[ginziputzi]

Hi there! Welcome to the forum! We are glad you found us too. Your birds are beautiful! What are their names?

On the taming issue, if would be helpful if you could give a few more details on their current behaviour and their past. For example, were they handled or out of their cage before you got them? Have they been out of cage or handled at all by you yet? How are they with your hands in their cage?

Parrotlets tend to bond strongly with a single person or bird so typically, birds that are bonded together don’t really bond with their human. We can help you a bit more if you let us know what your goals are with them. Are you satisfied with them being bonded to each other but able to be out and about with you in the room? Or are you hoping to be able to bond with them yourself (which will take some concerted effort such as having them in separate cages, etc)?

 

[ginziputzi]

Right - their names were in the subject line. Lol! Someone needs to pay more attention! 🤦🏻‍♀️.

So the first thing to do is earn their trust. How are they when you are near their cage? In the photo above, they look stressed and unsure but I am guessing that is because you have your hands in there to take the photo. See how they are long and a bit stretched at the neck? their feathers are smooth with their eyes wide and locked on you. That’s a stressed look. Are they like that even when you are near their cage or in the same room? What I think you should start with is just being around their cage, talking softly to them and letting them adjust to you just being there in a non-threatening way. To them, you are an enormous predator and they need to learn you mean them no harm. So just be present and calm for now. Let’s start there. Keep us posted on behaviour as you do this - like, they’re stressed today but in a few days, they’re not showing stress or they’re coming closer to where you are. That kind of subtle thing. Patience will be key here. Just take is slow.

 

[ginziputzi]

A couple of additional tidbits to help you with establishing trust … parrotlets cages are their safe zone, their territory where they feel safe. Your arm and hand can look remarkably like a snake coming into the cage so when you go in, keep your hands as low as you can when you’re getting their dishes out, etc. If they approach you, just keep your hand flat. Our hands can look like the gaping maw of a snake to these tiny little prey birds, so keeping it flat is less intimidating…still intimidating but less in the “I’m about to eat you” sense. In theory anyway.

Music is also soothing so you may want to test out some music on them. My girl Kiwi seems to like smooth jazz for some reason. Others do well with nature sounds. Just try some options out on them. My goal for you is to get them more at ease with your presence and to give you opportunity to observe them in a less stressed state. That way, you will be more familiar with their body language and can prevent stress before it gets them flapping around. I mean, not always - as wild birds (despite being raised in a human environment), they will naturally respond to fear by trying to fly away and there are just situations where you have to get your hands in there. I also hope it will help to assess their relationship with each other so you can have some realistic expectations on their interactions with you. Bonded pairs don’t typically have that much interest in their human, but they are all different personalities so you never know. You can also have a very enriching experience with then even if they are not bonded to you. But all in good time. Do you have any particular expectations or hopes with them?

 

[ginziputzi]

Me again … just a little reading material on potential household hazards FYI. Some is common sense but a little reminder never hurts.

Top 10 Pet Bird Hazards

With so many new babies on this Forum, I thought this might be timely. It's also just a refresher for all of us. http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/top-10-bird-dangers-lurking-in-your-home

www.talkparrotlets.com