| We have a Senegal named Mango who I guess is about 3 or 4 years old by now. The
literature on Senegals is quite mixed: buy them only under the age of one year;
always good pets; rarely good pets; etc. Mango is very sweet (once we got him
to stop biting, I'll show you the scars). We leave his door open and he will
hop out, walk across the furniture, and stand next to the fish
tank watching the fish. He will quite happily jump on your hand; putting him
back is a little more challenging. He was only half-tame when we bought him, but
now we can handle him fully, and frequently pick him up by the body. He also
will immediately go into a mating dance, dropping his wings and moving around
in circles like some Indian rain dance. His feet will get very hot and then he
will start regurgitating seeds. Ahh, love... His whistle is quite piercing, so
we cover him up at night in anticipation of daybreak - he thinks he's a rooster.
Based on our experience, I would say that Senegals make good pets if you have
a little patience. However, opinions are so conflicting that I would be a little
cautious about recommending one.
I think it is illegal to import them (???). They are caught wild in Africa in
large numbers and smuggled to other countries. I've seen pictures of hundreds
of wild Senegals in crates, where nearly half have died during the trip.
|
| After trying dir/title="senegal" and dir/keyword=senegal I didn't find
much information about these neat little birds, so I'm attempting to
revive this note because I'm picking up my hand raised baby senegal
tonight!!!
I've had canaries, budgies, cockatiels and an amazon so I am not new to
being owned by birds.
What I would like is to hear from any other senegal parents out
there...experiences, stories, tips or whatever.
Thanks,
Wendy
|
| Thanks!!! Well my new baby is home and settling in nicely. I haven't
picked a name yet...I usually wait for my critters to name themselves
in one way or another. She (I don't really know what sex it is) is one
of the sweetest birds I've ever met. She jumps right on your finger
and lets you pet her anywhere...she will also lie down in the palm of
your hand while you tickle her belly. So far she has barely made a
sound...a few little mutters and a couple of very quiet chirps...the
woman who owns the store where I got her said she had barely made any
noise there either (the sun conures she had were beautiful but quite
loud). She has a great appetite...so far she's eaten spaghetti,
grapes, monkey chow, banana and the seed mix. We have an appointment
to go for a check-up next week. Oh yeah...she also love to ride around
on my shoulder and snuggle up by my neck.
Wendy
|
| Hi...
Well she has a name now, PJ. It's not really short for anything it
just seemed to fit her.
Yesterday we went to the vet (Dr Belmonte at Worcester Cat hospital
and bird clinic). She got a clean bill of health from the exam. The
vet said it's not uncommon for hand fed babies to have bacterial
infections so she recommended a bacterial culture which we did. She
also had her nails done and her band removed. I do have a question...
the vet also mentioned taking blood to test liver and kidney function
and for psittacosis...she said some species of birds can harbor
psittacosis without symptoms quite well. The bacterial culture was $48
and the blood test is around the same amount. I want to be sure PJ is
healthy but I also don't have a ton of money. I'm wondering what you
all think about having the blood test done. The vet said if I was
choosing between one or the other to go with the bacterial culture
first...and see how that comes out. Any thoughts...suggestions???
Thanks,
Wendy
|
| How are things going with your Senegal?
I got a 5 year old imported Senegal in January. I was told he was
"moody" and this note says that they are moody too. When I first
brought Bennie home he did seem moody -- some mornings chirping happily
and others brooding. Then one day when I was leaving, he looked really
depressed, so I got him out of his cage. He cheered right up, so I
decided when he gets "moody" he really just wants attention, but
doesn't know how to ask for it. Anyway, I make the first move with him
now, so he doesn't seem to get depressed anymore.
I also think he gets lonely, since he's my only single bird. He seems
envious of my zebra finches and also my 2 tiels. Also, when I got him his
first mirror, he got very excited and started "talking" to it, but
within minutes realized there wasn't really another bird there. He
seemed angry, and by that evening had shredded the plastic and pulled
the bead-holder out. He has another mirror now, which he plays with
without destroying, so I guess he got over being mad, but I still feel
bad cause I think he'd really like another senegal to play with. But
I'm full up right now, so he'll just have to wait I guess...
Anyway, now I take him out every morning before work and every evening
as soon as I get home. Sometimes he sits on top of the tiel cage and
tries to join in with their games and sometimes I bring him to the
kitchen with me while I'm preparing everyone's breakfast. I've set up
a spare cage in there cause sometimes he prefers to sit on top of a cage
instead of my shoulder. Since the baby finches left their nest, he seems
to especially like to sit on top of the finch cage and leer at them.
The other day, he started imitating the baby finches! Other than a
quiet little "woof" sound that may be a dog imitation, he normally only
makes the normal quiet (thank goodness) screech, and sometimes a low
squawk and funny deep honks.
He's also invented a game where, if I approach him (or sometimes just
look at him across the room!) he ducks down like he's stalking me.
Then I duck down and slowly approach him. He gets a glint in his eye,
opens his beak threateningly and backs away one step at a time.
Sometimes we'll go around his cage several times like this. I threaten
him in a low voice, saying, "I'm gonna make a Bennie-burger, I'm gonna
make a Bennie-burger."
Then I'll stop, stand upright, put out my hand and he just climbs right
on!
Mary
|