[imsy]

Hi,
My name is Sy, and I recently met a Parrotlet at my neighborhood pet store. She is a fascinating, shy little creature, but I was drawn to her immediately. I went home and started researching the breed and found another blue Parrotlet from a bird farm nearby. I am thinking about getting the blue boy but I have concerns about getting him. I will go visit him and the petshop little girl this coming week. I don't know either of the birds ages as yet.

I have a 4 year old husky male. He is a very unusual husky in that he is not destructive or aggressive; he is spoiled to me since we spend so much time together. I'm retired and I didn't really have any desire for a bird, until I met one. After doing my homework on the breed my concern is for the bird and my dog getting along together. I'd like the bird to be able to fly all through my home and I've read where you can teach them to do their business in one spot. I've not read how you go about doing this though, another concern I need to address before adopting a Parrotlet.

I would welcome any and all advice.

 

[sugarglider]

Welcome to the forum! This place is full of tons of information and wonderful people! I think you can go about training them to go potty in one spot by just timing when they go and making sure they are on that spot when they go. I would go at the most every 30 minutes and place them on the spot where you want them to go a few minutes before, then praise them when they do go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uadoTEpLDs
She has more tips in the description!

 

[Jinx n Noodle]

Welcome to the forum! And good for you for doing your research first

As for the husky, they have high prey drive and that's going to be the biggest concern. I have a malamute and though I've taught her to leave the birds alone (took a long time and slow progress), there's nothing I can do when they fly around- her instinct is to chase and try to catch. If they sit still, she really doesn't do much (though I won't risk that either). Most of the time, she just wants to try to eat their food!

This is my compromise since the birds were there first. I made a room in my house a bird room. The dogs aren't allow in it except it has access to the dog's potty area, so they only go through it to get to the potty area (in which case the birds are always in their cages). The birds are allowed out to fly and roam when the dogs are elsewhere (either outside or in another room). So far, everything has worked out well.

And yes, I've potty trained Jinx. It's not perfect, but if I want to keep myself clean, I just set her on a paper towel or kleenex every 20 minutes and tell her to poop. Since she always wants to be on me, she learned quickly that if she did her business, she can go back on my shoulder. Also, you can watch their body language for when they need to go; Jinx will take a couple of steps backwards and then scoot her butt down right before she goes.

 

[jodeg]

Welcome to the forum! Glad you're doing some research before you bring a Parrotlet home -- there's lots of great information here!

Generally, I would recommend that your dog and your Parrotlet should never interact, even when you are present. It would be natural for the dog to go after the Parrotlet, and with the Parrotlet being so small, he wouldn't stand a chance. I have 3 small dogs, and they are never around my Parrotlet.

I also don't recommend that you let your Parrotlet free flight throughout your house. They are VERY small and danger is everywhere -- electrical cords, the stove, an open door or window, getting stepped on -- accidents can happen in a heartbeat. I have a friend who's Parrotlet accidently fell behind the stove. My friend frantically dismantled the stove and was able to get the bird out, but the bird was traumatized for a long time. Someone else actually lost their Parrotlet in the house somewhere, and eventually found it, days later, dead. They are so little and things can go wrong quickly. Free flight throughout the house is just too risky for your bird. It's up to you to protect him.

I guess it sounds like I'm trying to discourage you, but you need to make sure a Parrotlet will fit into your home and your life. Even though they are small, they are feisty and strong-willed, and usually take lots of time and patience to bond with their owner.

Lots to think about! Keep reading, researching and asking questions -- we're all here to help!

 

[imsy]

Thank you sugarglider, Jinx and Noodle, and jodeg for such a quick response. The potty training vid was helpful, and led to more vids to check out also.

Do you all clip their wings yourself to keep them from flying? I'm not fond of the idea of having to do that but I definitely will if that would keep him/her safer. And yes, huskies are predatory, it's genetic and not much to be done about that. That hadn't occurred to me since I know how gentle he is, but given the right circumstances he would revert back to his natural instincts.

Ok, I can clip the bird's wings, keep the dog separate from the bird while I interact with the Parrotlet. Both are doable and I enjoy feisty personalties- as that is a good description of my own.

 

[sugarglider]

Some people clip their own parrotlet's wings, some have a vet or somebody else who knows how do it. I do not know how to clip wings, so when it comes time to clip Jasper's I will have to have a vet or somebody else do it. Pretty Boy has not had his wings clipped in over...10 years? He doesn't fly much unless he's spooked or feeling really mean or cuddly that day =P

 

[Jinx n Noodle]

I clip my own guys wings. But definitely if you're not comfortable, I wouldn't recommend it. Otherwise, I would recommend having somebody show you how to do it before attempting it.

As for clipping wings, it's a personal decision. I have all my guys clipped at first and then allow them to grow out when they are well trained. The only ones that I keep clipped is Noodle because he was older when I got him and though he is trained to a certain extent, he doesn't prefer to do anything with me and I prefer not to chase him around to get him to step up because he just doesn't want to. Lydia I keep clipped because she can fly pretty far and for such a big bird, it can be quite a distance with clipped wings.

Everybody else is fully flighted because I want them to be able to get out of trouble if need be by flying away. That and I found out with Jinx and Indi, when they can fly, they tend to stay out of trouble and off the floors. Otherwise, they learn that they can't fly and just fly to the floor and waddle around!

 

[trenac]

Hello Sy...WELCOME aboard... I had a close call with my small mix breed dog that made me relize to keep the dog out of the room anytime the bird can get out.

 

[imsy]

I received my baby blue on April 28, for my birthday. He is 6 months old and was living in the same cage as his 2 sibs. He has settled in nicely and tries to boss my husky around. My husky is so excited that blue baby is here, but he looks at the bird like he does his favorite treat, so I'm being very careful to keep them apart. I've only held baby blue a couple of times so far (in a different room- away from my husky) and he is very personable and curious. I have seeds soaking in water to sprout and plan on baking him some bread this coming week. It'll take awhile for my dog to get used to the bird, and I know I can never trust him alone with the bird. Change is good though, and I look forward to getting to know baby blue. I will wait for him to let me know what his name will be, for now it's baby blue, or blue baby.

Speaking of bread, I make homemade bread a lot. One particular kind that I make uses lots of fresh whole grains. I'm thinking that this will be good for baby blue also, but I want to ask first to make sure. The breeder did give me a recipe to make bird bread and I've seen similar ones online. Also, I make sourdough breads, will this be OK for the little guy?

Thank you all for your thoughts and advice.

 

[trenac]

Congrats! What a nice birthday present. Show us some pics when you can.

 

[unpoquito]

Congratulations on your new blue, baby boy! I love the blues so much - they're so beautiful! You've gotten off to a great start with sprouts and birdie bread, and it sounds like your little guy has a lovely personality too! Pics are definitely in order when you have a chance.

I'm not sure about sour dough bread. I usually make Momma's Birdie Bread for my guys - they love it so much! There are tons of recipes though that you can make from scratch, and they're generally corn breads instead of yeast rising breads.

 

[Jinx n Noodle]

Congratulations! I can't wait to see the pictures I don't know about sourdough bread.