a couple of phrases such as "up up" when she wants to be picked up and she always calls for PaPa. They are the best pets for apartments and get along with others pets.

Becky - 2007-07-31
Nacho has been with me since he was 1-1/2 years old. He aggravates the various cats and dogs that have come into our lives. He thinks he is a pterydactyl and they should all "fear" him. They pretty much give him his space. He even chases Max (the cocker spaniel (bird dog)) back through the dog door if he comes near his cage.

Charles - 2007-01-22
my wife and I live in Peru for three to four months out of the year. At home, in south Florida, we have a Quaker and miss him dearly, when we are away, Traveling back from South America with a bird is impossible. So taking him is impossible. So we went looking, in Lima. We came across our Bluehead and fell in love.

Pam West - 2006-01-10
We got "Sonny" this year as a Christmas present (2005). He is a white capped pionus. He will be 2 years old in June. I must say that this parrot just fascinates me!
He is so tame! My five year old dtr. loves to get him out of his cage. Having a small child I was concerned about a biting issue with any bird. Also, our household contains 3 dogs and 1 indoor cat! The pionus has proven to be exactly what I have read. Of course, I put the dogs out and lock the cat up when it's bird time outside the cage but our sometimes chaotic household does not seem to bother him. I just love him. Everyone who visits our home has held him and he is as good with smaller children as he is with adults. I would highly recommend this bird to anyone looking for a bird that your children can hold. Of course, they have to be calm when holding him, as any bird would scare with sudden movement. He mimics the phone, I have caught him privately whistling the tune to "Andy Griffith" and he is truly hilarious when he copies me laughing! Trust me, you can not go wrong with a pionus!

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