Intro for 2 year+ owner of a 6-7 year old p'let

skatingdoc

New member
Jan 3, 2012
11
0
Parrots
Leela, a 6 or 7 year old parrotlet
Hey all,

Leela (in the profile photo) is my 6 or 7 year old parrotlet, adopted from a friend over 2 years ago. Our story is a little more complicated than others. She was hand-raised, but rescued at a year old from a crappy breeder. My friend owned her for about 3 years and I took care of her after that. She was not handled that often, so she was only semi-tame.

When I got her, I took her to a vet, who found out she had a throat infection, so my first two weeks or so with her consisted of me catching her in the dark and sticking a tube down her mouth twice a day. She warmed up to me (and my boyfriend) at the end of those two weeks after I took her out of the cage.

She has always been VERY territorial, and very hesitant to come out of the cage, although after about a month of ownership, she would step up when outside of the cage and hang out with me and let me get her pin feathers.

I feel like lots of people ask how long it takes parrots to bond with you, and I feel like the answers are often a cheery "instantly" or "a couple of weeks". For Leela to truly enjoy my company it took a lot longer than that.

After a year, she started trying to mimic noises I make.. This was really the first time she showed interest in me when she was in her cage. Right now she just makes little "kisses", but all of her other calls and noises are instinctive.

After two years (just a few months ago, really), she decided she liked me enough to come out of her cage when I opened it, though she doesn't like to explore. She usually just sits on me and chews on my hair, or my clothes, or sleeps on my shoulder if I have her up too late. Unfortunately her favorite thing to chew on is my glasses, and she has managed to get the ball out of my earring on two separate occasions (though never swallowed it, thank goodness).

Only a few weeks ago she started to decide she'd like me for her mate, and if I'm dumb enough to stick my finger in her cage to get her attention she just tries to regurgitate on me.

She's scared to death of any sort of delicious treat other than millet, not for lack of trying. I sneak a few fresh treats(fruit & veg) into her food dish if cut up really tiny. We do what we can.

And yes..apparently I'm long-winded. Nice to meet everyone!!
 

Remy

New member
Jul 13, 2011
1,905
1
California
Parrots
Darcy (Golden-Collared Macaw), Puck (Caique - RIP)
Yay! It sounds like you're doing great! Welcome!

Puck took a couple months to really bond with me. He was pretty bitey at first. After about a month of having him though, he did start trying to mate with my boyfriend and me.
 

lene1949

New member
Sep 26, 2011
1,701
1
Brisbane, Australia
Parrots
Cory: Short billed Corella -
Echo: Galah -
Max: Alexandrine -
Skye: Yellow Sided conure -
Luka: Green Cheek Conure -
RIP Shrek: Quaker
Welcome to the forums..
 
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skatingdoc

skatingdoc

New member
Jan 3, 2012
11
0
Parrots
Leela, a 6 or 7 year old parrotlet
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Once she decided she loved me, unfortunately she got REALLY mad at my boyfriend. He gets a talking to if he takes her cover off in the morning, tries to feed her or pet her, or sits too close to me. Luckily, my boyfriend is a wonderful man who is neither distraught nor aloof about the whole thing.

Leela just works a little slower than other birds.. It takes her about a month to get used to any new toys as well.
 

beachbirdhouse

New member
Feb 8, 2011
17
0
Coastal NC
Parrots
Parrotlet, Quaker
Greetings. I am a parrotlet owner as well. I have a male named Kiwi. I was just saying how much more difficult it is to bond with the parrotlets due to their timid nature. The parrotlet is the 2nd smallest parrot in the world so naturally they scare easily. I have a Quaker named Pepper who loves everyone, but Kiwi only perfers my company and only on his terms. They are very cage territorial. I generally let Kiwi come out on his own before I pick him up. They are really great birds otherwise. Kiwi is quiet, never bites, never makes a big mess, but can be a bit timid on occassion. Pepper is loud, will bite if he gets in a bad mood, and loves to sling his food everywhere, but is extremely social. Although, their personalities are very different, I love them both very much for different reasons. It's so cool how both have their own personalities. It's good to read up on specific breeds for tips. Every Parrot is different but some breeds have particulars. Quakers love to take baths regularly, but Parrotlet's generally prefer self cleaning, so it's good to mist them every once in a while. Kiwi is a tropical bird susceptible to temperature change where as Pepper has more of a tolerance for a cooler temperature. Pepper is also illegal in some states to own. It's good to own a few breed and care books for your specific parrots. The internet is a good reference, but I find a hardback more accessible. Anyway, Welcome to Parrotfourms. It's good to see more Parrotlet owners joining. I wish you and your baby the best of the best. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to pm me.
 
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skatingdoc

skatingdoc

New member
Jan 3, 2012
11
0
Parrots
Leela, a 6 or 7 year old parrotlet
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@beachbirdhouse Yep, Leela does everything on her own terms for sure. She decides when she wants to come out, when she wants treats (usually if I'm eating them), and even when she wants a bath. I tried misting her for a long time, but she HATES it. She usually takes a bath a few times a week (if not every day).
 

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