[nanay]

I did not know whether to put this in small or large parrots, but there are fewer threads under large parrots, so I went with this. If that was the wrong choice, please move this.

I am very desirous of adding 1 additional mid-sized bird to my flock. (Don't tell, but I've decided 6 total birds is my maximum, 2 mid-sized, and I currently have only 1 of those, and up to 4 small birds, of which I currently have 3, but that is another story all together.) I thought I had decided that this mid-sized bird would be a crimson bellied conure. The local bird store that I love will most likely have crimson bellieds hatched in the spring, and if they do, I would be able to play with the baby from the time it was tiny. I do enjoy doing that.

However, I have recently become enamoured with the dusky pionus. I have actually never seen a dusky pionus in person, so it might not be what I think it is. I love the pictures I have seen and the description of the colors. I also like the size, which is said to be around 200 grams. However, I can not find any dusky pionus close enough to visit, and I have looked for years. They don't seem to be bred in this area.

I have seen and handled, though never owned, a white capped, a maximillian, and a bronze wing. All of these birds have been very gentle. The only reason I prefer a dusky over any of these other pionus is the color.

I don't mind driving long distances to get what I really want. I have made full day trips to get dogs and llamas in the past, and I have found a dusky breeder online who is several hours away, but doable in a one-day trip, although I would drive and stay over night if I had to in order to get the bird I really want. I also have shipped animals in the past, and I don't have a problem with that either.

However, never having actually seen or handled a dusky, even though I THINK that is what I really want, how can I be certain. Also, I have come to recognize the great advantage of having been able to play with my birds A LOT in the bird store before selecting them to join my flock. If I drove such a distance to get a bird, even if there were a few in a clutch to choose from, I would not have that possibility. Additionally, I would most likely have to have paid for a dusky to hold it until it weaned, because they are rare and seem to be sold even before they are hatched, so really I would not be able to come home without the bird no matter what happened when I met it.

My local bird store now has a 12 year old Maximillian pionus. She was a pet and then a breeder. Her mate recently died, and so they are looking for a pet home for her. She is gentle beyond comparison. She is trustworthy around kids, even little kids. She will go to anyone. She is potty trained. She will allow herself to be petted for long periods of time, and she doesn't even try to eat my buttons! The only bad habit I know she has is that she imitates larger and louder birds - obnoxious birds! I think they have her priced a bit high for a twelve year old Maximillian pionus, but I might be able to negotiate for a bit less. They worked with me on the price of both Roni, my senegal, and Elisa, my linnie, because they had been in the store a long time.

I had thought for some time that an older pionus might be the best choice for me. I am 51, and a pionus can live a very long time. Additionally, when you add an older bird, you know what you are getting. A baby bird can change a great deal as it ages.

I have been thrilled with the addition of our "older" linnie. She was only a bit more than 18 months when she came home, but that seemed pretty old to me for a bird who was only supposed to live about 10 years. It has been wonderful not to have to go through all of those tricky young developmental stages that we've gone through, and are still going through, with the other three birds.

I lookrd into finding an older dusky pionus. However, whenever I've found any in rescues, they always come with issues, and these issues have been serious problems in getting along with other birds.

