Blue P'lets

[catfish]

Okay, I know I should have asked this before putting a deposit down on Hpnotiq (not like whether or not I knew prior to it would detour me from putting the deposit down)....

But i've read that blue p'lets are not always as healthy as the normal green. Has anyone that has had a blue p'let for a while noticed anything different in health?

It's one of those things where I've seen it mentioned online a few times and it had me wondering. I know you cant always believe what you read online, but it's this little gnat that won't leave me alone.

Thanks to everyone that has been helping me along with the process of driving my partner crazy (my partner isn't as comfortable with birds. . . still terrified of my Quakers). My partner likes Gelato tho... just unsure abotu 4 birds, 3 cats, 40 gallon hermit tank, 1 dog, and 4 fish tanks between the 2 of us.... oh my we have a zoo.

[nar1122]

Oscar is blue, and he is completely normal. I've never heard that they aren't as healthy, but I would take cautions as you are. But he's perfectly healthy, and always has been.
:o:o

[musicjan]

Bitsy is blue. He's very healthy. I do feed him very well. Sandee Molenda, of Parrotlet Ranch, says mutations (blue) should not be fed pellets. Someone on the board can probably direct you to a link about that. Or you could find it on her Parrotlet Ranch link. There is some dispute about whether or not that is true. As for me, I choose not to feed pellets. Sandee has tons of experience, and I choose to respect her research. Bitsy does just fine with seed, fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes, etc. He doesn't miss pellets.

[ArtS]

catfish,

I've heard a bunch of things related to this however, a lot of these types of comments seem to be disproving themselves as we go along. When I joined this board, having more than one parrotlet as a pet was a big no-no:rolleyes: ;) .

Regards,

Art S.

[nar1122]

Like, not feed pellets at all??
I offer Oscar a bowl of pellets, as I do with seed. Then his fruits, etc.

[catfish]

That's true. I remember reading that when I first got Gelato, plus his breeder is against 2 p'lets being homed together...telling me I'll be sorry if I do. From everyone here, that doesn't seem to be the case. It seems to jsut make them happier

I just worry too much. I don't want Gelato to become depressed because of losing his mate due to poor genetics. That was one of the reasons I was leary in the begining (when deciding what color I wanted to buy) when it came to purchasing a p'let.

[AndreaFahy]

It really is a general statement, like saying a pair of parrots don't make good pets - well under what circumstances will they not make good pets, see what I mean?

A blue parrotlet that has bad health has probably been part of a breeding program that focused too heavily on colors and not other issues - there for bad health

Pellets - they are too dry and void of nutrients and cause parrots to drink too much water causing excessive strain on the kidney. Some owners have reported that their parrotlets developed high uric acid levels and/or kidney problems including calcification of the kidneys. Most pellets are just not worth feeding, at least not as a main part of the diet. They are not natural and are not the "perfect" diet. We don't have accurate enough studies showing what parrots eat in the wild, there for no diet can be the perfect fit. SO, variety and freshness is the key.

[nar1122]

Well it's just a small part of his diet. It's like a snack to him (kinda). He doesn't eat it much. So that is okay, right?

[Pado]

catfish - I haven't heard anything regarding health issues of the mutations - as Art said so much on what is written out there about these guys is being disproved the more we learn about them -

It is plausible with the Parrotlet mutations not being able to tolerate Pellets as the Green P'lets can lends something to the difference in the two - health wise. Although there are so many Green Parrotlets being breed that are split to the mutations so not all visual Green P'lets are true Greens. A breeder who is more knowledgeable in genetics could probably answer this better.

But if there was a noticeable difference in the health of the mutations compared to the Greens I'm sure there would be much more literature available about it - I personally wouldn't worry too much about it :)

[ArtS]

Pado,

I think some of the comments are in the articles section, others are rumors passed along in forums such as this one. In my opinion, parrotlets are too recent to the pet trade to be properly understood in all regards.

Also in my opinion: parrotlets are a tougher species to keep properly as a pet than many other parrot species, and much more challenging than birds such as budgies. that said, I think they are also more rewarding!

