Blue headed Pionus

Question
Hi Reverend Abbott,
After a year and a half of researching the right parrot for me, I have decided (at long last!) on a Blue headed Pionus.  My question concerns whether to get a hen or a cock.  I have heard from a number of sources that hens are more affectionate and that cocks can be aggressive on reaching sexual maturity.  However, this has been pooh poohed by a couple of breeders who say that both male and female are very gentle and loving and there is no difference between them.  I am also worried about a hen laying eggs and becoming egg bound so I would rather a male.  I wonder if you could shed some light on this?
Many thanks.
Roz

Answer
CONGRATULATIONS !!!!  You are not only doing the right thing in researching the right bird for yourself, but in asking these questions first, not 'after'. Ohh, the tragedy of spur of the moment purchases that suffer neglect or being passed around for life due to misunderstandings.

In my experience, I've found that male birds can be loving and sweet for life, if the human remains involved, handles them daily and does not introduce a female to the household, they are not a big problem, if any problem at all! Males tend to be bigger talkers too. Although this doesn't mean a female won't become chatty enough.

Females don't always become egg layers either. We take steps to prevent this and thus avoid any egg binding threat.

An egg laying female is nearly always the result of a careless caregiver - who refuses to modify their own behavior (not necessarily the bird's).

 Take a look at our site for more about preventing those behaviors that cause many birds to lose their homes and how to solve them:   www.4AnimalCare.org

 You can contact me from the site or here, anytime, for any reason.