Vasa Volume?

Hi all, I see there are some people who live with Greater Vasas here. I have been so intrigued by the species and had always hoped to share my life with one... never thought that to be possible as they are so hard to find.

I found a five year old female in the "classifieds"... I never actually thought I'd fins a Vasa. But through all the reading and searching I've done on them, nothing compares to actually first hand accounts with them.

My main concern is noise. I live in a semi-detached house.

I have never heard a Vasa, nor can I find much info on their sounds. Sometimes they are descibed as quiet, sometimes as loud. But loud and quiet are all relative. That they tend to be more vocal in the breeding season... but how loud is loud?

Is the Vasa voice shrill and high pitched (like a Grey)... is it a voice that carries very far... the person said the Vasa's loudest sound is a whistling sound. Does this sound farmiliar to you.

I am sorry for asking all these questions. But I find it very hard to just read about how loud a parrot is supposed to be. But unfortunately I can't just go around hearing Vasas. My concern would not be for myself, but for my neighbors.

So any insight to comparing how loud a Vasa is to another bird would be appreciated if possible. I know they have very unike sounds...

Sorry for the long post. Would be awesome if any of you have a recording of your Vasa. I heard some sounds on a site that were like whistling... but they must make lots of other noises.

Hi, most of the time vasas are very quiet, to the point that nobody will know you have a bird. But if they decide to let go, you will her them several houses down the road. The noise factor with them is varied, Mine usual only talks/whistles around breeding season. And if for what ever reason he feels the need to not let me leave his side he will let loose! I don't feel they are so consistently noisy that it would be a problem for neighbors, they definitely do not let loose on a daily basis. Mine will have a day here or there where he is very loud. But their normal vocalizations your neighbors will not hear.

Thanks for the reply. I do live with three Greys, that are always yack yack yacking away and can get quite loud. I can hear them down the road if the windows are open, but my neighbors can't hear them when in the house.

I am going to try and see if I can visit this Vasa, and see if she will make some noise while I am there. Its just hard cause she is a 2.5 hour drive away... so not next door...

It's just so hard to judge volume. I mean I know not to bring a Cockatoo or a Macaw home... will surely cause problems... but very hard to find info on the Vasa.

Thanks again.

is this vasa's name lilith?

nevermind, didn't catch the age you said before. lilith is only 2

Hi Samiam!

Is this the recording you heard?
Vasa Parrot Frequently Asked Questions

That to me sounds like a room full of vasas, not just two. But Vinnie is too young to compare him to those in breeding condition.

Vinnie basically has about 4 different sounds he makes. Three are pleasant and one not so much.

The loudest and most obnoxious is kind of a bark, and the first time you hear it will make you jump out of your skin. He uses it for a few different things: fighting with toys, "that's my toe in the door", and "I'm king of the shower curtain rod". He might do it once a day, but certainly not every day. I guess it's one of those squawks they just have to get out of their system. I live in an apartment and have asked three of my neighbors if they can hear him. Two said no, and one said he heard him once. (My windows have been open most of the summer, and this neighbor has a window right next to mine.)

The second loudest, and it's by no means loud, is what I think is his way of saying Hello. It's a short and sweet little whistle. He'll do this when I walk in the room, or pick him up, and sometimes when I say "Hi!" he will respond with this whistle. It's a kind of half-whistle half-chirp. He even did it to a group of strangers in the park last weekend. So cute.

The other two are not loud at all. In fact I have tried to record them but can't because he clams up when the ambient noise (tv, radio, ac) go off, and you can barely hear him over ambient noise. In both cases he seems he's just entertaining himself. One is "baby talk" he just chatters to himself nice and low (he's not yet 5 months). The other is sing-song whistling, and he can do this for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. I could listen to it all day long. It's just so rich, sweet, and pleasant.

Vinnie's the only bird in this household. It might be different if he had other parrots to play with. I'm sorry I'm not really familiar with the calls of other birds, such as greys, to offer some comparison.

He will spend most of the day quiet as a mouse. He's happy to sit on his playstand and chew at whatever is there. When he wants my attention he flaps. Chirps when I call out to him, and sing to himself most evenings. But chirp and squawk all day long? I don't think he has it in him. But he's a baby male, and adult females could be a different story, I don't really know.

If I had the time and space, I wouldn't hesitate to adopt another Vasa, male or female, baby or adult. But right now I'm spending a lot of one on one time trying to train him (he's just so smart) and I don't think I could do that with two, much less take them both to the park!

Good luck with your decision. Please let us know how it works out!

Thanks so much for your response Molly! That is the site where I heard the sound clip. They Greys too have a kind of bark/growl when they play fight... kind of a metallic gurgling sound that is quite harsh.

Anyways, I really appreciate your responses. I will see how it goes and hopefully get to visit her. I just don't want to make a rushed decision. I have been searching and reading on Vasas for years... was always intrigued by them and always hoped to find one...

But for me, it was one of those things that I never thought would "come true"... so I am trying very hard to not let this cloud my judgement. I swear I almost spit my coffee out when I saw her in the classifieds.

Oh yeah, and what would you think of a 40 in by 30 inch by 60 inch (approx.) high cage for a Vasa? I have a extra cage this size. I hear they are very active, would this cage be a good size. The bar spacing is one inch so I think it should be okay (my Greys have one inch).

AWWW....the link no longer works for the vaa sounds. Samiam..the cage sounds fine. I would definitely go and visit her. Good luck with what ever you decide. If you do end up bring home a vasa, we are more than glad to help you with our experiences. Plus who wouldn't want another vasa on this forum...

Maybe Molly....wait till you hear the really obnoxious noise! Eve didn't start this one till he was about 4? But it's like the bark but repetitive! Eve only does this once in a while, usualy if I been away and he doesn't want me out of his sight. As soon as I turn the corner he'll go off. But if I'm in sight....nothing. This is the one vocalization that you will hear down the street. Thank god it's only once in a while! About once a month or so. And usualy at the start of breeding season.

Hmmmm.....
I am getting so jealous, I cant stand it.

I went to the birdie boutique and bought just about every foraging toy there is. My vasa is going to be a genius.

Maybe Molly, i love that vasa sound clip, but yeah, its two of them, breeding season, and sounds like there is a macaw in the mix, too.

I say check out this one.

YouTube - Bonny beim krach machen

Sounds exactly like the baby sharp chinned hawk that lives in my backyard!!!!

heard the recording! What you hear is the song of the female when she's soliciting food from the male, the gurr type noise sounds like the male reciprocating. (the macaw type sound) Eve makes this gurr noise at me when he is trying to sweet talk me.