Craig's List Find

Good Morning!

So a few days ago I went on Craigs list and found someone who was moving and had to sell their senegal parrot. We've been talking back and forth and I'm to go tomorrow to see the bird.

I've done research for a while so I feel like I know what I'm doing, but I thought I'd ask for some advice directly.

Keeping in mind that the bird will have recently traveled, and will probably be put out by that, what are warning signs that I should look for?

I'm going to ask after vet records and so forth, and I researched diseases, but are there more subtle signs that I should watch for that would suggest the bird's health or temperament?

Also, how much pellets should I feed it a day?

Thanks,
Karigan

I too have a Craigslist second hand Senegal, and she is my baby. Ok, since you haven't seen the bird yet, here is a few things to do and look for:

First off, ask if they are the original owners and if so, what is the age of the bird.

2. Ask when was the last time the bird has been to the vet if ever. (You'll be surprised, most haven't because they are very hardy birds.

3. Visually l,ook at the bird, one of the things I look for with a sick bird is, are their nostrils clean looking, no puss, or mucus or wet in any way, does the bird look like it's breathing hard or rapidly. Does the birdkeep it's feathers fluffed up and isn't allowing them to lay flat. (This is a sure sign that there is an issue). Does their feet and toes look healthy and not scabby or swollen. Also look at the bottom of the cage at their poop, if it's very liquidy and clear, their maybe an issue. I'm always very leary of a freshly cleaned cage when someone is selling a bird.

4. Is this bird hand tame and do they suggest that it is? If they do then ask them to demonstrate this to you by THEM handling the bird in front of you. If they refuse and can't and you WANT a hand tame bird, then walk away. Most birds that I have found on Craigslist have been either abused, neglected and cage bound to the point they are aggressive.

5. Is the birds wings clipped, if not that is one of the first things I would do. It will make the bird more dependant on you, which will allow you to interact easier with the bird and well as training purposes. A flighted bird is difficult to handle when it's not familiar with you.

6. Does the bird come with it's original cage? I prefer to buy a previously owned bird with it's original cage. They feel more comfortable that way and the transition is easier. They if the cage is inadiquate, I will gradually introduce them to a new cage.

These are just a few things to keep in mind when looking for a new bird.

Good luck, I hope it works out for you, I LOVE my little Senegal and thank Craigslist everyday for bringing her into our lives.

as for signs of illness?? you really wont see any! unless the birds at deaths door step! best indication will be to look at the poop, it should look in 3 parts clear water, white an colour, the colour part can change depending what birds been eating, but normally a dark shade of green, but it could also be black if its eaten high coloured fruits/pellets?

about say 3 poops or more every 2 hours, some say every 20mins, but my nut drops when she is good an ready some days an others she will drop little sneakies every 10/20mins

as for temperment! if she is like my nut, she will charm the pants of you! and when she gets you all to her self she will be all grrr an bitey! till a status quo has been established and then you will have the true temperment of your bird!

ok how old is the bird?? male of female??
how many in the house hold its in now, has it been with them from the start, what is there routine, flighted or clipped

but these are in my mind dam good little companion birds, nut trusts all in the household, i am number 2 fav person, though i spend most time with her, number 1 is my partner an last my sone, but both my man an son don't have many problems gettin her to step up, i dont ask her too often

food

nut has harrison's super fine 1 bag will last 2 months or more (she'll eat about a teaspoon plus a day) and nutri berries 1 bag a month

AND a whole host of fresh fruit an veggies offered on a daily basis, as well as egg white, chicken bones (cooked, with a little meat on) pasta, rice, cooked potatoe (you dont have to feed all this in a day, lol just to keep variety up)

you have done the best thing in visiting the bird, and askin advice but bear in mind what i have said, these birds are little charmers and if they are that, they have been so******ed, that is most important! as i feel a bird that has been so******ed is easier to train, as you dont have to start with so******ing the bird first

Thanks all!

I'm not sure the sex of the bird. The owner says she's about four years old, doesn't talk but whistles up a storm. Says it likes people once it gets used to you. It comes with it's cage, toys and the like.

lol nuts a noise maker will whistle but is currently garbling sounds like i love you once she gets that off to a tee, we are doomed! lol

but a vocal bird is good, sign of a happy bird, i mean vocal as in sounds/whistles/singing not screaming, but nut is very quiet around new ppl! and for most of the time till she is comfortable

Karigan said:

Thanks all!

I'm not sure the sex of the bird. The owner says she's about four years old, doesn't talk but whistles up a storm. Says it likes people once it gets used to you. It comes with it's cage, toys and the like.

Click to expand...

That's the famous last words of sellers on Craigslist "likes people once it gets to know you". But, if the seller can't or won't handle it then that probably isn't true.

