iluvsunconure
Rollerblading along the road
What can ya guys tell me about them? Playfulness? What about food preferences? Favorite toys? What about rehomes? Dusti-ness level?
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Bronze Winged Pionus?
- Thread starter iluvsunconure
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Flit
Walking the driveway
- Joined
- 4/22/10
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- 218
- Real Name
- Nicole
I could go on and on about my bwp, Alita. 
I have a female, and made sure to get a female, because of the supposed, general aggression-related differences between male and female pionus. While females can get hormonal, supposedly they aren't usually as "bad" as the males can be. Regardless, Pionus are generally pretty easy to read. My Pi girl is VERY clear as to when to not touch her.
As with any bird species, just don't push/force them to do something, make sure to read their body language, be patient with them, and they will usually learn they don't have to jump straight to biting-behaviors to get their point across.
When I have been bitten (twice in two years of having her) it wasn't an end-all-be-all traumatic situation. She bruised the finger and it was sore for a few days, and there were small cuts that had bled very little. You won't be rushing to the ER with a Pi bite, unless you let them get you somewhere sensitive.
Just pay attention to them, don't force anything on them, etc., and that should help cut down on certain problem behaviors that can be taught to a parrot (regardless of species).
I strongly recommend getting this book if you can and are very interested in Pi's: "The Practical Pionus: Volume I" by Russ Shade.
Official Site -- Not sure if you can still order it through them.
Lisa's Lair Bookstore -- I purchased my copy through this website.
There are a few words I use to describe Alita: sweet, sometimes spicy, cautiously studious, sensitive, sometimes bold and stubborn, non-cuddly love sponge. You have to go slow with Pi's; don't push them into accepting new things. They usually won't freak out, but they need to be able to study new situations and objects on their own time and come to accept and be comfortable with them on their own. I have heard that Pi's are not generally the plucking type.
Alita does not like Boo, my painted conure, and will go for him especially if he's egging her on. There is no guarantee any bird, of any species, will get along with another flock member of course, but it's something to always keep in mind.
Playfulness: Right now she's "attacking" and swinging on her wood block toy. She likes to climb. Pionus beaks are weak for their size. Don't give a pionus anything harder than pine wood. She loves her pinata and has shredded the top half down to its core. She likes untying knots in rope. Pionus generally play well by themselves and have no issues keeping themselves occupied while you are busy.
I feed my parrots Harrison's bird nuggets and some supplementation with treats and other soft foods. They are both doing very well on it and their feathers are in good shape.
Pionus don't have oil glands for preening and do put off a fine layer of dust, which I can see when she ruffles her feathers and shakes. I have really bad allergies but she doesn't affect me. The pollen outside will, though. I give her a spritz-down at least once a week with a water bottle.
She has a strong musky smell but I don't find it unpleasant. I have heard others with multiple Pi's in their flock that bwp are some of the strongest-smelling of the Pi genus. Don't know if it's true or if it's down to the individual. Frequent baths will help cut down on that and the dust.
Pi screams/calls are loud but not ear-splitting/deafening. I can hear her from outside of the house, faintly, but not if I'm down at the end of the driveway. I've had her in an apartment before and she was fine. Most of her vocalizations are chirps, squeaks, and mumbly-noises.
Some more pictures of my flock.
I have a female, and made sure to get a female, because of the supposed, general aggression-related differences between male and female pionus. While females can get hormonal, supposedly they aren't usually as "bad" as the males can be. Regardless, Pionus are generally pretty easy to read. My Pi girl is VERY clear as to when to not touch her. As with any bird species, just don't push/force them to do something, make sure to read their body language, be patient with them, and they will usually learn they don't have to jump straight to biting-behaviors to get their point across.
When I have been bitten (twice in two years of having her) it wasn't an end-all-be-all traumatic situation. She bruised the finger and it was sore for a few days, and there were small cuts that had bled very little. You won't be rushing to the ER with a Pi bite, unless you let them get you somewhere sensitive.
Just pay attention to them, don't force anything on them, etc., and that should help cut down on certain problem behaviors that can be taught to a parrot (regardless of species).I strongly recommend getting this book if you can and are very interested in Pi's: "The Practical Pionus: Volume I" by Russ Shade.
