Maximilian experiences?

[tka]

Leia's is sweet and a little musty, a bit like honey. She does get a regular shower though.

You can get perches with suction cups to attach to shower tiles so you don't have a bird attached to your shoulder for your entire shower. You might have to desensitise the bird to them first - they don't look like "normal" perches and you know, may conceal a bird-eating monster Personally I'd be a bit worried about soap, shampoo etc getting on the bird's feathers so would aim to shower the bird, put the bird back in the cage and then wash myself.

 

[baserock love]

Leia's is sweet and a little musty, a bit like honey. She does get a regular shower though.

You can get perches with suction cups to attach to shower tiles so you don't have a bird attached to your shoulder for your entire shower. You might have to desensitise the bird to them first - they don't look like "normal" perches and you know, may conceal a bird-eating monster Personally I'd be a bit worried about soap, shampoo etc getting on the bird's feathers so would aim to shower the bird, put the bird back in the cage and then wash myself.

Sadly there's rough fake spanish tile in my shower so that won't work. I'm going to pick up a couple spray bottles right now, one for putting homemade bird safe cleaner and one to see if she really does hate showers. If she decides she likes them i'll pick up a mister.

 

[Just-passn-thru]

@baserock love congratulations on your new companion, I was reading your post about the smell of your Pionus, you mentioned that you have or had Ferrets. I wanted to bring to your attention that if you're still keeping Ferrets. You could be possibly putting the bird in eminent danger. Even if thebird is in the cage they can get ahold of it easy. I've known people who kept both and in the end the bird was killed.

 

[javi]

I let mine run on the window sill in my shower. I also have the suction shower perch and they use it sometimes. Other times I will sit mine of the bar that holds the shower curtain and bring them down when it is their turn. (Usually have 3 in shower with me)

 

[baserock love]

@baserock love congratulations on your new companion, I was reading your post about the smell of your Pionus, you mentioned that you have or had Ferrets. I wanted to bring to your attention that if you're still keeping Ferrets. You could be possibly putting the bird in eminent danger. Even if thebird is in the cage they can get ahold of it easy. I've known people who kept both and in the end the bird was killed.

I don't, i only have one pet at a time and I owned ferrets for a long time and my last little guy passed on a little over a year ago. Even if he hadn't, i got down training and raising ferrets to a science. My ferrets wouldn't have hurt a fly, they were the most friendly sweet ferrets you would ever meet. I understand the caution though and appreciate the concern.

Also 167 dollars more down the crapper lol. This bird better be worth it! I got 30 feet of pvc, bags of t-joints and elbow joints, a mop, a bucket, 2 empty spray bottles, tarps to cut up to put under cages and perches and play areas, wall shelf brackets, dowels, sissal rope, all kinds of stuff to make fun things for him to do eventually as he gets more comfortable around the house. First things first a large perch and a little table top perch.

Within a year my pad is going to be a bird amusement park.

 

[baserock love]

Decided to name him/her gamura and he/she will be in his/her new home around noon tomorrow

 

[iamwhoiam]

Decided to name him/her gamura and he/she will be in his/her new home around noon tomorrow

Congrats. Gamera....as in the monster turtle?

Update: Saw your other post and guess you are naming her after that turtle.

 

[baserock love]

Congrats. Gamera....as in the monster turtle?

Update: Saw your other post and guess you are naming her after that turtle.

Yup, i grew up watching gamera movies on mst3k.

 

[cetan]

One thing that seems to get most Pionus wanting a bath or misting is running the vacuum. I bought one of those misters at Home Depot that holds about 3 quarts of water and u=you pump the top up and down a bunch then you can hook the nozzle to on and it keeps misting for about 4 or 5 min (I think they originally make them to apply foliar fertilizer or pesticides but if it is new unused it is fine)

 

[baserock love]

One thing that seems to get most Pionus wanting a bath or misting is running the vacuum. I bought one of those misters at Home Depot that holds about 3 quarts of water and u=you pump the top up and down a bunch then you can hook the nozzle to on and it keeps misting for about 4 or 5 min (I think they originally make them to apply foliar fertilizer or pesticides but if it is new unused it is fine)

That's strange. I actually saw a thing on youtube with a pionus that would only take a shower if the vacuum was running just the other day. I did not know that was a common thing. How utterly bizarre.

She's here though! She got carsick and threw up the whole ride home which worried me till the former owners told me she did the same thing coming back from the pet store. She seems to be a brave and adaptable little girl. S he was wheezing and freaking out when we put her in the carrier, within 40 minutes she was fluffed and doing very soft brief chittering which the owner said she does when she's somewhat comfortable. Then the car sickness stepped in. After about the 4th time she upchucked i pulled over and just hung out for 20 minutes and sure enough it stopped. Soon as we get going she's doing it again, then we arrive here and it stops again. She stormed out of the carrier when i opened it and instantly stepped up to me before flying onto the top of her cage looking a bit overwhelmed. Decided i'd put all her familiar toys in the cage and set it all up while she chilled on top so i gave her a bowl of water and some veggies and parrot pellets and she instantly began to eat but stopped pretty quick. periodically taking a nibble or two. After about 15 minutes she started making those soft chitters again an djust seemed really curious about me. After i finished she stepped up instantly and i put her in her new cage where she just got deathly quiet and didn't move for a good 25 minutes. I went and made a meal for me and ate it near the cage and sure enough, she starts moving around a bit, goes to take a few nibbles of carrots from her bowl. I"d feel a lot better if she'd just start eating.

I actually don't know much of pionus body language! I know the wheeze and the strut. At one point i tried to get her to step up and she wasn't having it, was saying some bird speak in a really low voice, almost sounded like attempts to mimic human speech and slightly annoyed.