So now I am trying to decide between 4 possibilities:
1) a newly hatched crimson bellied conure, which they should have in the spring (I know I would love a crimson bellied conure, but it would probably be too small to ever let it out with Roni and too large to let it out with my little guys, so I would have another bird I would have to have out all by itself, and I would rather have one I can have out with at least one of my current birds. I REALLY don't want to add another "group" to the mix. Right now I have three, but I expect to be able to get that back down to two very soon. Three is pushing it. Four would be impossible.)
2) a dusky pionus for which I would have to travel several states away and which I would have to select sight unseen (The drawback I see to this is the unknown. I wouldn't know the bird. I wouldn't know the seller. It could turn out to be a bird I'd have to have out of its cage all by itself, too, and it could turn out to have horrible habits. Additionally, the only two reasons I THINK I want a dusky over a Maximillian are the colors and the smaller size. I might not even like the colors better once I see them, and, although the size of the Maximillian is definitely much larger, I know from handling her that the Maxi isn't too big for me to handle.)
3) a twelve year old Maximillian who has proven herself to be very sweet and whom I could even try out around Roni before I made the decision (The drawbacks here are that she is known to imitate obnoxiously loud birds and she is not really the colors I am looking for)
4) another pionus that the local bird store could get for me later, most likely what they could get would be a bronze wing, but if I wait for any pionus they can get in the store I would be able to play with it while it is being hand-fed (The drawbacks here are that it still would not be a Dusky, which is what I really want, and, as with any baby bird, its personality could later develop into something less than desirable. However, it does have a better chance of being able to be out with Roni than would a crimson bellied conure.)

Now that I put all this down it seems to me the 12 year old Maxi in the store is the best choice, and I really, really like her personality.

When I selected Roni, I wanted a Meyers. The store couldn't guarantee they could get Meyers any time soon, and I fell quite in love with Roni herself. I made the committment to purchase her because I knew her. Within three weeks their Meyers went to nest! (It was the first time they had ever bred.) They have had six Meyers come through that store since I committed to purchase Roni. :shrug: I have played with most of them, and for a time I really thought I might go ahead and get a Meyers as my second mid-sized bird, but I have since decided it would be too similar to Roni, and I want her to have her own spot.

I am certain if I commit to the Maxi within a very short time the store will get a Dusky. They got a cobalt linnie in right after I selected Roni, too, which was exactly the other dream bird I had wanted. I did go ahead and bring home the blue linnie, but I am pretty sold on the fact that two pionus are just out of the question for me (unless - there does remain the outside chance that my daughter might asks me for a pionus for herself. This Maxi is definitely able to be a kid's bird. )

I write all of this because I don't have anyone else to talk these things over with, and even just putting them down helps me think and decide. If you have any ideas, I would appreciate hearing them.

 

[The Brute Squad]

I too yearn for a Pionus. there is a Dusky at my fav shop. 800 is a bit much right now, so I go and see him and pine. If you can get the 12 yr. old go for it. She sounds like a dream. I am partial to second chance birds. One thing to remember about Pionus, they have a very musky odor. Very. I still want one but realize I need a bigger place And an air purifier. We are in an apt. and have 16 now. So I am waiting. I WISH YOU THE BEST!

 

[nanay]

Since you are able to actually see a Dusky in person and play with it, can you describe it to me?

The musky odor DID scare me. The bronze wing baby that was in the store a few months ago had what I considered a pretty powerful odor.

The Maxi doesn't have much of a musky odor at all, in fact, I can put my nose right next to her feathers and she doesn't actually smell any more than my senegal - and, personally, I don't think my senegal smells at all. (Gotta brag on ANYTHING good I can find about that senegal, . I say that to YOU because I know you can relate when it comes to loving a senegal.)

I was surprised the Maxi did not have that strong musky odor, and I actually had decided it was because she is older, but that was an assumption on my part, and I probably should find out for certain what the truth of the odor issue is.

I do need to do a little more research. I was thinking more about it today and had myself convinced that I should just wait for a Dusky, but as long as I know that Maxi is there, I'm going to be compelled to keep visiting her.

 

[Ella]

http://www.petbirdpage.com/breed.asp?breed=dusky

I love Dusky's. Not just because they are very beautiful, but because of their wonderful personalities.

I was very close to getting a dusky, but they were so rarely bred in NZ, and I would have been paying an awful lot, so i got ziggy instead.

From what I know, they are very cuddly and little clowns.

I have never actually met one, but I know how close I was to finding a breeder and getting one! I LOVE them!

 

[Jenny]

I'm thinking the Maxi would be the best choice as far as personality and fitting your needs. She sounds like a wonderful bird!!

