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Parrotlet particulars

7K views 46 replies 18 participants last post by  catalinadee 
#1 ·
Can any of you parrotlet owners tell me more about parrotlets. Cannary is getting one, so I should know more soon. I would like to know if there are any particular things we should be aware of. For example, lineolated parakeets have a huge tendancy to be fearful of hands and fingers. It seems to be almost hard-wired into them as a species in a way that is more noticable than in most other species. Bourkes don't climb cage bars or anything vertically the way most species do, so you have to set up their cages with layers of perches. If you do that, they will be very playful. Do parrotlets as a species have any behaviors or fears we should know about?
 
#2 ·
:hurray:Yayyy nanay, thats so exciting!!! I really want a parrotlet as well.(But I think Im running out of room for cages:giggle:) Their just so tiny, cute!! Im sure its a perfect little bird for your daughter :biggrin5: I wish I had info, but Im very interested to see what people have to say. I know people say that they tend to be more nippy and need work with that, but Im not sure if thats all or just some parrotlets. What color is the new baby?
 
#3 ·
He is an American blue. Well, I think that is what he is called. He is all different shades of blue. At this point, he is sweet and not any nippier than any bird at this age. He is maturing VERY quickly, and has already started to wean. He will only be six weeks old on Monday. He thinks he is grown! :lol: He will fall asleep in her hands, and he will turn his little head all around and fluff up his feathers like he really enjoys being scritched.
 
#4 ·
Parrotlets are awesome little birds! I have three of them, and they are all very sweet, playful, and fun. One thing that seems to be universal about parrotlets is that they become very cage territorial when they reach maturity. Many people choose to just let their parrotlets exit the cage on their own, rather than reaching in to remove them (once they are mature, I mean....with babies, you can do virtually anything). Oh, and the other thing about plets is, they eat a TON for their size ! Of all my birdies, my plets are the biggest piggies! :lol: Have fun with your new baby...you're gonna love him. :lovehearts:
 
#5 ·
I have a female parrotlet and she is my one and only experience with a parrotlet. It has been some work establishing a relationship with her. She was handfed but the breeder had not worked with her much after she weened. So I had some sore throbbing fingers for a week or so when I first brought her home but we are getting along just fine now. I do let her come out of the cage by herself, though she will let me reach in and scritch her. Most are cage aggressive but fine once they are out.
 
#6 ·
We got our parrotlet when she was two so she was tame and set in her ways. We have had her two years. She is very independent. Think Amazon in a tiny body. She will allow us to hold her and even preen her pin feathers. I say allow because she would rather be on the highest thing in the room. Recently she has been flying around to the tiel's cages and eating their food and beating up their toys! While they watch no less. I placed her cage near the kitchen sink and she loves to tell me off and just boss every one around. She does eat a lot. I feed her a mix of conure, tiel and nanna food. She also eats pellets and loves millet. She will eat some greens veggies. I did babble on, but maybe it will give you help. I can't wait to see a pic of Cannery's new baby! They do have a nippy stage. I have always reached into the cage to get her out. Sometimes she comes out on her own. We just take her out and then have to convince her to come down off the light! I have clipped her before and she settled down conciderably. I haven't had to do it a while. I think she gets it now.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for all of the replies, folks. I had not heard about the cage issues, and it will be good to be aware of that. Is he likely to try to attack Stanley and Elisa if the three birds are outside of their cages at the same time? If so, would that be something for which there would be warning signs before he started? Should we just always plan to keep them on separate play stations?
 
#9 ·
Thanks for that information, Judi. Is he going to be aggressive right from the start, or will it become worse with age? Cannary has told me repeatedly that he won't hurt Stanley because he doesn't currently hurt her when he nips her. He will only be six weeks old on Monday. I'm pretty paranoid about the birds hurting one another, so perhaps I keep the ones I have at home apart more than I need to, but she would be devastated if anything hurt Stanley. My linnie and my bourkes are exceptionally gentle birds. The linnie is "street wise" enough to be afraid to approach the larger birds, but Stanley doesn't seem to realize the big birds could kill her. Stanley is the bourkes.
 
