[Grams]

Hi! I am used to African Greys but thought I would try a parrotlet. What I’ve read in the web didn’t come close to describing them as such difficult birds as this forum does. I talked to several breeders and was even considering getting a rescue. I described why I liked the AG... gentle, loved getting out of cage , playful... said I would like something similar and specifically asked if the parrotlet would be a good fit. Everyone of them said yes. However, had a I read the threads here first, I would not have picked this tiny bird.
I do not want a parrot that is afraid of humans or afraid to come out of its cage.
I’ve had to go into the cage to chase him and finally grab him. Then he spends several hours with me.. some on my finger (not long) and the rest in the back of my neck. That’s further from the ideal parrot. I wasn’t wanting a neck ornament.
Am I doomed for a parrotlet?
He is almost ten weeks old.. I got him 4 days ago.

 

[JackieRTP]

Congratulations on your new bird! It sounds like those breeders were interested in a sale. Parrotlets are well known for having a Napoleon complex. You have not had your bird for very long, so it will take patience and time to train him and for to see his full personality. Most are food motivated, so you can use long stalks of millet or other treats for training and rewards. It is not recommended to grab a pet bird unless it is for an urgent reason such as a fire for example.

 

[David Miller]

🦜
Welcome to the forum! Jackie hit it right on the head! Parrotlets are known for having the " Napoleon " complex. Some p'letts have it worse than others. But...they will come around and be the best little bird you can have! It does take patience. You have only had your p'lett for 4 days, so he is just a baby. Please do not grab him unless absolutely necessary. P'letts look at your hands as a predator, until they get to know you. Your baby will bond with you and when he does, he will be one of the best little birds to have. It will take time, though. It is up to the bird and how you treat him.

You will see changes soon. He will calm down, but he may be the type to be a little bugger from time to time. These birds are not for little children. P'letts think they are as big as their cousins, the Green Amazon's. Just give him time and he will get to know you. He may bite you from time to time and he may be naughty from time to time, but this is the nature of the species. They do bond with humans and it is a very loving and strong bond. Spend as much time with him as you can and be patient. Each day, you should see improvement.

Keep posting this forum. You will find it to be one of the tops in the field. Again, we welcome you!

David🦜

 

[Grams]

Thanks for your replies. What if he never comes out of his cage? He can’t fly well.. just drops to the floor if he tries due to the breeder cutting only one wing. He doesn’t care much for the millet ... at least not now. He does like his seeds. I work during the day but I get him out for an hour in the morning and about 3 hours at night. I worry that if I don’t get him out that he will bond to his cage. The more time he spends with me.. the more he communicates with me... looks at me, and seems to be intrigued with things around us and the music I play.

 

[Grams]

By the way.. what is an HQ cage? Is HQ the brand?? Need recommendations.. size, best place to purchase cage, toys and food.

 

[David Miller]

He is just a baby. Give him time to adjust to his surroundings. Do you have a name for him? His wings have been clipped, so it will take weeks for him to learn to fly like a p'lett can fly. Boy! Can they fly well! Right now, try to limit him on letting him fly. You just got him. He is a baby and will act like one. Can he step up? What I mean by stepping up is...Does he get onto your finger when you put your finger near his feet/legs?( like a perch? ). If not, then, it would be a good idea to start teaching him to step up. It is one of the most important things to teach him. When he is in his cage...this is a very good time to teach him to step up. He may not like you putting your hand into the cage, but you must have patience. Go very slowly when you put your hand in his cage. Never put your hand above him if you can help it. Approach him from below his head. He will be a little more relaxed. In the wild, predators come from above and this means danger to them.

Teaching them to step up takes time for some p'letts. Be patient! I repeat this....be patient. Take your time and you will get results. You seem to be doing okay with him. This is good! Now, there are some other forums in this site for you to read. It is not a lot of reading, but it is good stuff! Go to the top of this page next to your avatar. See the three dots on the right? Click on it and look at the words Forum Listing. This is a good place to start.

Make up a list of questions as you go along and we will try to answer them for you. Once your little one settles down a little more, you will see improvements in him. You will love that little guy..you will!
Keep us posted.....

David 🦜

 

[ozzie3860]

First, parrotlets are the best pet ever, accept no substitute.
second, you will see a lot about parrotlet problems here because we are the oldest, continuous, largest, Internet forums dedicated to parrotlets. We get people from around the world asking questions about our amazing little creature. Most come and go for various advise about concerns then move on once their concerns have been met. It sometimes seems a lot negative but it is a big world and our smart little puzzle boxes can be a handful at first.
btw-welcome to the site. You are in very early days of a grand adventure where a 5 inch tall little bird will steal your heart and make your home. I hope you stick around a bit, I am curious about how your different birds experience compare between parrotlets and AGs

 

[Grams]

He is just a baby. Give him time to adjust to his surroundings. Do you have a name for him? His wings have been clipped, so it will take weeks for him to learn to fly like a p'lett can fly. Boy! Can they fly well! Right now, try to limit him on letting him fly. You just got him. He is a baby and will act like one. Can he step up? What I mean by stepping up is...Does he get onto your finger when you put your finger near his feet/legs?( like a perch? ). If not, then, it would be a good idea to start teaching him to step up. It is one of the most important things to teach him. When he is in his cage...this is a very good time to teach him to step up. He may not like you putting your hand into the cage, but you must have patience. Go very slowly when you put your hand in his cage. Never put your hand above him if you can help it. Approach him from below his head. He will be a little more relaxed. In the wild, predators come from above and this means danger to them.

