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Senegal Parrot:
Senegal Parrot
Poicephalus senegalis
Senegals are known for their acrobatics, their mischievousness, and their
passion!"
Senegals are much quieter birds than many of the smaller, more colorful and
popular parrots like the conures in the Aratinga genus. For this reason they
make ideal pets for apartment or condominium living.
They are an interesting bird that likes routine and become accustomed to the
habits of their owners. Senegals learn human speech quite easily. Their voices
are softer, quieter and gentler than their larger african cousins like the African
Grey. They usually acquire a moderate vocabulary although some can have a
more extensive list of words and phrases. Most will develop an understanding
of several common phrases like "step up". Of course the best way to teach a
parrot to talk is to talk to it!
Description:
Senegal Parrots are probably the most popular of the Poicephalus parrots
which includes Meyer's, Red-bellied, and Jardine's parrots. They are attractive
and intelligent little birds that are highly social and live in flocks in the wild.
They are from central and eastern Africa.
The Senegal's head is gray, with a mostly green body. The breast and belly
ranges in color from lime-yellow to deep orange. The body markings form a
"V" with a green point running down the breast bone.
There are some who say they can be sexed based on color, but this is very
unreliable, especially when they are young. Others believe they can be sexed
by their behavior, with females being shy and retiring and males being bolder
and more aggressive. This is not very reliable either since there are bold hens
and shy males. Juvenile birds have dark brown eyes, while adults eye color
ranges from silvery yellow to orange.
Housing:
Provide a roomy cage with the minimum dimensions of: 20" long x 20" deep x
28" high. Preferably a cage with horizontal bars about 3/4 inch apart to make
climbing easier. The individual senegal's needs should be taken into account if
possible. For instance, if the bird is going to spend most of its time in the cage
without being taken out frequently, a larger cage might be better, while a bird
that is handled allot could do with a smaller one.
It has been observed that wooden toys are favorites of senegals. Wooden
ladders, chew toys, and wooden hanging toys seem to be preferred, most
anything made of wood.
You can also attach a perch/play area on top of the cage. In the cage have
about three perches of different diameters (or branches with some angling)
without the sandpaper guards. A swing among other toys are available but be
sure to leave enough room for flying! Food and water dishes, preferably
automatic dispensing, or if not, ones with guards to prevent waste
contamination. Clips to hold spray millet and fresh food. A bath house with a
textured bottom is a favorite, or a slow running faucet will do.
Care and feeding:
In the wild the Senegal parrots eat seeds, nuts, berries and fruit. For your pet,
ready made staple seed mixes are usually available at your local pet store or
super market which contain a mixture of canary grass seed, white millet,
yellow millet, oats and groats and red millet, niger seed and linseed. Some
higher quality seed mixtures come with thistle, anise, rape, sesame, and
safflower seed. Vitamin pellets with iodine in them are sometimes present to
prevent thyroid problems. Store seed in a dark but airy place. Not in plastic
bags but in a clothes bag in a closet. Offer fresh foods such as eggplant, green
peas, cucumber, young dandelion greens, sweet corn, beet greens, carrots,
unsprayed lettuce, green peppers, sorrel, spinach leaves, tomatoes and
zucchini. Fruits that are suitable are: Pineapples, apples, apricots, bananas,
most other fruits.
Don't feed your bird chocolate or avocados. These foods have been implicated
in the death of many birds and should not be fed to senegals.
