How Parrot Puberty can affect your Mental Health ft

[@stellaandcharlie]

Thank you so much for inviting me Ashley it was SO fun and learning full to talk with you and I hope people can use the info :) Ps. I promise I am NOT sponsored by ONLY, despite the giant bag in the back lol

[@PionusTales]

It was wonderful to finally have you on! And looking forward to when we can do one for your channel too!

[@notsosilentmajority1]

I am just learning about parrots/birds but I have sort of narrowed down the channels I prefer to watch and learn from. You both are a part of the select channels I watch. I think I really prefer to go through a rescue, although some sort of Pionus seems to be the birds I prefer the most. In the US they are not easy to find and when you do find them, they are usually expensive. Thanks for all of the great content.

[@PionusTales]

Thank you so much!! I'm glad you've found the content valuable ❤️ I know they're slightly more expensive in the US compared to UK, good luck in your search 🤞🤞

[@notsosilentmajority1]

@@PionusTales Thank you so much. Best wishes.

[@josephbernreuter162]

My definitely recognizes my energy levels, when I’m frustrated or anxious about work or anything like that he definitely can feel at five and respond so. But usually that’s when I recognize that he’s getting stressed out because I’m stressed out so I like “OK let’s take a break” and then I usually come back to him about 30 minutes later and everything‘s good after we both took a moment to calm down. It also happens to that when he gets overstimulated/overexcited, he can get ,I don’t wanna say bitty, but can definitely be more prone to that type of behavior and so usually I just give him about 30 minutes and then I’ll come back to him and we’re all good there too.

[@PionusTales]

Great examples ❤️ lyra tends to get beaky/nippy when overestimated or overexcited too. And it's amazing that you're able to recognise his feelings and when your own stresses are affecting him 👏👏👏

[@yamunadevi68]

Love watching you two together, such a great video about the reality of sharing our lives with birds. Bella as you said is 10 yrs old, her previous owner who had her from a baby said puberty was a nightmare with her, you wouldn’t think it as she is soooo gentle, she has never bitten anyone in her life (other than when my conure attacked her, that’s another story)when we go out for a walk she will let anyone stroke her. Bella she does have a fantastically loud scream which she hardly did in her previous home. She is still settling in as I’ve only had her 4 months and already she’s very bonded to me from day 3 of having her. My partner also finds the shouting a bit much so I understand some of what Stella is going through. Birds go through so many personal changes, and no sooner I got her she was immediately hormonal, then laid 3 eggs and happily sat on them for about 5 weeks-5 very quiet weeks 👍 And now she’s again back on the horny honks 🤪 not as bad as before, I’ve also learnt a lot of what I did wrong so let’s see how we go.

[@PionusTales]

Thank you for sharing your story ❤️ Bella was definitely a sweet heart when I had the pleasure of meeting you both face to face. And those blue heads and their screams 🤣 I think Lyra identifies as a blue head sometimes.

[@yamunadevi68]

@@PionusTaleshopefully Lyra will grow out of it 😊

[@Robin3615]

I have my Rumba go off in the bird room in the early evening before she go back in for the night. I have the living area go off in the morning when she is still in her room. I have paper towels under food perch areas. I find myself doing a lot of light cleaning but I can keep it pretty clean. I have a Senegal going through puberty right now so I can understand the sweet baby turning into a monster. We went to the vet for a beak dulling so I bleed a lot less now. It's hard to be patient sometimes.

[@PionusTales]

It can be very difficult being patient during this stage with any bird. And we have a lot of the same set ups, paper towels u derived perches etc, it definitely saves time when cleaning

[@jaiex]

I'm only about halfway through (going to bed, it's late here but will finish tomorrow!), but man do I feel for Stella! My Rhubarb is Lyra's age, and barely starting some hormonal stuff... She recently decided she absolutely loves my boyfriend, too, and prefers him to me at the moment - but because she's not deep in the throes of puberty like Charlie is, she's still being very sweet with me. I'm just waiting for that switch to flip! It almost reminds me of the belief that if you had an easy pregnancy, you would have a hard labor, and vice versa. It seems like Charlie was the 'easy' baby, but now a super grump, whereas Quaffle was always a super grump and now settled. I'm hopeful Charlie will settle as time passes! Moving is incredibly stressful too, so it's a lot of change for her. Stella's doing great with her though!

[@PionusTales]

Good luck 🤞 hopefully you'll be one of the lucky ones where the flip doesn't switch that badly. And I think I agree with you about the opposites thing. Lyra was definitely an easy baby and proving to be a challenge in puberty. I agree, Stella is doing an amazing job pushing through!!

[@Mcslap13]

I didn't see this video come out! I'm super excited, I found a reputable breeder here that has Maximilians avaliable and I got a deposit on one. My cinnamon turquoise conure is getting along very well with my black cap and they have become good friends. Can't wait to watch through this video!

