Pionus not having oil glands

[20brio19]

One of the few bird species that doesn't have it, supposedly. I can't find any info on why that is in terms of evolution, but more importantly this seems to be something that has to be kept in mind when owning a Pionus. Because of this they seem to get dry skin and feathers quicker. I had been thinking about it and I've had other birds, and I remember them not having as many issues as they seemed to be better at naturally moisturizing themselves.

I have to bathe my Pionus or atleast spray some water on him pretty much every single day or his feathers will start to dry out and worsen in quality. Any thoughts on this? It seems to be something that is glossed over in Pionus info.

 

[wrench13]

Amazon parrots do not have preen glands either. Salty's species yellow shoulder Amazon is from the arid coast of Venezuela and a few desert like islands. So his need for bathing is not as bad as say a Amazon from the rain forests. He usually starts his bath in his water bowl (big surprise, right?) maybe every 2 weeks.

 

[20brio19]

Amazon parrots do not have preen glands either. Salty's species yellow shoulder Amazon is from the arid coast of Venezuela and a few desert like islands. So his need for bathing is not as bad as say a Amazon from the rain forests. He usually starts his bath in his water bowl (big surprise, right?) maybe every 2 weeks.

Ok well, it would appear that Pionus does come from the kind of climate that would motivate the birds to bathe frequently. Judging from other owners, they do seem to appriciate bathing. Mine loves it too, fully spreading his wings so he can be drenched.

So it's still a mystery to me why they evolved without those glands, and I truly believe that this is something that has to be kept in mind for owners as they tend to dry out quicker than other parrots.

 

[RavensGryf]

Interesting… Wrench, I’ve heard Pionus are related to the Amazons.
Is this is a blue headed in your profile pic? So a green Pionus. I have a Bronze Winged. I don’t notice dryness, but he is very dusty! Not as dusty as a grey or ‘too of course, but much more noticeably dusty than green parrot species. His cage always is coated with powder ugh. BWP are from high altitude pine forests so I guess that’s a different climate.
Even my two Poicephalus parrots are the non-green ones, and they’re really dusty as well!

 

[20brio19]

Interesting… Wrench, I’ve heard Pionus are related to the Amazons.
Is this is a blue headed in your profile pic? So a green Pionus. I have a Bronze Winged. I don’t notice dryness, but he is very dusty! Not as dusty as a grey or ‘too of course, but much more noticeably dusty than green parrot species. His cage always is coated with powder ugh. BWP are from high altitude pine forests so I guess that’s a different climate.
Even my two Poicephalus parrots are the non-green ones, and they’re really dusty as well!

Yes very dusty, but really the way the feathers just dry out and get damaged is startling, yet a few days of water spraying can fluff them back up and make him shiny.

 

[RavensGryf]

Yes very dusty, but really the way the feathers just dry out and get damaged is startling, yet a few days of water spraying can fluff them back up and make him shiny.

Hm. That just shouldn’t be an issue though. I don’t “have to” spray Raven and his feathers are normal all year round. Same with another BWP I lost. He enjoys baths but I admit when I’m very busy and don’t do it he can go without it, and his feathers stay the same always. I have never heard of this with Pionus (or Amazons), regardless of lack of preen gland. Back in the day, I was in Amazon and Pionus specific groups too, and have never come across this issue with feathers. The dryness/damage that is starting on your bird is not normal, and I encourage you to dig deeper for the root cause. Has this not always been, then at one point you started noticing it? Good that spraying helps in the mean time.

 

[20brio19]

Hm. That just shouldn’t be an issue though. I don’t “have to” spray Raven and his feathers are normal all year round. Same with another BWP I lost. He enjoys baths but I admit when I’m very busy and don’t do it he can go without it, and his feathers stay the same always. I have never heard of this with Pionus (or Amazons), regardless of lack of preen gland. Back in the day, I was in Amazon and Pionus specific groups too, and have never come across this issue with feathers. The dryness/damage that is starting on your bird is not normal, and I encourage you to dig deeper for the root cause. Has this not always been, then at one point you started noticing it? Good that spraying helps in the mean time.

Well there's a first time finding out about anything really.

My vet(who owns several Pionus birds) said that it's a common problem and I have to spray him daily, preferably several times a day. And it's accurate. The difference is like night and day. What else would it be.

 

[Beepers]

One of the few bird species that doesn't have it, supposedly. I can't find any info on why that is in terms of evolution, but more importantly this seems to be something that has to be kept in mind when owning a Pionus. Because of this they seem to get dry skin and feathers quicker. I had been thinking about it and I've had other birds, and I remember them not having as many issues as they seemed to be better at naturally moisturizing themselves.

I have to bathe my Pionus or atleast spray some water on him pretty much every single day or his feathers will start to dry out and worsen in quality. Any thoughts on this? It seems to be something that is glossed over in Pionus info.

Found a good article on feathers. It’s on the Bird Tricks website, the article is called:

“What Feathers Tell You About Your Parrot’s Health.”​

 

[Beepers]

Hm. That just shouldn’t be an issue though. I don’t “have to” spray Raven and his feathers are normal all year round. Same with another BWP I lost. He enjoys baths but I admit when I’m very busy and don’t do it he can go without it, and his feathers stay the same always. I have never heard of this with Pionus (or Amazons), regardless of lack of preen gland. Back in the day, I was in Amazon and Pionus specific groups too, and have never come across this issue with feathers. The dryness/damage that is starting on your bird is not normal, and I encourage you to dig deeper for the root cause. Has this not always been, then at one point you started noticing it? Good that spraying helps in the mean time.

Do you know of a good Pionus breeder/shop? They’re hard to find. :/

 

[RavensGryf]

Well there's a first time finding out about anything really.

My vet(who owns several Pionus birds) said that it's a common problem and I have to spray him daily, preferably several times a day. And it's accurate. The difference is like night and day. What else would it be.

Then there must be something to the green vs non-green feather type being a little different I’m thinking. Even in Poicephalus, the non-greens will have more dust and a softer feel. It’s just interesting. I guess keep spraying then!

 

[RavensGryf]

Do you know of a good Pionus breeder/shop? They’re hard to find. :/

No, last time I looked for birds was 10+ years ago, and even by then things had changed. Breeders had stopped breeding, less species at the stores, I’m not sure why. Then more recently with Covid in 2020 I imagine things had changed even further.

20+ years ago you could get anything. I lived in Southern California then, and was able to get some rare species. Hooded (grass) Parakeet, Cuban Amazon, Slender Billed Cockatoo, and a Ruppell’s Parrot (I still have him). I’m not even sure what species are out there now. Probaby hard to find a lot of things.