Lineolated Parakeet Poop

[Virulentsx]

I am considering purchasing a Lineolated Parakeet but I am told by the breeder that they have very messy runny poop. Is this a major inconvenience and how bad is it compared to a budgie? Also can they be potty trained like some other parrots? I just don’t want messy watery poop all over me when I take the bird out of its cage.

[byrd4u]

HI. I recently bought 2 baby linnies. They are terrific! We love them and I love the fact that they don't BITE! NEVER! My 4 year old son plays with them alot and he has never gotten bit. Their poop is softer than that of a conure or larger parrot, but by no means is it as bad a a lory. I own several other parrots and yes their poop is different, but they do sell flight suits for them, I hold them for about 20 minutes and put them back on their play area let them poop and take them back again. Their poop is so small that if an accident does happen just get some soap and water on a paper towel and wipe it off.
Hope this helps :)

[luvmath]

A linnie's poop is larger and wetter than a budgies. In fact they look nothing alike. Linnies drink a lot of water which is why it is wetter. However, I don't find it a problem. Parsley(my linnie) has a very large poop first thing in the morning. She never leaves her cage until she has done this and then gets rewarded. I consistently take her back to her cage and if she poops more praise, ( I am trying to potty train.)
When she is on my shoulder I always wear a large shirt over my clothes in case of an accident.
When the poop dries it is very easy to pick up and discard. A linnie is a wonderful pet. I wouldn't let her poop keep me from owning one. IMHO

[nailsrglue]

I love my linnie. He is not hand tame but is still the sweetest birdy I've ever owned. His poop has never been a problem to me. It may be alittle more watery, because he drinks tons of water during the day. But its not that big and not that messy. He does poop very often, as he tends to be a nervous bird, but it cleans up easily. I highly reccommend linnies! There is nothing about the poop that you should worry about. Everybody poops!

[Virulentsx]

Thank you for the replies. I have a couple more questions I was hoping some owners could help me with.

1.) Do Lineolated Parakeets like to be handled and are they affectionate (enjoy head scratches etc...)?

The breeder I am speaking with tells me they are very affectionate but I wanted to get some more feedback. Thanks again.

[Anneka]

Our linnie loves to be handled, but she is not a "velcro" bird, that is she does not require my attention all day long. I play with her for about 20 mins and then she goes back to the budgies' cage (she loves it there) or on the Boing to take a break from budgies' chirping :)

Quiet, affectionate, love head scritches, gentle, never bites, often fearful of new things so you need to be careful when introducing new toys, bringing her to a new place, etc.
For example, when she saw water moving in our swimming pool (it was windy that day), she stared at it for half an hour!
A few days ago, when we got a lot of snow and everything outside turned pretty white, she stared at it w/out moving. :)

Even if her poop was huge and watery, I would not trade her for any other bird.

[nailsrglue]

My linnie had some traumatic experiences when it first came home and has never become hand tame. He still loves to chirp at you and get all the attention it can. He whistles when he wants me to pay attention to him or help him out (if he falls on the floor). He also talks quietly when I'm watching TV late at night, although I cannot make out any english words, just random sylabols. I let him out once every day for about an hour, but he goes back in his cage when he wants to, which is often about 30 minutes. He loves to climb up my clothes and sit on my shoulder and knees. He perches as high on me as he can. I can pick him up off the floor with my hands, I just cup him and place him on his cage. He never bites, no matter how scared of my hands he is. He sometimes lets me scratch his new feathers to loosen the sheath, and loves every second of it.

They are scaredy birds, and jump at the littlest things. But they are also very brave. Mine chases the cat and dog away from his cage if they get to close. Can you imagine a Pit bull being afraid of a tiny green linnie?

[Anneka]

How true that they are afraid of so many things.
LOL at the pit bull being afraid of your linnie. :) So funny!

[Anneka]

(had to delete, somehow my message was posted twice)