However, I used to tell all my customers this, don't settle for less. If a Dusky is what you really want deep down, and have been wanting for years, you'll be happy with the Maxi but will always have that nagging feeling deep down that you wanted a Dusky

As for the musky odor? Angel smells like fruit all around her face, with a little of that musty smell. I love it! :lovehearts:

 

[nanay]

Of course, we visited the Maxi again today. I took my daughter with me, and the bird is fantastic with her. She learned, just from the time I spent with her on Saturday, that I do not want her to climb up onto my shoulder, so she climbed as far as my elbow and stopped every time today. She did not even try to go higher.

(Actually, I let all of my own birds on my shoulder, but it is the store policy that no one is allowed to let a bird on his/her shoulder unless the bird is owned by that person or family. Since I know they prefer this, I always make every attempt to abide by it.) Now I have been attempting to teach Roni that she can only go to my shoulder on MY command ever since she became mine, and I am very consistent in reinforcing this, and yet she STILL tries me regularly to see if I am going to change my mind. This Maxi has interacted with me two whole times and has been played with countless times by others who have had different expectations, and yet she learned what I expected and abided by it that quickly!

I'm letting my heart run away with me here, and I know I should not. I keep thinking of all the other people who were looking at her. One had never owned a bird before. She seemed very nice and also was really doing her research before jumping into a purchase, but she mentioned repeatedly that she really had not wanted a "second-hand bird." (I know that is no worse than my coming on this site and mentioning that I really wanted a Dusky.) One family had children who just seemed a wrong fit for any bird to me, but she is so sweet they might get her because she seems able to put up with them. Another gal was really sweet with her, has two other birds, and is actually probably a better fit for her than I am - but I kind of don't want to admit that, lol.

I think about the fact that she was a pet who was rehomed and so paired up as a breeder. She bonded to her mate and then he died. Now she is in need of another home. She has a great personality, and I don't want to see her traveling from situation to situation any longer.

The gal who had her as a breeder is one of the store owners, and I would trust her to tell me anything negative about the bird, just as I would trust anyone else in that store to tell me what they believe to be true. She told me the bird is very loud when she wants attention because she imitates loud birds she has been housed with. She told me that because she knows noise is an issue in my home, and she knows my other birds have been selected with noise levels in mind.

However, everyone else who works in the store tells me that since she has been in the store they have never heard a peep out of her, except now. When I have her with me she makes various interesting and yet not obnoxious noises, although clearly noises she is imitating from other birds in the store, yet her volume has so far been much quieter. I may be wrong, but I interpret this to mean that she really enjoys interacting with me and with my daughter. The first time I attempted to get her out of the cage, she would step up but then make a loop back around the cage and end up back on her perch, and a store employee had to get her out of the cage. However, today, when I asked her to step up, she came right out. She makes a lot of eye contact with me, also, and will climb up my arm to my elbow and snuggle against me there and just look into my eyes. I think she likes me, and she is curious and willing to get to know my daughter.

I know Jenny is right. If I get her I will love her a great deal, but I will always remember that I really wanted a Dusky. I think about Roni, though, and how I really wanted a Meyers, and how the first time they did have baby Meyers in after I got her I played with them a great deal and seriously contemplated getting one, but in the end I decided I do not want another bird so similar to Roni. Now I don't even look at the Meyers when I go in the store, except to notice how cute the just feathering babies are or notice how much they have grown.

The store personnel confirmed today that they will get a few pionus hatchlings this year, but they have never had a Dusky and they do not foresee being able to find one. They can get baby Maximillian, Bronze Wing, Blue Headed, and White Capped Pionus. Additionally, any baby would be at least twice as much as this 12 year old, and I suspect that even if by some miracle they found a Dusky, it would be even higher than that.

