I need info....African red belly

Anyone have one? Looking for information about them other than what I can read online.

I'll be watching this thread because I want one!

Julie, one of the mods, has had a male for 20 years.

I'll post a link to my thread:

http://www.parrotforums.com/new-members-welcome/50658-finishing-weaning-red-belly-yeesh.html

My experience so far:

PROS
Very tame
Don't bite hard unless frightened
Extremely active (can be a con)
Very amusing (huuge clowns, love a big variety of toys, constant climbers)
Good mimics
The best Poi talkers
Can exist fairly independently
Are super quiet (volume-wise -often cited as the quietest parrot-, he still chatters/whistles/mimics like crazy and tries to talk quite often)
Will play on their backs which is really cute
Learn tricks very quickly and enjoys hands on training
Are apparently one of the species least likely to pluck/scream
Not big on ear biting/great shoulder bird

CONS
Can be clumsy (Pois are bad flyers)
Have big beaks for their size, which means more potential damage
Not terribly cuddly (though I hear mine is an exception)
Prone to weird panic attacks (thankfully no night-frights so far)
Chews everything
Can be one-person birds without proper socialization/equal handling by the family
Muted plumage/not the fanciest parrot (lots of grey). Albert is like a fancy pigeon/svelte robin
More rare than a lot of common parrots

Wet parrot:

I have a young red belly. My guess is it is about four months old. I got him/her when it was first weaned. It already says "step up" and "gimme kiss". It likes to be with me all the time and is really cuddly. The breeder tells me when it is a little older it will be more independent and won't want it's mommy (me) all the time and will sit still without following me.

On the clumsy subject. My bird likes to sit on the foot of my husbands recliner. Sometimes it will be sitting there and just fall off and land on it's back. Then it jumps up and looks around with a "nobody saw that!" expression. Sometimes it will be playing so hard it will just fall over.

For some reason it loves to sit on my eye-glasses frames or my coffee cup rim. Needless to say it is too heavy for my glasses frames and sometimes we fight a few rounds to see who ends up with the glasses. Eventually I always win because if I don't I will regret it later.

I don't know if it is just because my bird is young or if it is a red belly thing but this bird has what I call "the flying poopers". For some reason it likes to poop in mid-air. This means I have bird poop everywhere. It has it's wings clipped and can't fly far but it wants to take a leap before it poops. Go figure. This is the only thing I've found wrong with this bird so far. I'm hoping it will outgrow it.

All things considered, I do not regret choosing a red belly. It is truly a sweet, cuddly, funny bird like I read online before I bought it.

I got Robin my male Red Bellied in 1994 as a weaned youngster from a bird store. He has been the most 'easy' roll-with-the-punches type of bird I have ever known.

He has a limited vocabulary, but is better at mimicking a variety of household noises. The natural vocals of Red Bellied and all Poicephalus are whistles, chirps, peeps and squeaks. Even though Robin can be fairly noisy at times, he is not what you'd call loud.

From my experience with Robin and Griffin, and hearing about others' Red Bellied and related species, and studying the species/genus over the years, I feel I might be qualifed IMHO to state a few basics :

Hands on:

Some Pois are cuddly, some are not, but this is a species/genus that has POTENTIAL to not only accept, but love hands on cuddling if socialized that way from a young age. Both Robin and Griffin can be picked up not only by stepping up, but also scooped up from the front or picked up over the back, and touched and cuddled all over.

Biting:

Juveniles are sweet... After sexual maturity (and especially males) you can expect some very hard biting (hang on and grind deep and not let go) during breeding season and occasionally other times. I noticed the Poicephalus (mine and numerous others I've heard about over the years) are just more inclined to "bite first and ask questions later" as a sort of knee-jerk reaction and not something that can be completely erradicated in the behavior. That being said, a tame well adjusted bird shouldn't be biting excessively. Your bird can be bite pressure trained, but you can still expect occasional hard bites and especially during breeding season. Red Bellied and all Poicephalus have oversized heads and beaks for their body size and can pack a surprisingly powerful bite. Remember Mark (Birdman666) using the term "Sennie-tude" referring to Senegals? ALL the Poicephalus species have Sennie tude!!

Body language:

I've found that Red Bellied and other Poicephalus don't always show overt body language before biting. It's so subtle or a split second beforehand, that it might take you by surprise! Over the years I've learned how to handle Robin even while he's excited and stirred up, keeping my fingers out of the way and picking him up farther back on his body over his back and setting him on a perch quickly for example. That just comes from knowing my bird so well over the years. I wouldn't try that with my Griffin.

