First time parrot owner - any advice?

Hello everyone

Last Thursday I became the new owner of a Parrotlet. He belonged to my mother in law but the doctors told her she had to get rid of him because the bird was making her chest bad. She was really upset so we offered to take him rather than give him to strangers.

MiL has had him for 2 years, so I'm guessing he's about 5 now. She said that the pet shop owner where she got him from used to hold him in his hand while in the pet shop. Since MiL got him I don't think he's been out much. She says she's had him out in her hand, but to get him out the cage you have to chase him round and grab him. She didn't let him fly round because he got behind the sideboard once.

I know it will take time to form a bond with him, but at the moment I can't get anywhere near him. I've been sitting next to the cage and talking to him, and he seems quite relaxed when I do that. As soon as I try to put my hand near the bars he goes and hides in the corner. I can't even tempt him with a treat through the bars.

I tried putting my hand in the cage and holding it very still, holding a treat out to him but won't come out of the top corner. MiL is saying I should just grab him, but I don't want to make him even more scared. I want to do things properly. She said I should just talk to him firmly to get him to stop messing about.... but I would have thought talking to him gently would be better?

He has been very quiet (don't know what he does when we're not there) but haven't heard him sing like he did at MiLs, and haven't noticed him taking much interest in his toys. I was thinking of getting him a rope toy to see if he likes that. The toys he has at the moment are your typical plastic Budgie type toys. He sits and "cuddles" up to the plastic budgie he has on one of his perches.

I've never had a parrot before. I had a budgie when I was little, and he was quite tame cause we had him from a baby. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

The firmenss in your voice will mean nothing but a game, unless he knows you well. If ERin doesn't listen whenI tell her stop or to come I use a firm voice with a smile, so it means business, but not that I'm mad. I use a firm voice with a firm a firm expression when she has made me very upset (like biting, or screaming- she then gets quiet and knows that she has crossed the line. But that would had NEVER worked when I first got her- she would had taken it as a dare.

Just be patient and no don't grab him ever. you may have to teach step up all over. once he learns step up, it is a command, and he should do it when ever you ask- no matter his attitude, because it is a command- others wil differ. But if you are talking true training, then yes, then you can be a bit pushy if you have asked for a command. But it does NOT seem like he knows step up well at all. So start with clicker and stick training. WHile in or out his cage, make a clicking noise and give a treat. He will associate clicks with treats and eventaully you with treats. Then to make him comfortable with you touching and so forth, move on to stick training- hold out a popsicle stick or chopstick,etc, and when he touches it, click,a nd treat. As the days go on hold more of the stick in your hand, so there is less stick to be offered, eventually he will be touching your hand for a treat Good luck and have patience. You can't expect a parrot to do things you haven't taught it.

It may take him some time to come around. Parrotlets are very shy or timid when they see strangers. Mine is now just over 13 and will be 14 in June. He has always been shy of changes with People.

Offer a snuggle hut or tent, and most of all do not feed him all seed. Sunflower seeds would be one of the worst they can eat. Some pellet mixed with alittle seed is okay but they love to eat cooked foods and love to eat period. Pellets of choice here would be: Harrison's super fine and Tops organic crumplets.

Bird street bistro organic mixes are great foods to feed that need slight cooking with water. Also sweet potato puree is also a great way to get Vit A into them if you decide to bake any bird muffins with cornmeal, chop up cranberries and blueberries and bake. Great treat while sneaking in some good stuff.

3Greenies said:

It may take him some time to come around. Parrotlets are very shy or timid when they see strangers. Mine is now just over 13 and will be 14 in June. He has always been shy of changes with People.

Offer a snuggle hut or tent, and most of all do not feed him all seed. Sunflower seeds would be one of the worst they can eat. Some pellet mixed with alittle seed is okay but they love to eat cooked foods and love to eat period. Pellets of choice here would be: Harrison's super fine and Tops organic crumplets.

Bird street bistro organic mixes are great foods to feed that need slight cooking with water. Also sweet potato puree is also a great way to get Vit A into them if you decide to bake any bird muffins with cornmeal, chop up cranberries and blueberries and bake. Great treat while sneaking in some good stuff.

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Thanks for the tips. I was looking at a "snuggle corner bed" on Ebay. Would that be suitable?

As for feeding, he's currently eating mainly sunflower seeds He picks them out of the mix I was given with him. As far as I'm aware he hasn't had any fresh fruit or veg. I've tried him with grape, which he will eat out of his bowl, but doesn't seem to like carrot. He has a cuttle fish and mineral block which he seems to have used.

Parrotlets can and will suffer the effects of eating fatty seed such as sunflower that will surely shorten his life. They are easy victims of fatty liver disease like any bird that would be solely on seed diets and bad ones at that.

You can try a cooked food such as I mentioned Bird Street Bistro, Higgins Cuisines and there is a vendor here www.mysafebirdstore.com I buy all my foods from including the bird street bistro.

