The Featured Pet for this week is The Maximilian’s Pionus Parrot!
Although not necessarily the most well-known bird among amateur pet owners, the Maximilian’s Pionus is actually a great little parrot for bird lovers or for someone looking for a relatively quiet, yet interactive and loving bird.
I have had a Maximilian named Daidie for 14 years and she is quite a character. I got her as a baby and hand-fed her through a syringe. She bonded to me and has gone with me everywhere and been with me through everything since.
There are several different types of pionus parrots, and they all have their pros and cons. I particularly like my Maximilian because she is generally quiet, has learned to speak many words, and is a great companion most of the time. Her famous words and phrases include: I love you, whatcha doin?, peekaboo, and hello. Whenever I walk into the room she will get extremely excited, start saying "Whatcha doin?", run over to her bell and start ringing it, and finally end her excitement by continually turning around in circles until I open her cage to let her out! She is so animated and truly loves me!
The Maximilian does not have the most varied colors in the world, but it does have a distinct and subtly beautiful appearance. They generally have a green head and body, with purple-ish feathers growing around their neck and bright red feathers on the underside of their tails.
They have very good personalities as well. They are often capable of bonding to more than one person when they are young, and that makes them a good "family" pet bird because many people will be able to hold them. They don’t tend to scream or screech all that much either, unless they are really in distress, which makes them a much more ideal bird for close quarters or apartment life than, say, a macaw or cockatoo would be. They have great memories and can learn many tricks, words, and phrases that you want to teach them.
As far as feeding, they should be fed a good and varied diet. Buying prepackaged small parrot food is a good start, but sometimes these have too many sunflower seeds, which should be somewhat limited in their diet. You will want to make sure their food has both large and small seeds because they need both. In addition, giving them daily fresh foods that include fruits a vegetables will help make sure they are getting the vitamins and minerals they need and live a healthier and longer life. To keep their beaks trim (because they continuously grow!), you may want to add mineral blocks or chew toys for them. And of course, make sure your pionus has plenty of fresh water every day!
Housing for your pionus should be relatively large – with possibly a play area outside of their cage that they can spend time in (provided it is safe and there are not cats or other hazards around). You should give them plenty of opportunity to exercise by letting them outside of their cage because like with all animals, being sedentary can cause problems. Giving them large toys that they can play with and chew on is important for their beaks and to keep them from getting bored. Many Maximilian’s also love to take baths – so you may want to include a large, deep water dish for them to bathe daily in!
The Maximilian’s Pionus can fly, so it is generally recommended to trim their feathers so they do not accidentally fly out the window or door of your house. I trim my bird’s feather’s probably every 2-3 months.
So, if you are looking for a sweet, relatively small and quiet bird, who will amaze you with their intelligence and love, you may just want to consider a Maximilian’s Pionus! To learn more, visit the Maximilian’s Pionus page!
Jasmine is a team member at Animal-World and has contributed many articles and write-ups.