Oh well people do luck out with CL sometimes.

Well, I'm about to go meet the bird. Thank you so much everyone! I hope to be back with more questions soon!

mtdoramike said:

Karigan said:

Thanks all!

I'm not sure the sex of the bird. The owner says she's about four years old, doesn't talk but whistles up a storm. Says it likes people once it gets used to you. It comes with it's cage, toys and the like.

Click to expand...

That's the famous last words of sellers on Craigslist "likes people once it gets to know you". But, if the seller can't or won't handle it then that probably isn't true.

Click to expand...

That is so so true!

Hopefully everything works out well though.

Hi all, meet my new baby girl Kitoko! So far she's offering her head to be scratched, and if patient she'll climb down from her cage to climb on you. Hasn't been trained to step up yet, but with time she'll be a great bird!

She's really a pretty bird. Hope everything goes well. Congrats.

awww what a cutie the way she is standing in the pic is what i call the tall skinny, means she is unsure/scared, she'll get over this fast

encourage her to come to you with treats etc, an take the step up command from there, these are great birds, with a good life span!

keep us up dated

She's beautiful!

Alrighty, so I'm getting to know my little girl, but since I haven't found videos of certain behaviours, I can't be sure what her behaviours mean.

She makes a click/crack sound with her beak, is this the content grinding I've read about?

If I place my hand flat near her, if she doesn't try to bite me she starts shaking and bouncing her head before giving a half-hearted attempt to climb on before stepping back. (owner warned me that she is not finger trained)

She also flaps her beak and wiggles her tongue, that's a friendly sign, right?

I'm sure I'll figure it out, but thoughts on this would be helpful.

Karigan said:

Alrighty, so I'm getting to know my little girl, but since I haven't found videos of certain behaviours, I can't be sure what her behaviours mean.

She makes a click/crack sound with her beak, is this the content grinding I've read about?

If I place my hand flat near her, if she doesn't try to bite me she starts shaking and bouncing her head before giving a half-hearted attempt to climb on before stepping back. (owner warned me that she is not finger trained)

She also flaps her beak and wiggles her tongue, that's a friendly sign, right?

I'm sure I'll figure it out, but thoughts on this would be helpful.

Click to expand...

What a real cutie bug. The beak grinding is a sign that she's content.

wiggles her tongue back and forth through her beak is usually a happy sign.

But shaking, and bouncing her head up and down is usually a warning sign with my Sennie, that I doing something that she doesn't like. She actually does this to my wife quite a bit because she is more bonded to me.

Yo9u have a golden opportunity here to make sure that she bonds with everyone in your house hold or at least gets along with them by having them interact with your Sennie and preferrably when their favorite person isn't in the same room. You also need to start stick training this makes it easier to load her up in a carrier for those vey visits. It will also be easier and will save on the fingeres while teaching them to step up on the stick and rewarding with a treat.

mtdoramike said:

What a real cutie bug. The beak grinding is a sign that she's content.

wiggles her tongue back and forth through her beak is usually a happy sign.

But shaking, and bouncing her head up and down is usually a warning sign with my Sennie, that I doing something that she doesn't like. She actually does this to my wife quite a bit because she is more bonded to me.

Yo9u have a golden opportunity here to make sure that she bonds with everyone in your house hold or at least gets along with them by having them interact with your Sennie and preferrably when their favorite person isn't in the same room. You also need to start stick training this makes it easier to load her up in a carrier for those vey visits. It will also be easier and will save on the fingeres while teaching them to step up on the stick and rewarding with a treat.

Click to expand...

I agree totally with what Mike said.
Shaking head bounce = not good.
Tongue wiggle = good (although mine does when she is hot as well).
Click/crack = good if it is indeed grinding. When my birds grind their beaks, they are actually grinding and sounds like "griiiiinnnd griiiiiinnnndd"

My B&G will sometimes take his upper beak (maxilla) flick it across his bottom beak (mandible?) and this makes a click sound. I have only seen him do it if he is wound up about something (playing, maybe a bit nervous about something). So when you hear that, you should watch him see what he is doing.

Mike

as above but nut does a click/snap sound with her beak thats not grinding an i have no idea what that is lol though i feel its a thing she just does, normally when my son is about

awww the fun never stops with a sene lol hope you sene proffed your home

Like Karigan, I am still learning about Max.

Max wags his tongue in his beak. He also makes little clicks and he grinds his beak, which I think are both happy, content signals.

However, Max bobs his head up and down and sways back and forth. I am not sure what he (Yep, Karigan, I do believe Max is a boy--thanks for the tip!!) is trying to tell me. The first time he did it, the radio was on and we were coming home from picking him up. I notice he does this often when sounds are in the background, ie, when the kids are playing video games in the other room.