Parrotlets - to get or not to get...

[Animallover_84]

Hey!

Trying to figure out if I want to get another couple of parrots in the future, and if so which species. I have plenty of very different species on my "wishlist" and I am trying to narrow it down.

First of, I am not at all sure that I will be getting any more birds and secondly, I am talking in the future, not now. I intend to do lots of research to figure out which (if any) species would suit me and my lifestyle before getting any more birds. It took me a good "few" (read: 20 or so) years to feel that I was ready to get parrots and to decide on the species I am currently owned by (I have two caique boys). Hopefully, it will not take quite as long to come to a decision this time, but I'm in no rush.

It's not legal in my country to only have one bird (there are some exceptions, but I believe in giving social animals a friend) so I am looking to get two parrots of the same or similar species that can live together in the same cage. I have one BHC (15 years old) and one WBC (7 years old) both come from people who could/would no longer keep them so if I get any more birds this is the rout I will be taking again. I am not looking to get babies from a breeder.

To make things abundantly clear and to avoid any misunderstandings etc. I will under no circumstances allow my caiques to be anywhere near the other species of parrots. Sure, it would be amazing to be able to have all parrots flying together and so on, but that is not the reality with caiques, and I am fully aware of that fact. My oldest caique attacked an Amazon parrot in a previous home (according to that owner) so there is no way I will risk the other parrots safety (or my caiques for that matter). They will be in separate rooms and be let out at different times etc.

I am curious to know more about parrotlets as they are one of the species (the most common one in my country seems to be the Pacific one) on my parrot wish list. I would love to know more about parrotlets (and the different species that exist) and what it's like to keep them as pets. Pros and cons of parrotlets, and why did you choose them over other species of parrots? Are parrotlets "dusty" birds, as in, are they producing feather dust or are they "oil-based" (I have asthma, so I would like to avoid dustier species of parrots)? How are they "loudness-wise" (quiet, on a caique level, or worse)? Anything specific you would have loved to know before getting parrotlets?

I am grateful for any information and input. /Animallover_84

 

[Shezbug]

I think you are simply best off to read the good the bad and the ugly threads on all of these birds you are wanting to know more about rather than posting a duplicate thread for so many different species. Might also be best to actually decide if you are going to add more birds to your home before looking into so many different species.

 

[Animallover_84]

I think you are simply best off to read the good the bad and the ugly threads on all of these birds you are wanting to know more about rather than posting a duplicate thread for so many different species. Might also be best to actually decide if you are going to add more birds to your home before looking into so many different species.

I will definitely read "the good, the bad, and the ugly" treads on every species of interest to me (just as I did before getting my caiques), but I would also like input on my specific questions, so I figured I would start treads on the different species and post more questions in the same treads as they arise during my research. Since I will not be adding any birds at the moment and because I want to do extensive research into each potential species long before I possibly get the birds, I figured I would start now. It took me a long, long time to decide if I wanted the birds I currently share my life with, and I had multiple species in mind for many years.