One of the things I like about this forum is that most of the members really do an excellent job in taking care of their parrotlets; therefore, many of the problems we discuss have to do with dealing with specific traits of parrotlets rather than poor handling.

Regards,

Art S.

[catfish]

Parrotlets are tougher imo. My foster budgies were so easy to care for, and btw they are doing great in their new home (both are now tamer then before).

Even my quakers are easier for me then these little feather balls. But the rewards do out weigh the work. I couldn't imagine not haivng Gelato go with me on the road or sitting on my computer screen as I type. He's my little green monster (The quakers are my little green chickens).

I'm not worried about the blues anymores. I feel much better about them and feel that the current diet that I have for my birds will keep all healthy. The new breeder I am going to doesn't mass produce birds. She has a few that she breeds, but it's not a bird mill. I really like her and she really cares about her birds. Everything I've learned here has really made the adoption process easier on her, and I really appreciate this forum.

[Pado]

Speaking of colors - my local bird shop has a female P'let and her color was noted as Pastel - very cute bird and a gorgeous color. She looks sort of like a very washed out blue. Apparently shes a yellow mutation but looks more like a light light blue. If I was looking I would have snapped her up.

[ArtS]

Pado,

We need to see the effect of having three...:D :D :D ;)

Regards,

Art S.

[Pado]

I'm staying clear of that one :D

[Elyse]

Good point with too much color breeding though -- certainly possible!
I don't think at this point that should be a worry since they are such a "new" species for pets.
As long as you get it from a good breeder I don't think you'll have a single problem.

[ArtS]

Elyse,

I love that avitar photo!

Regards,

Art S.

[AndreaFahy]

Speaking of colors - my local bird shop has a female P'let and her color was noted as Pastel - very cute bird and a gorgeous color. She looks sort of like a very washed out blue. Apparently shes a yellow mutation but looks more like a light light blue. If I was looking I would have snapped her up.

Washed out blue - that may be dilute blue or previously named American white. It is produced by green double splits. Both hen and male would be split to blue and yellow and that produces about 1 in 16 or so of these rare birds :) We have one named Skylar:

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t187/AndreaFahy/My%20Flock/skylar_daisy.jpg


Pellets again, my avian veterinarian suggests (although I do not agree) an 85%-90% pellet diet. He sees many of his birds annually and has seen no issues in the parrotlets.

[Pado]

Yes, she was very very similar to the lower body of that bird - the bird in the picture has more blue on its face and head - She was a bit more washed out - and she was small about the size of my female.

BTW both of those birds in the pic are gorgeous !

[AndreaFahy]

Thank you :) The bird pictured above is a male and shows a touch of "male" pacific parrotlet coloring (the violet blue markings) but even it is washed out looking.

[ArtS]

Andrea,

WOW!! Those birds are BEAUTIFUL!! When my wife decides we need bigger ulcers than we have already, I'm calling you for offspring! :D

Regards,

Art S.

[nar1122]

Those birds are gorgeous!! Are they common in the breeding world?? I saw one once at a bird show, but they said they are very common on the west coast. I think that's what he said.....

[AndreaFahy]

Perhaps they are more common on the west coast as maybe more are being bred. There are some good sites with parrotlet genetics on them, you may find the reading interesting :)

[nar1122]

I will look into that.
:):)

[musicjan]

nar1122/Nick,

Here's the information I had in mind. You might want to read it.

http://www.parrotletranch.com/pellets.html

Also, please check your PM.

[nar1122]

Thanks!;)
I don't have any PM's
...:confused::confused:

[musicjan]

just sent it - I'm a little slow!

[nar1122]

That's okay.:)

[Elyse]

The east coast is so slow to catch up on those breeds :P I'm just now finding parrotlets in pet stores.

Thanks, Art S.! I took that photo the day after I got Kismet from a bird show - he was already such a good birdy!!
Everyone loves another ulcer!! Go for it! How's Sparky?