I live in Houston, TX and currently have a Senegal named Gus.
I've got lots of experience with different parrots (been bitten by everything from a cockatiel to a B&G
).
Gus is a rehomed bird I got from a disabled older woman last July. Apparently she saw some tv show about behavioral issues in parrots and realized Gus was not in an ideal situation. She responded to a post I made on craigslist offering to adopt a bird. She told me up front that he chewed his tail feathers frequently and would pluck them out every couple months once he nibbled them down enough.
Gus was immediately friendly and talkative the moment I met him. He was not territorial about his cage, even to strangers, and he was very laid back. He was kept in a small cage in a dark kitchen. He only had some old metal bells for toys, nothing to chew on. He was fed a seed diet bought from the grocery store supplemented with a few veggies. The owner was on a fixed income and wanted to do better for him but couldn't afford it.
After I got him home I noticed stress bars on most of his feathers. He also had an area on his wings that he'd been chewing as well. I put him in a larger cage, switched him to a pellet diet and bought him lots of destructible toys. I keep him in our home office (this is the room we spend the most waking time in) on the second floor in front of a bay window that faces the front yard. He now also gets a shower at least once a week. He loves watching the squirrels, birds and people outside and I can hear him talking up a storm from the drive way whenever I get home from work. The original owner was the previous owner's son. So he's used to both men and women. My husband and I both hold him regularly. He's friendly to both of us but may favor me slightly.
He no longer plucks his tail feathers and I haven't caught him chewing on them since I got him. The chewed spots on his wings are almost completely filled in now with undamaged feathers.
I'm about to buy or make a nice bird stand to put in our game room so he can hang out with us when we're watching tv or a movie. Right now I normally have him sit on a towel over my leg (I have nice new couches!) when I watch a movie with him. I'm inspired by some of the setups you guys have and I think I'll try to make some hanging stands to put in my master bathroom.
Oh, and he was named after the character in Lonesome Dove.
I've got lots of experience with different parrots (been bitten by everything from a cockatiel to a B&G
).Gus is a rehomed bird I got from a disabled older woman last July. Apparently she saw some tv show about behavioral issues in parrots and realized Gus was not in an ideal situation. She responded to a post I made on craigslist offering to adopt a bird. She told me up front that he chewed his tail feathers frequently and would pluck them out every couple months once he nibbled them down enough.
Gus was immediately friendly and talkative the moment I met him. He was not territorial about his cage, even to strangers, and he was very laid back. He was kept in a small cage in a dark kitchen. He only had some old metal bells for toys, nothing to chew on. He was fed a seed diet bought from the grocery store supplemented with a few veggies. The owner was on a fixed income and wanted to do better for him but couldn't afford it.
After I got him home I noticed stress bars on most of his feathers. He also had an area on his wings that he'd been chewing as well. I put him in a larger cage, switched him to a pellet diet and bought him lots of destructible toys. I keep him in our home office (this is the room we spend the most waking time in) on the second floor in front of a bay window that faces the front yard. He now also gets a shower at least once a week. He loves watching the squirrels, birds and people outside and I can hear him talking up a storm from the drive way whenever I get home from work. The original owner was the previous owner's son. So he's used to both men and women. My husband and I both hold him regularly. He's friendly to both of us but may favor me slightly.
He no longer plucks his tail feathers and I haven't caught him chewing on them since I got him. The chewed spots on his wings are almost completely filled in now with undamaged feathers.
I'm about to buy or make a nice bird stand to put in our game room so he can hang out with us when we're watching tv or a movie. Right now I normally have him sit on a towel over my leg (I have nice new couches!) when I watch a movie with him. I'm inspired by some of the setups you guys have and I think I'll try to make some hanging stands to put in my master bathroom.
Oh, and he was named after the character in Lonesome Dove.
and 
Looking forward to seeing pictures of Gus.
