Possibly adopting a White Capped Pionus

I am possibly adopting a 7 year old White Capped Pionus. He is from an aviary and I believe he was a breeder but am not totally sure. He seems like he is very lonely because he chews on his feathers. The lady told me he is hand-tame but I will be visiting him soon before I make a decision. He is very scruffy looking and I wanted your opinions on whether he looks healthy (besides the chewed feathers).


The woman seems very concerned about getting him into a good home and is only charging 250$ for his adoption. What do you guys think??????

How exciting He's a cute li'l bugger.

I am no expert, but I think he just needs some TLC from a good parront and he will be much happier. You may be setting yourself up for a bit of work, but if you're willing, I am sure you can bring him back to stable health and happiness . Has the current owner got any vet records for the bird? This may help in determining his actual health. If not, a vet check is DEFINITELY in order. Keep us posted.

A vet check would be booked in advance once I am positive I will be adopting him. The woman has to drive to where I live so It will be a bit yet before I even get to meet him. He is definitely a cute little thing and I have fallen in love with him. He would be getting a ton of love and care and I am pretty confident that I can correct the feather chewing. I will ask about vet records although he is a DNA certified male and comes with his certificate so he must have been to the vet before. The woman seems like really nice lady just too many birds and not enough time. She told me "if he was a PET in a loving home the feather chewing might be corrected" which makes me assume that he was a breeder before.
I hope everything falls through and that he likes me!!! Ill keep you updated

Hey Beilana, I would definatly say that he's a feather chewer and he also appears to be overweight, both could be the result of a poor diet, not sure if you'll have the money for a vet health check after paying $250 for a bird thats in pretty poor condition, just a suggestion but maybe you could get her to waive the adoption/rehome fee so that you could apply it for a vet check, if her main concern is that the bird gets a good home she may agree to it, just for some reference, baby white caps here are about $375

That is a great suggestion bobby. I will have the money for a vet check as well as the 250$ but since he is in pretty poor condition I could possibly try to lower the 250$ to get a more in depth check with blood and everything it can get quite expensive. I just feel so bad for him. He is 7 years old and from the look of him doesn't look like he has had a very happy life so far. I tried before to get her to lower the price but she said that because he comes with a DNA certificate that she won't lower the price. I'll ask again and let her know I will put it towards a good cause for him.

Not sure what a DNA certificate has to do with her not lowering the price it costs less than $20 to get and you can do it yourself, but maybe she ran into someone that charged her an arm and a leg to do it, or she thinks the certificate is worth more than it is, in any case, now you know that its not real expensive, so don't let her try and make out like it is

LOL thanks Bobby. I was thinking the same thing. I knew that a DNA sexing here is only 25$ but thought maybe he comes with a health certificate as well or something....I will have to talk more with the woman to sort some things through.

Hi Beilana, the lil chap looks very cute but like everyone has said he will need alot of TLC and help. Just make sure that he has been tamed so that you dont get a shock when you bring him home. He might of been tamed but by the look of him very neglected and he might have got nervous or wild. As I have said before, bonding takes time and you might have to rehabilitate him to get him trusting humans again. Im hoping that when you go and see him that he is trusting despite him feather plucking.

Apologies if I have misunderstood - lol but is the vet check happening before or after you decide to take him? The matter of taking the bird would rely on the outcome of the vet check. If this woman is so desperate to get him a good home you should defiantely try and get the bird for free and use the money for a prepurchase vet check.

Ecclipse, originally I was thinking that the vet check would be after I purchase him but it would be a lot smarter to have him checked BEFORE lol See this is why you guys rock!

I did send her an email asking when his last veterinary visit was (if he had one) and if I could possibly put the money towards him going to the vet.

When I saw him for sale she was selling a few other birds as well who she admitted were NOT hand-tame but saying this guy was so I figure she's not lying, hopefully I'm not being naive.

Well I just got a response from the woman. I asked her

Hi Marie. I was wondering when was the last time that Ivan(is that his name?) Was to the vet? I was wondering if you would consider possibly lowering his adoption fee because of his condition so that I would be able to put the money towards an avian veterinary visit with bloodwork/exam etc. To make sure there is no underlying cause to the feather chewing. I also showed the picture of him to a fellow parrot lover friend of mine who said he looked a bit overweight which would be another thing to look into at the vets. I want to give him the best life possible and am recently starting a new job so I will have a steady income starting November. Until then I am a bit under the weather for money but would really like to bring him to the vets. let me know what you think. Thanks

and her response

How much will the vet charges be for bloodwork and a complete exam? What do you think Ivan is worth and what are you willing to pay?