[@PionusTales]

Good luck with your new addition!! Hope everything goes well, and hope this video helps you prepare for ages 18 months to 3.5 years ❤️

[@Mcslap13]

@PionusTales thank you! I'll probably be watching through all your videos again while I await for there arrival. Around the same time they should be showing I'm planning to pop the question to my girlfriend.. so gonna be busy busy.. definitely a concern on how the bird will react to her moving in eventually as well!

[@PionusTales]

@Mcslap13 ooooh good luck 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞 hope she says yes!!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Wonderful video - really enjoyed this! 🥰

[@PionusTales]

Thank you so much! So glad it was enjoyable and hopefully educational 🙏

[@lauracharon7314]

Love to see your collaboration!! Our BH Pionus has just began puberty and whew, thank goodness I’ve watched your other puberty content! He is spicey depending on the moment!!

[@PionusTales]

Thank you! And good luck!! Just know you're not alone with the spicy battle 🤣

[@sumiretaniai392]

I wonder if pionus horny honks and nesting territorialness is mostly female characteristics. I have not encountered that with my 9yr old male. He can scream loud but never bites. I went through the same cleanliness issue with my partner also. He is not a bird person either so it was interesting to hear Stella's experience. Thanks always for pionus content!!!!

[@PionusTales]

I think the level of hormones in each individual may play a part too. But I have heard males are less cage aggressive but tend to be more territorial or protective of an individual person. Although I'm still gathering knowledge from multiple sources to work out the differences and I still don't know what a more mature pionis is like vompared to a baby first hand. So something I will be concering in a few years time. Thank you for your insight and experience! It's very valuable!!

[@sumiretaniai392]

It will be interesting to watch your pionuses? Pionusseseees grow up to see how their behaviors change or stay the same😊

[@Luceen5]

Thank you very much for all your effort you put into those videos! I was searching the internet for educational stuff on parrots and im so glad i stumpled upon your channel. I also want to get parrots in likely 1 till 2 years and want to know what im going run into. Alas i dont know a single person who owns birds, so youtube is a great way to get informations. I love the thema you choose for this video. You are showing some aspects of owning a parrot i yet not thought of. I am still unsure what owning a parrot is all about, like am i ok with all this noise and dirt. Here in germany its forbidden to keep one parrot alone. I already choose one... breeder (?) or its more like a organisation... where i want to buy my parrots from. They solely sell adult, paired parrots and i wonder how this possibly could prevent some problems you showed in the video or bring up new ones. Coming back to your video, since the whole internet is full of sunny sweet videos about parrots, I admire your (and Stellas) courage for showing the hard sides of owning a parrot! Keep going! Best regards :)

[@PionusTales]

Thank you so much! And its wonderful to hear that you're really taking the time to learn everything that goes into parrot ownership! I wish more people would! The noise and mess can be challenging to live with day to day, some people can handle it, some can't. Parrot ownership is far more challenging that most people realise. My goal has always been to show the full truth of parrot ownership so people can make an educated and informed decision about whether or not a parrot is right for them. If people just want a loving cuddly pet bird I even recommend pigeons as pets as they make amazing companions and are far less challenging to own than parrots. But many people are drawn to the beauty, intelligence and cheekiness of parrots.

[@vuri3798]

Honestly I fell in love with parrots (well birds in general) 7 years ago and got a maximilian pionus in may. In my limited experience you're asking yourself the right question, sure all birds are messy but I believe that's still manageable (if you don't have OCD). Noise really is the make or break factor in my opinion, because that sometimes is not manageable, and there are personal preferences. I loved sun conures... Until I've had a bunch of them at arm length. Well I still like them, but I prefer when they're 10 meters away lol. Sure they're loud, but the pitch is what makes it horrendous to me, I'd rather have an amazon scream at me and I maybe wouldn't have realized that if I didn't experience it first hand. That's why my advice would be... You've mentioned an organisation, would it be possible for you to maybe call them and see if you can spend a bit of time there, or is there any way to visit ? Maybe even find decent and specialized pet stores (not the kind where you initially go to buy plants) or this type of stuff and go there if you still have them in Germany? Of course I'm not saying you should get your bird there or whatever but that's the one thing I'd try to recommend anyone : observation first, try to absorb informations before making a move. If possible find a way to visit birds, go there with an open mind from time to time and you might be surprised as to what species you resonate with, or can't deal with. That being said keep in mind that they're all individuals, a few eclectus made me believe they weren't deafeningly loud but the last female I've encountered made sure of the opposite. Also remember !! You can always protect your ears and you should ! Especially if you let your bird on your shoulders, which is something I personally avoid. And indeed don't overlook pigeons they can be just as cute (and way less challenging if I'm not mistaken) 😃

[@Luceen5]

