Are Pionus parrots good?

kq_fan

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Hi everyone, I hope you are all having a good day! Ok so I have a few questions about Pionus Parrots. I want to know more about them, they are great birds! So here are my questions

1. How big are they, how big of a cage do I need?
2. How loud are they, do they scream like the bigger birds?
3. How much are they generally?

Thanks for any reply's, my family and I want one so I would like to know more info about them.
 

Featheredsamurai

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Aug 24, 2011
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They are smaller medium sized parrots, usually 9"-12" in length
They are generally quieter birds
I think they cost $400-$1,000 for the more common species, but I'm not positive.

Pionus don't seem to do as well in captivity as other parrots, they get aspergillosis easily. At the store I sometimes get pellets from the owner has two parrots, a lilac crown amazon and white front pionus that she takes amazing care of. Her pionus is has been doing pretty bad the last year and is getting sick every few months, she also told me about how most people she knows with pionus(especially older pionus) have similar problems.
 

Abigal7

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Clover (green cheek conure)
From what I read they usually are quiet and do not make much noise. They are a small/ medium parrot. I will post a link to the type of cage I have. Any cage you can put a mini macaw in should be big enough. I read that they are not an active parrot and love food.
 
OP
kq_fan

kq_fan

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Ahh thanks for the info! :) Copperarabian that's to bad the get sic! I don't want a bird I would need to bring to the vet every month! But that is good to know.... I don't think this is the bird for us. Do you now any medium birds that are quiet and not that expensive?
 

chalky76

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Blue Headed Pionus
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I've had my blue headed Pionus for about 6 years and they are great birds. Not very noisy (bjt certainly not quiet). Loads of personality and very affectionate. Mine loves it when I'm around but plays with his toys when I'm not. They can get overweight easily but I've not heard of them being particularly prone to other poor health. They make a wheezing noise when stressed or excited so don't confuse that with an illness.

Fantastic birds and highly recommended
 

crimson

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I took in my cousins hand tamed Pionus, it was here exactly one week, and that was enough for me and my family.
All he did was scream, did not adjust well to the new surroundings at all as it came from a quiet house, our house has lots of animals, can be noisy, and hyper at times.
she screamed every time he saw our 3 dogs or 4 cats = screaming every 5-10 minutes, except at night time.

Unfortunately not the bird for us.
 
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kq_fan

kq_fan

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Hmmmm idk what to think, I would LOVE to get a bigger bird but im not allowed to get a loud bird. I have 2 dogs (soon to have 3) and 4 cats but the cats are outside. Sooo would it scream at the dogs? idk
 

Echo

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I have 2 ( Blue-headed and Dusky). They are rather quiet, not very active and very food oriented. They like to hang out and cuddle. They are both girls and great birds!! One is 8 and the other 17 years old and in perfect health. Never a problem.

I love all my birds, but if I had to choose only 1, it would be my Blue-headed. She is polite and sweet, cuddly, always in a good mood, easy going and has NEVER BIT any of us (which, if you have birds, you know how rare that is, being hormonal bite, scared bite etc.). HOWEVER, I have heard from others that not all Pionus are like her, so I know she is special.

Note: Their call can be loud. I have heard it a few times, when they want to be with me, so I do bring them everywhere I go in the house and have no issue :)
 

Echo

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Also I have 2 dogs and they really don't mind them, don't scream at them ever.

You need a good size cage to keep them active so they don't get overweight. I would say at least 32"/34" wide.
 
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Evilbird

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Dec 2, 2013
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Patagonian Conure, Blue-Hooded Pionus, Quaker Parrot, Parrotlet, 6 Lovebirds
Ours squawks a few times a day that sounds like a fire alarm lol She does eventally stop tho :)
 

SpotsandSally

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From my experience IRNs are pretty quiet. Similar to a conure but they're not as needy so they scream less. I'd imagine this would go for Alexadrines, and they're a good sized bird.