Unfortunatly her response tells me she's probably more worried about what amount of money she can gain by selling him than actually concerned about finding him a good forever home :31:

Bobby, I got the same thing from her response. I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt at first but unfortunately it seems like she doesn't give a *bleep* who he goes to as long as the person is willing to pay the 250$.

This just makes me want to take him more because he obviously hasn't had a very good life thus far....

I'll probably just pay the 250$, get him out of there and then take him to the vet once I get him.....is that stupid on my part?

I didn't even ask her to waive the fee completely but to LOWER it......

Beilana said:

Bobby, I got the same thing from her response. I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt at first but unfortunately it seems like she doesn't give a *bleep* who he goes to as long as the person is willing to pay the 250$.

This just makes me want to take him more because he obviously hasn't had a very good life thus far....

I'll probably just pay the 250$, get him out of there and then take him to the vet once I get him.....is that stupid on my part?

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Stupid?...no, overly compassionate?....probably, I guess the only way you'll know is by going to visit the bird and see if he'll interact with you on a level that your comfortable with, I'd truely hate to see you get another bird that you couldn't enjoy and get depressed over it, it was pointed out that this bird was in a breeder situation for many years, so I wouldn't expect to much, it could very well be that would be the best situation for him to be in now, I would just suggest that if you decide to go look at him, that you take a step back from your emotions and base any decisions on logic as what would be best for you and the bird

Thanks Bobby for being the voice of logic. I am seldom logical and overly emotional and sometimes it is better to be logical.
I am going to see what he is like and try to push aside any emotions I have about him. I will take into consideration what is best for him and me. I know I am ready for a parrot and have been for a long time its just decided if this particular parrot is right for me.
We'll see...

Beilana, I really sympathize with you on this one.

I sometimes get the feeling that the people who don't really care about their animals are somehow holding them hostage, in order to prey on our compassion for them.

To me, it sounds like her perception of the bird being worth $250 is her breeder's point of view showing through. She's thinking "that bird can generate X dollars worth of offspring per annum" etc.

Regardless, he is a cutie, even with the feather damage. I'm not sure, but at first glance, it doesn't all appear to be permanent. Maybe with some TLC, he could bond, be happy, and recover that awesome Pionus plumage.

I believe you are correct in the way the woman is thinking. She asked me "how much do you think Ivan is worth and what are you willing to pay" In my mind he is priceless as all living creatures should not have a tag attached but unfortunately healthcare AND animals DO have pricetags and getting him healthcare is more important than anything.

I believe his feathers could be corrected if he was in a better environment with lots of TLC.

I have to judge the rest upon meeting him and seeing what he is like, hopefully sometime soon.

Hi Beilana, that makes me mad to hear about how people think and what their prioreties are - shame!!!! Your in a tough spot, I understand how you feel about wanting to get him out of there. The worst case senario is that he will be fearful and live his life with you knowing he is loved but just chilling and playing in his cage area. Can you face that? On the other hand you might find that the two of you bond well and he turns out to show his affections in every possible way. Its a tough one!!!

I'm sorry to ask this, but what does TLC mean? lol, sorry.

TLC=Tender Loving Care

It's been my experience that most people want to get back the money they've "put into" the bird, and then some. When I was inquiring about Fred, he was $3000. She was charging so much because he was "special"...Aren't they all? He had a good vocab...for her, another reason for asking so much. She recognized that I would be a good home....She asked how much I was willing to pay, and I said not over $1500. I didn't hear back. Three months later, Fred was back on the classifieds for $1800. After meeting Fred, I paid that for him and his cage, plus a few toys.

Really, people ask what they think someone may be willing to pay. This bird is not in good condition, and may or may not become tame. Either way, he requires a lot of time and possibly money. He deserves this, but do you want to take it on for that price. You might make her an offer, based on the condition and "wildness" of the bird, and let her take your offer or not. You still have to consider that the poor little guy may never tame as you want him to be. Breeders are difficult to tame....not impossible, but difficult.

Good luck with your decision...not an easy one for sure!