page_title: Companion parrot
section_title: As pets
hierarchical_section_title: Companion parrot / As pets
caption_attribution_description: English: A pet juvenile White-bellied Caique (Pionites leucogaster xanthomeria) in a harness.
context_page_description: A companion parrot is a parrot kept as a pet that interacts abundantly with their human counterpart. Generally, most species of parrot can make excellent companions.
  Species of parrots that are kept as companions include large parrots, such as amazons, greys, cockatoos, eclectus, hawk-headed parrots, and macaws; mid-sized birds, such as caiques, conures, quakers, Pionus, Poicephalus, rose-ringed parakeets, and rosellas; and many of the smaller types, including Brotogeris, budgies, cockatiels, parakeets, lovebirds, parrotlets and lineolated parakeets.
  Some species of lories and lorikeets are kept as pets but are quite messy, and often more popular as aviary birds. Hanging parrots and fig parrots are normally kept as aviary birds and not as pets. Some species as pygmy parrots and kakapos, night parrots, and about half of the species of parrotlet, are not considered companion parrots due to difficult dietary requirements or unavailability.
context_section_description: Parrots can be very rewarding pets to the right owners, due to their intelligence and desire to interact with people. Many parrots are very affectionate, even cuddly with trusted people, and require a lot of attention from their owners constantly. Some species have a tendency to bond to one or two people, and dislike strangers, unless they are regularly and consistently handled by different people. Properly socialized parrots can be friendly, outgoing and confident companions.
  Most pet parrots take readily to trick training. Trick training can also help to redirect a bird's energy and prevent or correct many behavior problems. Some owners successfully use well behaved parrots as therapy animals. Some owners have trained their parrots to wear parrot harnesses (most easily accomplished with young birds) so that they can be taken to enjoy themselves outdoors in a relatively safe manner without the risk of flying away. Parrots are prey animals and even the tamest pet may fly off if spooked.
  Although parrots can be messy pets—often throwing food and damaging furniture with their beaks if they can—most parrots may be potty trained to some extent and are generally odorless; however, certain species of Amazona and Pionus have a distinctive odor most owners find pleasant. Most parrot species, with some notable exceptions, are relatively good pets for most pet allergy sufferers. However, all the species of white cockatoos produce large quantities of dust from their powder down feathers, which may be problematic for people with allergies. Cockatiels, rose-breasted cockatoos, and greys also produce smaller amounts of feather dust.
caption: A pet juvenile white-bellied caique wearing a harness out-of-doors
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