My Parrotlet gets some seed but it is only what is in the mixes that I cook so mainly some hulled millet. He has not eaten a sunflower seed in many years. You gotta change what he is eating now if you want him around for many years to come.

3Greenies said:

Parrotlets can and will suffer the effects of eating fatty seed such as sunflower that will surely shorten his life. They are easy victims of fatty liver disease like any bird that would be solely on seed diets and bad ones at that.

You can try a cooked food such as I mentioned Bird Street Bistro, Higgins Cuisines and there is a vendor here www.mysafebirdstore.com I buy all my foods from including the bird street bistro.

My Parrotlet gets some seed but it is only what is in the mixes that I cook so mainly some hulled millet. He has not eaten a sunflower seed in many years. You gotta change what he is eating now if you want him around for many years to come.

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Looking online now to see if those are available in the UK. Thank you so much for your advice. Mother in law is going round to ours to visit him today while I'm at work. I'm going to have some explaining to do when she comes next time and sees different food!! "sorry, but you were feeding your bird the wrong food, and not offering him any fruit or veg". I really hope she doesn't scare him today and try and grab him

The link I gave you is to Kathie's store. She does ship internationally so you can buy from her. I think that with birds, our education never ends. You can simply explain to her if she loves him that much, you learned something new today that will enhance life so he can live to be an old Parrotlet.

Mine will be 14 yrs old in June.

I've managed to find a supplier over here that sells the Harrison Adult Lifetime Super Fine, do you think that will be suitable?

Thankfully she just sat and chatted to Bobby. She did comment that he was very still. It will take him a while to settle in though so I'm not too worried about that yet.

A lot of birds need time to adjust after a move. I'm sure he'll become more active after a few weeks.

Give him lots of verbal affection, yummy treats, and respect his feelings.

Wellll not all parrotlets are timid or shy. My little girl will happily kick anyone's butt. i'm guessing since yours is not absolutely freaking out he's not very shy either. For five years he's been grabbed at and has had no....... what would be considered positive training. If it was me, this is what I would do.

First i'd join,TalkParrotlets.com Homepage Great forum just for parrotlets. Go check out the millet training advice on the training forum.

Keep sitting by his cage with the door open and continue talking to him. Offer him millet, there are are very few parrotlets that don't love the stuff. Its good he's only hiding and not freaking out on you and flying around. Have you tried to put your finger right on his stomach and pushing just a little bit to unbalance him and telling him to step up? What about if you tried doing it first with a stick? He may not be so hesitant to get on a stick and at least you can get him out of the cage and give him a chance to interact with you without big scary hands being involved.

Don't grab him. These are little tiny guys. And their smart. He will remember if you do and he may never forgive you. Just give him time, treat him with respect and he will come around.

As for food there is a long discussion about what is appropriate for parrotlets. Being small there is a different ratio that should be used. They eat seed in the wild so vets now recommend some seed. Not sunflower though. Volkmans parrotlet seed mix is a great option. They should be given veggies with a small amount of fruit. I can tell you for my girl she does better with most of it chopped up finely versus big chunks except broccoli that she likes to rip up herself. Let him see you eat it, Peapod gets extremely angry if I don't share and i've introduced a lot into her diet by tricking her. ANYWAY there is a ton of info on the parrotlet forum that I believe is dead on when it comes to nutrition.

As for toys i'd ditch the parakeet plastic toys. And I'd get rid of the budgie too he's more than likely bonded to it and while it seems mean to get rid of it. Wouldn't it be better in the long run if he was bonded to a living breathing beings (like yourself) who can stimulate him versus a plastic bird? Parrotlets seem to enjoy one of two type of toys. Bells and ringing things they can beat up or toys they can shred. My girl is a shredder and my life has become a slave to finding new shredding toys that this extremely smart girl will be engaged in playing with. She loves loofas, sunflower hearts (no seeds just the husk) chinese finger traps and business cards! Just present them to him see what sparks his attention. They need toys though they are busy little boogers.

How big is his cage? The minimum requirement for a parrotlet is 20 by 20. Once again there is a whole forum devoted to cages on the parrotlet site.


And above all thank you for bringing on this little charge. I can tell you they are worth it. My little girl is chasing my finger as I type and yelling at it while she tries to simultaneously chew up my mouse. They are a super fun to have around! I bet your guy will be just like her given lots of time and love.

Your parrotlet sounds cool! I want Bobby to be like that eventually.

I'm going to order some pellets today to mix with his seed. I've picked out most of the sunflower seeds in his current feed. Don't think he's too happy!! Tried him with chopped up grape. Didn't eat it. Chopped up carrot. Didn't eat it. Might get some broccoli today. Millet.... he ate a bit but didn't really seem bothered.

I tried registering with the parrotlet forum but it wouldn't let me. I've contacted them about it so just waiting to hear back.

I'm going to buy him a toy he can shred and see if he's interested in that. I haven't tried putting my finger next to his stomach, I can't get my hand close enough without him flying round his cage!