What Animals Get Along With Parrots?

Parrots are smart, funny, loyal, active and affectionate pets. They are also messy and noisy, possessive and jealous and they often demand full attention from the owner. They can develop bad habits such as feather plucking, and can fight with other pets if provoked. Adopting another pet and expecting it to get along with your parrot is not unreasonable; expecting your parrot to get along with it may be more difficult.

  1. Parrots and Other Birds

    • A good companion for a pet parrot may be a second parrot or another type of bird, such as a budgie or a parakeet. Unlike some animals, birds of the same gender can live together happily. If you are planning to introduce a new bird to your household, prepare carefully for its arrival. Get a separate cage for the new bird, and introduce them with someone else holding the new bird while you hold yours. Avoid jealousy and insecurity by affirming your bird's seniority in the house at every opportunity, feeding it and paying attention to it before the new bird. Don't leave them unsupervised in the same cage or room until you are completely sure they have bonded.

    Dogs

    • Different breeds of parrots interact differently with various members of their "flock," whether those are humans, birds or other animals. Veterinarian Margaret Wissman believes that dogs are among the top 10 bird killers, and that even pets that are completely trustworthy around a pet bird may play too exuberantly. A dog that has been raised from a young age with a pet parrot may get along with the bird, but that will also depend on the treatment the dog has received from the parrot.

    Cats

    • Cats are predatory and carnivorous animals and will hunt no matter how well-fed they are. Cats have been known to display tame behavior with pet rats under supervision, and then kill the same rats when the human leaves the room.

    Rodents and Snakes

    • Pet snakes, ferrets, mice and guinea pigs are unlikely to strike up a bond with your parrot. They may well co-exist by ignoring each other, but if left unattended the parrot may bite the other animals. A parrot beak can cause significant injury to a small animal that can't escape from it. Rodents and snakes are not known for building strong bonds, even with humans, and the best you could hope for would be tolerance of each other.

    Human Companionship

    • The parrot considers its humans to be its family, and unless you have two parrots or similar-sized birds that have been raised together, a parrot is usually better kept as an only pet. Older children may be good companionship for a parrot if they are gentle with it; young children are likely to get bitten as a consequence of rough treatment or play.