Here are a few quick plain facts on the Pionus.
Diet? Fruit, Veggies, seeds, pellets, nuts, beans. A good
general well rounded diet will do them good.
Breeding Age? Pionus can start breeding as young as 2-1/2
to 3
years old.
Talking Ability? Pionus can talk, but is a little raspy and not
usually a
large vocabulary. The Maximilian is usually the best talker out of the
Pionus species.
Do males or females make better talkers? Generally the
males will tend to talk more readily but females can talk as too!
Noise Level? The Pionus is one of the most quiet type of parrot that you
will find.
Affectionate? The Pionus is not considered a real cuddle bug like a
Cockatoo is. They like to be scratched on the head and do not usually like
to be petted on their back and they do not like being put upside down in
your hand unless trained at an early age.
Attention? The Pionus likes attention but does not require it
constant like some parrots. They are contented to play well on their
own... provide them with toys!
Availability? The Pionus is still not found in most pet
shops, they are found more through breeders.
Price? Pionus' are moderately priced, a pet depending on Pionus
specie range between $300 to $700.
Life Span? Because the majority of the Pionus species have not
been in kept in captivity for much more than
20 years, we are led to
believe that they may have a life span of 25-40 years. It is not
known exactly of how long they really do live.
Pionus Fact: When a Pionus eats, they dunk their
food in the water often making it appear that they are drinking a lot of
water. They are not always drinking the water, they are usually wetting the food.
Do not get this confused with them drinking 'excessive' water. Many
parrot species do this, the Pionus seems to do it a lot more and this is
normal. The water usually has to be changed frequently, I consider
it "Bacteria Soup" if you don't change it when it gets saturated with
moist foods, pellets or seed in the water. It can get very smelly
especially on warm days. Please don't let your bird suffer with
drinking the "Bacteria Soup" all day long.
Pionus Fact: The
Pionus species makes a wheezing like sound when they get nervous, stressed
or excited
and this is normal.
Pionus Fact:
The smell of a Pionus is known as a sweet "musky" type smell, some people like the
way they smell.
Pionus Fact: Pionus
Babies that have red on the forehead or chest is only a baby trait and will be
gone after first molt. It can be present up to around five months old.
Pionus Fact: The Blue Headed
Pionus does not completely have a blue head until they are about
year old or slightly older.
Pionus Fact: The White Cap Pionus does
not fully have its white cap on the head until 8
months or older.
Pionus Fact: The
Maximilian's beak can darken considerably. Some remain lighter in color.
Pionus Fact:
All Pionus species have the red under the tail.
Pionus Fact: The Pionus species has a well
known "strut" that they do! They flare and fan their tail and
puff up their head & body feathers and walk the perch back and forth. When
doing this
be aware, they can be aggressive when in this strutting pattern.
Pionus Fact: Pionus do
not have an oil gland above the tail area like most parrots have.
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