Official Site -- Not sure if you can still order it through them.
Lisa's Lair Bookstore -- I purchased my copy through this website.
There are a few words I use to describe Alita: sweet, sometimes spicy, cautiously studious, sensitive, sometimes bold and stubborn, non-cuddly love sponge. You have to go slow with Pi's; don't push them into accepting new things. They usually won't freak out, but they need to be able to study new situations and objects on their own time and come to accept and be comfortable with them on their own. I have heard that Pi's are not generally the plucking type.
Alita does not like Boo, my painted conure, and will go for him especially if he's egging her on. There is no guarantee any bird, of any species, will get along with another flock member of course, but it's something to always keep in mind.
Playfulness: Right now she's "attacking" and swinging on her wood block toy. She likes to climb. Pionus beaks are weak for their size. Don't give a pionus anything harder than pine wood. She loves her pinata and has shredded the top half down to its core. She likes untying knots in rope. Pionus generally play well by themselves and have no issues keeping themselves occupied while you are busy.
I feed my parrots Harrison's bird nuggets and some supplementation with treats and other soft foods. They are both doing very well on it and their feathers are in good shape.
Pionus don't have oil glands for preening and do put off a fine layer of dust, which I can see when she ruffles her feathers and shakes. I have really bad allergies but she doesn't affect me. The pollen outside will, though. I give her a spritz-down at least once a week with a water bottle.
She has a strong musky smell but I don't find it unpleasant. I have heard others with multiple Pi's in their flock that bwp are some of the strongest-smelling of the Pi genus. Don't know if it's true or if it's down to the individual. Frequent baths will help cut down on that and the dust.
Pi screams/calls are loud but not ear-splitting/deafening. I can hear her from outside of the house, faintly, but not if I'm down at the end of the driveway. I've had her in an apartment before and she was fine. Most of her vocalizations are chirps, squeaks, and mumbly-noises.
Some more pictures of my flock.
lotus15
Cruising the avenue
Avenue Veteran
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I agree that the book The Practical Pionus is a must-read for ANYBODY interested in this species. I bought it when I was debated Poi or Pi and it was very, very informative and helpful!
Hey Nicole.... What is the bar spacing on your cage? 3/4''? Thanks.
Liana
Liana
iluvsunconure
Rollerblading along the road
Thanks guys.......but I'm not getting one. Its a rehome......
?? So you were contemplating one or..?
Not going to do a write up tonight. I have the day off tomorrow.
Flit
Walking the driveway
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- Nicole
1/2" on that cage. I think the range is 1/2" to 1" for acceptable bar spacing. I don't know if I'd go all the way to 1" though.
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iluvsunconure
Rollerblading along the road
Well my aunt has a BWP. He isn't plucked or anything. But he eats sunflower seeds and peanuts. Thats all. Its some Walmart blend. He lives in a cage with one toy and one perch. Tiny cage. Poopy water. Nothing. I wanna bring him in my home........to brighten up his life. He isn't tame but I'm confident.
Flit
Walking the driveway
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The poor sweetie-bird.
It's good of you to want to help this parrot.Well...in that case...
If you did take this pi on, expect taming him to be a long process. Pionus study new situations thoroughly before they decide they are comfortable with them. Pi's tend to not become pluckers...they're pretty stable, emotionally and psychologically hardy birds. Changing diet will be a practice in patience, perseverance, and determination, but this is so with many birds regardless of species.
A bwp definitely needs a larger cage and lots of toys. People mistakenly believe pionus are "perch potatoes" and therefore need neither of those. That is very wrong, though. That term tied to Pi's might have started because pionus become reserved and "shy" around new experiences (read: they are actually studying the new situation) that people think pi's don't play or move about. Not so, however.
A pi that is comfortable is a pi that is playful and very mobile. They aren't caiques, but they aren't perch potatoes, either.If you have confidence, patience, gentleness, and a desire to help this bird, I think you'll be able to handle it just fine. All you really need is the latter and everything else follows.
