About the Lineolated Parakeet

Eddie's Aviary

Administrator
Staff member
About the Lineolated Parakeet

© Laura Fratoni – Eddie’s Aviary -reproduce only with permission please
Cobalt Violet and Turq.jpg

Characteristics: The Lineolated Parakeet, lovingly nicknamed the “Linnie” is a small, compact parrot with a stocky frame and broad tail, weighing between 50 and 60 grams on average. In the wild they are found most commonly in the Andes Mountain treetops in Peru. It is believed that the reason they have such fast growing, thick toenails is due to their tendency to “scurry” along branches and therefore wear them down quickly. Kept as domestic pets, they require frequent nail trims.

Little is known about their diets in the wild, as they have not been closely studied due to the remote location they choose to inhabit. Most believe that they get a large percentage of their diet from insects (found in the forest), which are high in protein. Kept as pets, egg food, and high protein seed/nut mixes tend to bring them into breeding condition the easiest.

For a parrot of their diminutive size, they eat like some of their larger cousins, often preferring to hold their food in their feet. They have chubby, flexible and shorter toes than Australian Grass Parakeets which have slender feet with long toes. This type of foot makes gripping on large diameter perches, or that of a finger more difficult for them to cling to. It is recommended they be carried in the palm of your hand from the cage, to where you wish to sit with them to avoid a common problem among them as pets… hand shyness.

Positives: Linnies have a modest cage requirement (for birds that get plenty of out of cage time), with a scant 24”W minimum doing the trick.

They are one of the quietest species of hookbill kept as domestic pets, only making an unpleasant call when trying to contact the “flock”. They can also be taught to talk, though the vocabulary is usually not vast.

Linnies are extremely docile, rarely becoming aggressive with a mate, nor with their human companions. A Linnie would much rather retreat back into the corner of their cage then lunge forward and bite.
sf gw green male, lutino, creamino baby hens.jpg
If bright, jewel tone color is something that you like to have in your pet birds, the Lineolated parakeet delivers! They come in stunning colors, very bright and rich in saturation like you would see in precious gemstones. The wild type “normal green” really stuns! Greens also come in dark factor and double dark factor greens (dk green, olive) and green series ino, lutino which is a rich yellow. Turquoise mutations (par-blue) also come in dark factor variations, cobalt, mauve and the turquoise ino (creamino) which is a buttery white. Greywing mutations further the array of color choices as they alter the body color significantly, and in female greywing, all the beloved barred markings are gone, with very muted body color.

Negatives: Because they hail from a rainy, wet region of the world, they drink a large amount of water for their size. This causes their excrement to be very wet which although not as big as a Lorikeet, is close. This is one of their few drawbacks, but one to consider if you like to keep your pets on you, or allow free-range flight in your home.

Linnies are very difficult to breed. Though they are easy to condition for exhibition, due to rare molts, this also means they are not in “season” as often as other species their size, and it is difficult to tell when they should be set up for breeding. If you are able to get to fertile eggs and hatching, another complication is their poor parenting skills. Finding babies buried under the shavings, or stuffed in a corner dead are common occurrences. I find the challenge something I love about them. When it goes well, you feel fantastic about it.

The difficulty in breeding versus the high demand for the Linnie make this tiny parrot very expensive for their size and relatively short life span (average of 10 years, 15 is considered very elderly). Finding them is difficult (especially if not willing to ship on the airlines), and all the reputable breeders in the US have lengthy waitlists. Average price starts at $300-$400 for a normal green. Some of the rare mutations such as violet are easily $600+.
dark green hen.jpg
Due to the problems breeding, we see many people that get into Linnie propagation quickly become frustrated and leave the species. This furthers two problems: less people raising them, as well as more pairs changing hands and increasing the probability that biological siblings are wearing different breeder leg band codes. This tricks buyers into thinking that they may be buying unrelated stock, when in fact, they may be inadvertently inbreeding. Birds that are not closed banded with full pedigrees should be avoided. Record keeping compliance in the Linnie community is poor. Use of at least one green series bird in each pairing is a best practice to try and improve a species that really does suffer some genetic disadvantages. Few specimens were imported to start with, so relatedness and mutation stacking has caught up to the Lineolated in some lines.

Linnies are very docile with other species as well, and therefore should be housed alone, unless in a large flight which Neophema genus (Bourkes, Scarlet Chested, Turquoisines, Elegants) can be combined with them without issue.

Conclusion: Linnies are highly sought-after pets, so if you want to obtain one, you must be patient and willing to part with some real money. They don’t easily tame if parent raised, so you want to get a pet from a breeder that is hand feeding them. They have a critical bonding window, between 6-9 weeks of age. You don’t want to purchase a baby that has been “hanging around” with the breeder for two reasons: 1. Reputable breeders almost never have unsold babies hanging around for direct sales 2. You will spend a lot of time trying to tame down the baby in many cases, and they sometimes they never come around to a point of "cuddly" that most people expect.
Turquoise hen.jpg
Avoid babies that are not closed leg banded. Leg bands are rarely used by the “backyard breeder”, and this type of breeder rarely knows proper mutation pairing and your baby may be health compromised from genetic mistakes.

Check toe placement. Linnies sometimes have a rear facing toe facing forward and across the top of the foot. This is ok as a pet, but should never be used as a breeding animal. That misplaced toe has a nail that does not wear and can get snagged on toys or cage bars. It can grow out of control and into the foot as well. When trimming nails (this works for regular toenails as well) hold the bird upside down, and lightly tap on the vent and they will open a clenched foot.

If you choose a Linnie as a pet, you will fall in love with their very different characteristics. They are cuddly, beautiful and a joy to have in your life. If you are interested in breeding them, find a mentor (I am always happy to help bring along new people, or connect you with others) to help educate you and keep you positive. It is the relationships you develop with other Linnie breeders that really carry you through the frustrating, dark times you will likely face at some point propagating this charming little parrot.

If you enjoy this Forum, or the Content found here helpful.... consider buying the author a coffee. Helps with website costs, and keeps motivation levels up for more late night work. Thank you ♥ CLICK HERE to Buy Me A Coffee ♥

About the Author – Laura Fratoni (this forum owner) has kept birds her whole life, and has been successfully raising/exhibiting Linnies since 2012. She also raises English Budgies and Cockatiels after a decade of raising Bourkes, Scarlet Chested and Elegant Parakeets. Eddie's Aviary manufactures a comprehensive 50+ ingredient seed/nut/fruit/veggie/probiotic whole food, non-vitaminized Linnie Specific mix that has a beloved following across the globe. It is available HERE. There are also custom blend feed mixes for Budgies (click to view), and Bourke's/Scarlet Chested/Turquoisine/Elegants parakeets found here.
 

Attachments

Top