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Senegal Parrot

Family: Psittacidae

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"Clover" Poicephalus senegalus Photo Courtesy: Darwin Wagner

  Dr. Jungle..."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!

To learn more about Parrot Care visit:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Bird

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. In the wild, breeding is after the rainy season, from September through November.
   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 and mirror 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. Provide a breeding box if breeding is what you have in mind.

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.

Availability: Senegal parrots are readily available and moderately expensive.

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Latest Comments
I recently 'inherited' a 2 year old Senegal from my son who is now living in the UK. Her name is Avo (I wonder why) aka Pork Chop/Banana Girl/Sweet Pea! She is the cutest little piece of fluff ever and certainly has a personality and mind of her own. What I have come to realise is that she is just like a two year old child and I treat her accordingly. When she's naughty (she actually has tantrums and lies on her back, legs up and literally screams and shouts) I find that if I distract her by changing the scenery, perhaps go for a walk in the garden, she calms down. As for biting, which she loves to do, I make a big whoo-haa about NO BITING and she goes into her cage for a bit of time out. My daughter has really persevered with 'getting acquainted' with Avo who has recently developed a strange mannerism when my daughter approaches her. She puffs up all her feathers, making herself larger and sort of waddles, cowboy style towards my daughter, but will always accept a tickey tickey from her. I think that as caretakers of these wonderful birds we should not let them rule our lives but rather teach them to fit into our lives. Adrienne 2008-09-16
My senegal is cute. (: He says Kiss. and blows a kiss. He says hello and night night and stuff. He's only 3, (: but the thing is, he really doesn't like my brother. This type of bird is probably best with a couple or a single person. Also don't tease them, they remember. I love jasper, he's one of the best friends I could ask for. He's amazing, very loving, and he puts his head down for a scratchy scratchy. He also loves the curtains and tends to climb on them. He likes to have an oaty bite for his breakfast. He doesn't like parrot food that much, but we give it to him any way. He eats the chilies and the peanuts and sunflower seeds, but he doesn't really like the other seeds. So we have to give him seed sticks and lots of fresh fuit and veggies. He loves ice cream and yogurt for treats and if he's really lucky he gets a bit of tea. He drinks it straight from the cup. Hes very interactive, and doesn't like to be on his own much. I love jasper. Abby Abi Abbie banyard 2008-09-06
I have a five-year old Senegal (Skippy) whom I rescued almost two years ago. Up until a couple of months ago, he was very sweet and loving towards me. Then, out of nowhere, he bit me and decided he doesn't always like me. He, too, seems to have developed very "Moody" days. Some days, he's okay and approachable, and then other days he sits with his back turned towards me. We have two other birds in the house (a Blue-Gold Macaw and a male Eclectus), and neither of them have the mood swings that Skippy has. From what I was able to gather from the rescue organization, he was originally given up because he started biting his family. They finally stopped trying to interact with him because of it, and finally turned him into a rescue organization. Up until just recently, he never bit me; he always wanted to be with me; and was always very loving. Now, it depends on what mood he's in. I can't figure it out, because he is very well taken care of. Any ideas... MiMi 2008-09-06
I have the same problem with my two year old Senegal who we named Cosmo. He generally is a good bird when it comes to me and is bonded more to me, however, he dislikes my husband, my son and tolerates my daughter. His temperament changes like the weather does. One day he is warm, sweet and loveable and then he will be totally afraid and leery of me and take flight and scream. I generally am able to figure out what type of mood he is in by his feather position as well as eye-contact but it seems he has become more diffident as time goes by. The only time I see good behavior is after he has been to the pet-store for either an overnight or a visit. He then becomes generally loveable again but mainly towards me. He is always afraid of new people, doesn't bother with people in general and is afraid of his own shadow. We try to keep him out a lot but he still is afraid of his own shadow. I am at my wits end. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks. Luciana 2008-08-01
My senegal is very mean and selective. He bites everyone in the family very hard except for my mom. Does anyone have any advice on how to confront this behavior? Thanks Brendan 2008-07-02
Some of the coolest comments:
I have an eight year old senegal named Frankie, (He was my birthday present.) At first he was very shy, but then he turned around and was very nice and playful, he did "kisses" and said his name and even used to sing the banana phone song! He only snapped at me occasionally. Now, everytime I try to take him out he bites very hard, my whole family is almost afraid of him! I recommend senegals for singles or couples, for I think they will tolerate more than a couple people, but they will bond to one. Overall for bird lovers who have time to spend with their bird I think a senegal is a fun and good choice! Jayme 2008-11-24
Alas, fellow Senegal lovers it seems we are destined to try to please what can be a very moody bird species. I have two Sengal parrots. Scooter, the male, is 20 (yes, that's twenty!)years old. I got him at 4 weeks of age and he has only just become more predictable in his behavior. I am hoping his hormone levels have peaked and are now on the decline that will hopefully lead to more dependable, good behavior. For many years, he would give me severe bites on the hands, arms, and face. These bites were always unexpected and I could never really pin down what might have sent him over the edge. I have read everything out there on Sengal behavior and what has worked best for Scooter and I are boundaries and setting limits. I do not let him have the run of the house and return him to his cage periodically and latch the door to reinforce his dependency on me. If he goes through a spell where he acts as if doesn't respect me, I will take him out of his environment and upset his comfort level with a trip to the post office, etc. so that he again views me as his safety net. Keeping their nails groomed and wings trimmed is especially important- an independent Senegal can get pretty full of himself. Track on a calandar what months you seem to be having the most behavioral problems. It could be cyclic with hormones and the seasons. Don't give up! Maintain the commitment you made to your Senegal when you first got it. Be aware of your Senegals body language and know the signals- flashing eyes, low aggressive stance, etc. Sengals should not be placed on your head (Scooter leaned over and bit my eyelid) and shoulder time is stongly discouraged. There is a reason the pirates with parrots wear eye patches! There is no reason that you can't enjoy your Sengal for as many years as I have plus 20 to 30 more. Gabby 2008-10-03
Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear!
Thank you for giving me some helpful facts about my bird, Skippy, indeed he is veeerrry spoiled and playful. He is three years old and he can say "Chanel", which is my name so when I am not home he will call for me every second until I arrive. He also can say "cookies" and imitates various sounds such as my microwave. He has chewed up a lot of my things but I will get mad and hold it. He has bitten my mom various times but you know what she didn't care that much because she knows he is trying to tell her something. He is our special angel and best friend and we love him dearly. I just wish that he could understand english and talk back to me and my family. He is like my little brother who keeps me on my feet. Chanel 2006-01-29

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