Torn: One or Two Parakeets

Hi,
I'm new here, and having a very difficult time settling on getting a single parakeet or a pair.

A little about our household. My husband and I are empty nesters, no pun intended. We are owned by two rescue dogs that are pretty laid back and well behaved. I work 1 1/2 days a week, so will be home a lot, and my husband works out of our home. We would like a bird that will bond with us, and will enjoy spending time on our shoulders. One bird would be fine for our needs, but we also are considering the birds needs. My concern, and the reason that I'm torn is that we do take a long vacation, 7-10 days away, once or twice a year, and shorter 3 day trips two to three times a year. We have a dog sitter that comes in 3 times a day, but the bird would not be let out for exercise or get much interaction. So, my question is will a single bird be content or miserable if their people leave them a few times a year?

Space wise, the cage that I have is plenty big for 2 parakeets, 32 X 18 X 40"H. I know that by having two, I do not have to worry about a single bird being lonely, so from a birds perspective, I'm assuming having two would be the best case scenario for him. My concern with this, for me, is can two birds be reasonably bonded to a person as well, and want to spend time on them as well as with his birdy friend? Is this the exception or the rule?

So I'm in your hands to help me think this one out. Again, I do want that bond between me and a bird or birds. That's important to me, but so is the happiness of the bird. So please share your thoughts and help me out!

EDIT: BTW, by parakeet I am referring to Budgie!

Thanks

I'd recommend going with a single bird, it seems you have a lot of time to devote towards attention. Budgies are incredible and very smart little birds. but a pair is more likley to enjoy each others attention rather than yours.

That's a awesome sized cage, is it a flight cage? those are excellent for small birds. I'd say go for one bird, at least at first. let the bird bond to you, and become very tame. As for vacations, teach your bird to keep itself entertained. Set up foraging toys and have the pet sitter refill them with specified treats every day. It's always hard to leave them behind though

hope more add to this thread

I would wait until you're back from your vacation. Start with one, get it adjusted and tame, then introduce another. It's much easier to tame one at a time. Plus, once one is fully tame, the other will follow the first, so it will be easier to tame. Trying to tame 2 new budgies at once is difficult. But once one is tame, the rest is a cakewalk. good luck
2 budgies are much happier than one. Budgies do best in pairs or groups. The gender doesn't matter..same sex pairs become just as devoted to one another as opposite sex. They will keep each other entertained when no one is home. A budgie left alone tends to get very depressed.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nVaVbnV120"]Taming Your Bird! - YouTube[/ame]
This girl tamed both of her budgies. It matters if you want a challenge or not. Also cockatiels and lovebirds are small and would be very easy to tame and a joy to have.

Thanks for the input everyone. I think I will go with two, but am considering Kalidasa's idea of getting one, taming it, and then adding another. This seems to make the most sense if I want to make sure at least one is tame and bonded to me.

If I add a second at a later date, is there much concern with them not getting along? I have heard that two females are the least likely to get along, so would a male/female or two males be my best chance?

They could eventually breed. I would be careful with that.