Senegal as a companion?

Okay I am still on my soul search for my new parrot. I have decided to stick with quiet species so I can minimize future problems. I have have fostered a breeding pair of senegals in 2011. The male was very old and had a bald head. He was missing a toe on each foot and this really impaired his movement. He was very aggressive. The female was a lot younger and was semi-tame. They were great house guests. I had them for about a year before the rescue adopted them out. I would have kept them but I wasn't really given the option. They were very quiet and only made one sound that was even mildy loud and it was seldom made.

So my question is what are handfed babies like? That's the only thing I lack experience in is babies. I have had adults before but I've only had one baby.

Are they an interactive bird? Do they play with toys? Would a senegal owner find themselves playing with their bird or would the bird rather just sit and watch what the owner does? What about the cuddle factor?

If someone could just tell me about their experience with their senegal?

And what happens to them upon maturity? Is it possible to maintain your relationship with them after they hit it?

I'm hoping my next bird will be clicker trainable and taught to wear a aviator harness so we can can go out and have adventures.

I heard they are one person birds. Does this mean if not properly socialized? Or can I socialize a baby to be a multi-person bird? It's not a deal breaker but I do have a friend that would be a little upset if the bird rejected him. He is also excited to see me get a new addition.

Senegals are only one person birds because their owners made them that way. My Sennie will go with just about anyone, except for those men sporting beards. Now my wife is her favorite person and Tiki will start making little kissing sounds and twirling around like a little ballerina as soon as my wife walks into the room. Tiki is very affectionate and loved to get her head scratched and to cuddle up next to your cheek or neck.

Now as far as one person birds go, SENEGAL'S prefer to be the only bird in the house and that I know to be a fact. Senegal's can be affectionate one minute and the next minute act like they want to bite you, especially if you hit a feather the wrong way when scratching them. Now as far as senegal's being noisy, some say their's are quiet birds, but the couple that I have been around and my own sennie, have been anything but quiet. Tiki can be down right loud at times.

There is an amazing Senegal at A helping Wing shelter. About hour drive from you, just got an adoption app from someone else in scranton!

Mali is sweet and very interactive, loves people. He is a favorite small bird of all the volunteers. He loves my husband but also craves attention from one of the girls who works there, so he can happily work with both.

He is listed on petfinder or let me know if you want more info on him

I have had two experiences at the opposite extreme with the senegals I have had. My first, Kelly, was an absolute darling. A quiet and gentle soul. She would go to anyone for snuggling and gentle nibbles and scratches. The only time she really made any noise is when I would leave. She would make this most broken hearted squeak. Kinda made it hard for me to leave. Kelly was a very low energy bird. She didn't want to do much other than be with me.

Now, my second senegal is a firecracker with a lit fuse. He came from a rescue and lost a couple of homes before I adopted him. He is very moody. Can be loud at times. Seems to be female aggressive and is violently aggressive towards my two blue crowns. He has 3 distinct moods through the day. "Don't touch me or you will bleed" in the morning and he means it. "I really want nothing to do with you and just want to find something to destroy" during the day. And "I want to have sleepy snuggles" at night. He is an enjoyable bird most of the time but he can be a real handful to deal with and I think he is a good example of what can happen with a bird that did not have good socializing.

I say YES to Poicephalus in general. Yes! Perfect choice if you ask me.

Robin my Red Bellied parrot is the Poi which is said to be probably the closest in behavior to Senegals generally speaking.

You will hear and read about Poi's who are not cuddly, but Robin is very cuddly and will let you grab him over his back and pick him up to kiss him all over, maul him, and will let you touch him everywhere.

He's also EXTREMELY INDEPENDENT when he has to be, and is not persistent or demanding about attention at all.

I've posted before (and will probably say it again at some point LOL) but Robin WAS a one person bird up until his teens when he met my husband and loved him at first sight and became a TWO person bird overnight. Robin is almost 20 years old, and so has mellowed out in how often he attacks and how tenaciously and hard he bites, but when he was younger he would lure me into a neck scratch then turn his head and then boom! nail me good and latch on deep into my hand and not want to let go. Unpredictable without noticable body language beforehand, which I hear is common in African species. You might know, but Poi's are VERY hard biters for their size!

Generally speaking, I think they are more easy going than many other birds of this size. Easy going meaning if you don't have as much time for them on a certain day, week or month, they're not going to demand it or hold it against you, they are VERY rarely pluckers, they actually ENJOY their own company and as Mike said, I too believe Robin PREFERRED to be the only bird. He was NOT lonely as the only bird, and when I started having other birds, he did eventually adjust, but he made it clear he wished I didn't lol.