@@vuri3798 Wow! Thank you so much for your answer! 7 years before buying a parrot is a lot! I am just 3 years into research, watching KZbin videos, but also bought several books about parrots. I also have been at several places where i visited all kinds of parrots. Mostly i was able to feed and hold them, sometimes they even wanted pets (i always feel blessed, its like with cats). Twice I could convince a blue and gold macaw to fly to me for a wallnut, i was so proud haha. At those places the noise was not really bothering me (except a group of macaws going partymode...), but i have to consider i was only a few hours there. I think it makes a huge difference if you hear the noise of parrots only a few hours, when you decided too, or if your hear it kinda all day, 7 days a week, for months / years, regardless if you want or not. I can not estimate how often an adult pair of parrots under healthy circumstances screams for a day. Gladly, where i live are huge flocks of indian ringnecks, so i get little examples during the day. But here also, they are not every day in the tree near my window and in a room you have differend accoustic... I already got in contact with that Organisation and had a first interview with the owner. I even got her Whatsapp number, so i can call her when i moved, to set up the new apartment. I also already know some parrot behaviour consultans haha. In the end, i think, its perhaps just a matter of getting used to a new life with parrots. Like with most pets, we just come to terms someday. And at least we can work through most things :)

[@Luceen5]

@@vuri3798 Oh boy, here is my 3rd attempt to write an answer... My comment yesterday strangely didn´t made it and my comment just now deleted itself as i tried to make an paragraph... First, thank you so much for your sympathy and the effort you made for answering me! 7 years of waiting and research is sure a long time! You seem to have much patience. Good thinks make time i guess. I wish you all the best with your new friend. My journy started about 4 years ago, as i got an obsession with falconry. In some way i cant wait to get parrots. All the clicker train videos for parrots got me actually into train my at that time 10 year old cat. Now she is 14 and i bet she can outshine some dogs :D I already was at several placed where i could feed, hold or even pet a lot of different parrots. One place also had sun conures and i was baffled how loud this little things can go. Two times i even convinced a blue and gold macaw in a slightly crowded aviary to fly to me for a whole wallnut. I was so proud :D Unfortunately none of the places had pionus. Hm i think that organisation is the only one "specialized parrot pet store" here in germany. All others just sell some budgies and cockatiels or are privat breeders. That times i was at the parrot places the noise didnt bothered me that much, except one time as a flock of macaws gone partymode. Where i live, are also huge flocks of wild indian ringnecks and some mornings they like to visit the tree before my window to say good morning. But the end i think its different whether i decide to go for a few hours to a parrot place or if i got two in my place and hear them 24hours 7 days a week for years. I dont know how often, under healthy circumstances, a pair of parrot screams. I also got already in conctact with that organisation and got the number of the owner so i could call her if i move in my new aperment, so we will set it up parrot friendly. I think, i also will make a few appointments, when it comes to choose a pair of parrors and definetely will sleep over it. In the end i may overthink a little bit and pehaps its also a matter of getting used to a life with new, chattery companions :)

[@vuri3798]

@@Luceen5 Damn that happens to me quite a lot to me too recently, I don't know what's up with KZbin 😅 You're welcome ! To be honest it wasn't that intensive lol, I had chickens all my life but I never thought anything of it, until I started dating a girl 7 years ago, she had a cockatiel and that's when it all started. I didn't realize how soft feathers could be and he was so funny, I started seeing birds differently. At that point I kinda knew I'd end up with a (bigger) bird and started reading some stuff about them and finding out about new species, now crested caracaras and bearded vultures have to be my favourites, but it sure is a different vibe and I think it's also quite difficult to get in. Oooh that's great, you have some experience then, it's not like you have everything to learn about. Damn sun conures... Yeah from what I've heard pionus got quite challenging to find, we have a bunch in Europe and they're usually not toooo expensive, meanwhile I've heard there's only one (?) breeder left in the US and the last quote I've heard was around 6000$ and a one or two years waiting list. I feel like in France we're really lucky to have a reputable breeder who has all of the subspecies. Commons ones are for sale but on the side he has pairs of dusky, reichenowi, plum crowned pionuses you name it. I hope one day people won't overlook them anymore (and I've been guilty of that until I stumbled upon mine) so they could continue to thrive ! Not gonna lie, adopting birds in Germany sounds a lot more complicated ! "In the end i may overthink a little bit" and hey I don't think that's always a bad thing. I've put a lot of pressure on myself too and it was quite the roller coaster. In the end I think the thing that helped me pull the trigger was realizing that sure, there are people who don't give a shit about their animals and that's horrible I never want to be one of them, but there also are people who are way less nerdy than me about birds yet they're doing just fine, so chances were already on my side in some ways. The plot twist of that situation was quickly realizing that you're really not asking yourself the same questions at all when you scroll forums every single day for hours and when the bird actually arrives 😂