I"m wondering if you can shed any insight on pionus specific body language. I'm more familiar with amazons.

 

[iamwhoiam]

It's great that she is home with you now. Sorry that she got carsick during the drive but now she can relax and get used to her new home. When you think she is comfortable take some photos and post them.
As for eating, sometimes it will take a new bird a while to start wanting to eat normally when they are in a new environment. New people and new objects can be scary.

 

[Dartman]

She's probably a bit scared and confused right now loosing her old home and flock. She might have been upset you were trying to get her to do something she wasn't ready to and was kinda birdy swearing at you. The first night Lurch was here he was getting a scritch under the chin on the play stand and had a thought and tore a chunk off my finger. I decided strangling my new bird probably would be bad and he looked upset and muttered like that at me while I decided to leave him alone and went to my room to calm down. Sounds like maybe she thought similar but didn't want to bite, which is great. A determined ticked off Pionus can hang on like a pit bull when they want to make a point.
Keep going slow and she'll decide when she's ready and you'll earn her trust and love.

 

[baserock love]

She's probably a bit scared and confused right now loosing her old home and flock. She might have been upset you were trying to get her to do something she wasn't ready to and was kinda birdy swearing at you. The first night Lurch was here he was getting a scritch under the chin on the play stand and had a thought and tore a chunk off my finger. I decided strangling my new bird probably would be bad and he looked upset and muttered like that at me while I decided to leave him alone and went to my room to calm down. Sounds like maybe she thought similar but didn't want to bite, which is great. A determined ticked off Pionus can hang on like a pit bull when they want to make a point.
Keep going slow and she'll decide when she's ready and you'll earn her trust and love.

I actually solved that mystery. She will not ever under any circumstance step up to a left hand. ONly a right. She just did the same thing when i tried to get her to step up as she seemed more at ease around me than in her new cage. I was wrong. I put her on the perch i just made and she started making little chitters but was clearly looking for an escape route so i put her back to her cage and she happily got in it. I think that's a good sign!

One thing that's interesting is that the only real negative they could think of for her was she had extreme cage aggression. She doesn't seem to with me, she steps up inside her cage for me just fine, maybe she'll start getting possessive when she makes herself at home more.

What i do know is that i'm just gonna let her be for now. She's sitting there all fluffed up on one foot which is a great sign. Before she just looked scared. I think i walked out there as she was trying to drift off for a nap at one point.

 

[baserock love]

OK, this thread has gone on quite long and totally been derailed by me so it should probably die soon but I am in love with this bird! I feel like I totally lucked out and got the perfect parrot I've been looking for.

Shortly after the above post i was working down the hall in my room and i start hearing a bunch of happy chatter coming from the cage and bar climbing sounds. Gamura just came alive and was finally exploring the cage, trying out every perch, hanging from the ceiling, just going around it testing everything and chattering like CRAZY. I just watch her and she circles the cage ending up a t the food and water and just starts completely stuffing her face, chattering the whole time excitedly. I go back to my room and about 20 minutes later i hear the chattering get almost frantic so I check on her, she was clearly trying to get my attention. The moment she sees me she rushes over to the perch on the door and just starts pacing chattering even faster staring at me like "LET ME OUT NOW!". I open the door to and back off a bit, she climbs to teh top of the door, i just begin to reach out my hand for her to step up and she flies to my hand and goes straight to my shoulder and just starts chattering and fluffing, looking so happy.

I figure it might be a good time to introduce her to her training perch i built as well as start working in the concept of house/shoulder breaking her. I decide if she craps on paper it's 25 minutes on hte shoulder and a lot of praise till she does it again though she was perfectly content just preening on the perch right next to me, watching netflix with me. We do this a few times and she might already be getting the hang of it. The 3rd time her time's up and i put her on the perch, she goes on the paper almost instantly and immediately turns around and puts a leg up in anticipation of stepping up to get more shoulder time. I tell her what a great bird she is and she says "I love you" which surprised me because I was told she couldn't talk. It was definitely in pionese and not very clear but she was definitely saying i love you. She goes back up to the shoulder and just keeps repeating it, chattering softly. She's clearly a VERY happy bird. That's when I took this pic.

A bit later She's on my shoulder and i go to the kitchen to get some water and can tell she's pointing towards the cage. She steps up and i offer her the option to go back to her door perch, she immediately makes a bee line for the food and stuffs her face yet again. After a phone call with my mother she's back on the door perch and i open the door to see if she wants to hang out some more. She slowly moves to the back of the cage to her sleeping rope perch, fluffs up and just looks at me like "Nope, i'm done." and puts herself to bed at almost the exact time i chose for her bed time! Doesn't make a PEEP after that.

I'm just amazed how fast she's taken a liking to me. I had barely had her home 4 or 5 hours when all this happened. It was like a switch just flipped on in her head suddenly and she was crazy about me and her new home. She is just such a sweetheart and I never imagined this transition could happen so fast.

She seems to love me but not quite trust me yet. She won't take a treat at ALL and she won't let me pet her or give her neck scritches. She pretty much never let her previous owner and might not with me but hopefully she'll come around.

I'm just so happy with her so far!

 

[Dartman]

Sounds like she has chosen you so get ready for many years of friendship with some luck

 

[baserock love]

Sounds like she has chosen you so get ready for many years of friendship with some luck

Yup. Just hope she doesn't become a pubescent monster.

 

[Dartman]

Well that can happen, it's nature and all that, but some are more affected then others, and age sometimes has a bearing. Dobby was going through that trying to woo sister and feed her but he's calmed down a bit lately. He wasn't real aggressive luckily but you knew he was in the mood.