Phobias:

You will read (and may experience after some time) that Pois are inclined to have "freak outs" (like a reaction to being prey) a bit more easily than other species. This also makes them more inclined to displacement biting. Have one on your shoulder at your own risk, especially after sexual maturity.

Independence:

These birds can be VERY independent! IF they aren't spoiled, they are one of the least needy parrot species out there. In fact, I cannot think of another genus that has the potential to be BOTH super cuddly AND extremely independent (not needy or demanding). If on a given day I am extra busy, my birds will be okay with less attention. They'll just give up and say okay fine, and turn to their toys instead of calling persistently and being more aggressive about getting the attention they want like a conure for example. Pois are known as being resistant to plucking and other behaviors that less easy going species are more easily inclined to develop.

One person tendencies:

I've seen that Pois have an even stronger innate tendency than other species to become one person birds. The socialization with other people while very young, I suspect needs to be even more consistent and frequent than in other species in order to maintain that. Even then, the level to which this is successful I'm sure depends on the individual bird too. I have less experience in this area, as far as level of socialization vs innate tendencies, but based on my own birds, and from others birds, I do think the natural inclination to gravitate toward being a one person bird is just naturally very strong in Pois.

Activity level:

I think this one varies quite a bit between individuals. From what I see, read, and hear, not all Pois (or specifically Red Bellied) are as active as one another. Robin has many moments as a perch potato, and even when he was young he was never hyper or as energetic as related species Griffin for example. That's not to say he's always sedate, but more so than Griffin. Robin is one of the rare individuals I've ever had that I could 'probably' trust to be cage free without getting into trouble all over the house. I'm sure not all Red Bellied are that way.

Feathers:

Soft! Ohhh their feathers (especially the gray colored Poi species like Red Bellied) are every bit as soft as a cockatoo! Also, I've noticed (and avian vet said too) that Pois are dusty. Not as dusty as the powder species such as tiels, toos, and greys, but nonetheless not as 'dustless' as some species.

My Robin is the all around 'best' bird I've ever had. He's mellowed a lot with age, and is such a sweet old man lol. He is my 'soulmate' bird for sure.

I hope that helps out some

What is their diet like? What do you feed your Red Belly daily?

Albert gets Harrison's Fine (currently High Potency because he's still young; soon Adult Lifetime) round the clock as he has never really had many issues with overeating, and I weigh him every morning to make sure.

Aside from the pellets, he eats (in order of preference) peppers (thai chilis and jalapenos mostly), carrots, broccoli, snap peas, corn, and occasional brussel's sprouts. He barely eats fruit unfortunately, he seems to hate most juicy/wet foods (flings it around with his beak), though he will eat organic (no sulfur) banana chips on occasion.

Most veg is eaten in chop form but he likes peas in the pod.

I also make bird gloop in a handful of different flavors every few months and freeze most of it. It seems to be the only wet/sticky thing he will eat.

Thank you! I have a new Red belly as of last night. The shop told me basically the same food as conures so I'm all set for food. The conures get a mix of veggies, fruit, seed and pellets.

Is it true about them not absorbing vitamin D adequately like an African Grey? I read that on a website last night. They suggested letting them be outdoors to get some sun and fresh air. I'm picking up his large cage up tonight and decided I will put him outside during the day and inside at night. My lanai is semi shaded with bits of sun and shade which I think would be perfect for him or do you think he'd get too lonely spending his days outside? I have a Jenday and Sunday and there's no way they could be out there, for one they are way too loud and for another too needy.

I think all parrots should get outdoor time if you can manage it, and it can't hurt to have a UVA/UVB bird lamp to help as well.

Good for you MyFlock! I think this is what you were looking for . I wouldn't worry about vitamin D if he's getting a balanced diet overall. They're pretty hardy and don't have any "specific" diet requirements in the way that Eclectus or Lories do.

Did you get a male or female? Do you know the sex at this time?

He's a male, two years old. Apparently he was at the pet shop for some time. I love how quiet he is, even when he's being "loud" it is nothing compared to my Jenday and Sunday! Just whistles and some noises I can't really explain. I've named him Duncan.

Yes, their loudest noise is a whistle, and while it can be "fairly" loud, it's pretty weak when comparing to the Sun, Jenday (or your Sunday) conure screams!

Oh yes! He's very kind on the ears unlike my two conures lol

I've met two rescues and have found them to be a lot like Julie mentioned. Easily freaked out and has a prey kind of reaction. But they both had huge potential to be interactive birds and when they both picked their people they became more confident and outgoing in their new homes.

I used to want a red belly really badly but after meeting the two they weren't my type of birds. Even with more confidence most of them probably wouldn't feel comfortable with my bully flock....plus I have Folger, my crazy freak of nature cockatoo, thats plenty freaky for me