Thinking of Cockatiel or Pionus; have parrotlet

[nerdybird]

Edit: I found a thread talking about Pionus; maybe not the bird for me. But if there is another anyone recommends over a cockatiel, I'm open to suggestions.

Hello, I'm pretty new on here. I introduced myself a while back with my new parrotlet but haven't really posted since then. I would really appreciate some advice from more experienced bird owners, I would like to get a second bird and am unsure on what kind.

Zelda and I are getting along well- she is a total sweetie, although still coming out of her shell a bit. She was kept LOCKED in a cage for about 8 months in her previous "home"; So she is not a confident flyer, but I am teaching her a bit at a time. She knows how to recall, and fly to her perch, if she can see a perch that isn't too far away. When she molts and her feathers grow back hopefully we can make more progress there. She is already very friendly with me and people I introduce her to, and is also much less afraid of new objects than she used to be; Now that she has some play areas to climb on she seems much happier and is more active. Most of this progress is directly due to stuff I learned from Michael's blog and this forum, so thanks all!

So I love my parrotlet, and I would like to adopt a new bird. I have been thinking about it for a couple months. I live in a studio apartment so it needs to be fairly quiet, although it could be a bit louder than she is, she hardly makes a noise. I think a lovebird would bully her, and besides they sound very shrill to me. Same for a conure.

I have heard that Pionus are laid back, good for apartments, etc. But I am curious how they are different from say, a cockatiel. I have interacted a bit with cockatiels, not much. I would also love a Senegal, but I am nervous about them bullying Zelda, and possible aggression issues.

I am leaning towards cockatiel, but I am curious what people think about how they compare to Pionus..aren't Pionus a lot smarter? How do they compare as companions?

Any info is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[Wolf]

There is a world of difference between a pionus and a cockatiel. There are or seems to be many ideas about how smart different species of parrots are. I think that any species of parrot has ample intelligence to more than satisfy any person who likes birds and the abilities of the individual species seem to me to be limited more by the size of the bird than by it intelligence. While any parrot could be taught to do tricks some of them are too small to be able to do some tricks because there are no toys small enough for them to manipulate. Many people think that the larger birds are smarter than the smaller ones, but the world record for word spoken is still held by a budgie and some recent tests have place the parrotlet as the best problem solver of all parrots. They just don't have the size and thus the physical strength to perform certain tricks. Personalitiy is a much larger factor in how well you will like and interact with your parrot than any other factor. I don't have either a pionus or cockatiel and for that reason I can't answer concerning the pionus, but cml has one and perhaps he will see this and share with you about his. I do, however, have a parrotlet and can tell you for certain that it would bully a cockatiel and probably injure it. I also have a Senegal and without constant close supervision the Senegal will probably kill the parrotlet although it might be in self defense. Senegals are an aggressive species of parrot and is not known for liking or getting along with other parrots, especially smaller ones, and have been know to attack larger parrots. And parrotlets are also an aggressive parrot species and are known for attacking other birds much larger than they are.

[nerdybird]

Wolf, that's what I was worried about with the Senegal. I have heard of parrotlets and cockatiels getting along if properly introduced though. Or I could always get another parrotlet...I do like them a lot. I was hoping to have a slightly more affectionate bird with a cockatiel.

That is interesting about parrotlets and problem-solving. Do you remember where you heard/read that? Or do you have a suggestion for information like that? I do a lot of google searching but nothing I find seems very recent, and I find the same stuff over and over. I would love to read more about bird discoveries.

[Wolf]

Here is a link to the article that I mentioned http://www.wired.com/2013/10/problem-so ... nd-effect/
Here is a link to an article concerning bald eagles and flame retardants http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... etardants/

Just a nice read http://scvnews.com/2013/07/11/little-bi ... ndersande/

I really never know where I will find something but I think most are from scientific papers and sites. I usually run across them while researching other bird related concerns.

[Wolf]

I just found another article that you may like it is about analogy and crows, here is the link to it http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... analogies/
I hope you enjoy this. I normally post such articles in parrot tales if the article is about parrots or in general topics if it is not about parrots. Watch for them there as I find them.

[Pajarita]

If you would 'not mind' getting another plet, PLEASE do so! The little ones really do much, much, much better (healthier, happier) with a companion of their own species!

[nerdybird]

Thanks Wolf! The problem solving article was really neat, I'm still looking at the other ones.

I think for now I am going to get a cockatiel, but at some point I may get another parrotlet also; I really like the little guys. And one day far in the future maybe I'll get a red-bellied parrot. I think that's the only bird bigger than a cockatiel I would want, that depending on personality, might be ok with my smaller guys.

[Pajarita]

Cockatiels are also very flock oriented and always do better in pairs than by themselves, please take that into consideration, too. Redbellies can be as bitey and mean to other birds as senegals though...

[Wolf]

I would think that the Red Bellied parrot would have many similarities to the Senegal as far a overall behaviors goes since they are both poicephalus'.

[Pajarita]

Going by my redbelly (which is not really any good because one bird is an individual so you can't really use it as a typical example of a species behavior) and by what I have read from other people who have them, they are not as aggressive as a Senegal might be but they can be way up there, too (I know two people who have males and they are both completely hands-off birds that cannot be let out with the other household birds).