Newbie Senegal Owner

[feet]

Hi all!

Ive just purchased my first bird ever and was wondering if I could get some advise. Its a 3 month old senegal parrot (yellow chest). Just brought it home yesterday and its a sweetheart. However its starting to nip a bit and I was wondering if this was just a natural thing to do since its not accustomed to me or its new habitat. Also any other info (training, diet, books, etc) would be most appreciated. THANKS!!!

:)

[Jenny]

Did you do alot of research before adopting your baby senegal? Hopefully you did, but if you didn't (well, even if you did) then here's some extremely good books, probably the best, on parrots. The biting could be from the way you are handling her, her way of exploring the surroundings, a way of defending herself, or numerous possibilities. These books cover biting, training, diet, and tons of other things and are extremely, extremely, extremely good and sooo helpful!!!
1.Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot (Athan)
2.My Parrot, My Friend (Doane)
3.Companion Parrot Handbook (Blanchard)
4.The Beak Book (Blanchard)
5.Parrot Training: A Guide to Taming and Gentling Your Avian Companion (Doane)
6.Parrot Toys and Play Areas (D'Arezzo & Shannon-Nunn)
7.Guide to the Senegal Parrot and Its Family (Athan)
8.Guide to Companion Parrot Behavior (Athan)

[Redstorm1721]

Hello,I also own a baby Sengal. Her name is Sunni. They do bite when first bringing them home. Your bird is very scared. They have that type of personilty. Mine has a green V and she has yellow and orange under her wings. Most beautiful bird you can get. They are all about entertaining you. They will play great by them selves and have a lot of fun. Have a lot of toys in the cage. Like ropes and trees and do you have a tee stand? Or a tree for her? They also love swings and empty boxes and paper to rip up. I give mine all kinds of things. They will eat what ever you eat. I give Sunni anything I am eating,But no junk food. She has her favorets. Like baby food vegys. I give her baby food so she can get in her vegys. She has just about everything under the sun. They love to be sprayed with a mist bottle,and she will even take a bath in her water dish. She started this at 3 months old. She is 5 months now. I also was so worried about her, when I first got her just like my first child. Senegals love to lay in your hand and be petted on the belly or around their heads. I lay in bed with my bird and even cover her with the sheet. She loves this. They are very cuddly and warm personiltys. They love attention but also can do great playing all by them selves. I can't say enough great things about a Sengal Parrot. My baby already says hi and she copys the way I laugh. Its really funny. She will show off in her cage and hang upside down. I just love her to death. They are funny to watch and very laving birds. Try and make sure you have her around alot of people,they tend to love the one person who takes care of them. They are very devoted to just one they will never forget their owner and will love you like crazy. They also will be very loving to others if you be sure to let her be with lots of people. If you have any questions I will love to help you. Gail

[Emerald]

Senegals are wonderful...I have a four year old Senegal and I love her to death..They do bite sometimes when they are scared or when they're feeling particularly rebellious. Yours is probably scared considering you just brought it home yesterday. Give it a chance to get used to it's surroundings..Just talk with it and be patient with it and in time it will be more comfortable with you.

[Redstorm1721]

Hi Emerald, I was wondering does you parrot talk? I just love Senegal's they are so beautiful and really funny birds. I am so glad I have mine. w/b thanks Gail

[birdygirl]

what are sengals like as pets? Do they make good comapnions? I've never had one so I don't know.

[Jenny]

Yes, they do! (I don't have one, but have been around a few) At my vet clinic when I was there one day, some person who worked at a bird store here brought in a senegal, whos leg had been bitten very hard by a macaw. The birdstore people didn't want to pay for it, so just gave it to the clinic "to fix". :( Anyway, the little bird was so cute and sweet! He bit a little bit, but that was because he hadn't had people spend much time with him in the store. So, we had to amputate his leg sadly, but it was so amazing because after surgery, he was so happy and didn't seem to mind a bit! It was like he didn't even notice his leg was gone! He quickly figured out how to hop around. After that, I was feeding some wild baby bunnies milk with a syringe and had him on the desk, and he kept trying to hop onto my arm to get me to play with him. He was having so much fun hopping around the desk and playing with stuff, that he dumped over the cup of the bunnie's milk! It was really funny! He had a great personality though and I would have kept him had the secretary at my clinic not fallen in love with him so much! lol Anyway, if all senegals are like that, they would make wonderful companions. I"m sure Gail coudl go on and on about them! :)

