Glad the vet visit went well. My little goofs always dart out of the vet's hand and have to be chased around the exam room for a few minutes before being recaptured.
Just a note concerning her colour mutation: there's some controversy surrounding whether or not it's safe to give colour mutation parrotlets pellets. A number of breeders, etc., say that it can cause renal failure, while others say it's just a coincidence, and that necropsies are never done on these birds to confirm whether or not it was the pellets that fried their kidneys. From what I've read, it's either due to the amount of protein in pellets, or due to them not drinking enough water when eating pellets (pellets have less than 10% moisture, and parrotlets are from dry climates, meaning they don't drink as much as "tropical" parrots, such as eclectus and macaws, would).
The biology of colour-, feather-, and/or size-mutation parrots is different from that of their "wild-type" cousins. For example, albinos, lutinos, and other pale individuals (of any species, whether they're porcupines, vipers, humans, canines, or birds) are not healthy animals. Yes, their colour mutation is often a result of inbreeding, given albinism is recessive, meaning both parents have to be carriers of this rare gene. However, the lack or lesser amount of melanin in their skin and feathers/hair causes physiological and neurological abnormalities. Their organs are often underdeveloped or non-functional; their joints, tendons, ligaments, and bones are deformed or weak; they have weak immune systems; and tend to suffer from neurological issues, such as psychosis, epilepsy, strokes, etc. Scarlet, my albino budgie, died at age 3 after suffering multiple strokes. Maria, only 3 or 4 at the times, died from sudden organ failure. Simon, the young yellow male budgie I adopted this fall, died suddenly after living with me for only 6 weeks (there was no apparent cause, as he'd been cheerful and alert when I got them ready for sleep the previous night). And my sweet Rumi; she suffered a severe neurological event a few months, leaving her completely flightless, extremely weak, and barely able to stand or move. She's been getting a lot stronger, but yesterday, she had another neurological episode, leaving her disoriented and confused (but it hasn't affected her strength). She's still alive and a lot more alert and active, but she's still a bit off.
A lack of melanin negatively affects the brain (I forget why). However, just having pale skin/feathers/hair doesn't mean said individual is going to be unhealthy. For example, Caucasians are very pale compared to black people, Latinos, Hispanics, however, Caucasians are still able to tan due to melanin in their skin, and are therefore not affected neurologically. The same goes for polar bears who, although they have white/clear fur, have black skin and dark eyes. Individuals who are pale, have pale hair/fur/feathers, pink or light-coloured noses, and/or blue eyes ARE affected. Most of us probably knew a kid growing up who had pale skin, pale eyes, and had extremely light hair. Odds are, this kid was tiny, wasn't particularly good at academics or sports, burnt when exposed to the sun, suffered from asthma or allergies, and was often sick.
Sorry, got off topic. Anyways, just be aware that colour mutation birds (and mammals, reptiles, amphibians, etc.) may be different physiologically and/or neurologically from the "typical" member of their species.
We'll all look forward to seeing more of little Bumble!