I do not foresee the Maxi remaining for sale in the store for any length of time. The owner only decided to offer her for sale this weekend. She had been in the store for about a month prior to that, but she had not offered her for sale. This is a season of the year in which they do not have many baby birds for sale, and, in fact, they don't even have as many older birds as they often have. They do have more mid-sized birds right now than anything else, but she is the only pionus they have.

My pocket book is preventing me from making an impulse buy, which is good. Over the life of a pionus, the difference between the price of a bird I really don't want and one I really do want would be unimportant. If it were simply a matter of price, I would wait for a Dusky, but I am taken with this particular bird herself, and I am uncomfortable with what I would have to do to get a Dusky - meaning simply that I could not select one from the store after lots and lots of time interacting with it to be comfortable that it would be a good addition for us. I believe that having had that opportunity with my other birds has been the best part about purchasing them.

If I continue to consider this Maxi, I can take Roni in the store to see how they repond to one another. The store personnel warned that Roni might be less aggressive there than she will later be at home because that is neutral territory to her, but it would still be nice to have that opportunity. Again, that would not be possible with a dusky I would have to purchase from a breeder.

I know I DO want this bird. I may talk myself out of getting her through logic, or someone else may purchase her very soon and make that decision for me, but the one thing I know is that I am becoming attached to her and, right now, I want her.

 

[nanay]

Well, we visited the Maxi again today, and she is marvelous. Roni went with me, so I could see how they would interact, and also to get a grooming. They were fine both playing on me together. Roni was a bit shy because of the grooming and being not in her home environment, so she might be worse at home.

In the middle of the visit, a love bird landed on the Maxi's head. The Maxi just sat there and looked at us as if to say, "There is a bird on my head, folks." She did not move until the owners of the lovebird managed to get the bird off, and the lovebird didn't want to leave, lol.

The store was packed and people were in and out having their birds groomed, visiting their unweaned babies, and looking for birds. They sold several while I was there. Everyone wanted to see the Maxi because she will go to anyone. She was on lots of kids. I am never afraid to let kids hold her because she is so gentle. (Several kids asked to hold Roni, but I was not about to do that!)

I had decided that I had to have her, when the owner told me that he has ordered a dusky baby. He and I talked for a very long time, but I finally decided I should wait for the dusky baby. It can not possibly have a better personality than this Maxi. It could be as good, but it cannot be better. Yet I know Jenny was right when she said that I would love the Maxi but always remember that I really wanted a dusky. I have wanted a dusky for years.

I wanted a meyers, but got Roni because I fell in love with her. I still love Roni, but it took a long time before I no longer wanted a meyers. I really have no desire for a meyers now, but it took a long time.

Especially since he has already ordered a dusky, I know I would see it and be sorry I couldn't get it.

The Maxi is wonderful. She will be a great bird wherever she goes.

 

[skthurley]

I completely understand how you feel nanay. My dream birds are a blue or pied parrotlet and a yellow sided conure. Yet I have a green parrotlet and a green cheek conure. Now don't get me wrong, I am more then happy with these two. We got a green parrotlet because my husband doesn't like to blue so we compromised and got a green male. And Kiwi belonged to a friend of a friend and I fell in love. I couldn't say no.

I personally would have chosen the Maxi as I've developed a soft spot for older birds in need of a home. But I'm very glad that you chose to wait for a baby dusky.

 

[nanay]

Shandi,
I really did want to get the older bird because I also feel that it is good to provide homes for older birds, and you know exactly what you are getting. However, I know I would see the dusky baby and be disappointed, and the Maxi doesn't deserve to have an owner who is disappointed.
I am absolutely at my maximum with this fifth bird, or I would have even considered getting the Maxi for my daughter as well as the dusky for me. She wants a larger bird, and this is the only one I would trust with her. However, she'll have her whole life to have larger birds, if she is still interested in them when she is older, and by then she might want something that she can handle then but can't handle now.
This Maxi would be a great bird in any family, though. I just believe she deserves to be someone's first choice. My daughter's current dream bird is a Meyers.