To me (besides the unpredictable biting) the basic Poicephalus personality traits are UNBEATABLE for this size bird. Cuddly (can be), quiet, independent, and easy going. Did I mention very soft feathers and adorable faces too?

Another thing to keep in mind, Poi males are dominant and as you noticed with your old guy that you had, and from what others have said, I tend to agree on the general idea that more often a female Poi will be on the gentler side.

Do you have an idea how old this "very old" male was?
Robin will be 20 on July 31, and though he's gotten a bit more mellow during hormonal season, nothing else has changed. Still seems like a young guy.

Good luck!

mtdoramike said:

but the couple that I have been around and my own sennie, have been anything but quiet. Tiki can be down right loud at times.

Click to expand...

...and you have an Eclectus?!! No way Mike, I can't believe you LOL! I know, different pitch, but still... :11:

I only own one Senegal (my first) and she is amazing. From 4 months of age until now, 3 years old, I have found that she is:
Easy to train
Very loving and very cuddly. She loves long cuddles.
Very quiet but does try to talk and whistle every now and then
Not very playful (would rather be with me)
She thinks we're inseparable at times
She loves me the most but will happily go to anyone who wants to hold her
She's never bitten but she's a shirt chewer (has been very hard to get her to stop but I know she only does this to get attention.)
She gets along great with my 3 parakeets and any new bird she meets.
I can go outside with her and she loves it. (Her wings are clipped but she never tries to leave my shoulder. )
She loves car rides too.
I also bring her in stores with me (Lowes, craft stores, bank, etc..) and she loves it. She loves riding on the shopping cart.

I work at home as a professional artist so she's with me most of the time. She loves sitting on her play cage or on my shoulder.

If you get a Senegal, I hope you find as much of a birdy best friend as I have.

Mike that's what I was thinking. When my eclectus was a baby I took her everywhere and let many people interact with her and the end result was she would go to almost anyone. Like I said I have housed them before so I know the noise is tolerable for me. I want a bird that I can have a good bond with. Either a senegal or a meyers would be fine. Whatever comes across at the right time. I wish I could adopt the rescue bird but I cannot drive to NJ several times to get him right now. I hate to be like this but I would prefer a baby. I have my share of rescues here and I work for a rescue nearby. A baby would be easier to train in most cases and I have had only one baby parrot in the past, My girl Echo. She was great and I did manage to train her. Unfortunately she died last year, thus the reason I am looking for a new "friendly bird". I am big into bird ambassadorship. I like taking my birds out and taking to people about parrots as pets and the environment. Echo was my bird for that. My other birds don't like being outside. If I get a baby I might be able to train him to an aviator harness so he can come with me on trips to the park and stores. I am confident that a poi would be a perfect match but I just gotta see if I can find a baby within close proximity of my house once I have the money saved up and everything in line. Oh and my neighbor has a Jardines Parrot named Nelly. Also very quiet and very well behaved. They are rare I hear.

Great to hear! Oh, and don't "hate to be like this" ... If you want a baby for WHATEVER reason I don't think you should be made to feel guilty about it!!

Are you trying to get one locally and not have to do shipping? I always hate that extra approx. $200 for crating and shipping.

Ooh, and Jardine's are gorgeous too! I'd love one. They aren't rare, just not as popular as Senegals. Good luck finding just what you want!

I agree with Julie. Pois are great birds. I'd have a houseful of them if I had the time, money and space.

I have two sennies, a boy and a girl. They are clutch mates. The boy is a talker and gregarious. The girl is VERY quiet, says a couple words. They both like scritches. They would gladly eat each other, but they don't actively try to get to each other. They are both one person birds, but I never socialized them and no one in the house but me has any interest in them.

I too am looking to get a poi, specifically a Senegal. I also want a hand fed one from breeder. As I want the interaction with them as they grow up. Also want to take mine out and about and socialized as much as possible.

How does one take in stores? Animals are never allowed in them I thought?

I have a female red bellied parrot and I have to say she is very gentle and loves to be petted and held and loves giving and getting kisses. I bought her from craigslist when she was 6 and a half months old and have had her for a couple of years. I love the noises, clicks and whistles that she makes, she is very pleasant to listen to and does a great wolf whistle. She is housed in a flight cage with plenty of toys, perches, boing, swings ect. she occupies herself quite well. I also have 3 other birds and each has their own cage but can see and hear each other, plus I leave a tv or radio on whenever we are out.. I highly recommend the poi group from my limited experience with them