Need Brown Head Help

flyingsowm · Jul 7, 2014

Hi Everyone,
We have had a wonderful blue headed pionus for 4 years now. A few months ago we brought home a 1 year old brown headed parrot. He loves to cuddle with me but I find his shrill whistling call really loud from his cage. If he has treats (broccoli, nutriberries, apples, etc.) he is fine. I am not sure what to respond to verbally, what is acceptable contact calling and what is too loud. I made the mistake of completely ignoring any loud calling but it has become louder now. I think he is approaching puberty because he suddenly gets really aggressive 1)around my 8 year old daughter 2)on my shoulder so he is not allowed there 3)with food

We rehomed a quaker because he was way too loud for our house and I want to help this little guy stay sweet and loving and I don't want to reinforce his loud noises. Help would be great! I will post pictures today.

thekarens · Jul 7, 2014

1 year old is too young for it to be hormones. You can't control how loud they whistle but you might be able to help how often. When my sennies do the shrill whistle thing I usually call back because I know in their case they are doing it because I've left the room.

flyingsowm · Jul 7, 2014

So you don't think I am reinforcing it by whistling back? He is either completely silent (when eating) or calling loudly for me.

thekarens · Jul 7, 2014

I'm no expert, but my opinion is if you pick him up while he's whistling you would be reinforcing it. Encouraging him to make a softer noise or different noise is just letting him know that you're there.

thekarens · Jul 7, 2014

thekarens said:
I'm no expert, but my opinion is if you pick him up while he's whistling you would be reinforcing it. Encouraging him to make a softer noise or different noise is just letting him know that you're there.

Sydney, my male sennie likes to whistle loudly when I'm making dinner. Generally if I talk to him or whistle back (in a softer or different tune) he settles down.

That was supposed to be an edit, not a quote.... LOL

RavensGryf · Jul 7, 2014

When Robin whistles, sometimes I ignore it, sometimes I whistle back. I really don't find the Poicephalus parrots to be anywhere near as loud or noisy as a Quaker or Conure can be. Do you allow enough time for the ignoring to work? Poi's usually aren't too persistent if you're consistent with it. Typically as a species, it would be unusual for him to develop a screaming problem. I wouldn't worry about having happen what happened with your Quaker. Good luck.

flyingsowm · Jul 7, 2014

Thanks everyone. We spent a lot of time on the couch together today and he loves when I cup him in my hands and kiss him all over. He stares into my mouth and tries to get my tongue! He is very gentle with me with his beaking and and I praise him for that. He loves to roam around at our dinner table and eats from everyones plates except my hubby whom he is scared of. I can't read is facial expressions like I can with my pi, so I feel like he is giving me a blank stare a lot of the time but I know I will get better at reading him.

I will work on whistling back softly and only going to him when he is quieter. I will get some pics up too!

RavensGryf · Jul 7, 2014

Yes please pics!!

I love the Brownies! Every time I read about Brown Headed, it always mentions how plain colored they are. I don't get why they say that... So many parrots are primarily green or almost solid green. I think BH are a pretty shade of green. Like foliage.

I absolutely love Poicephalus, they're such all around great little birds.

flyingsowm · Jul 14, 2014

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xx89me6jk4ecpk1/20140714_122539(1).jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bbxea9f9yep9f12/AACNloYY8Ov58Ou7wErBzHT0a

Here are two pictures of Frodo. He is doing well but has a big loose diarrhea poop every morning and I think it is from his veggies. How old does he look to you? I was told 8 mos but think a year but if he looks older let me know.

RavensGryf · Jul 14, 2014

Frodo is a really handsome little guy!

I love the small Poi's... that's why I have 2.
He looks like a young bird, but not a "baby". Hard to tell age unless they are really young juveniles or extremely old with outward aging signs. I forgot to check on the pic but if he has dark eyes still, he's young. Eye color age varies though. Impossible to visually tell a difference between 8 months and a year old. Also hard since Brown Headed don't have a plumage color change into adulthood. Regardless, he's a cutie. I'd love to own a BH!

Edit: Dark eyes... He's a juvenile. Could be 8 months, could be a year. At any rate, if he's around that age they should be slowly turning lighter, then finally yellow.

Also, sounds like a normal morning poop. Especially if all other poops seem normal.

flyingsowm · Jul 14, 2014

Phew! Thanks Ravens! I was so close to taking him to the vet today because of those scary morning poops. Plus his poops smell like vomit sometimes but I really think that is because he loves broccoli so much!

I thought some brownheads retain their brown eye colour? That is what I read in one of my brownhead books. I hope so because I love his big brown eyes! Great to know he is young though. The vet did not think a year yet, so maybe.

RavensGryf · Jul 14, 2014

Did you have a stool sample taken at the vet? Any smell regardless of what they ate isn't normal. The big poop in the morning, sometimes watery (as long as they're not always like that) is normal, but not smell.

I know some Senegals keep a grayish blue eye instead of yellow, so could be same sort of thing with the other yellow-eyed Poi too (Brown Heads

) but I'm not sure how common it is. I know age at which it changes is highly individual from what I've heard.

flyingsowm · Jul 14, 2014

I will try cutting broccoli out and see if there are any changes, because it is not smelly unless he eats that. I will look into getting a fecal for him if it doesn't change. What veggies does yours like?

RavensGryf · Jul 14, 2014

Griffin seems to like most everything since he was weaned onto veggies, but especially red or orange bell or sweet peppers! Snap peas too. He's always in the mood for those. I give several kinds of veggies a day, but some days they don't feel like eating certain ones.

Robin my other Poi loves yams, carrots and peas. Apples and corn too, but that's not as healthy so of course!

thekarens · Jul 14, 2014

I think my guys came from the same eating school as Robin.

flyingsowm · Jul 16, 2014

He is starting to regurgitate to me and do the mating dance, so does this mean he is closer to 1 then 8 mos or even older, like reaching sexual maturity at 2? I put him down when he does this.

Bad smell is gone!

RavensGryf · Jul 16, 2014

Griffin does it too and he's just a bit over 4 months old. He doesn't do it with me, but he does it to Raven the Pionus. I've heard of juveniles doing it. I don't know if it's anything to do with begging, or more like a young child going through the motions doing behaviors like a grown up?

RavensGryf · Jul 16, 2014

I'm glad the bad smell is gone too!

flyingsowm · Mar 5, 2015

Here us an update- Frodo is now Lola- a girl! We went to the vet and she went on antibiotics which really helped the stinky poop. It got so bad it was spraying out of the cage and it stank! Now she has normal poops and is on probiotics and Harrisons Booster. We are getting a parrotlet soon! He is a baby pied and I hope it gets along with our rescued budgie and my 9 year old daughter but we are prepared if he doesn't.

Loloa is great other than the loud whistling call, usually mid day.

RavensGryf · Mar 5, 2015

Wow, Thanks for the update

. Lola, not Frodo huh? Congrats on the surprise! Good to hear 'she' is better. Can't wait to see pics of your new Parrotlet when you get him.

Need Brown Head Help

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