I know this is a dumb question, but how is a green male parrotlet a compromise for a blue or pied one?

 

[Sharon]

Oh....The Maxi sounds like a bird I'd love to have!!! You were probably right in waiting for the Dusky though. It seems that once your heart is set on something, it's really hard to let go!

 

[nanay]

Sharon,

I have been wishing I could ship you this Maxi for weeks. I think she sounds perfect for you, too. She is the best. Oh well, let's see, that's Stanley's sister AND a maxi. Wonder how hard it would be to get them across. :rofl:

 

[Sharon]

I wonder....I suppose even if it were possible, the poor bird would have quite a long flight!
The Maxi was actually on my short list when I was considering another bird. They are the gentlest and the best talkers of their group....

 

[nanay]

Well, this is the gentlest bird I've ever handled, but she doesn't talk much at all, so maybe that will help you not want her.

 

[Sharon]

Not really...talking is intriguing but not nearly as important as personality!Really, I'm not going to think about Maxi...I'm done with adding more birds...I'm done...I'm done....

 

[Sabinoesque]

I saw a Dusky at the store by me last summer and wante dto scoop her up and run out the door with her. lol (not really but you know!) Maybe some day if we have a dedicated bird room I can have another Pionus. I hope the Dusky baby ends up being your little dream bird.

ps. I had a white cap and never noticed any odd odor what so ever?

 

[Jenny]

I saw a Dusky at the store by me last summer and wante dto scoop her up and run out the door with her. lol (not really but you know!) Maybe some day if we have a dedicated bird room I can have another Pionus. I hope the Dusky baby ends up being your little dream bird.

ps. I had a white cap and never noticed any odd odor what so ever?

It's not an odd odor, just normal birdy smell. Most birds have a smell to them, and Pionus just seem to smell like fruit. Indian Ringnecks, Mustache Parakeets, Alexandrines, etc smell fruity too :thumbsup:

 

[The Brute Squad]

We have 2 male geen cheeks and they have the most alluring smell to them. i bury my nose in their necksand just inhale them. I love the way they smell. Bella our girl smells different, not as good as the boys. I am really enjoying our Pionus' scent. She smells great. Bird people are so weird!

 

[Sensfan]

We have 2 male geen cheeks and they have the most alluring smell to them. i bury my nose in their necksand just inhale them. I love the way they smell. Bella our girl smells different, not as good as the boys. I am really enjoying our Pionus' scent. She smells great. Bird people are so weird!

Yes we are. I love the smell of my linnies. :yesnod:

 

[nanay]

Well, I think the Maximillian may have found a home today, although I am not certain. I went to the store to visit and see if my new cage for Isaac had come in, and while I was there some people came to look at birds. They had two young children, and the mom wanted a bird that would be good with kids. She also loved the looks of the Maximillian. They were looking at some babies, and, of course, babies are all sweet, but the babies were nibbling like they always do, and that was scaring the kids. I showed them the pionus, who is as close to kid proof a bird as I have ever known, and the mom really wanted her. The dad wanted a cockatoo, though, so who knows what they will decide. At any rate, if they do get her, the mom thought she was the most beautiful bird in the store, so that would mean that she would be with someone who really loves her just the way she is, and she deserves that. I may always be sorry I didn't get her, especially if I do get a dusky and it isn't as sweet as she is, but I still feel I have to follow my wishes on this and get my "dream" bird. The Maximillian also deserves to be some family's dream bird, too.
The store owner has reserved the first dusky baby his pionus breeders have this year for me, but they haven't gone to nest yet. I can wait as long as I know it will eventually happen.
The Maximillian actually smells exactly like my linnie, but the baby bronze wing they had in the store last summer smelled much sweeter and much stronger than my linnie smells.

 

[The Brute Squad]

Nanna had a shower this morning and her smell got stronger. Not bad just more noticeable.