A big hello from Albert and Ricky!

Hello everyone! I came here looking for advice for my avian babies, which I very gratefully received today~ I am so pleased to have found such a strong and tight knit parrot community to be apart of! I want to introduce you all to my 32 year old Panama Albert, and his little cockatiel buddy Ricky <3 Pleased to meet you all and thank you so much for having me!

We will be going on a new adventure into my first ever apartment on my own in the next couple of weeks, and look forward to sharing our experiences with you! These two best boys have been together for 10 years!
(10 years ago)

(now)

A warm welcome to you and your two beautiful companions! Will this be your first experience with parrots?

So nice they get along, not every disparate sized pair are friendly! They will have each other during the transition. Let us know if you have any specific questions!

So awesome! Welcome to the three of you!

Hello Scott!

I've owned Albert for about 12 years, and came upon Ricky about 10 years ago Albert has been in my family for 17 years under a different family member as his owner(Albert and I are the same age <3), but has over the years rejected my family member and has bonded with me xD

Thank you for inviting me to ask any questions as they arise! I look forward to this adventure!

Welcome to you, Ricky, and Albert! Cockatiels are the best. What’s there not to love? More pics please

Hello and welcome! Ricky & Albert are gorgeous, how cool that they get along!
I'm so happy you joined us, and I echo the request for more pictures

Welcome! This is a great forum - very supportive, tons of information and a wide range of experience here. Looking forward to hearing more about your upcoming adventure, you all make a wonderful trio. And of course, more pictures are always welcome

OMG. I am laughing so hard at that second picture. I thought it was just your handsome boy Albert...but then I saw the second little face peeping out of the food dish

Welcome to you and your beautiful boys. They look like they're truly best friends I am so glad to hear they'll be staying with you. Hope to see you around more on the forum.

One question, do Albert and Ricky share a cage? What a strange combination, never heard of an Amazon and a cockatiel being friends like that!

FlyBirdiesFly said:

One question, do Albert and Ricky share a cage? What a strange combination, never heard of an Amazon and a cockatiel being friends like that!

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Panama amazons are typically fairly docile in nature and are generally more amenable birds than their larger, more troublesome cousins. Smaller amazons certainly have the potential to become trustworthy friends with other smaller parrot species, as they tend to be sweet and have a lower probability for aggression. You just hear more about the 'hot 3' species because they're the big troublemakers of the amazon family and give the species as a whole a "reputation".

YeaH !! for small Amazons! I thing we have one or 2 Panama owners on here. How much does Albert weigh?

FlyBirdiesFly said:

One question, do Albert and Ricky share a cage? What a strange combination, never heard of an Amazon and a cockatiel being friends like that!

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Yes, they do! Ricky had his own cage, but would always fly inside Albert's when I'd let them out, and they would share the food dish very nicely xD There were times I'd have to try and get Ricky out to put him back, so I just decided to let him live there xD They never squabble They'll duel with their beaks every so often(which is the cutest freaking thing that I can never get on camera). Albert would get slightly annoyed if Ricky accidentally smacks him with his tail as they move around, or if Ricky feels like teasing and pulls a tail feather, but Albert just grumbles and moves over lmao.

They don't typically share perches at the same time, mostly because of Albert's size and his mobility to move around makes Ricky move out of the way, but they are not territorial of placements and will take turns and rotate when they feel like it. I have multiple food bowls for them, and four perches in his cage at all different levels for them to move around nicely. They both have their picks of perches that they settle into for bedtime and get comfortable, with Albert being on the highest. They both share very nicely and really enjoy each other's company <3

Ricky is extremely independent and typically doesn't like to be held or touched(he was my mom's bird for a long time and he never was really handled), but he loves my dog and follows her around on the floor and flirts with her constantly, huffing and puffing and singing to her. He has his own unique song he sings twice a day, and he cat calls me when I walk in the door from work xD

Albert is my mushball that loves head rubs and hanging out with me on the back of my chair for tea in the mornings~ He wears his fleece collar for anxiety, which I take off for baths and preening often(but he gets mad because he loves that thing) Pizza crust, fish sticks, pasta, apples, spinach, peanuts, and hard cheeses are his absolute favorite treats, and he says "mmmmmmm" when he eats them xD His vocabulary is small and limited to "Hi Albert! *kiss noises* *sipping noises when I drink anything* *the sound of opening a soda can* "MAAAA" "Where you going?" "LET'S GO! LET'S GO!", "Michael!(my dad's name), mimics my laugh, and a bunch of other things he mumbles under his breath that I can't really understand xD He used to cluck like a chicken but hasn't done that in a long time. He "squees" with delight when he knows he's not suppose to be chewing on the moldings, or tears up his paper at the bottom of cage and throws it. He holds one of this toys at bed time when he falls asleep xD

My boys are very unique friends and quite the odd couple with very different personalities. A real treat and pleasure to be around! I will post more pictures soon!

wrench13 said:

YeaH !! for small Amazons! I thing we have one or 2 Panama owners on here. How much does Albert weigh?

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The last time he was weighed last year, he's due for a check up in the next couple of months, he weighed about 400 grams~ A uniqueness to him are his puffy cheeks, which are benign fatty deposits that I have checked every so often xD It makes him look very tubby.