Are Alexandrine Parrots Cuddly? (Find Out!)

I’ve been doing my research into new parrots lately, after I’ve said goodbye to one of my old friends.

It’s never easy to watch your pet pass on, and while he can never be replaced, the house is just too quiet without him around.

One of my old parrot’s favorite things to do was cuddle, and that became one of my favorites, too.

I’ve been looking into the Alexandrine parrot as my possible next companion, but as I’ve never owned one before, I’m not sure of how cuddly they are—so I decided to look into it.

So, are Alexandrine parrots cuddly?

They are very affectionate and love interacting with people, although they are often reluctant to be touched or have their feathers ruffled. There are certainly cuddlier species of parrot, though they definitely show their affection in other ways. They’re also highly individual, and some may love cuddling.

It’s a bit of a difficult one, then.

There are certainly cuddlier species of parrot, but it depends on how you look at cuddliness.

They are affectionate and love playing, but they just might not necessarily want you to touch their feathers or nuzzle into you in the way other parrots might.

Let’s look further into this.

 

Are Alexandrine parrots affectionate?

Yes, they are, when you’ve taken the proper time to nurture your relationship with the parrot.

This starts from the moment you get the parrot, and goes on for its whole life.

First of all, Alexandrine parrots, like any parrot, are highly intelligent, highly social creatures.

This means that they need a great deal of daily stimulation in order to remain happy and healthy.

It is also important to build a bond with your parrot, so that they begin to see you as one of their flock—or even their mate!

They need a person who is able to give them a huge amount of time socializing and playing outside their cage.

If they don’t have this, they will become sad, depressed, and this will result in difficulty developing relationships, lack of affection and even self-destructive behavior.

Parrot ownership is a difficult thing, especially for those with no experience—so be sure to do plenty of research.

When given consistent attention, they become highly affectionate birds.

They love to play and to be near you, vocalize at you and generally just have your attention.

So, they are certainly affectionate—but this means different things for different parrots, so let’s look closer at whether they are actually cuddly, as such.

 

Do Alexandrine parrots like to cuddle?

The first thing to say is that it’s going to vary from parrot to parrot.

Because they are so intelligent, parrots are also highly individual in their unique personalities.

This can end up meaning that one Alexandrine parrot may love to cuddle while another prefers to express affection in other ways.

In general, what seems to be the case is that Alexandrine parrots are not huge fans of cuddling.

They don’t particularly like to have their feathers ruffled, and this is bound to happen in anything that might be called cuddling.

Again, though, it could well be that your individual Alexandrine parrot does love to cuddle.

While you should never push it, from a younger age you may also be able to get it more used to the idea of cuddling, so that it enjoys it more later in life.

Bonding with your Alexandrine parrot is the best way to open up a wide array of ways to express affection with it, so let’s look into how to do that properly.

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How do I bond with my Alexandrine parrot?

Again, it starts at the first moment you bring the parrot home.

You’ll need to get to know the bird straight away so it starts to trust you as soon as possible.

Hang out with it at first without handling it, or hand-training it, so that it doesn’t see you as a threat.

Spend as much time as you can sitting with the parrot, and speaking to it softly.

If it initiates any kind of physical interaction, be sure to keep it on the parrot’s terms.

If it doesn’t like something you’re doing, then stop doing that thing.

Bonding is something that happens over time, with constant playing and interaction.

Spend a good amount of time with it every day, and you will eventually form a deep bond.

 

What is the most affectionate parrot breed?

So, though Alexandrine parrots are hugely affectionate in many ways, they often aren’t very cuddly.

Which parrots are, then?

Generally, the most affectionate breeds are considered to be conures, African greys, budgies and cockatiels.

There are others, but there are many species of parrot, and so we would be here all day listing the affectionate ones!

If you are really looking for a parrot you can cuddle with, then an Alexandrine may not be the best choice.

Any of the others we’ve listed would be a better choice, but make sure to be aware of all of their individual needs.

 

Owning a parrot is a bit of work if you want to nurture the best possible relationship with it.

While this may not seem like work, it’s nonetheless important that you recognize there are certain boxes you need to tick.

Alexandrine parrots are generally not the cuddliest of pets, but as long as you take the time to nurture and maintain your relationship with it, then they will show their bountiful affection in many other ways.


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