Flit
Walking the driveway
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- Nicole
Thank you! She is a beautiful bird and I often tell her how pretty she is...even when she's giving me the stink eye.Just wanted to comment that she is GORGEOUS!!
She was bred by avesint; I hadn't realized they produced such red bwp's until I saw her, but I guess they do. 
CosmoKramer
Rollerblading along the road
I hope you can help out the Pi! Keep us updated!
Fuzzy
Rollerblading along the road
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Awwww - hope you can take him on and brighten up his life.
me too!!Awwww - hope you can take him on and brighten up his life.
Both of my pi's are exact opposites. Out side of the home they are both sweethearts and will step up for any one but at home their personalities are totally opposite of eachother.
Odin(F) is very reserved, and docile. She gets excited to see mommy and daddy with a simple head fluff and some small vocalizations. She is VERY dusty contrary to belief. She molts about 20 down fluffs every 3 or 4 days. She looks like she came out of a bag of flour even the day after getting a massive bath. Odin loves head scratches and to cuddle(somewhat). She loves her toys. And to drink out of a water bottle. She is a very picky eater, but religiously eats pellets and BEANS and CORN. Her speech is good, and pretty clear. I hand fed Odin my self from 2 months. She is bonded to my SO, but will definitely still interact with me.
Loki(M) is feisty, and silly. He vocalizes a lot, he is not the definition of the quiet pi for sure. I will definitely need a video on how loud he really can get.
He loves spending time with people. He gets very upset when you don't visit with him for long enough. He is not dusty at all. He is very cuddly, and will sit on my shoulder for hours just to spend time with me. He is a very good eater, not picky at all. His dish is always empty. LOL. I always say he's eating me out of house and home! He is a strict seed eater beyond fresh food, but tries pellets every once in a while. He doesn't speak alot, only says WOW! and meows. But when he does he is NOISY! Loki is a rehome acquired at 11 months old. He is bonded to me, and will go to my SO sometimes.
Both Love wood to chip. And plastic bits.
Odin
Loki
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iluvsunconure
Rollerblading along the road
Well I'm going to tell my aunt to bring him to the vet (hes an only bird) and do some basic bloodwork. I don't have my aunt's number! D: I have to wait till my mom gets back from her business trip.......argh.
Cool Ray! Let us know how it goes, we are here to help you if you need assistance with him!
Strider1962
Checking out the neighborhood
- Joined
- 3/29/12
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- 1
Hello all,
I'm new here and just stumbled across the site while surfing for information on Bronze Wing Pionus. I wasn't planning on posting but when I read the thread I couldn't help but jump in. I have a BW named Ceasar, a girl. Yeah, I know, a girl named Ceasar. Apparently they thought it was a male, hence the name, until she laid and egg. The "they" were her previous owners. I've been told they kept her in a fairly small cage, something like 15x15x18 if the rescuer was right, and fed her bird seed from Wal-Mart. She lived in a house with several children and dogs and was rarely taken out. They finally took her to a woman who works at a bird store because she was "screaming all the time" and had plucked herself nearly bald.
The woman had her for a couple of months and then my wife, the bird person in our family who helps out at the bird store, brought her home so we could foster her for a couple of months. I am a special ed teacher who worked for a long time with students with behavior issues. Many of them were from horrible homes and with a few of them I would find myself thinking "Ya know, if I could take that kid home and give him some love and structure, he'd be fine."
Well, I think this was my opportunity. I don't particularly dislike birds but wouldn't call myself a bird person either but when my wife pulled Ceasar out of the carrier she brought her home in, my heart just went out to her. She looked awful (the bird, not my wife!) and this was after two months with the woman who worked at the bird store. I can't imagine what she looked like before. I was a the one who sat quietly with her, who just let her sit on my shoulder when I read, who picked her up and brought her into the kitchen with me when I cooked, etc. She got pretty attached to me really quick and was doing so much better and after all she had been through, I didn't have the heart to send her back to the store to wait for who knows how long for someone to adopt her.
