Zachary's household includes a Senegal parrot, Sidney; and a Lovebird, Kimo. Small & medium sized parrots like Lovebirds & Senegals, also need many of the same things we outlined on Zachary's website - a large cage, many toys, a healthy and varied diet, sunlight, exercise, lots of human interaction time, & outdoor excursions, to be wonderful little pets. As an added illustration on Zachary's Amazon website, we will like to give you a brief description of Senegal parrots and Lovebirds; and what we feel their main differences are compared to an Amazon pet parrot.

Lovebirds in general, are 6 inch bundle of energetic, fast moving, chirpy little gems. They have large personalities and are not afraid of anyone larger than them in size. They enjoy riding on your shoulders, hiding in your hair, sleeves, and small places. Lovebirds can be sweet and some breeds can be especially nippy. A lot has to do with their handfeeding and upbringing, & a part of it has to do with genes. Meet the bird parents and see what their personalities are like. This applies to any selection of parrot species.

Senegals in general, are 9 inch clowns - that are also energetic, fast moving, sometimes unpredictable & can catch you off guard. Just like Lovebirds, they tend to have strong personalities and can be nippy through the first few years of adolescence. Senegals need loving discipline through those life stages and will soon grow out of it. Beware of Senegal bites - which can be more painful than an Amazon parrot! Well brought up and trained Senegals should not get out of hand and will soon pass through the nippy stage. Senegals are much quieter birds than Amazons and even Lovebirds. Senegals are also big time clowns that will get themselves into amusing positions - like lying on their backs on top of their food bowls, hop around like bunnies, and stand on their heads for no reason - to name a few.

Lovebirds and Senegals enjoy sleeping huts and small areas to play in. Our Senegal parrot Sidney, also enjoys laying in between couch pillows. Sidney does not sleep in his hut at night, however little Kimo sleeps in there every night:

Sidney and Kimo are great buddies, and will hang out together playing in an outdoor cage, as well as visiting each other's cages from time to time. Here is Sidney hanging out in Kimo's cage:

Just like training Amazon parrots (as illustrated in our Training Tips page); small and medium size parrots can be trained to perform a few tricks. Kimo has mastered lying on his back on the palm of our hands, and stay there until we turn him over. All our three birds are trained to lie on their backs comfortably, and are also trained to lift up their wings when we hold them up. It helps greatly with flight feather trimming.

Compared to Amazon parrots, Lovebirds and Senegals are much more hyper & definitely more unpredictable. However for smaller birds, they are a lot more manageable, have huge personalities and entertaining characters. They are more suitable for those that don't have the space to accommodate extra large cages, playpens, toy baskets, etc. More important that those reasons - Amazon and larger parrots need significantly more mental stimulation and discipline, to stay happy and contented. Without well thought-out games, training, understanding of their surroundings and firm (loving) discipline, larger parrots can get out of hand and be a lot harder to control than smaller parrots. All pet parrots, however, regardless of size & type, will require lots of human time and interaction to stay tame, well socialized, and loving pets.

Refer to the articles on Zachary's Amazon Parrot Information, for the care of your small and medium sized parrots.

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