Parakeet - one or two?

April 7, 2022 9:49 AM

Is it better to start with one parakeet or two? I've read that it is easier to tame/train a single parakeet and bond with it than with two. Is it better to get one first and then a second later? In that case will it be harder to tame the second one? If it is only one, we plan on spending time with it daily, but will not be home for a lot of the day, so we would eventually like to have two. Would it be better to just start with two so the first is not lonely?
posted by roaring beast to Pets & Animals (6 answers total)

We got one parakeet at a time when one of us was unemployed. That one was pretty friendly and learned to say his name. Four months later we got a second parakeet. The second one was always much more oriented to his bird friend than he was to humans, and of course we had less time too. So I can't tell you what to do but it does make a difference.
posted by metahawk at 9:54 AM on April 7, 2022

How tame do you want your birds? I love mine (and he pretty much doesn't mind me) but I'm not teaching him how to do complex tricks or expecting him to hang out on my shoulder all day. That said he does like hanging out from a respectable distance and he complains when I leave him alone too long.I've been strongly considering getting a second bird, budgies really do like companions, and bird companions are much better than humans. I expect that I'll manage to get them to not freak out around me/be willing to accept food from me, but that's probably as tame as I'd manage to get a second bird. From my experience with the first, getting to that level wasn't too hard, but further taming was significantly more work.

One last consideration: sometimes budgies get territorial and don't take well to a newcomer in their cage. You've got to go a bit slow and be ready to accept that there's a possibility you'll need two cages. From my understanding that's a lot less likely if you get them both at/around at the same time.
posted by aspo at 10:16 AM on April 7, 2022

I will never ever, ever again get one parakeet. No matter how much time you plan to spend with your bird, it is not enough. These social, loving, sentient, intelligent, playful birds really need a companion. I've done it both ways and I very firmly believe that unless you have your bird with you most of the day, you need two. (And by "with you" I mean physically next to you, interacting with the bird and paying attention to it, with a lot of time for it to be outside the cage in the room with you.)

I was just in Petco today and saw a baby cockatiel alone in a cage. It looked miserable. Parakeets are the same.
posted by nantucket at 10:42 AM on April 7, 2022 [15 favorites]

You should get two; they need a companion. However, if you want the birds to bond more strongly with you, you might put them in a breeding cage with removable dividers, and socialize them separately at first. When you're ready, take the dividers out. Or get a new cage, as a breeding setup might not be large enough to serve as a permanent home. And/or, some birds are more territorial than others, and might benefit from just moving to a new shared space. (As opposed to having the barrier removed from a space that's now decidedly his half and my half.)

The common wisdom, btw, is that male pairs are mellower and less fighty than female pairs. Much as I like the feistiness of a female budgie, I can't argue with this.
posted by desert outpost at 12:26 PM on April 7, 2022 [1 favorite]

Birds are flock-oriented. Being alone is more than just loneliness, it's stressful being on high alert to dangers all the time. You will become part of the flock, but unless you're home all day, having a pair will be better. You can still work with both of them, especially if they've been hand-raised.
Big box pet store budgies are notoriously fragile, between conditions and inbreeding. If you have a reputable breeder local, I'd recommend that route. You might also find an already bonded pair at a rescue. All-seed diets are nutritionally incomplete - they are very fatty and should be saved for treats. Parakeet sized pellet/kibble mixes and Nutriberries are a great alternative.

On preview, the breeding cage is a great idea.
posted by ApathyGirl at 12:39 PM on April 7, 2022 [1 favorite]

Adopting a single parakeet will create a situation where it bonds more closely to you in the same way that locking your child in the basement and not allowing them to interact with other humans will focus their attention more on you. They are deeply social, as we are. Consider how poorly many humans did during the lock-down, and unlike a caged bird they could still go outside.

A friend worked at a vet dedicated to birds and came away with very strong feelings against the majority of bird owners, so when you get advice that leans towards your own convenience over the health of the bird... just keep in mind most owners treat them as an accessory.
posted by Dynex at 6:05 PM on April 7, 2022 [4 favorites]