Senegals

Senegal parrots originate from western Africa. They are brightly colored birds, with gray heads, green bodies and orange/yellow chests. There are 3 subspecies of Senegals, with the main difference in appearance being the amount of orange or yellow color on their chests. They are about 9 and 1/2 inches tall and can live for around 30 years if given proper care and nutrition. The only reliable way to sex Senegals is with DNA or surgical sexing.

Senegals are fairly good talkers and love to immitate different sounds, such as telephones ringing. Most handfed babies are not loud at all, but wild caught birds usually have a slightly piercing call. My babies usually are learning to talk by the time they're weaned.

Handfed babies are very sweet and cuddly. They love to roll around and wrestle with each other or sit on your shoulder and coo in your ear. They like to lie on their backs in their owner's hand and play dead while their bellies are being scratched. They enjoy trying new things. However, most Senegals are one person birds.

Senegals have a slightly mischevious bent and need a firm and loving hand when they are young to make sure they grow up to be well adjusted and happy adults. (I recommend that people who want any parrot read Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot by Mattie Sue Athan. This book has many good suggestions on behavior modification and covers everything from potty training to correcting screamers.) The most important commands your baby will learn are "up" and "down." No matter how sweet he or she acts, don't let the baby get away with disobeying these commands.

I feed my Senegals Roudybush pellets, seeds, fruits, vegetables and a bean mix. They enjoy eating whatever I happen to be eating as well! Be sure your baby has a lot of variety in his diet.