Best of luck choosing one for your family :)
 

Tessa

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green cheek conure (Benji), white capped pionus (Topper)
Pionus are sweet. They can be hard headed about staying on their perches out of cage. Normally quiet, but can be loud when they want to be for such a small bird. Not known to be for long periods of time.

Mine is a good boy and has his moments of noisy time. They are very pretty in the right lighting.
 

SilverSage

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I have 2 Maxis and I love them. They are very quiet even once they came out of their shells, and they adapted very well to my house. My upstairs and next door neighbors in my apartment didn't even know we had them, I highly recommend them. I recommend reading this article on aspergillosis and keeping in mind that you control a lot of your birds hehttp://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=3241&alth.
 

BucketBird

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They can scream loud! All parrots have the potential to be loud and the pionus is no exception. My guy screams his feathers of if I use the microwave. Most of the day he's pretty quite but when he's not the neighbors can hear him.

Pi's have a lot of personality. When theyare mad they fluff up, stomp around, and chatter/squawk at you. It's like being chewed out by a feathered leprechaun. Hilarious. BUT watch your fingers!

I have had my Max Pi for 10 years with zero health problems. I feed Roudybush with fruits and veggies and a pistachio every now and then.

Any bird you get will make mess, will scream at some point, will need to see an avian vet, and will challenge you. But nothing good comes easy does it?
 

veimar

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Try to see one in person. I never owned one, but I read that they have musky smell. Some people like that smell and some just cannot stand it. Just check that out before you buy. :) I also heard that they have adorable personalities.
 

Sterling1113

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They DO have a musky smell!! :)
My boyfriend thinks he smells 'dirty' but I like it.
It sort of reminds me of the musky smell my Siberian husky had when I was a little kid. :)
 

Birdman666

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Sep 18, 2013
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Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
I call them Amazon-Lite. Same basic attributes as an amazon, a little more reserved, a little less hormonal, slightly smaller package.

Good, depends on your ability to train them. No bird is good locked up in a cage all day.

I would go with one of the smaller macaw sized cages, preferably a playtop.
 

RavensGryf

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Jan 19, 2014
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Even though this is an old thread, since it's been brought back to life, I'll add my 2 cents too:).

I like how Birdman calls Pionus "Amazon-lite".
They are said to be genetically closely related to zons, they do that musty puff of smell like zons too. Also just like Amazons, there is USUALLY a big difference in mature males and females aggression level.

Both Raven and another Pi I used to have don't have a super loud call. Some people claim Pi's can be really loud, but the two I've had experience with can scream full blast (which is not often) close to my ears, and though higher pitch, it is a pitch that is tolerable, and doesn't temporarily deafen me even close up. Not to say the full blast scream is quiet, but it is rather wimpy sounding COMPARED TO other birds their size or a medium size conures scream.
Pi's are pretty relaxed, and not super active. They're generally reserved and not as extroverted as their Amazon cousins. They're real cuties with oversized dark brown eyes, even as adults. Have to watch the body language, you can't see the eyes pin because they're dark!
Most are about 200-something grams, depending on species and individual.
 

Birdman666

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Sep 18, 2013
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San Antonio, TX
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Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
If they don't get enough stimulation and out time they can become "perch potatoes." That and not handling them enough they tend to bite, (but that's pretty much true with EVERY parrot in my opinion) are the "bad raps" on Pionus.
 

parrotlover1176

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I absolutely adore my Pionus. She was re-home from CL at the age of eight. She bonded with me almost instantly. She loves to have her head pet and would sit on me all day if she could. She tolerates being pet by other people but will rarely go to other people.

She is not loud. She will make noise if someone new comes into her space or if she gets nervous but even that isn't very loud. She does occasionally "honk" like a goose, which I think is adorable.

I happen to love her smell. She probably gets tired of being sniffed.

From everything I have heard from pionus parents there is a huge difference in males and females, with females being much more calm and laid back, not nearly as much aggression.

My Maxi Pi has never bitten me, but did bite my mom once after giving very obvious cues which my mom ignored.

Oh, and she is a perch potato for sure. She does chew wood toys but is not very active.
 

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