Sorry I didn’t see this post sooner. AkridChaos summed it up pretty well. In fact, the reason I decided a Parrotlet was for me is that I have a (now part-time) Chihuahua, and when I read descriptions of parrotlets I thought “Oh birdie Chihuahua. I know all about that kind of attitude. Perfect.”
Pros:
Bumble is sweet, wonderful, funny, SMART. She does several tricks, is sort of potty trained, and since nobody told her female parrotlets don’t talk, she says a few words. They’re not very clear but they’re the sweetest thing ever. She’s a Velcro bird with an independent streak. When she hasn’t had enough time with me, or when she first comes out of her cage, she wants to be on me, preferably my hand. But after she is out for a while, she likes to fly over to her boing or her gym and play or perch for a while, always returning to me within maybe 10 minutes. Parrotlets are ridiculously cute and people are always enchanted by her. She’s pretty quiet, and parrotlets are physically incapable of screaming. That’s not to say she doesn’t have her very loud moments! Her alarm call (usually when she sees the bathroom or hears a crinkly plastic bag) is plenty loud.
Cons:
Parrotlets can be nippy. We work on this and she’s pretty good at a gentle “no thank you” beaking instead of a bite when she doesn’t want to do something. She has not drawn blood, and I’ve earned almost every hard bite she’s given me.
They can be cage-territorial. Bumble isn’t. I don’t know why. She is fine with me reaching into her cage to do whatever I want/need and she’ll usually step up to come out from wherever she is. Once in a while I get a little nip, and then I just let her come to her door where she is happy to step up calmly. We also have a game where I put the pad of my finger up to the cage bars and she gives me a little nibble-lick.
They can be prone to plucking. Bumble doesn’t but this just gives me something fun to worry about - we all need that, right?
They are said to untame very quickly if not handled every day. I work 40 hours a week with a total 2+ hour RT commute right now. Bumble comes out every single day. Sometimes it’s literally only a few minutes, but I try to make it the best few minutes possible. Most days it’s from the time I get home until she goes to bed, and again I try to make that quality time. I live alone so it’s just us hanging out. On weekends I have my Chihuahua, so her cage is always in the same room with me, and I lock the dog in the bedroom to play with her for at least an hour each day. I have no interest in finding out if the untaming thing is true.
Like Chihuahuas, they have no idea how small they are and this means you have to protect them from themselves. Bumble is, as Wrench mentioned, an only bird, but I understand they are likely to attack bigger animals without realizing the danger. I don’t know how this would be managed in a multi-bird home but you should be aware of it. And yes, I’ve also heard they’re toe biters. This could especially be a problem when combined with cage aggression if another bird landed on their cage.
Pro/Con mixed: they are relatively short-lived parrots. In captivity it seems like they live around 15 years at best. This is a pro because I’m 48 and I’ll probably outlive her (unlike a larger bird). It’s also a con because I’m 48 and I’ll probably outlive her. Pet grief is the worst.
I hope some of this is helpful [emoji5]
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