The Pionus Diaries: The Max & Yoshi Story

[Begone]

To preen each other has nothing to do with bonding.
And I see that she is not feeling comfortable with it either.

One can always walk the walk.. humptiedumptie camewalking up!

They love to bite our toes, you know that? If not don't forget to jump and record when he does.

 

[finchly]

I’ve just read the whole thread and could not be happier for you, Jan. I think these 2 will pull you out of the depression. I recently “popped “ out of mine, I have no idea why but thank goodness.

My 2 pionus are Ernie and Angel. They are different ages and were raised very differently, Ernie apparently not being held and Angel was carefully, lovingly raised by someone on this board. Their cages are side by side. I see lots of mimicking, and they do things at the same time. But they will never be pals. Angel has flown to Ernie twice in 6 months. He looks at her like what the heck?? And pretends to bite.

I think this is as close as they can get, they’re never going to bond.

There aren't more because many people want flashy parrots. They are frequently overlooked because their beauty is more subtle.

I am glad they are doing so well.

I have a theory. In addition to being less flashy and not talking, I think they tend to belong to people who are very intelligent. That’s who understands the pionus best.

 

[finchly]

Have you thought about putting a perch on the outside of the cage?

 

[Dartman]

They love anything they can perch and hang out. Dobby loves the top of the TV, his favorite chairs, several play stands, and the stand at the top of his cage. They also pop on the floor when they trust you so be careful and shuffle your feet gently so you don't drop kick a green carpet parrot sneaking up on you. Nerd didn't fly well so he tended to walk wherever he wanted to go and would wander up to the couch to demand treats every evening. If we didn't notice him or were asleep he'd go CHIRP loudly to wake us up to get with the treats. He had very big thighs...

 

[jh81]

So.. Max been flying to me regulary for a few days now.. and today, Yoshi suprised friend and foe by landing on my legs! Ofcourse then Max had to come as well.. I could only take this one pic before Yoshi got scared and flew off again, but i’ll savior the moment for a loooong while

 

[jh81]

@tka this pic shows good how skinny Yoshi is

 

[finchly]

@tka this pic shows good how skinny Yoshi is

I feel sure you can fatten him up!

 

[Dartman]

Well Nerd was always extremely skinny his whole life. His keel bone was sharp under his feathers and he was always eating. On a good day after eating a bunch he'd weigh 227g and in the morning before eating he weighed 214. He was also very active and was always running around and playing, plus the usual naps these guys take. The vet was worried about him but his tests were usually great and he was very consistent in what he weighed. He also was at least 31 when he finally left us after getting sick, maybe just from being old. He was happy and everything and just did Nerd things till the end. If there isn't a underlying cause it might just be a skinny version of a Maxi. If that's the case stuff her full of anything safe for her to eat and see how she does. That's what the vet finally decided after he never changed and no issues showed up. Keep an eye on her weight and make sure she doesn't suddenly drop in weight if it doesn't change and everything is good. Lurch weighed about 250 to 260, and Dobby weighed like 280 but doesn't seem fat or winded at all when he flies so I just think he likes his food a lot and builds muscle. 250 is average for them give or take. Lurch was much bigger overall than Nerd was, and Dobby is right with Lurch or bigger. Ferd was probably about Lurches weight and size. Nerd was always a happy runt. I thought Nerd would be the one to get sick eventually as originally he had miscolored feathers and missing flights on one wing. About 2 years in Ferd was fine in the morning, sick in the afternoon, and dead by 8 that night and he was the fat, healthy, beautifully feathered one of the two. I gave Nerd feather vitamins and eventually he molted out all the badly colored feathers and we mourned his brother together and bonded. If they're happy with their lot in life they'll just want to hang around with you as long as they can.

 

[jh81]

I forgot the answer an earlier question, but there’s a perch on the top of the case, is basicly open from the moment i get up, to the moment i go to bed

It’s been a few days, been gardening and all, and with all the Corona problems everywhere i have retreated into some good books and making a moodboard for the new indoor aviary in my birdroom..

They are now on 100% pellets, with some seeds still as a desert. It does make giving calcium etc much easier, as i can let the pellets soak it all in. They don’t seem to eat as much as i would think, which still makes me worry a bit about Yoshi. They do nibble on the fruits and the veggy’s, so thats a yeeeeeey for me!

Max has this call he does whenever i enter the room, its something that sounds like “Hootie Hootie” Which amuses me to no end He even stepped up today for the first time, although if i must be honest it was more an accident hehehe. He likes to follow me across the house, landing either on my shoulder or the floor next to me.

Yoshi is also becoming more vocal and outgoing. During the day she keeps close with Max, and i decided to let them hang around eachother in one cage. Only when i leave or go to bed will i put Yoshi in the converted dog bench But until i saved enough money for the indoor aviary, thats how it is im afraid I sure curse myself for giving away everything i had, but heh.

