Complete Psittacine by EB Cravens

Reasons To Let Your Parrot Grow Up Before You Get Another

I clearly remember receiving a telephone call from a gentleman who had called me up to inquire about purchasing a baby parrot. After talking together for a bit, it became apparent to me that this prospective new owner also had acquired a baby Blue-headed Pionus, which was not yet seven months of age.

The new bird he wanted was of an African species inappropriate for befriending the Pionus, nor did he really have that in mind - he just wanted another new bird. It took about an hour on the phone for me to convince this birdkeeper that he should wait before buying a second pet. “Give your young Pionus a chance to grow up in your home before buying another psittacine,” I counseled, “It will pay off in the long term.”

My reasons for feeling this way were manyfold. First of all, when one takes a baby psittacine into a household, there may pass a year or more before it becomes intimately familiar with the routine, voice inflection and commands, where not to perch or chew, the daily in’s and out’s of being a stable, contented, manageable pet, all takes time to assimilate.