#10 ·
Well, they are all usually pretty sweet and gentle as babies, and even when they go through their nippy stage, its not too bad. But when they reach maturity and those hormones kick in, if they want to bite, or get into it with another bird, be VERY careful...they can attack with a vengeance! Jet, my little blue male, is sweet as pie with me, but if he comes near any of the other birds, he goes CRAZY and I cant even pick him up without covering my hand with something, or he will attack me. Its all hormones, so you cant really blame him, but he definitely could do some damage if he had the opportunity. So I would strongly suggest keeping your plet away from your bourke's, especially as he gets older.
 
#11 ·
I agree TOTALLY with JudiNH! My Angelina is pretty sweet, most of the time; HOWEVER, she will immediately attack any other bird who comes near her, no matter how big! Lots of members on TalkParrotlets post about how their P'lets get along with other birds, but I haven't had that experience, and since Angelina is 3 years old, that window has closed!

There is a time when the new P'let is brought home that it's all sweet and cuddly. We call this the "honeymoon" period. It can last for a couple of weeks or months. As Judi says, once the hormones kick in, be very careful.

Generally, I would have to say that Parrotlets are nippy, and those nips can really hurt and draw blood. I've learned to avoid the nips and watch her body language for the most part.

Don't let their small size and cuteness fool you, Parrotlets are BIG BIRDS in a tiny bird body!

Have fun!
 
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#12 ·
My male is a bitter right from the get go & he was handfed. My female is sweet as pie. They eat tons for their size & love toys they can destory. They can fly even when clipped. lol I don't keep them clipped, they had come that way & I couldn't believe that they could still fly. Like little hummingbirds. Great little birds!!!! Oh and my male talks up a storm.
 
#13 ·
Thanks, everyone, for all the great information.
 
#15 ·
LOL! If Libby, my Conure, gets too close to Angelina, Angelina will slowly spread her wings out, make all her feathers stand up, including the ones on her head, open her beak and slowly move from side to side! I guess they call that "posturing". I'm BIG, I'm BAD, so LOOK OUT! She's ready to fight, that's for sure!
 
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#16 ·
We brought Doug home today. He immediately started to climb all over his cage and play with all of the toys available. I played with him for a few minutes - not long because he is such a baby and this is his first day home - and he sat in my hands and let me scritch him a great deal. I'm quite smitten. Shira is totally unimpressed. I don't think any of the others even noticed him.
 
#18 ·
His beak is so cute. It looks like he is always smiling.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Doug is loads of fun. We are very happy he is home. His little feet just can't seem to grip well on our hands or clothing. He has not difficulty climbing on anything in his cage. Are parrotlet feet just too small to grip fingers well, or is this a baby thing, or should we be concerned? Stanley and Elisa do have more difficultythan the larger birds do gripping our fingers and clothes, too, so I'm hoping it is only a size thing.
 
#24 ·
Plets are canopy top birds, so when in your hand they are on alert for predators. They won't enjoy perching. Also its a baby? They love to be held, cupped in the hand. There is a reason they are called pocket birds. Put doug in a shirt pocket, he might stay there all day! I believe their feet are big enough to wrap around the finger if they want.
Daisy, are your budgies new to your home? It will take a while till they willingly perch on your finger. Their feet are big enough.
 
#25 ·
yeah they're new but they love clambering all over me, I just think that they have difficulty doing so. The bigger birds seem to have less difficulty but I know their feet are big enough. They love perching on my finger but sometimes they don't seem to be as stable
 
#26 ·
I think it might be a baby thing. My little Healey grips really tight and Sadie used to hang upside down from my finger. She would ride around on me and crawl around on my back and shoulders while I was walking. But that was when she was older and flighted.
 
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