Should Parrots Be Kept In Pairs?

Birds are wonderful creatures. An even more spectacular creature is the parrot.

Parrots are known for a lot of things, ranging from their talkativeness to their beauty. They are unique birds which demand the best of care in every way possible.

As spectacular as these birds are, it is always nice to see them together, but they seem to have a particular behavior to them. Based on the fantastic nature of the parrot, there is still a question on the lips and minds of bird lovers everywhere; “Should parrots be kept in pairs?”

To answer this questions there a lot of factors to consider, ranging from parrot-to-parrot interaction, bird age, and their breeding.

Are parrots sociable?

A lot of parrots are known to be sociable with members of their own species, as long as there is enough space for both of them and a corner to retreat to in the case of conflicts. Parrots are known for bickering just like humans. Keeping parrots in pairs even gets trickier when dealing with different types of parrot species.

Some species are known for their peaceful nature, while others are known to be aggressive and resistant to pairing. You wouldn’t love to keep two aggressive parrots in the same cage standing the risk of one killing the other. The pairing up of an aggressive and sociable species may also not be advisable.

Some parrots will only be successfully paired together if they are a mating pair. Even at that, a lot of caution still needs to be taken in introducing the parrots to one another.

A particular safeguard to this problem is checking with your seller about the compatible species of parrots to pair up. You should seek advice when looking to pair up your parrot to avoid unpleasant incidents.

How old are your parrots?

• Younger parrots can interact well with their own species in an aviary, but with a lot of space. As adorable as parrots are, some species will still never interact well in each other’s company.
• A good idea for parrot pairing is to get the parrots in the same cage while they are both young, it will help build the peace between them. This will help them grow up together and bond properly. This tip is extremely helpful because parrots in different cages in a room can still be aggressive towards one another.
• If you can’t get both parrots at a young age, then pairing may be quite a dicey situation, even if they are of the same species. You wouldn’t want your parrots squabbling and squawking all around the house, would you?
• If you have a parrot which has been brought up by you and has bonded with you, pairing it up with another parrot could spell disaster. Such parrots have become used to their owners and are past the bonding age.
• You should take note of the sex of the parrots while they are young, because same-sex pairs of some species are as bad as anything else. Pairing parrots of similar sex may seem successful while they are young, but as soon as they grow up, their hormones turn them into enemies instantly. Some parrot species are however more tolerant.

The age, however, does matter but you can’t force two parrots to like each other.

How does your parrot breed?

Based on breeding, we have two types of parrots, namely

1. Sociable and
2. Solitary species

From the names alone, you would know that sociable type of parrots can breed in pairs or colonies, while the solitary ones like to be left alone when breeding.

These breeding types have to be noted because parrot reactions are at a peak when breeding. A parrots breeding behavior is sometimes a highlight or an insight into the daily behavior of the parrot.

Having good knowledge about the breeding behavior of your parrot may provide you with more insight into their behavior and make the difference between success and total failure.

Let’s take a look at some scenarios:

1. Firstly, let’s take a look at parrots who utilize helpers in rearing their young. Such species include Golden Conures Guaruba and Pyrrhura conures. Based on the nature of breeding parrots of these species would have no problem being paired up with parrots of same species. They would be able to pair up if they see the other bird as a member of their family and this relies on the age of pairing.
2. Also, in species in which there is a lot of competition between males or females to mate or breed, pairing up would not be advisable. In parrot species like this, you are to avoid same-sex pairing as much as possible to avoid one parrot killing the other. Some experts would even advise that competitive same-sex parrots should be kept a safe distance from each other, out of hearing distance or by making use of partitions to block their line of sight. Males of these species are known to be very territorial and would not tolerate any intruder male within their space.
3. Furthermore, some parrots are just to be left alone because of their solitary lifestyle. They stay alone all through their lives and that doesn’t change when they breed. Such parrot species are extremely aggressive to any form of intrusion. You wouldn’t want to make the mistake of keeping two aggressive highly territorial parrot species together.

On a final note, there is no direct answer to the question if parrots should be kept in pairs.

As stated above, pairing up of parrots is reliant on a lot of factors which vary for a lot of parrots. Don’t make the mistake of comparing your parrot with the one you saw somewhere which was successfully paired. However, close study, research and feedback on the type of parrots to be paired up is very essential.

In order to ensure total success, it is recommended that you speak to your seller and an aviculturist.