Teaching them to step up takes time for some p'letts. Be patient! I repeat this....be patient. Take your time and you will get results. You seem to be doing okay with him. This is good! Now, there are some other forums in this site for you to read. It is not a lot of reading, but it is good stuff! Go to the top of this page next to your avatar. See the three dots on the right? Click on it and look at the words Forum Listing. This is a good place to start.

Make up a list of questions as you go along and we will try to answer them for you. Once your little one settles down a little more, you will see improvements in him. You will love that little guy..you will!
Keep us posted.....

David 🦜

Thanks for this information. He understands stepping up when he is out of his cage ... I can get him to step up from a finger in one hand to a finger in the other very easily. Once he is out of his cage, he loves being with me. But yes, I guess I will have to stop going in the cage to get him with my hand.

 

[ozzie3860]

Make the outside of your cage look a bit like the inside. Put perches, food, treats there so he can hang out on the outside. He associates the inside as known and safe and the outside as unknown and unsafe. Which makes sense since all his experience is breeder cages and flock mates. He will come around. It just take a bit of time

 

[JackieRTP]

It is recommended clip both wings on a pet bird, if it has been done. If only one wing is clipped, your bird will have issues with balance. There is information online and in Youtube videos on how clip their flight feathers, but if you are not comfortable doing so - an avian vet can do it for you.

 

[Grams]

It is recommended clip both wings on a pet bird, if it has been done. If only one wing is clipped, your bird will have issues with balance. There is information online and in Youtube videos on how clip their flight feathers, but if you are not comfortable doing so - an avian vet can do it for you.

That’s what I’ve always known and was pretty pissed when she announced that she had only clipped one wing. But, she cut it so short that I don’t want the other to be that short. So, I will pray that the clipped one grows quickly

 

[ozzie3860]

I am not a very big fan of clipping but I can understand a light clip on younger birds just to keep them from getting up speed till they get bright enough not to kill themselves. Even with that there is no excuse for an extreme or lopsided clip.

 

[Grams]

I am not a very big fan of clipping but I can understand a light clip on younger birds just to keep them from getting up speed till they get bright enough not to kill themselves. Even with that there is no excuse for an extreme or lopsided clip.

Agree. Any idea how long it will take to grow out.

 

[ozzie3860]

If what I am seeing from Rio is any indication at 3 month I see significant growth back. I figure by 6 months he should be good.

 

[Anya]

Welcome to the forum. You need to give your little guy a chance. He is still a baby. Do not expect too much from him at this age. He is not used to you or his new home yet. It can be a slow process with parrotlets. No one should ever imply that owning a parrotlet is going to be easy. But it can be rewarding and fun - with patience.

Parrotlets love getting out their cages and will come out on their own when they are ready and that takes patience. They can be gentle and playful, but it is true, they are not the same as African Greys. They are a lot feistier – “big birds in small bodies” are how they are usually described. Shame on the breeder for not giving you a better heads up about them. People see how small and cute they are and naively think that their personalities are going to match their looks. Nope. Not when their closest relative is an Amazon parrot. One of the main reasons they are aggressive is because they are not domesticated animals, so they are not that far removed from their cousins in the wild. The parrotlet only arrived in the U.S. in the 1980’s or 1990's. That is not long when you consider that some of the oldest species of parrots, like the AG, have been kept by humans, with records of them dating back to biblical times.

I use Amazon to buy a lot of my bird food, toys and perches. HQ is a brand of bird cages. Here is a link.

HQ Bird Cages

 

[Grams]

If what I am seeing from Rio is any indication at 3 month I see significant growth back. I figure by 6 months he should be good.

Wish it were sooner. Yes can’t even put him in a larger cage until then. Too dangerous... he just drops down.

I am... he gets sweeter by the day! It’s been awhile since I’ve been a new parrot parent. Absorbing it all with a lot of joy!

 

[David Miller]

That little guy has it made with a person like you! You are so in love with him! Keep it up!

David🦜

 

[Grams]

That little guy has it made with a person like you! You are so in love with him! Keep it up!

David🦜

I am! Thank you so much.

 

[rizzie5022]

I now have my second parrotlet. The first one was a mean little booger. He would be nice when he wanted to bit and yelled a lot. However we had out ways, we learned how to communicate with each other. He was never the loving bird that you might hear about. He also was a barberer/plucker so he always looked like a hot mess.

He ended up dying and I found that the house was just too quiet so I found another baby. I have had him Since November 30th nd he was 3 months old when I got him. This bird so 100% different than my Huey was. I have his cage next to where I sit and the cage is open first thing in the morning for about an hour and half to two hours. i constantly have my hands in the cage, changing food and water and I also pet him every morning and every evening. He will step up 1 foot only in cage. Outside of the cage he will step up and also from the top of his cage.

He recently has begun climbing out of his cage and over to the corner where I sit and he is hanging there watching me on my laptop. If I look and speak to him he runs back into his cage lol.

He came to us clipped but he still could fly but as his wings grow back his flying has improved.

He so far is a quiet bird and only has chirped loudly when I play other parrotlets chirping..

I have described him as tolerating me. That is what I have for now but I am hopefull that he will come around with time.
so far he is a much nicer bird than my last one and I am practicing patience........

 

[ozzie3860]

Wish it were sooner. Yes can’t even put him in a larger cage until then. Too dangerous... he just drops down.

I am... he gets sweeter by the day! It’s been awhile since I’ve been a new parrot parent. Absorbing it all with a lot of joy!

Sounds like you are heading in the right direction. Parrotlet can be a challenge at time but well worth any effort. The thing that makes them a challenge is the amount of intelligence they have. Much more than one expects from a 5 inch tall animal. It allows them all to have very unique personalities which is why we love them and they love us.