Ladyhawk - I dug up a few pics of my Senegal to share..

Meet Panhead

And why the name "Panhead"? :D

Here are pictures of Darla:











The last one is how a parrot says, "Pet me."

Unfortunately, at age 7 Darla developed a problem with feather plucking. It broke my heart because I felt responsible and despite hundreds of dollars in vet bills and toys to distract her, the problem was never resolved. In fact, I think the follicles on her neck have been damaged to the point her feathers will never grow back. I could cry a river.

The Gabriel Foundation needed some pictures of Darla's feather-plucking problem, so I sent them this:



It breaks my heart to look at the damage, to wonder what I did wrong. The Gabriel Foundation should be a more stimulating place for the smart little green bird. I hope I'm making the right decision.

On edit: Darla likes to have her beak grabbed and shaken. All I have to do to get her to pose like that is put my hand in front of her face. She grabs my fingers and lets me shake her head. :) Gently, of course. :D

She asks me, "Going on the computer?" To which I reply, "In alittle while."
When I finally take her out for her nightly time to visit other birdies, she comes out most willingly...knowing she will be able to see other birdies.
I have a large old calendar of parrots which she also enjoys seeing from time to time.
If anyone can recommend a video of parrots to purchase for her, I would love the information.
Not that I spoil her or anything....ahem. ;-)

Can you tell me the pros and cons of Senegals? (I've read enough about them, but I mean first hand)

I'm looking to get either a Meyers or a Senegal (I'm leaning towards the former, but the latter is more readily available).

They sound so fun, and are such gorgeous birds, but are they quite nippy and flighty? Do yours have problems sharing their person?

There's a book I'm sending with my Senegal to The Gabriel Foundation: Guide to the Senegal Parrot and Its Family. I haven't read the whole thing because it's breaking my heart to give up an eleven-year-old bird I raised from the egg. I'm having a very hard time dealing with this decision, even though I think it's the best thing for Darla.

I read enough of the book to confirm that the author knows exactly what she's talking about when it comes to Poicephalus parrots. Senegals are the most readily available Poicephalus parrot and make excellent little pets. Meyer's are next in availability, but there are also red-bellies, brown-heads, Ruppell's, Capes and Jardine's. The larger Jardine's get rave reviews. Capes and Ruppell's are rare in aviculture and aren't usually offered as pets.

Meyer's have the most steady personalities, while red-bellies make the best talkers. Of course, my little female Senegal talks quite a bit and would have learned more had I put more effort into it.

Darla's personality reminds me a bit of the personality of an African grey. Poicephalus and Psittacus erithacus are cousins. In fact, Cape parrots and African greys have successfully hybridized.

The sensitivity of Senegal parrots reminds me of the larger grey. Also, I have the distinct impression that Darla is actually smarter than my big green Amazon! She has a larger vocabulary, can escape any cage I've ever put her in and will even mimic body language. On the minus side, she developed the African grey curse: feather plucking. :( This is a very difficult problem to deal with, but doesn't seem to affect Poicephalus nearly as often as African greys. Still, I have known a few Senegals that developed the problem.

Poicephalus are extremely acrobatic. My Senegal has an exercise wheel in her cage that she swings on. Sometimes she'll make it go all the way around with her inside, shouting, "Wheeeeee, bird!!!" She can climb anything. If you get a Poicephalus, it will need a lot of things to climb on. Also, they require lots of easily-destroyed toys. You can buy all kinds of wooden "foot toys" at reasonable prices. Darla loves destroying different kinds of cactus toys made for birds.

Also, Senegals tend to be very, very jealous. My Senegal is jealous of my Amazon, my snakes and any inanimate objects I spend time with, including the telephone and the computer. She will bite me and the offending animals / objects when she is pissed. She has been known to terrorize my Amazon parrot by biting his toes (he doesn't defend himself) and once tried to kill my milksnake, Bayou, who was, thankfully, safely esconced in his cage.

One thing noted by Mattie Sue Athan is that Senegals tend to be fearless when it comes to their people and other pets, but an unknown inanimate object can send them flying across the room. I'd like to know more about this "split personality" trait and wanted to read on, but I just couldn't emotionally handle reading about an animal I'm going to give up for adoption. :cry:

Each species has its own profile and each individual has its own personality. And remember, these little guys are very sensitive. They need just the right kind of attention to keep from developing behavioral problems. I think my being ill so often led to some of Darla's current problems. I'm looking ahead, trying to find her a more stimulating environment.

I'm so sorry you have to give up your beautiful Darla. :cry:

I had to sell my horse when I became ill years ago, and I understand the heartbreak.

Thank you very much for the information. I do have the Guide to the Senegal Parrot; it's a great book. I am leaning towards a Meyers, as I like the steadier nature of them, but have wondered about the Senegal. The Red bellies are beautiful, but I think might be a handful for me. Every time I run into a Poi owner, I ask questions as to the pros and cons of each of them (mostly the cons, as the pros are pretty self evident!).

Peace to you.