I’m full into the whole Dry theigh own food stuff, its fun! I hould start a fundraiser to get me one of those freezedryers and start my own parrot chop brand. I think both birds already look much better in their feathers, more shiney then in the first two weeks for sure. Much of it will ofcourse be thanks to the showers, but i like to think the little amounts of healthy foods are also helping

 

[Ella.pi]

You seem to be doing great! I'm happy your dehydrated food seems to be having the success it deserves. they're very cute! I'm looking forward to seeing them evolve in your care. You'll get to your aviary goal in time... but while you're working on that, it's enough to just focus on doing your best to improve their lives, day after day.

I love that you're getting them to eat a wider variety of food, step by step... what helped mine when I got them, was giving the fresh vegetable and fruit chop first thing in the morning so they were more motivated to eat it (no food in the late evening or over night) and the pellets or sprouted seeds/nuts and grain mix in the afternoon. They realy loved sprouts! they also loved to try vegetables that were hanging from their cage. They started out curious about them, treated them as they would a toy and eventually realised they tasted good enough to eat. I still hang them on skewers in the aviary.

The great thing about pionus parrots is that you can keep them out on stands for long amounts of time, especially when they are sleeping at night, without them destroying anything or non stop flying to all the forbidden places possible. Not all that doable with my crazy Macaw and Conure! because you seem to be at home most of the time and they have a lot of freedom, I'm sure the size of their cage doesn't impact them too much just now... you have time to work around that situation. Does Max still pluck his gilfriend or not? sometimes the new feathers just don't grow back because the follicules are too damaged...

Falcon has always been on the skinny side too... he was very healthy but Apache was bigger. If she seems well and is not too thin, it might be normal for her...

 

[finchly]

The great thing about pionus parrots is that you can keep them out on stands for long amounts of time, especially when they are sleeping at night, without them destroying anything or non stop flying to all the forbidden places possible.

Uhhh somebody forgot to tell Angel that!

 

[Ella.pi]

Oh well...

 

[jh81]

I have only once seen Max get angry with Yoshi. I really believe this all happened due to their poor environment, i could see how easily they became bored. These days Max has no reason to pluck Yoshi. Still, there’s nothing growing on her head im not too worried about that yet, she’s underweight. Perhaps her body doesnt have enough reserves yet to spend on new feathers. We’ll see ho things go!

Yes, the food in the morning tip i got earlier on in this threat, thats how i got them on pellets
The only fresh fruit they eat so far are apples. But yeah, baby steps.. can’t expect miracles yet

i really like their hands-off attitude. Max come flying in, looking what i do and then goes off to be busy with himself again.Thats perfect for me. At the moment i am focussing most of my attention on Max, because i feel he’s more up to it, and Yoshi needs her time to recover, does that sound weird? I dont want Yoshi to be lonely ofcourse, but i feel she really needs some peace and quiet time to come to herself and become stronger.

 

[jh81]

So.. now i have an in-ear bleeding..

i weigh both Max and Yoshi Today:
Yoshi went from 195g when i got her to 206g now
Max went from 269g when i got him to 271g now

i still think Yoshi is too skinny, but at least i know shes gaining weight!

When i scooped Yoshi up and put her in the travel cage Max attacked me He bit me in the ear
I suppose thats a good as reason as any to order a pizza! I feel traumatized

 

[Begone]

Yes, pizza sounds perfect today.

 

[Dartman]

He's just protecting his lady friend. Remember that next time you have to deal with them together. Lurch had all kinds of triggers we had to learn. The wrong hat, coat, eating cereal in front of him and not sharing quickly enough etc. I got bit in the neck and ear a lot till we both figured things out. Most times it was a quick nip but he practically put two holes in my ear one morning over the cereal. Keep your eyes on both of them for warning signals till you figure out the rules with each other. They certainly love to bite necks and ears, that's why Lurch lose shoulder privileges till we reached a understanding with each other.

 

[Ella.pi]

It's great that they're putting on weight! 206 for a maxi is quite low indeed...

I hope you enjoyed your pizza! i'm more of a chocolate comfort food girl. It's the answer to everything.

Max does seem protective of his grilfriend... males have a tendency to be more easily triggered and more agressive, especially if he's bonded... but It'll only get better as their relationship with you grows. You'll be able to anticipate the tricky situations and find days to work around them. The good thing is, I find them easy to read!

 

[jh81]

Oh, im quite okay with beeing bitten for that reason I just wasn’t expecting it im mostly handsoff so im not too worried about beeing bitten and reading body languAge etc. Im quite laid back these days I suppose i can try to bribe Max with some pizza next time i wanna weigh Yoshi haaahahahaa

 

[jh81]

YEEEP.. There will be a bird room... lots of cleaning and building to do... i am thinking of painting the room green and blue, what do you think?

 

[Begone]

Great.
Keep it as light as possible but you can make a darker sleeping area for them.