"Rare"? Or sick? :(

[ode.to.parrots]

Hey y'all,
So, I am not planning on getting another bird any time soon, but I will confess, I sometimes day dream about adding a pionus to my flock, and so, I occasionally check places like petfinder and hoobly to see what pionus parrots are available... I don't know why I do this. But that is not what this post is about.

I've seen these kinds of posts before of pionus parrots that are advertised as "super rare," like this one here:


But..... is there actually such a thing as a "rare mutation" pionus parrot?
Frankly, I am worried about this maxi pionus... He doesn't seem to look too good... But I'm not sure.

 

[Mizzely]

Without knowing anything about the lineage/age, I'd say that's a sick bird. Probably liver related.

 

[momazon]

I saw a hybrid zon once who had a color pattern like this, and it was pretty but strange. I am not sure of the pose here--are there tail feathers? He looks odd, clinging to the side.

 

[metalstitcher]

@Eloy and @Dartman @Aubrey do you have any ideas?

 

[Dartman]

Could be asper, could be a weird mutation, I'd be very concerned too. Nerd had bad white and yellow feathers when I got him, his brothers feathers were perfect and he was bigger and weighed more. I eventually gave Nerd some feather vitamins and he eventually molted out all the bad feathers and they never came back but I never found out what it was. The few times he went to the vet his blood work was good and asper was never mentioned. SOME birds have managed to beat it or live with it ok for years but for most it eventually takes them.
Nerd never had that many discolered feathers all over so that poor bird needs to see a vet to see what's going on. You wouldn't want a bird with something very serious making the rest of your flock sick with something that will eventually take them out too.

 

[Begone]

And I also think that this is a sick bird but I hope I'm wrong. I know we had a similar thread for some years ago but I can't find it.

 

[Aubrey]

I would also guess this bird is sick. Probably liver. Poor little creature

 

[ode.to.parrots]

Darn.... That's what I was afraid to hear... According to the ad, he is somewhat close to me too...
I can't help but wonder if the person selling this bird is simply uninformed and truly thinks this is a healthy, rare bird, or if they know that this bird is sick and they are trying to play it off as a rare bird in order to get some extra money out of him.

 

[Begone]

According to the ad, he is somewhat close to me too...

I suggest that you go and visit him.
I can't see his tail, I think he doesn't have any, if that's so I think they are trying to fool someone.
And if they don't know that he is in bad condition, you can convince them that he must see a vet.

 

[ode.to.parrots]

I suggest that you go and visit him.
I can't see his tail, I think he doesn't have any, if that's so I think they are trying to fool someone.
And if they don't know that he is in bad condition, you can convince them that he must see a vet.

It's tempting.... But then I think I would end up bringing him home with me. ..........
Perhaps I could just.... inquire? Ask about the bird's lineage, the original breeder, his diet... his most recent vet visit.

 

[Wannabird2003]

I once saw a mutation bird that was beautiful and it was healthy. I think I still have the pic.

 

[Pipsqueak]

This bird doesn't look right but there is a mutation that looks similar. I have to say that some color breeding I don't like at all, like when they try to make these 'pastel' colors, it is the strong colors that makes the beauty of a parrot for me. Some look washed out, sad.

 

[Dartman]

Well that picture gives that guy some hope of actually being healthy and a color mutation some Pionus get.