[Redstorm1721]

Such a beautiful story Jenny! I have tears in my eyes. I am lol I could go on and on huh? LOL. Jenny you must have alot of story's to tell about the clinic you work at. Do you have more storys? Tell us please. I would love to work at a clinic,but I also know I would want every animal that came in! That must be hard on you huh? Well Senegals are wonderful birds. They try so hard to make you the happiest person. They love attention,and want to make you happy all the time. My parrot always trys to kiss me in my mouth? I have to tell her no,I laugh at her all the time,and she tries so hard to almost get her head in my mouth. Then she will do that thing they do when hand feeding. She must think my mouth is a bottle? I have no clue why she is so intrested in my mouth? I have to laugh everytime she does this? Its a bad thing for a bird to get our spit on them,because we carry ecoli? Not sure if I spelled it right. That can be so very bad, a bird can die from that. I didn't know that before,and was told this a while back.So I try to never let her get near my mouth. She just wants to kiss me like crazy,she such a baby you know. I have to turn my head so she won't get near my mouth. This is something I was told about our spit. I know I should say it the other way, but I am not a good speller so I hope I don't offend anyone?Parrots are very nice they are a quitter type and they can play for hours alone and are very content by them selves

[Redstorm1721]

Ps, I forgot to mention that Sunni imatates my laugh. This is really funny. My daughter Sarah,was walking past the birds room and heard one of them laugh. I was outside in my garden, when I went in I thought I heard Sunni scream, and not a good one,I asked Sarah how are the birds? She says good mom,but one of them sounds just like you in the room? I laughed so hard, Sunni can laugh just like me. It sounds like me doing it? Wow that is awsome!We both laughed because ,Sarah said she thought I was in the room,she called for me and went in there, and she said But you weren't there? LOL.

[Jenny]

Nice to hear more about Sunni! That's so funny about her imitating your laugh! Yeah, I could tell quite abit about volunteering at the clinic, because its' one of my very favorite things to do! Unfortuneately I haven't gotten to go there in awhile because of school, but thankfully I'm now done! (yipee!!!) So, I'm looking forward to starting back up again and will probably have lots to tell about it! I just remembered about a lilac-crowned amazon there, who is such an awesome sweet funny bird! His owner brings him in quite often to board, because she travels alot. Well, many of the birds who come to board stay in the bathroom since the clinic is so small, so that's where we put his cage. One day I had to use the bathroom, so went in there and right away Bocci (the amazon) asked me "Whatcha doin'?" I started laughing and told him what I was doing, that I needed to use the bathroom. I thought he was satisfied with my answer, but a second later he asked me agian, "Whatcha doin'?" I laughed even more and that must have encouraged him to keep asking me what I was doing because he did- over and over and over! (or, he was just a very curious bird!) Another funny thing he says is "Hiiiiiiiii Mary!" in his owner's high-pitched voice, because that's her name. So, many times when he saw me he'd say "Hi Mary!!!!" very enthusiastically and pin his eyes rapidly! He actually called most of us Mary. The other funny thing he did once was fall in love with someone. This lady in charge of a cat rescue came in with a few cats for spays, and I had Bocci out to play with me. As soon as he saw her, he was leaning forward towards her and going absolutely crazy!!! He fanned out his tail and was pinning his eyes and trying to make himself look so pretty and put on his most attractive display he could. The whole time she was there he coudlnt' stop trying to get her attention! Again, none of us could stop laughing. About wanting to keep all the animals, yeah, I do feel sorry for most of them and want to take them home with me, especially the ones looking for a home! Thats' how I got Mortie actually. His owners had dropped him off telling my vet ot find him a home, and when I saw him in such a small yucky cage with only sunflower seeds, half his feathers gone, and saw how untrusting he was of humans (he'd try to bite me whenever I got too close) I just coudlnt' help saying no about keeping him! But, I have absolutely no more room, time, or money for more animals now which makes it easier turnign them down since I wouldnt' be able to care properly for them. WEll, I guess I kind of got off the subject of senegals... hee-hee

[birdygirl]

Thanks for all the stories. Sengals soubd like great companions.

[Redstorm1721]

Awee, what a nice story! Thats what I love to hear!