Male Parrotlets

Hi all,

New member here so apologies if I've posted this in the wrong section. The boyfriend and I are looking to get a couple of parrotlets - we are first time bird owners and would like to start with something fairly small! We have found a good breeder in London and have reserved 2 brothers who will be ready end July.

We both work full time which is why we want to get 2 birds to keep each other company (we plan on spending our evenings with them out of the cage for bonding and playtime). I have been warned however, that it is pot luck with parrots as to whether they will get on with each other once matured. Having 2 males together could result in fights for dominance, so we will keep in mind that we may have to seperate in the future. I just wanted some info from your own experiences of keeping more than 1 parrotlet together and how likely it will be that we WILL have to seperate them when they get older.

Thanks

[Curious]

What parrotlet is it? Is it from the Forpus, Nannopsittaca, or Touit genus? Any pictures?

Regardless of their sex, its never suggested that you keep parrotlets caged together unless they are a breeding pair. Best case scenario is that they will bond to each other and want nothing to do with people, worst case scenario they will violently fight until only one is left. P'lets are known to be territorial and they don't do well with cage mates, even male and female pairs have been known to attack and even kill each other. If you really want two I would highly suggest getting two separate cages for them and a playstand for them to interact with each other. We have 5 young parrotlets right now that were raised together and if I would even try mixing them together in cages it would get ugly, I thought about it for a minute and held one baby outside of anothers cage and the one in the cage started trying to bite at her through the bars. But, I have a play stand out in the living room that they all happily share every day. They hang out together, preen each other and play just fine on the gym but they know that their cage is their home and houseguests are not appreciated. What did the breeder tell you? He/she should have mentioned this to you when you first approached him/her about getting two birds.

Alisana said:

[Curious]

What parrotlet is it? Is it from the Forpus, Nannopsittaca, or Touit genus? Any pictures?

Click to expand...

Forpus, they are the Celestial Parrotlets.

The breeder did advise it would be 50/50 as to whether they get along and said they could be ok for a few months but then suddenly turn.

We are picking them up in a couple of weeks and have yet to buy a cage, I think we may invest in 2 cages and keep them side by side? Would this still cause fighting??

Tootz said:

Alisana said:

[Curious]

What parrotlet is it? Is it from the Forpus, Nannopsittaca, or Touit genus? Any pictures?

Click to expand...

Forpus, they are the Celestial Parrotlets.

The breeder did advise it would be 50/50 as to whether they get along and said they could be ok for a few months but then suddenly turn.

We are picking them up in a couple of weeks and have yet to buy a cage, I think we may invest in 2 cages and keep them side by side? Would this still cause fighting??

Click to expand...

Ahh, those are very cute - I rather like their plummage.

Having two cages side by side can sometimes be risky (particularly if they fight/or hate each other). Some birds get stressed by it which can cause health issues because they can't "get away" from a more dominant bird (despite being in their own cage). (The equivalent would be two children who can't touch each other, but one can intimidate the other and make jeering remarks to the other child.)

The other risk you run is if the cages are too close, sometimes your birds can lose a toe as a result of biting through cage bars.

With regards to having two cages for the birds if they fight, it may lead to separation, in which case you're back to square 1 - entertaining the bird while you are at work.

I'm not sure what advise to give with regards to parrotlets, mainly because of their potential (I say potential rather than tendency because not all will be) to become 'nasty' when "territorial"; I'm of half mind to say get one and have HEAPS of toys, foraging opportunities and even mirrors/toys with sound to entertain it, but at the same time if you are away for long periods during the day, it may not play with those toys at all. Some birds just never take an interest in them. (My budgies are a classic example - they don't go near ANY store bought toys - if it's colourful, they won't touch it; but if it's natural, they will; so I often fill their cages with native tree cuttings like bottlebrush and eucalyptus)

Perhaps someone with a parrotlet themselves may be able to post their experiences?

Hmm, there is alot to consider.

I have found a rather large cage (155cm x 107 x 66) which has a removable dividing wall, which would suit us better because we are limited on space, but not sure how the birds would feel about that - they would be able to hear each other but not see!