Parrotlets in Bird Room - Hazard to Other Birds?

[Flyover]

I have had a pair of parrotlets in quarantine for nearly a month, and was planning to transition them into a new cage in my bird room sometime in the next few weeks.

However, I have been reading about more aggressive hookbills doing serious damage to or killing other birds FROM WITHIN THEIR OWN CAGES.

I would never have the parrotlets out at the same time as the other birds (budgies and Bourkes - photo below), but now I worry that the curious parakeets will alight on the parrotlet cage and risk losing a foot or a beak with a hard bite delivered from within.



The two parrotlets are both female - photo below. One is disabled and cannot fly. The other is a pistol, flies quite quickly, is very territorial around her cage, stays notably protective of her disabled friend, and packs a wallop of a bite, which I have thus far experienced twice, once while cleaning the inside of her cage and once while returning her to it after an unexpected outing.



My budgies and Bourkes are out of their cages quite a bit - photo below - always when I am home, but also when I am not in the room.



Now I feel worried that one of them is going to receive a mortal injury while visiting the parrotlet cage from a very feisty, territorial, and protective parrotlet.

Even if I were directly supervising, I don't know that I could prevent an altercation since the parrotlet in question can move very fast if she so chooses.

Should I try the parrotlet cage in the bird room or work to find another location for it? Does anyone have any similar experience with managing bird rooms such as the one I might end up with?

Thanks in advance!

 

[parrotluv]

Well does sound like you know your birds and seems risky. Maybe others might have some barrier suggestions.

 

[macawpower58]

If in doubt, don't do it. A good motto for bird owners.

 

[Flyover]

I do believe it is a risk and I don't believe that I can take it.

I even found an old thread here on the very topic Parrotlets and other birds | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum , which made me a bit more wary.

Not looking forward to maintaing a second bird room - free of cats - but it looks like that's my next step.

 

[JLcribber]

I do believe it is a risk and I don't believe that I can take it.

I even found an old thread here on the very topic Parrotlets and other birds | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum , which made me a bit more wary.

Not looking forward to maintaing a second bird room - free of cats - but it looks like that's my next step.

You don't need a second bird room. All you need is a barrier/divider so they have their own "zone" while still part of the "community".

Parrotlets and budgies are a pretty even match. Same attitude and fiestyness. Squabbles are quick and they part ways. Also very good at avoidance.

 

[Flyover]

How do you do room barriers? My bird room is rather small (12'x7') with three large cages, one of which takes up an entire wall, so there isn't a lot of space for me to work with, but I am interested in how this might work.

My real concern is that my parrotlet will charge her own cage bars from inside and bite off the foot or beak of a visitor, as I read about in the thread I linked above and on other sites. She does lunge, even at me, on occasion. She is very protective of the disabled bird.

I have budgies that fly free a lot, but also a Bourke, who is the most curious of all, but also by a huge longshot, the most easygoing. She loves visiting other birds and never engages in their squabbles, but she is always nearby. (The Bourke and budgies go into each other's cages all the time.)

Thanks for the advice!

 

[JLcribber]

That's not a very big room. I can see the problem. lol

For small birds like that all you need is some mosquito netting hung from the ceiling. That you can also open and close it depending on the need. It's more of a psychological barrier. They see it and don't fly through it.

 

[SandraK]

I've put pieces of plastic carpet protector (cut to size) on the tops of cages which has done two things: 1) it protects the toes of anyone who lands on the top of a cage and (2) also keeps the food and water cleaner since no-one sitting on the top of the cage can poop into anybody's bowls. Doesn't mean that I don't change food/water frequently but it keeps both cleaner for longer during the day.

 

[SandraK]

That's not a very big room. I can see the problem. lol

For small birds like that all you need is some mosquito netting hung from the ceiling. That you can also open and close it depending on the need. It's more of a psychological barrier. They see it and don't fly through it.

Even cheap sheer curtains will do the trick and you don't have to make the set up fancy. I presently have a sheer panel (bought @ a thrift store) hanging in a small hallway leading from the kitchen to the front room The fids kept flying from the family room in the back of the house, through the kitchen, and then into the front room where there are plants and nicer furniture. The sheer panel cost maybe $5 goes from ceiling to floor and I used an old shower curtain tension rod to hold it up.

It is funny to watch a small group of tiels or gccs come zooming through the kitchen and around the corner to the front room where they do a 180 degree spin and come flying right back heading to the bird room.