I've had her for four months now and she hasn't bitten me and only "bit" my wife once. She steps up readily although she takes her time doing it. She loves to sit on my shoulder but still doesn't like to be touched very much. I don't think they took her out of her cage much because it took her quite a while to get used to riding around on my shoulder as I walk around the house. She is doing better but still startles easily with quick movement. She just bathed on her own yesterday for the first time which was really exciting! She'll step up for just about anyone but the only person she seems to want to step up to is me. She is clearly "MY" bird or maybe I should say that I am "her" person! She is getting a much better diet, and a lot of her feathers have grown back in.
I see my wife with her birds and how they play and cuddle and was looking up information to see if Ceasar is not very cuddly because of her abusive life before or because of the kind of bird she is. Based on what I've read, I think it's probably a little of both but she seems to be engaging in more "normal" bird behavior such as bathing and chewing things. As I was typing this she was walking around on my desk chewing on paper, pen caps, etc.
So, to the gentleman who started this thread, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, go get that poor bird. If you do nothing more than give him/her a bigger cage and better food, and let her out to climb around she will be much better off. Ceasar is a sweet bird who doesn't bite and generally is very quiet. She does get a little loud (not horrible loud) once or twice a day but it only last for 10 minutes or so and then she quiets down. She really has been a good addition to our family. I hope you are able to help the bird you were talking about.
I'm new here and just stumbled across the site while surfing for information on Bronze Wing Pionus. I wasn't planning on posting but when I read the thread I couldn't help but jump in. I have a BW named Ceasar, a girl. Yeah, I know, a girl named Ceasar. Apparently they thought it was a male, hence the name, until she laid and egg. The "they" were her previous owners. I've been told they kept her in a fairly small cage, something like 15x15x18 if the rescuer was right, and fed her bird seed from Wal-Mart. She lived in a house with several children and dogs and was rarely taken out. They finally took her to a woman who works at a bird store because she was "screaming all the time" and had plucked herself nearly bald.
The woman had her for a couple of months and then my wife, the bird person in our family who helps out at the bird store, brought her home so we could foster her for a couple of months. I am a special ed teacher who worked for a long time with students with behavior issues. Many of them were from horrible homes and with a few of them I would find myself thinking "Ya know, if I could take that kid home and give him some love and structure, he'd be fine."
Well, I think this was my opportunity. I don't particularly dislike birds but wouldn't call myself a bird person either but when my wife pulled Ceasar out of the carrier she brought her home in, my heart just went out to her. She looked awful (the bird, not my wife!) and this was after two months with the woman who worked at the bird store. I can't imagine what she looked like before. I was a the one who sat quietly with her, who just let her sit on my shoulder when I read, who picked her up and brought her into the kitchen with me when I cooked, etc. She got pretty attached to me really quick and was doing so much better and after all she had been through, I didn't have the heart to send her back to the store to wait for who knows how long for someone to adopt her.
I've had her for four months now and she hasn't bitten me and only "bit" my wife once. She steps up readily although she takes her time doing it. She loves to sit on my shoulder but still doesn't like to be touched very much. I don't think they took her out of her cage much because it took her quite a while to get used to riding around on my shoulder as I walk around the house. She is doing better but still startles easily with quick movement. She just bathed on her own yesterday for the first time which was really exciting! She'll step up for just about anyone but the only person she seems to want to step up to is me. She is clearly "MY" bird or maybe I should say that I am "her" person! She is getting a much better diet, and a lot of her feathers have grown back in.
I see my wife with her birds and how they play and cuddle and was looking up information to see if Ceasar is not very cuddly because of her abusive life before or because of the kind of bird she is. Based on what I've read, I think it's probably a little of both but she seems to be engaging in more "normal" bird behavior such as bathing and chewing things. As I was typing this she was walking around on my desk chewing on paper, pen caps, etc.
So, to the gentleman who started this thread, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, go get that poor bird. If you do nothing more than give him/her a bigger cage and better food, and let her out to climb around she will be much better off. Ceasar is a sweet bird who doesn't bite and generally is very quiet. She does get a little loud (not horrible loud) once or twice a day but it only last for 10 minutes or so and then she quiets down. She really has been a good addition to our family. I hope you are able to help the bird you were talking about.
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Hi strider, welcome to aa. so now someone else understands why the pionus are my favorite parrot species
so now someone else understands why the pionus are my favorite parrot species - Status
