Macawnutz
Seriously Nutz!
Super Administrator
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
It is with great pleasure that I announce the
Celebirdy for the month of January 2025
@Jan M 's Themba
1. How did you acquire your bird?
1. I acquired my Pionus Parrot from Magnolia Bird Farm, Riverside, CA, whose owner breeds them. The price was the most reasonable I could find in the United States. The bird was stunning. The owner’s daughter, April, was always available to answer my questions. Although I disagreed with much of the advice she gave me, my interactions with her were great.
2. What is your bird's name, species, age and sex?
2.My bird’s name is Themba. He is a Maximillian Pionus species. His hatch date was August 10, 2024. He is nearly five months old. He has not been tested for gender.
3. Does your bird do any special tricks?
3. I have not taught Themba to do any special tricks yet. On his own, he has learned to imitate my whistling. He has also recently gotten comfortable enough to nudge me, tug at my clothing, climb on me and take treats from my hand. I am so excited at these milestones because Themba has been shy and frightened by my hand. I cannot wait to teach him to wave, fetch, play basketball, and put puzzles together.
4. What are some of your bird's favorite foods?
4. Themba’s favorite foods are pomegranate seeds, which I reward him with once or twice a week when he comes to me and climbs on my belly. He also loves cranberries and sweet potatoes which I bake for him and spread all over his vegetables. He enjoys sprouts, microgreens, carrots, delicata squash, spinach, collard greens, and edamame. I feed him veggies twice daily. I feed him seed mixtures (hemp seed, flax seed, buckwheat, quinoa, toasted sesame seeds, millet, steel cut oatmeal, sunflower seed) which I combine with TOPS pellets — one tablespoon each — and put in his cage at night. He loves the seed mixtures, but not the TOPS, though I keep trying to provide it.
5. What is the funniest thing your bird has done?
5. The funniest thing my bird has ever done is to follow me into the room adjacent to the bird room after I failed to heed his loud, persistent squawks indicating he wanted me to
to come back to the bird room.
6. How has your bird enriched your life?
6. My bird has enriched my life immensely. First and foremost, he has given me a living being to love. I am retired and alone and leery of the drama of investing my time in people. My bird provides a safe space for me to direct my emotions. Second, caring for my bird entails constant reading about the behavior, health, and nutrition of parrots and helps to satisfy my need for intellectual stimulation. Third, my bird provides me with purpose. I know that my bird’s welfare depends on me getting up early in the morning to feed him; carving out at least six hours of my day to interact with him; going to a quality grocery store to shop for him; making sure I put him to sleep in his cage by 7:00pm. Fourth, my diet has improved as a direct result of my studying bird nutrition. I eat far less meat and far more raw vegetables and healthy fruits like papaya and blue berries so that my bird and I enjoy many meals together.
7. What would you tell people who are considering this species?
7. I would tell people considering Maximillian Pionus Parrots to go for it. They are ideal parrots. They are a medium size. They are intelligent. My Maxi Pi is very curious about my IPad. He taught himself to scroll using his tongue and enjoys watching the pictures on the IPad screen. (I plan on buying him his own IPad so he can play games like bursting the bubbles.) Maxi Pi’s and other Pionus species are physically attractive with subtle but fine colors. They are less likely to bite than most parrots and when they do bite, the bites are softer. They are loving but not needy. They want their owners close by, but are content to play with their toys while you read. The only negative trait for me is that I wish they were a little more cuddly.
8. What is the activity and noise level of your bird?
8. I would say that the activity level and noise level of my Pionus is midrange. Not as active or as noisey as Caiques and Conures but definitely active. My Pionus does not usually scream, but if he knows that I am at home and that I am awake, he will call out beckoning me to come to his room. If I ignore this he will increase the volume of his cries until I come to him.
9. What are some of your bird's quirks?
9. His quirks: He wants to be the one to initiate contact. He will occasionally walk over to nudge me or brush against my hand, but so far will run away if I try to scratch his head or attempt to grab him. Another quirk: He does not like when I turn the volume on my IPad. He demands that I keep the volume off. He will start chirping if I have the volume on and will become progressively louder if I don’t turn off the volume. He is ok with the music on.
10. If your bird talks, what is the most surprising word or sentence it has said?
10. My bird does not yet talk, but he mimics my whistles.
11. What is your bird’s favorite treat?
11. His favorite treat by far is pomegranate. His second favorite is pumpkin seed. He finds almond slivers ok. He does not enjoy walnuts.
Great news. Themba, my Maximillian Pionus, has allowed me to scratch his head for the first time. He is thoroughly enjoying it. Patience has paid off.
Photos of Themba, my Maximillian Pionus:
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Very pretty baby! 
